In the drama of Marlowe the satisfaction appears to depend, not on the excitement of the catastrophe, but on the assertion of the greatness of man's spirit; and this seems to have been the theme also of Senecan tragedy. It will be remembered that the first part of Tamburlaine ends, not in his death, but in his triumph, and yet we feel that the peculiar note of tragedy has been struck. We have the true tragic sense of liberation. Kyd also asserted the independence of the spirit of man, if he is prepared to face pain and death.
It is really much more difficult than is always recognized to be sure what constituted Shakespeare's view of the tragic satisfaction or even that he believed in it. It is possibly true that Lear is a better man at the end of the play than he was at the beginning, and that without his suffering he would not have learned sympathy with his kind; but this does not apply either to Hamlet or to Othello, and even in the case of King Lear it does not explain the aesthetic appeal. That depends on something more profound.
The student, after getting the story of the tragedy quite clear, should concentrate first on the character of the hero. Ask yourself whether his creator considered him ideally perfect -- in which case the appeal probably lies in the spectacle of a single human soul defying the universe; or flawed -- in which case the defect will bring about the catastrophe. It is true that in the Revenge Play type we have frequently the villain-hero, but the interest there depends rather on his courage and independence of man and God than on his villainy. This is particularly true of pre-Shakespearean plays. It is remarkable that the post-Shakespearean drama was apt to combine plots involving unnatural crimes and vicious passions with a somewhat shallow conventional morality.
History plays seem in Shakespeare's hands to represent the compromise of life. They may end in catastrophe or in triumph, but the catastrophe is apt to be undignified and the triumph won at a price. Again, we may say that in the Histories Shakespeare is dealing with the nation as hero. The hero in this case is immortal and his tale cannot be a true tragedy; while on the other hand there can never be the true comedy feeling of an established and final harmony. Apart from
Richard III Richard III was King of England, for two years, from 1483, when he assumed the throne, until his death at the Battle of Bosworth Fields, the decisive battle in The War of the Roses in 1485. In April 1483, Richard’s brother, King Edward IV died, and Richard was named as Lord Protector of the Realm, until such a time as Edward’s son and heir, could be crowned. However, in June of 1483, Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was declared invalid and thus made their children illegitimate…
Timeka Snead Midterm Final Draft McKellen’s version of Richard III succeeded in using the original scenes from the play and adding his own twists to portray that Richard was evil and hungry for power. It succeeded in showing facial expressions and body language that readers had to imagine themselves, while reading. The director did an exceptional job using lighting, different camera angles, the extreme closeups, choosing the height and age of the characters and the way he placed certain images inside the frame…
Shakespeare made liberal use of prediction in all his history plays, but never as much as in Richard III. This play is a web of stated intentions, curses, prophecies, and dreams, and practically all expectations are punctually fulfilled. Richard, Duke of Gloucester, informs us that he is 'determined to prove a villain', and, he goes on, Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous, By drunken prophecies, libels, and dreams, To set my brother Clarence and the King In deadly hate the one against the other;…
Through exploring connections between Shakespeare’s Richard III and Al Pacino’s Looking for Richard the values of the era are often a product of the context of the text. However, through studying the theatricality of man and the pursuit of power, it is clear these notions transcend time and context. Shakespeare valued the way an actor could act within a play and theatre was valued in this context. Shakespeare also demonstrated how Richard pursued political power, whilst Shakespeare himself…
The Material Culture of Chinatown I have been observing the setting of Chinatown very closely for the past few weeks and as I have mentioned in my previous assignments, I have slowly started to see a strong sense of community there. There is definitely a pattern of things that led me to think like that and the following paragraphs will discuss those reasons. One of the main reason that ties Chinatown and it’s people together is that they, somewhat, share the same language. For instance, my friend…
ever a woman in the humour won?” - assonance and expansive ‘o’ sounds as well as rhetoric and repetition “I’ll have her but I’ll not keep her long” - intercuts of ‘Ha’ as well as an increased speed of cuts through this line – almost portrays Richard as mad – cut of him out of costume in rehearsal laughing - Seduction through language and sexual tension in Pacino’s version – low neckline in costume,…
Despite the apparent potential nature of King Richard III being strictly political as an apology for the Tudor reign, Shakespeare takes it beyond mere propaganda with a powerful depiction of what being human means in a fiercely moral universe. Richard’s initial assertions that he is “determined to prove a villain” and that he is “unfinished”, “half made up”, suggest that he sees himself less than humane, in correlation to the Elizabethan sentiment that a deformed man is already cursed by nature.…
perspectives on the values in texts. How does Pacino’s film reveal a new response to the values explored in Richard III? The movie itself should take the high seed in the essay Al Pacino's docudrama, Looking for Richard, reveals new perspectives on the values, integrity, loyalty and justice, discussed in Shakespeare's morality play, Richard III, through the emended perception of Richard. A focus on the integrity of the character ultimately ensures a depreciation of the importance of other values…
of Titus Andronicus do not translate into a modern tableau, why do some others? Why does Richard III adapt so much better to a 'west wing' style setting than Titus Andronicus does to a modern equivalent? Ultimately, it is the focus of the play which determines its adaptability. Richard III is a play which focuses upon the depiction of humanity, not on society's conventions and social norms of the time. Richard does not act in any way which would be out of character in the 21st century. His motivations…
Richard III (1592) : what you have to understand about the character Richard is, he is extremely honest to himself and is capable of drawing out and exploring everyone else's faults (basically becomes exquisitely in tune with them) and takes advantage of them and plays off them as they arise. This is where he is most dangerous (quote) "It's the women's fault". He is also well aware of deception directed towards him. He wants the throne for himself and does so by killing off any other heirs. His…
