Term Paper on "Shakespeare's Insistant Theme, Imagery, Use of Letter"

Term Paper 5 pages (1891 words) Sources: 1 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Shakespeare's insistant theme, imagery, use of letter, concept of man, and compare and contrast, major characters in Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Titus Ansronicus

When it comes to the characters in Shakespeare's greatest tragedies - the four pillars i.e. Othello, Macbeth, King Lear and Hamlet, along with his earliest tragedy, Titus Andronicus, there is always more than meets the eye. They are strong, deep characters who are faced with the trials of destiny and the frailty of the human mind and condition. Although different as far as social position, culture and life, the characters in Shakespeare's tragedies share a fateful end which can be attributed at least to a great extent if not completely, to a particular flaw of character, be it ambition, superficiality or jealousy. Shakespeare's character Hamlet makes no exception in this sense. Similarly to a few other characters in Shakespeare's plays, Hamlet is not easy to figure out. He does not reveal himself from the beginning of the play. As a matter of fact, he does not reveal himself completely at any point.

Hamlet's nature is deeply contemplative and philosophical; he spends a great amount of time pondering the mystery of death, the afterlife, and even his own suicide: "How noble in reason! how infinite in faculties! / in form and moving, how express and admirable! / in action how like an angel! / in apprehension, how like a god! / the beauty of the world! / the paragon of animals! / and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?" (Hamlet II.ii.292-298) He can be characterized by the quest for truth and the desire and capacity to look beyond the surface and examine proof in order to seize the truth. Nevertheless, perhaps the most interesting aspect about the character of Hamlet is his apparent moral ambivalence as it results from his words and actions, one that is shared by other Shakespearian characters such as Othello and Macbeth. In many ways, Hamlet is extraordinary, but above all, this moral duality is what makes him as human as each of his numerous readers. He is sometimes weak, sometimes hesitant, in a perpetual dialogue with himself, discontent with the state of his country, distrustful of women and saddened by his mother's marriage to his uncle whom he openly criticizes.

In Macbeth language plays an important part in creating an atmosphere of confusion, both interior (as far as the characters) and exterior (setting). The language of contradiction is used to illustrate that appearances can be deceiving. For instance, in the beginning of the play, the witches utter two sentences which become the leitmotif of the play, an illustration of Macbeth's blind ambition: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair: / Hover through the fog and filthy air" (Macbeth I.i.11-12). This line hints at the moral ambiguity of both Macbeth and his wife which will be throughout the play. It is very important to note that Macbeth's first line echoes that of the witches: "So foul and fair a day I have not seen" (Macbeth I.iii.36). Indirectly, this remark forges a link between Macbeth and the forces of darkness, and serves as a hint as to his fate as the play unfolds.

Although the first reaction of Macbeth when seeing the three witches is one of repulsion and fear, their prophecy determines a change of attitude in Macbeth, who starts to consider them "fair" based on their words that seem favorable to him. In this sense, Macbeth resembles King Lear who enjoys public praises and flattery, and is easily influenced by it. Their prophecy is the incentive Macbeth needs to put his foul plan into practice, thus he chooses not to question their intentions: "This supernatural soliciting / Cannot be ill; cannot be good" (Macbeth I.iii.130-131). Upon accepting the prophecy and debating whether he should kill Duncan, Macbeth appears aware of the consequences of murder, and how his deed would open the door to sin: "Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye / That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur / to prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself / and falls on th'other." (Macbeth I.vii.24-28) Once unleashed, the consequences of Macbeth's acts will act like a boomerang which will eventually claim his life. Unlike Othello and Hamlet, Macbeth does not contemplate suicide: "Why should I play the Roman fool," he asks, "and die / on mine own sword?" (Macbeth V.x.1-2). Instead, he dies on the battlefield as a victim of his own ambition.

As in the case of Hamlet, and to a certain extent in that of King Lear, in Othello one of the main themes is that of disillusionment: "She lov'd me for the dangers I had pass'd, / and I lov'd her that she did pity them."(Othello I. iii) Othello comes to Venice as a stranger and dies as one. Although he marries Desdemona and is socially accepted as a part of Venetian society, he is always regarded as an exotic stranger, and asked to tell the story of his life over and over again, to the amusement and entertainment of his audiences. Also, similarly to King Lear, Othello witnesses an impressive display of evil which he observes with superiority and a certain detachment. In fact, as in the case of King Lear and Hamlet - towards the end of the play - the atmosphere in Othello becomes thick and dark. His fate is as inescapable as that of any other major figures in Shakespearian tragedies.

Othello is also very close to Macbeth from another particular standpoint. Although the two heroes are very different, they both present a very strong flaw of character which will bring about their fateful end: "O! now, for ever / Farewell the tranquil mind; farewell content!" (Othello III.iii) if in the case of Macbeth this flaw is represented by blind ambition, in the case of Othello it is jealousy: "She's gone. I am abused, and my relief / Must be to loathe her. O curse of marriage, / That we can call these delicate creatures ours / and not their appetites! I had rather be a toad / and live upon the vapor of a dungeon / Than keep a corner in the thing I love / for others' uses. Yet 'tis the plague of great ones; / Prerogatived are they less than the base. / 'Tis destiny unshunnable, like death." (Othello III.iii.271-279) it is precisely this immense jealousy that - similarly to Macbeth - transforms Othello's world and generates inner chaos as Othello falls prey to his primal instincts. Because jealousy is not a passive state and does not rely on submission and resignation, Othello's universe is highly dynamic and approaches its end with great speed. Aside from this aspect, jealousy also brings with it a sense of shame and humiliation as the character finds his feelings reduced to those of a beast. What makes Othello's fate tragic is a combination of his own inflexibility and flawed character, and the pressure and lack of understanding resulting from the cultural differences that mark Othello's life in Venice: "Then must you speak / of one that loved not wisely but too well, / of one not easily jealous but, being wrought, / Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand, / Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away / Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes, / Albeit unused to the melting mood, / Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees / Their medicinable gum." (Othello V.ii.352-360)

King Lear shows his flaw of character from the very beginning. He is proud to be king, and readily accepts the benefits that are associated with this title, but refuses to take on the responsibilities that it implies. He enjoys public flattery and is largely blind to the truth even when laid in front of his eyes. In this sense, he fails to see the betrayal of his daughters and is thus incapable of providing a proper response to Goneril and Regan's attempt to strip their father of his power and identity, and to reduce him to a reasonless animal: "O, reason not the need! Our basest beggars / Are in the poorest thing superfluous. / Allow not nature more than nature needs, / Man's life's as cheap as beast's... No, I'll not weep. / I have full cause of weeping, but this heart / Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws, / or ere I'll weep. O fool, I shall go mad!" (King Lear II. iv)

The main aspect to consider when discussing the character of King Lear is whether or not he learns from his mistakes and emerges as a better king, father and human being. It appears he does since he is able to value Cordelia's love for him, and realizes that despite the fact that his other two daughters were always ready to flatter him, it was Cordelia who loved him the most. This… READ MORE

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