Shakespeare has a way of creating his characters so the audience can relate to them in a way. In his villains we see the negative characteristics that are in ourselves and others around us; things that often define the “natural man” such as greed or jealousy. With the entire terrible and treacherous thing that Shakespeare makes his villains do, he always manages to make them human in a way. As if he is meaning to display that no matter how twisted a person can be, they are still a person. In Shakespeare’s plays Othello, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the villains share the characteristics of greed, clever and conniving ways, and recklessness; however, they all bring their own features to the table. The first of the villains is Puck …show more content…
Sometimes referred to as Robin or Robing Goodfellow, Puck is a trickster by nature and loves to play pranks on others, by this, he and Bottom actually progress the three central stories of the play. Puck is introduced first and creates drama in the lovers’ story by messing up who loves whom. Puck also turns Bottoms head into an ass and makes Titania fall in love with him so he might bring the Indian boy/slave for Oberon, the fairy king. Puck introduces himself in Act two, Scene one by saying, “ I am that merry wanderer of the night./I jest to Oberon and make him smile/When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile,/Neighing in likeness of a filly foal:/And sometime lurk I in a gossip's bowl,/In very likeness of a roasted crab,/And when she drinks, against her lips I bob/And on her wither'd dewlap pour the ale./The wisest aunt, telling the saddest tale,/Sometime for three-foot stool mistaketh me;/Then slip I from her bum, down topples she,/And 'tailor' cries, and falls into a cough;/And then the whole quire hold their hips and laugh,/And waxen in their mirth and neeze and swear/A merrier hour was never wasted there.” (Act II, Scene I) In all the mischief that Puck causes throughout the play, it is apparent that he doesn’t really mean to make bad things happen, he is only trying to have a little fun. The definition of a …show more content…
Iago seems to be like Puck and Claudius because of his clever and conniving ways, but he has a very fascinating characteristic: his complete lack of considerable motivation for his actions. In the first scene, he seems to be angry that Othello didn’t give him the lieutenant position. At the end of Act I, scene iii, Iago says he thinks Othello may have slept with his wife, Emilia: “It is thought abroad that ’twixt my sheets / He has done my office” (Act I, Scene III, Lines 369–370) He explains his lust for Desdemona as a way to get even with Othello “wife for wife.” (Act II, Scene I, Line 286) Although Iago gives these reasons, none seem to adequately explain his pure hatred for Othello. This lack of motivation or, possibly, inability or unwillingness to express the true reason behind his actions makes them all the more terrifying. Shakespearean critic A. C. Bradley said that "evil has nowhere else been portrayed with such mastery as in the evil character of Iago." (Bradley, A. C.) “Léone Teyssandier writes that a possible motive for Iago's actions is envy towards Desdemona, Cassio and Othello; Iago sees them as more noble, generous and, in the case of Cassio, more handsome than he is.” (Williams, Shakespeare) The thing that gives Iago’s character so much depth is the fact that Othello is based off of a real tale from 1565, titled, “Un Capitano Moro.” At the end of the tale, “The
Hermia , Lysander , Helena and Demetrius represent young love in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream . They are potrayed as foolish and fickle , acting like children and requiring a parental figure to guide them . The parental figures are Hermia’s father , Egeus , and figuratively Theseus , the mortal ruler , and Oberon , the mystical ruler.
William Shakespeare has yet again created a world of good and evil. In his work Othello, the ideals and principles of this world are just like any other with a twist brought upon by two characters, Othello and Iago. These two characters along with many others employ the central idea of what good and evil entails. However, neither Othello nor Iago possess just one of these traits. Othello is not just the pure perfect guy he is perceived to be and Iago is not just the evil vindictive character he is believed to be but rather both of these men are far more interesting than that. They both have the necessary qualities that get them through life and potentially threaten their lives. Through their actions and interactions with the other characters that they really are is shown.
William Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream utilizes the technique of multiple characters playing leading roles. The fairy character Puck stands out as a dominant and leading role in the play. Puck is the best fit for the role of the protagonist because he is mischievous and therefore, has the ability to change the outcome of the play through his schemes and actions. As the protagonist, Puck is responsible for creating the major conflict that occurs between the four lovers throughout the play. This is important because the play focuses on the lives and relationships of the lovers. In addition, because of Puck’s interaction with these characters, his actions throughout the play, alters the final outcome. Finally, Puck’s relationship with all the mortals in the play, his connection to his fellow fairies, and the bond he has with his boss, King Oberon make him the best choice for a protagonist.
What is a villain? A villain is a cruel malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime in the fiction world a character in a play or novel that constitutes an important evil agency in the plot. In simpler terms a villain is the antagonist who challenges the motives of others. Iago from Shakespeare’s play Othello is like any other villain there is. He was a cruel malicious person who did unthinkable acts. He betrayed his own family and friends to satisfy his own selfish lust for power. Iago was a very strategic and analytical man besides being physically strong he showed through out the play how he was capable of using his mind in deceiving others and persuading them to do his bidding. As stated in the following passage he denied any sadistic intention instead thought of him self as a counselor who is trying to resolve matters.
Whether you hate your King, your Christian rival or a neighboring foe, if you're in a Shakespeare play then you will be punished. In the first act of each play Shakespeare shows a conflict between two groups of people, one is vengeful the other virtuous. After the conflict is introduced, the malignant characters have important parts of their lives taken away and in the end the ultimate penalties of each are inflicted. All of the antagonists are left desolate in the end of the plays by either lost fortunes or their lives. Shakespeare takes good care to give the protagonists of the plays much reward for being on the right side of the spectrum. As the characters hate increases throughout the play they begin to loose what is precious to them, first in small amounts, but in the end, they are stripped of all they love and value.
Shakespeare is not only one of the most important genius in literature, but also a great phycologist who perfectly understands many human behaviors and its consequences. He was a genius reading and comprehending our nature. His perceptions towards people and our emotions, can fit in any time and space such as he pictures represents jealousy, envy, manipulations and lies in Othello’s tragedy, and no better antagonist to represent it than the greatest evil in the universal literature, Iago.
Throughout history literature has changed into many different forms and styles, it has also stayed the same in many different ways, literary techniques and elements are key to a good piece of writing, a perfect example that shows us just this is in, A Midsummer Nights Dream, where we will further explore the different literary elements that were used most notably the plot. The plot of a story lays out the foundation and the background for the entire play to come, we'll compare and contrast this element and look at the different sub elements which are produced. We will define similarities and difference in these elements form both the play o the film. Taking a look at things such as climax, play incidents, and the conflict will all give us a better understanding of how it affects the similarities and difference of the film versus the play.
Shakespeare wrote his acclaimed comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream more than a thousand years after Apuleius’ Roman novel, The Golden Ass. Although separated by thousands of years and different in terms of plot and setting, these works share the common theme of a confused and vulnerable man finding direction by relying on a supernatural female. One of A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s many subplots is the story of Bottom, a comical figure determined to be taken seriously in his production of a Pyramus and Thisbe. As Bottom becomes caught up in a quarrel between the king and queen of the fairies, the commanders of the enchanted forest where Bottom and his players practice, the “shrewd and knavish sprite” Puck transforms his head into an ass’ s and leads him to be enthralled in a one night stand with the queen, Titania. (2.1.33) Apuleius’s protagonist Lucius endures a similar transformation, after his mistress’s slave girl accidentally bewitches him into a donkey, leaving him even without the ability to speak. Although Lucius’ transformation lasts longer and is more severe, he and Bottom both undergo similar experiences resulting from their animal forms. Lucius’ suffering ultimately leads him to salvation through devotion the cult of Isis, and Bottom’s affair with Titania grants him clarity and a glimpse into similar divine beauty. Ultimately, both asinine characters are saved through their surrender to the goddesses.
Internal and external struggles influence people to action, be it swift and daring or cunning and low. In Shakespeare's plays, the events around and within a character often combine to cause a character to act in a manner that would be considered out of character or unnatural for the person. Shakespeare uses these characters to provide the audience with a lesson or theme; to give them something they can apply to life and see learn from. In Othello, the character he uses as an example is, in fact, Othello. Shakespeare informs his readers of how doubts caused by rumors and lies can lead to the breakdown of even a once noble person.
Of all the characters presented in Shakespeare's literature the most sinister one is without a doubt Iago. He is a ruthless sociopath. No other character can even come close to his evil. Most of the antagonists present in Shakespeare's plays have valid reasons for the troubles they cause. Iago doesn't for the most part; he just has a burning hatred for the world, especially Othello.
Shakespeare's use of antagonists in Hamlet emphasizes the contradictories in Hamlet’s personality and reveals Hamlet’s nature of being indecisiveness. Claudius and Polonius are considered as antagonists in this play. Meanwhile, they reflect Hamlet’s complex personality.
...d leads to the deaths of many innocent characters and strips away each person’s individuality and trust, all for attaining power and recognition. Othello is not only a tragedy, but also an important reminder of how people are easily deceived to gain power and recognition. Shakespeare’s Othello stands as a warning to all generations. Some historians agree that William Shakespeare may have been one of the first psychologists in human history, since it enabled him to create a devious and Machiavellian character like Iago. Today, we study about psychopathic historic people like Adolf Hitler who annihilated millions of Jews in the name of revenge. It is in human nature to be vengeful and to attain what one desires. As said by Ghandi “An eye for an eye would make the world blind.”
...le to comedies, when considering A Midsummer's Night Dream, As You Like It, and Measure for Measure, in which the heroes are mostly virtuous ("innocent"), and the villains are devious ("cunning"); however, since the Duke and Iago are both cunning villains, Steinbeck's notion of villains is also appropriate for tragedy. More importantly, though, as previously noted, these “heroes” are directly responsible for their fall, and therefore challenge readers to consider the roles of heroes and villains in tragedy less traditionally; Othello is not cunning, nor is he innocent, and so Steinbeck's parameters exclude him. Thus, a more encompassing generalization would be that tragic heroes are responsible, and "villains are cunning" (Steinbeck).
Commonly, a hero is considered as a representative of morality, justice and power. Also, people have various ways to evaluate their own heroes. Especially children, as they grow up, are more likely to create their heroes who are usually brave, strong, righteous and indestructible. However, villains are the opposite side of heroes, and they are evil, demoniacal and cruel. Some of those heroes would easily turn into villains when they are trying to get revenge because their hearts are filled with hatred. The play Hamlet by Shakespeare tells the tragic story of a prince avenging the death of his father. In the play, the main character Hamlet changes from a hero into a villain through his immoral and repellant actions.
Shakespeare draws an amazing psychological portrait of a man who became a villain by means of ambition, desire and an imbalance of good and evil. “Macbeth” is a play composed of the disintegration of a noble man’s world. The play begins by offering the audience Macbeth, a war hero, with a high regard from Duncan, the king of Scotland. By the end of the play Macbeth transforms into a universally despised man without a place in the social community. Shakespeare draws an amazing face of a man made to be a villain by ambition, desire and an imbalance of good and evil.