Just like Cordelia in King Lear, there is a sense that forces in the play conspire against Desdemona, so that her death becomes an inevitable outcome of momentum of the play. Othello speaks ‘the plague [of] great ones’ (3.3.314) which seems to pertain to great Shakespearean protagonists:
’Tis destiny unshunnable, like death.
Even then this forked plague is fated to us
When we do quicken (3.3.316).
Here, Othello seems to perceive the impetus of the play driving forward to its climax and end – one that is ‘unshunnable’. The use of ‘quicken’ here is important, because it relates to a thematic construct of time in Shakespeare which, when ‘out of joint’ (Hamlet 1.5.190), becomes a relentless push towards a tragic conclusion. In comedies, there
…show more content…
is a correction of this time – in Much Ado About Nothing, the Friar’s ‘prolong’d’ plan means that, with ‘patience’, Hero can ‘endure’ (4.1.267). This involves a lengthening of time and the delaying of matrimony so that Don John’s plot against her can be discovered. In Othello, however, Desdemona and Othello are ‘fast married’ (1.2.14) and events take place rapidly – the night of the consummation of their marriage is interrupted by a condensed timeline, where they must travel to Cyprus. By the time they should be consummating their marriage, Othello has already turned against her and Desdemona is killed on their marriage bed. Likewise, Romeo and Juliet is a clear example of a play where the principle characters move too quickly. The play’s prologue blames the lover’s fate on the misfortune of their ‘stars’ and an insensate ‘ancient grudge’ between their warring families (3-6). In modern ‘popular culture’ the play has been ‘distilled’ to its ‘sheer essentials of amors vincit omnia, that is, love triumphs over everything’ (Weis 1). However, the death of the lovers is caused by miscommunication and this, in turn, relates to their rashness and haste; ‘Do your messages yourself’ (2.6.69) warns the Nurse. Moreover, just like in Much Ado About Nothing, a Friar also counsels patience, advising Romeo to go ‘wisely and slow’ since ‘they stumble that run fast’ (2.4.101-2). Romeo, however, is impatient to ‘stand on sudden haste’ (2.4.100) and does not heed Friar Lawrence. Romeo also ignores Balthasar’s pleading for him to ‘have patience’ (5.1.28) before taking action after the news of Juliet’s death is wrongly reported. Likewise, René suggests that ‘one might want to pause’ over Juliet’s ‘readiness to take her own life’ (14). Indeed, she mentions three times, in Act IV, her willingness to use a knife upon herself, to escape being married to Paris (4.1.54, 62; 4.3.23). Moreover, when Juliet finally truly kills herself, she is ‘brief’ (5.3.174) in doing so.
In plotting to fake her death, she is too hasty in trying to condense the timeline of the play, and thus the impatience of the young lovers is perhaps more of a guiding force towards ruin than any ‘star’ (Prologue 6) set against them. In the first half of A Winter’s Tale, Leontes follows this pattern of tragic characters trying to speed up events. For example, he ‘hurrie[s]’ (3.2.102-3) a judgment against Hermione and so she gives birth ‘before her time’ (2.2.24). However, the second half of the play turns to a more pastoral, natural medium of time that is ultimately restorative. Time even appears as a character half way through, declaring that he ‘makes and unfolds error’ (4.1.1-2). The unfolding of error, in this play, takes sixteen years – notably longer than Much Ado About Nothing where Hero and Claudio are reconciled in two days. However, the “error” in A Winter’s Tale is notably more grievous – although Hermione will eventually return, Maximillus and Antigonus are still dead because of Leontes. Additionally, the span of sixteen years tempers Leontes as he learns moderation; during the resurrection scene he declares the statue ‘warm!’ …show more content…
(5.3.136), in sharp contrast to his earlier words that he finds Hermione ‘too hot, too hot!’ (1.2.139). Pandosto is subtitled ‘The Triumph of Time’ (WT 405) and this seems to be borne out when Paulina declares ‘’tis time’ (5.3.125) – for Hermione to come back to life, for mother to be reunited with daughter and husband, and for the play to end on a “happy” note as a tragicomedy rather than a tragedy. In conclusion, false death in Shakespeare’s plays often represents a culmination of misinformed slander and hatred, directed towards women who – although innocent – are unable to defend themselves because of deep-seated prejudice and mistrust of “the weaker sex”.
Although unfair, the damage to their reputation means that, because a woman is defined principally by her public value, heroines must either feign death or truly succumb to it – but either way they can no longer continue to be seen in society. In the case of those like Hero and Hermione, a restoration of reputation means that women can be resurrected and – as shown in particular by the end of Much Ado About Nothing – a matrimonial bond often solidifies their reemergence into society. The plot of pretend death buys time for the schemes against women to unravel, but it is notable that neither Hermione nor Hero plan to feign death, this happens as a result of being overwhelmed by emotion in the moment. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet’s plan, to escape from the warring feud that keeps her and Romeo apart, is executed too quickly – symptomatic of the haste and recklessness of young lovers. We might see the impetuous love-at-first-sight of Romeo and Juliet revisited again in the form of Hero and Claudio, in Much Ado About Nothing, with the foil of the older couple Beatrice and Benedict whose love – although not quickly confessed – is unwavering when it finally declared. In Othello, the haste of the eponymous hero is also
significant in bringing about his downfall and the death of his wife – Desdemona’s steadfast protestations of innocence and fidelity, even when she reawakes after being smothered by him, are not enough to change Othello’s mind which has cast her as the irredeemable ‘whore of Venice’ (4.2.90). Shakespeare’s emphasis on the irrationality of men – and hence the complete vulnerability of women – is evident in the change he makes to Pandosto where Leontes does not even believe the words of the divine oracle that proclaims his wife innocent. There is, however, a reversal in The Winter’s Tale after Hermione’s collapse, whereby Leontes learns to value women’s speech – in the form of Paulina – and temper his unreasonable, extreme impulses and thoughts. Shakespearean plays drive towards a deadly conclusion: in comedy this is avoided and death can be escaped through the readjustment of time, in tragedy the momentum continues to build towards a fatal climax, and in tragicomedy, although death is not completely avoided, the world of the play is reordered through a reintroduction of the regularities of time – and so the most striking resurrection scene in all of Shakespeare happens in The Winter’s Tale.
Impatience kills In “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, two very young people fall in love but cannot be with each other because of the feud between their families. The feud ends when Romeo and Juliet both kill themselves because of heartbreak over the other. The minor characters Mercutio, Tybalt, and Friar Lawrence serve as foils to Romeo, to help support the theme of patience. While Romeo is impatient and makes rash and hasty decisions, Friar Lawrence is careful and takes time to consider his actions. First Romeo thinks that he is in love with a nun named Rosaline, but a couple hours later he is asking the Friar to marry him to another girl she had just met.
In Romeo and Juliet a significantly horrendous ending takes place, but with Shakespeare's use of foreshadowing he is able to keep the reader from being overly traumatized. For example, when Juliet and Romeo are discussing plans Juliet says, "O God, I have an ill-divining soul! / Methinks I see thee, now thou art so low, / As one dead in the bottom of the tomb"(lll,v,14-56). Juliet has mixed feelings about the arrangement devised by the Friar so that the two of them can be together. Juliet thinks disaster will come of previous tactics developed to allow Romeo and her to be together. In addition, when Romeo is speaking of his love for Juliet he says, "And but thou love me, let them find me here. / My life were better ended by there hate / Then death prorogued, wanting of thy love"(ll,ii,75-77). Romeo's immense love for Juliet will eventually lead to the fall of himself. Death lingers throughout the play between Romeo and his love, Juliet. In conclusion, when Juliet is thinking about Romeo she says, "Give me Romeo; and when he shall die / Take him and cut him out in little stars, / And he will make the face of heaven so fine / That all the world will be in love with night," (lll,ii,21-25). This suggests that in the play Romeo will end up dying and Juliet will be there to see it. Juliet prophesizes over many topics in the play and in the end they become true. Foreshadowing is used in this play to help the audience trounce the dreadful outcome.
Picture this- William Harold Shakespeare, the most coveted playwriter in the history of the world, sitting at his desk, perspicaciously pondering over what shall become his most prominant and delicated tragedy of yet. Of course, given what little is known about Shakespeere displays, such deepseated imagery cannot simply be accomplished without first the propriety of haste and vinction.And yet, his very own rhetorical vibe displays allows such a vague pictoration to be concieved. Throughout the whole of Othello, the great Shakespeare remarks through an astounding displays show of pronouns, allitteration, and cacophonous diction his own resentment of both the King of Italy and the poor conditions of the said novelist.
Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, depicts an ancient feud ended by a pair of star-crossed lovers’ deaths. A lord and lady from warring families seek a forbidden love with guidance from a friar and nurse. Due to a tragic course of mischances and fateful errors, their attempt of eloping led the lovers to a tragic end. Because of rash decisions, the four characters are torn apart by miscalculating events and misunderstandings. Ultimately, the four characters encounter a heartbreaking ending, as a result of their hastiness.
Desdemona is one of the protagonists of the play contributes to the play and also fleshes out certain aspects of characterisation mainly where Othello and Iago are concerned. Thus her relevance is highlighted consistently throughout Othello, since without her ppresence, Iago would not have succeeded in manipulating Othello, and Othello's drastic transformation would not have been made evident.
Given these statements, Othello, Iago and Roderigo are the people who are responsible for Desdemona's death. Iago for planning the whole thing. He uses any chance, he gets to arouse Othello's anger and jealousy to make Desdemona and Cassio seem guilty. Planting the handkerchief...which is the symbol of faithfulness.
Scene 1. At her wedding Hero, is publicly accused of being a cheater by he fiancé Claudio. After being denounced by Claudio Hero faints, while she is on the ground her father Leonato says: “Do not live, Hero, do not ope thine eyes, For, did I think thou wouldst not quickly die, Thought I thy spirits were stronger than thy shames, Myself would, on the rearward of reproaches, Strike at thy life”(4.1.131-135). Leonato is hoping that his daughter Hero is dead, and if she is not, he will risk the punishment and kill her himself. Although he has no evidenced of Hero’s crimes, and Hero tells him she is innocent Leonato choses to believe Claudio over Hero. He is so angry at what his daughter has allegedly done he is prepared to kill her. It is seen here that in this time period men are much more trusted then women. This scene also shows how serious it was for a woman to have premarital sex. Leonato had no trouble believing his daughter was unfaithful with no evidence, and was ready to kill her because she had sex out of wedlock and dishonored his
In Shakespearean drama, a dynamic and explosive fusion of jealousy, pride, anger and ambition is characteristic for heroes’ behaviour. The tragedy was caused by the excessive flaw in character - self-respect and dignity combined with the feelings of hate and revenge. A disaster usually occurred to lead to destruction of the protagonist. Due to divine justice, punishment is inevitable and therefore no happy ending is possible. Therefore, time is the hero’s main enemy, mercilessly working against him. The mystery of tragedy is that once the protagonist has learnt a lesson of how to renew the order in himself, death is the only outcome /no memento mori, however/.
In Greek, Desdemona means ‘the unfortunate’, perhaps reflecting an ideology that she is not meant to be liked, merely pitied for her misfortune as a tragic victim (commonly defined as someone who dies due to the faults of others). Throughout Othello, Desdemona is presented as pure and innocent – in regards to this, Auden’s comment is unusual as Desdemona is seldom criticised; indeed many critics are complementary, giving her titles such as ‘gentle Desdemona’.
The idea of altering perception is a fundamental one in “The Winter’s Tale”, and art is seen as the way to make this alteration occur. While it is clear to the reader from the very beginning that Hermione is in fact innocent, Shakespeare introduces the reader to Leontes’s persistence to clearly show the beginnings of the conflict brewing. Despite Hermione’s clear innocence, Leontes has been written as a character so belligerent to ever see what is universally accepted as true in nature. The result is a conflict clear to the reader—a conflict of nature on its own merit, a question of truth, versus art, where perception is inherently flawed. Shakespeare creates a truly paranoid, conflicted character in Leontes, which works to make his objectivity, his desire to make truths out of falsities, even more apparent. Leontes speaks to the audience passionately upon his discovery, but his passion sounds so melodramatic, especially when we as readers a...
Ophelia and Desdemona play the role of the "innocent lady" in Shakespeare's Hamlet and Othello. The roles of these characters provide a sense of completeness, faithfulness, and obedience to the leading male figures. In both plays, these innocent ladies end up dying. These deaths are both due to a false rejection of love. Othello kills Desdemona because he believes her love is false, and Ophelia dies ultimately because she reads Hamlet's mask of madness as rejection. These deaths exemplify the pattern of harmony turning to chaos in both of these plays, and provide proof of the decay that is spreading to everyone in Venice and Denmark.
William Shakespeare gave us a most moving drama in Othello. In this play we witness the demise of a “paragon” of a wife and a “valiant Moor”, Othello. Let us consider the Moor in detail, with professional critical input, in this essay.
The death of Desdemona is a result of the lies and manipulation of Othello and Cassio by Iago. Through his suggestion to Cassio, Iago can now be certain that Cassio will entreat Desdemona to petition for him with Othello. Cassio does implore Desdemona and she responds, “Be thou assured, good Cassio, I will do all my abilities in thy behalf” (Act III Scene III). Iago manages to obtain the handkerchief that Othello gave to Desdemona that had strawberry patterns on it from Bianca.
In the final scene of Othello, the hero, with that utter lack of self-consciousness of self-criticism which is the height of human vanity, strikes a heroic attitude, makes an eloquent plea for himself, at the height of his eloquence stabs himself – and the innocent spectator feels a lump in his throat or dissolves in te...
In the story of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo was the tragic hero. His flaw was relying more on passion and love than common sense. He did not think before he made actions. Much like Othello, a death happened because of misleading and no understanding of what was really happening.