Introduction: Shakespeare
was a respected poet and playwright at all the times in the world. The Romantics respected his genius, and the Victorians worshipped Shakespeare with a
reverence. George Bernard Shaw called him
"bardolatry". In 20th century, his work was
repeatedly adopted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship and
performance. His plays remain highly popular today and are constantly studied,
performed, and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts
throughout the world.
Shakespeare’s contribution to the field of tragedies is worthy of appreciation
because he has made it rich by bringing forth his life’s experience to its full
extent. The characters and situations he has taken here encompass a wide range
of humanity. He is the person who is very near to the experiences of his
characters and hence is able to portrait the feelings of the characters very
effectively. Hence his plays, especially his tragedies have a great impact on
humanity.
Origin
of tragedy: Tragedy is a literary composition which has a wide dominion and
popularity. It has its origin in Greek literature. While it was in its budding
stage in Greek literature it has bloomed to its full extent during the time of
Shakespeare. One can definitely say that this is because of his contribution to
the field. The three major playwrights in Greek- Aeschylus, Sophocles and
Euripides presented tragedies in the beginning to suit the Athenian
theatre in the City Dionysia. As was noted in the discussion
of the Iliad, the word "tragedy" refers primarily to
tragic drama: “a literary composition written to be performed by actors in
which a central character called a tragic protagonist or hero suffers some
serious misfortune which is not accidental and therefore meaningless, but is
significant in that the misfortune is logically connected with the hero's
actions.”
Tragedy
in relationship with Humanity Tragedy stresses the vulnerability of
human beings whose suffering is brought on by a combination of human and divine
actions. Here, a human being is a mixture of good and bad things, many
times more of good qualities. But his defects are so strong that they will push
him to the doom. Thus here we, also human beings like the hero sympathize him
and at the same time feel often and often that he himself is responsible for
his misfortunes. Thus, we say a hundred times that King Lear should have
understood the feelings of Cordelia , that Othello should have had a
little more confidence in his wife Desdemona, that Caesar should have tested
the truthfulness of his assistants who had brought false witness to prove
Brutus’ selfishness and so on. Thus we feel that particular defect in hero is
responsible for his fall in spite of other good qualities the hero has.
Macbeth’s lust for the throne, Hamlet’s procrastination, Romeo’s decisive
nature, Coriolanus’ pride, and many other characters are eye- openers for us.
Thus, Shakespeare’s heroes are neither super humans who have only good
qualities nor devils who have only bad qualities but mortals who have the
mixture of the both. Hence they are not just the puppets in the hands of
destiny. Instead they are the sculptors of their own fate. This serves as a
bitter medicine to the society. The person who goes through the play definitely
resolves not to commit the mistake the hero has
committed.
One
thing which has made Shakespeare very near to humanity is his affinity with the
public. As he has experienced both poverty and richness, fame and defame,
prosperity and adversity(He was working as a helper in Globe Theatre - in his
life he has brought all his experiences in a picturesque manner in his
plays. One more word to add, many tragedies are written in his second
part of life, a period when the mind has reached full maturity. Thus we
see a variety of characters in his tragedies and at the same time we recognize
them in our surroundings. We see kings like Macbeth and Coreolonus and
also ordinary people like Othello. We see young lovers like Romeo and Juliet
and also old people like King Lear. We see characters like Hamlet who are very
slow in taking decisions and also characters like Macbeth who will never move
back from the decision once taken.
We have
seen loving daughters like Cordelia and fathers with blind love like King Lear.
We attribute the fate of Desdemona to many of our women folk. We have seen
thick friends like Brutus and Antony and at the same time Othello and Iago. We
see young lovers like Romeo and Juliat all the time. We see the character of
Calpurnia who tries to warn her husband about the future disaster in many
ladies in all the ages. Many of us have experienced the haughtiness and
pride of some superior officers in whom we can see Coriolonus. Hence his
tragedies are even now food for the scholars.
Unique features of Shakespeare’s tragedies
Tragedies of Shakespeare
have some special characteristics which make them unique in serving the
humanity.
1. Tragic flaw:
Shakespeare has exploited the Greek
character of hero having a tragic flaw to the maximum extent. Every hero is
having a defect in his character as a result of which he faces disasters in
spite of the good qualities he has. Ultimately we feel that it is right
that the hero of the plot has pulled the doom on himself by his misbehavior.
But at the same time, we are not disgusted of him because he is the person who
is otherwise good. There are some examples of such heroes here.
Hamlet is
warned by his father’s ghost that his brother Claudius has murdered him and has
taken charge of his wife and Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. But, Hamlet waits to
see the truth as he wants toinvestigate further. Hamlet’s friend also
cautions him regarding this. But, Hamlet has a deaf ear for that.
Macbeth had
a very good friendship with the Duke Duncan. But he is overpowered by the lust
of the throne and murders the Duke.
Antony is
an efficient leader in the army who is a great patriot and lover of his
fellowmen. But, because of Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen he shuns Octavia , his
wife and neglects the duties towards his nation.
Coriolonus is
a very good commander, but haughty in his own way. When people rush towards him
to honour him he evades them because of which their feelings are hurt and they
consider him arrogant. That increases the distance between him and the people
constantly and ultimately he will become the victim of Tullu Aufidius another
General whom Coriolonus had defeated many times before..
Julius
Caesar, noted Roman king, believes his friends and followers to the extent
that he is completely unable to guess what is happening behind his back. Of course,
a king should have eyes always open and he should be vigilant always. But
Julius Caesar lacks this. Brutus, who is noble in character stabs Caesar
carried away by the false proofs the conspirators present in front of him. In
fact, when his wife Portia asks him the reason for the turmoil in his mind he
simply evades her without saying anything because he knows that he himself is
not sure whether what he is doing is right or wrong.
Othello, who
has married Desdemona by himself proposing, starts to suspect her
because cares his frind, Iago’s words more than trusting his own wife.
King Lear, while
dividing his kingdom among his three daughters is carried away by the
false words of Goneril and Reagon. Cordelia expresses her love in clearcut,
straightforward ,true words.
Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave
My heart into my mouth. I love your majesty
According to my bond; no more nor less.
But they will not make any impact
on the king who is blind in love for his other two daughters.
Thus,
the tragic flaw which brings down the fall of the hero is an important
character which differentiates Shakespeare’s dramas from other ordinary dramas.
Because of this defect, the hero falls to the doom. Hamlet is killed, Macbeth
is assassinated, Antony suicides, Coriolonus is murdered, Julius Caesar is
brutally assassinated in the banquet hall, Othello kills his wife Desdemona and
he also dies in the end, King Lear is jailed and brutally treated by his own
daughters. Thus these characters warn the humanity regarding the severity
and seriousness of that defect.
2.Poetic Justice
But
if the protagonist of the play, the incarnation of all good and pleasing
suffers only failures and never succeeds in life, and the antagonist and his supporters
enjoy all the time, the mankind will definitely lose faith in good behaviour at
all. It may think in a fine way that there is no meaning in living a life of a
sage, controlling all our emotions and barring the fun and pleasures we
can have in our lives. Hence the poet is wise enough to say that good
ultimately wins at least the applaud of the mass while the bad receives
hard thrashes.
King
Lear understands the real love of Cordelia in the end and laments for not
caring her in the beginning.
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!
Howl, howl, howl, and howl! O, you are men of stones:
Had I your tongues and eyes, I’d use them so
That heaven’s vault should crack. She’s gone forever!
I know when one is dead, and when one lives;
She’s dead as earth.
The
conspirers who killed King Hamlet, Claudius and Gertrude and Laertes all die in
the end. Gertrude accidentally drinks the wine Claudius has poisoned. Hamlet
stabs Claudius and makes him drink the poison he has brought. He kills Laertes
with the same poisoned sword he is fighting with and thus the bad is
dismissed from the world.
In
Macbeth, Lady Macbeth who puts oil to the ignited fire of lust in Macbeth
becomes almost mad after the murder of the duke. She will have nightmares
always and sleep- walking will be common for her. Once she laments:
‘Here is the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia
will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, oh, oh!’
While Lady Macbeth suffers like this Macbeth is murdered by
Macduff as against his notion of the words of the witches. Then he understands
that he has misinterpreted the words of the witches.
In
Antony and Cleopatra, Cleopatra suicides because of the venom of snakes while
Antony is killed by Octavius Caesar who will become the heir of the Roman
throne in consequence.
In
Julius Caesar all the conspirators are killed in the end by the public only.
Brutus also comes to know the false behaviour of his friends. But, by that
time, he himself has stabbed Julius Caesar for which he laments all the time.
In
Othello Emilia reveals the fact that the kerchief is stolen from Desdemona as
of her husband’s wishes and it has been given to Cassius by her husband only.
Thus, Othello’s mind is cleared, but very late, as by that time Desdemona is in
her deathbed.
3.Role of fate or stars in Shakepearean tragedies
Though Shakespeare gives importance to human values and proclaims that the
actions of the protagonist are responsible for his rise or fall, he also at
times states that there is the role of fate in the lives of human beings.
At least a part of human kind is suffering in spite of their goodness in the
world.
In Othello, if Desdemona had not lost her hand kerchief Othello may
not have got any proof to suspect her. The kerchief was given to her by him as
a token of love and losing it was naturally an inexcusable lapse on her part.
In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo quotes:
“O I am fortune’s fool.”
If the letter was delivered in time the disaster would have
been reverted. Here the stars were harsh towards the ‘star-crossed’ lovers.
In Hamlet,
Hamlet says:
Our wills and fates do so contrary run
That our devices still are overthrown;
Our thoughts are ours, their ends none of our own.
Further he says:
There's a Divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough-hew them how we will.
As he feels it happens. He never rises to take revenge upon the killer of his father
and alas, he also dies in the end.
In Julius Caesar, Calpurnia, Caesar’s wife gets bad dreams which
forecast the evil which is going to happen the coming day. She warns and begs
her husband not to go to the banquet hall that day. But he insists on going
there as he is carried away by the words of Casca. Here it is nothing but the
adversity of the fate that has played the role.
4.Shakespeare’s view of mob:
Shakespeare has a opinion about the mass that, on the whole, they are not
there to take right decisions.
This
is very well brought in Julius Caesar. When Brutus claims that to
save the people of Rome from the tyranny of a dictator(Julius Caesar) he
and his friends have killed Caesar people nod at his words to the extent
that they are ready to dispose Caesar’s body without royal respect. But when
Antony proves that what all Caesar did was for the benefit of the people then
again they will agree fully and attack ‘the honorable and noble’ Brutus and his
friends.
Coriolanus is
not proud, however, when it comes to boasting of his martial exploits,he cannot
bear to be publicly praised. This is one of the qualities that make him a
complex character. He is honest, loyal, a great warrior, and a man of
integrity, but he is also proud and contemptuous of the plebeians - qualities
he does not trouble to hide. As a consequence, while the plebeians honor him as
a war hero, they view him as "chief enemy to the people”.
5.Lady characters in Shakespeare’s tragedies:
There
is a saying that Shakespeare has no heroes, but only heroines. In many of the
tragedies we see that his lady characters have a strong will power, perfect
intuition and also appealing style of approach. We observe this in his plays
irrespective of whether the lady we are concerned is the heroine their or
anti-heroine.
In
the play King Lear, Goneril and Reagan are equally strong as
Cordelia. Goneril and Regan are clever—or at least clever enough to
flatter their father.Goneril and Regan are, in a sense, personifications of
evil—they have no conscience, only appetite. It is this greedy ambition that
enables them to crush all opposition and make themselves mistresses of
Britain. Cordelia’s chief characteristics are devotion, kindness, beauty,
and honesty—honesty to a fault, perhaps. She is contrasted throughout the play
with Goneril and Regan, by refusing to take part in Lear’s love test at the
beginning of the play, Cordelia establishes herself as a repository of virtue,
and the obvious authenticity of her love for Lear makes clear the extent of the
king’s error in banishing her. For most of the middle section of the play, she
is offstage, but she is never far from the audience’s thoughts, and her beauty
is venerably described in religious terms.
LadyMacbeth in Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most
famous and frightening female characters. She is stronger, more ruthless, and
more ambitious than her husband. She seems fully aware of this and knows that
she will have to push Macbeth into committing murder. At one point, she wishes
that she were not a woman so that she could have done it by herself. Her
husband implies that she is a masculine soul inhabiting a female body, which
seems to link masculinity to ambition and violence. It seems Shakespeare wants
to convey the idea that women can be as ambitious and cruel as men, yet social
constraints deny them the means to pursue these ambitions on their own. But in
spite of her steadfast will power we see her sleep- walking and nightmares.
In Antony and Cleopatra,Cleopatra is described as a lustful
“gipsy,” a description that is repeated throughout the play as though by a
chorus (I.i.10). She is labeled a “wrangling queen” (I.i.50), a “slave”
(I.iv.19), an “Egyptian dish” (II.vi.123), and a “whore” (III.vi.67); she is
called “Salt Cleopatra” (II.i.21) and an enchantress who has made Antony “the
noble ruin of her magic” (III.x.18). II, Enobarbus points out in his famous
description of her in Act II, scene ii, as awe-inspiring. But it is also a
performance. Indeed, when Cleopatra takes the stage, she does so as an actress,
elevating her passion, grief, and outrage to the most dramatic and captivating
level. As Enobarbus says, the queen did not walk through the street, but rather
Hop[ped] forty paces . . .
And having lost her breath, she spoke and panted,
That she did make defect perfection,
And breathless, pour breath forth.
(II.ii.235–238)
In
Romeo and Juliet,Juliet also submits to a female code of docility by allowing
others, such as the Friar, to solve her problems for her. When Juliet dodges
her father's attempt to force her to marry a man she has no feeling for, she is
challenging the patriarchal order in a way that would not have been possible at
an earlier time. Her love is strong enough to kill herself by the sword of
Romeo without any hesitation. Thus Juliet expresses pure and perfect love for
Romeo. In fact, Romeo praises her:
If I profane with my most unworthy hand
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.
6. Anti –heroes/ villains in Shakespeare’s tragedies
In a
good play an anti hero’s role is as important as that of the hero’s. As
the hero arouses emotions in the spectators, so does the anti hero also.
An effective anti- hero definitely will have an impact on the minds of the
audience.
Anybody will be moved when Julius Caesar utters: “Et tu
Brutus? Then fall Caesar.” Though Brutus is a noble man, he is carried away by
the false evidences his friends have brought and thus leads the conspirators to
assassinate Caesar. People have recognized him as a noble man and hence
Antony cannot directly attack against Brutus when his friend, Julius Caesar is
murdered. In fact Brutus himself is in doubt whether what he is doing is right
or not. Hence he is not able to share his feelings freely with his wife Portia
when she asks him about his what makes him look dull and gloomy.Thus, I n
Brutus we see an anti- hero but not a villain.
But,
in Macbeth, the case is different. Here both husband and wife do
not have any mercy towards the duke but simply for want of power they kill him.
They do not have any sentiments and they never repent for the wrong deed they
have done( Of course, if Lady Macbeth would have been a little more tender
Macbeth also might have retrieved from the act). Hence here their action
is more villainous.
In Othello Iago
has a grudge over Othello without any reason. He promises Roderigo that
he will break the love of Othello and Desdemona and then Roderigo can marry her
as he liked her before Othello came to the scene. Othello suspects his wife to
the extent that he smothers her to death. Iago kills Roderigo also when he
comes to know that he will confess everything in front of the Governor. Thus,
he does not hesitate to commit series of murders and thus becomes a villain.
In
Hamlet, Claudius murders his own brother and marries his wife, Gertrude. He
sends Hamlet to England on a diplomatic pretext, accompanied (and closely
watched) by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Alone, Claudius discloses that he is
actually sending Hamlet to his death. Thus he is concerned only about the
authority and power he enjoys and is ready to cut anybody’s head to achieve
this. His treacherous deeds will make the spectators simply furious.
Thus,
while anti -hero has some soft corner in our hearts because of his a little
goodness, villains like Iago or Claudius never get any sympathy from us. They
will instead generate a sort of hatred towards the quality which they are
expressing throughout the play. Thus, for the people who analyse the
things these characters will serve as athreat to good life.
Message of Shakespeare’s tragedies to
humanity:
1. katharsis: The
fundamental characteristic of Shakespeare’s tragedy, the tragic flaw in the
hero brings his doom. We like the hero for his good qualities and also feel
sorry for his sufferings. At the same time, we also do not like the villains’
or anti hero’s treacherous deeds because of which the hero is suffering. We
cry, we blame, we fume and many a time we even hate the villain as if we are
seeing him. Thus, we shed down our feelings. The natural feelings like hatred,
disgust, jealousy, cruelty etc, which are there in our subconscious minds will
pour out without our knowledge and our minds become pure. Thus this is
purgatory to the mind and cleanses the mind. This phenomenon, which was first
noted in Greek tragedies is most effectively utilised by Shakespeare in his
tragedies.
2. Advice through a
character: Many a time Shakespeare has very good messages in his tragedies.
We see one such message in scene3 of Hamlet where Polonius advices Laertus. The
gist runs like this:
Don't tell all you think, or put into action thoughts out of
harmony or proportion with the occasion. Be friendly, but not common; don't
dull your palm by effusively shaking hands with every chance newcomer. Avoid
quarrels if you can, but if they are forced on you, give a good account of
yourself. Hear every man's censure (opinion), but express your own ideas to
few. Dress well, but not ostentatiously. Neither borrow nor lend. And
guarantee yourself against being false to others by setting up the high moral
principle of being true to you.
3. Character
as a role- model: A good play should present some ideal or model to the
public who witness it. We see such ideal characters in Cordelia in King
Lear and Desdemona in Othello. When asked by her father whether she loves her
father, Cordelia says:
Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave
My heart into my mouth. I love your majesty
According to my bond; no more nor less.
In Othello, Desdemona says to her father:
My noble father,
I do perceive here a divided duty.
To you I am bound for life and education.
My life and education both do learn me
How to respect you. You are the lord of my duty,
I am hitherto your daughter. But here’s my husband,
And so much duty as my mother showed
To you, preferring you before her father,
So much I challenge that I may profess
Due to the Moor my lord. (I.iii.179–188)
4.Motivation to the leaders and followers: The
historical dramas of Shakespeare present a variety of kings and depict a series
of problems and threat they face in their day-today lives. They also show how a
king should be and what sort of king will be expected by the people. Hence his
tragedies are very good presentations of kingship. Meanwhile they also
present how a good subordinate should be. Hence it teaches the layman also how
a subject should behave. While Coriolonus should learn that he should respect
peole’s feelings, people also should understand Coriolonous does not like pomp
celebrations just because he does not like flattery. In Julius Caesar we
definitely understand that people should behave a little more wiser before they
adore their leader.
5.Chorus: Besides Shakespeare uses Chorus
which is a phenomenon of Greek dramas. The chorus is like an overture
in an opera; it sets the mood. Also, because the audience in Shakespeare's day
was so rude and often extremely noisy, the prologue actually tells the audience
to be quiet and pay attention. They help the dramatist to keep the mass under
his control. Many times the chorus will give the hint of what is happening in
that scene or act and thus prepares him for the same. As the chorus will have
songs and sometimes with action, people remember them easily and they will be
afresh in their minds.
Conclusion: Thus,
Shakespeare’s tragedies contribute a lot for the humanity in general. Because
of its wide coverage of all kinds of people at all the times, they are
surviving even in twenty first century in spite of the enormous works which
have been published so far. These plays have been translated in many languages.
Majority of the world knows Shakespeare. The boy who was pulling the curtain in
Globe Theatre is immortal in the minds of people for generations because of the
fact that his works are ‘food for thought’. There is, yet to be understood
and analysed . As Bacon says, Shakespeare’s books should be ‘chewed
and digested.’
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