Shakespeare maintains this harrowing perspective for the first three acts, until the end of the third, which features the beginning of few comic moments, perhaps to distract the readers from the insensitive acts and dismal atmosphere that began the play. Orsino and Olivia in his festive comedy, Twelfth Night, demonstrate the norm for Shakespeare’s comedies; where experiences reveal the true personalities of characters; although the reader is already aware of this, and the lack of self-knowledge, as well as the eventual exposure, is humorous and adds to the enjoyment of the play. Evidently, The Winter’s Tale opposes this notion entirely as it becomes clear that the moment of awareness in the play arises with dismay; “the queen, / The sweet 'st, dear 'st creature 's dead, / and vengeance for 't / Not dropp 'd down yet.” (3.2.197-199). In any case, the emphasis in these comedies is on the ridiculousness of the character; yet, unlike the other comedies, the ludicrous behaviour of Leontes results in tragedy, not comedy. Productions of The Winter’s Tale demonstrate how this notion occurs through self-understanding of the play; be it through stage set-up or the portrayal of characters.
Two of Romeo’s best friends remain ou of the loop and are not informed when the love-srtricken Romeo find love and gets married. The importance of this irony appears because the driving antagonistic force behind the tales presents itself as the lack of hate between the two families and how the two enemies fall in love, but the idea of enemies falling in love seems so ridiculous to Romeo’s closest friends that they still believe he yearns for Rosaline. Symbolism: the use of objects or facts to represent ideas or
Hamlet is an example of someone who has compromised his happiness, in order to avenge his father’s murder. When Hamlet is assured by the ghost of his father, that Claudius was the cause
In Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Hamlet, we find a very interesting relationship between the main character, Hamlet, and a character with a more minor part, Horatio. While parts don’t share the same magnitude, the relationship between the two friends is one of the most enlightening pieces of the play. This relationship serves, what can be said as, a dual purpose. Primarily, Horatio is the bearer of truth, from where the audience can come to see what is and what is not. Horatio’s next purpose is to give us insight into the mind of Hamlet, being his one true friend to whom he shares his most intimate thoughts.
The central character of a comedy is usually an ordinary character that faces conflicts that arise from misunderstandings or mistaken identities but overcomes them, and the play ends with a happy resolution.” (TutorVision) and tragedy is “a drama that ends in the downfall of its main character… The hero’s downfall is meant to inspire audiences to examine their own lives, to define their beliefs, and to cleanse their emotions of pity and terror through compassion for the character.” (TutorVista). The difference in the two genres is very evident, mainly because in a comedy the protagonists end with a happy ending, but in a tragedy the opposite. The first characteristic we can see that helps us identify The Merchant of Venice is that at the end, all the protagonists overcome
Although Laertes deliberately collaborates with Claudius to kill Hamlet, Laertes’ forgiveness and quick acceptance of his death suggest his platonic conception of morality. Before the match, Laertes receives Hamlet’s apology when he says, “I am satisfied in nature/… But in my terms of honour / I stand aloof” (5.2. 259-62). Laertes forgives Hamlet when he accepts the apology in “nature”; however, Laertes’ duty to protect his reputation requires him to avenge his father. In effect, Laertes evokes the distinction between honor and nature and the former’s influence over his decision to choose revenge over clemency.
“Hamlet shares his inner feelings, thoughts, and plans for the future. These soliloquies are the pivotal pillars of the drama and are still considered some of Shakespeare’s best writing,” (Meer). Within Acts 1-3, each of Hamlet’s soliloquies touch on themes of death, god, anger, revenge, and suffering, often depicting Hamlet’s conflicted conscience in how to act upon these emotions. To begin with, Hamlet’s first soliloquy in Act 1 demonstrates the depths of his internal despair and anger, ultimately questioning if there is a deity. Hamlet opens by wishing that he himself could be dead, cursing God’s prohibition on suicide, then quickly questioning why any god would let his troubles occur.
This is actually one of the reasons why Claudius is unable to punish Hamlet, because “Why to a public count I might not go, Is the great love the general gender bear him who, dipping all his faults in affection.” (4.7.20-21) The people favor Hamlet even after he wrongly murdered Polonius. Furthermore, Hamlet 's father returning as a ghost to tell Hamlet of Claudius’s crime, could convince any doubters of the validity of Hamlets claim. This does not happen however, and his whole revenge plan get everyone killed. Not only do innocent bystanders get killed, but also people Hamlet loves die. The most repulsing action though is Hamlet not taking responsibility for his actions.
Before he dies, Laertes says, “…The foul practice / Hath turned itself on me. Lo, here I lie, / Never to rise again” (Shakespeare 5.2 327-329). He proves Confucius’s proverb true, “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” Laertes attempts to avenge his father’s and sister’s deaths, and he partially succeeds; but not without losing his own life in the process. This is another consequence of seeking vengeance: it ruins you as well. The characters in Hamlet learn how revenge is capable of torturing, ensnaring, and ruining those who choose to partake of
The purpose of comedy is to tickle those emotions into an expression of light relief; of tragedy, to wound them and bring relief of tears. Disgust and terror are the other points of the compass.” Through the outcomes of both plays, the audience is able to receive some hard truths and be confronted with reality. In their respective ways, the two plays reveal truths about the human experience in the way that the plays are symbolic of very real human or societal problems. Sophocles’ Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex, has a fateful plot with a tragic ending. His play follows the conventions of tragedy, implementing plot, character development,