Shakespeare’s works are some of the finest examples of Tragedy and Comedy from the English cannon of literature. The reason that his works are so poignant and reflective is his use of both emotions in order to progress the other. In his interpretation of Troilus and Cressida the traditional story of tragic love and loss are peppered with irony and satire in order to address topical issues of Gender roles, Government action/inaction, and hero worship through juxtaposition and humor.
The character of Troilus before Shakespeare’s play can be seen as a perfect archetype for the tragic romantic. His love is fated by the gods from the beginning. The romance and relationship with Cressida is elevated to that of a noble crusade. Then as if Sophocles himself dictated the events we see the achievement, conflict and eventual downfall. As with many of Shakespeare’s works we see that tradition and myth are great platforms for satire and irony. The noble and honorable Troilus approaches Cressida and instead of tragic hero we meet comedic melodramatic. The epic expressions of devotion and intent are drawn out to the point of ridicule and hyperbole. Although they may see inline with the Roman and Greek traditions of tragedy at first, the addition of flat and even openly sarcastic responses from Cressida cause the reader to question whether Troilus is noble and devoted in his actions or obsessive and pathetic. Where there was fate and honor we now see neurosis and narcissism. Dialogue from traditional tales such as:
As he is the well of loyalty,
the ground of truth, mirror of seemliness,
Apollo of wit, stone of security,
virtueís root, finder and head of happiness,
Through whom all my sorrow is made less, so then, I love him best,
And ...
... middle of paper ...
...admirable when women are given a choice and motivations beyond that of a trophy? What the difference between honor/heroism and selfish ignorance? How does this affect those that aren’t directly involved?
Works Cited
Aristoteles, Samuel Henry Butcher, and Francis Fergusson. Aristotle's Poetics. New York: Hill and Wang, 1994. Print.
Chaucer, Geoffrey, and Nevill Coghill. Troilus and Criseyde;. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1971. Print.
Frye, Northrop, and Robert Sandler. Northrop Frye on Shakespeare. New Haven: Yale UP, 1986. Print.
Orgel, Stephen, and Sean Keilen. Shakespeare and Gender. New York: Garland Pub., 1999. Print.
The Royal Household. "The Tudors." Www.royal.gov.uk. National Archives of The United Kingdom, 2008/9. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. Troilus and Cressida. New York: Washington Square, 2007. Print.
Schlegel, August Wilhelm. Criticism on Shakespeare s Tragedies . A Course of Lectures on Dramatic Art and Literature. London: AMS Press, Inc., 1965.
Northrop, Frye. "Hamlet." Northrop Frye on Shakespeare. Ed. Robert Sandler. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986. 82-100.
Levin, Harry. General Introduction. The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974.
Evans, G. Blakemore. Ed. The Riverside Shakespeare. by William Shakespeare. 1552- 1616. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1974.
Lamb, Charles. On the Tragedies of Shakespeare. N.p.: n.p.. 1811. Rpt in Shakespearean Tragedy. Bratchell, D. F. New York, NY: Routledge, 1990.
Melancholy, grief, and madness have enlarged the works of a great many playwrights. and Shakespeare is not an exception. The mechanical regularities of such emotional maladies as they are presented within Hamlet, not only allow his audience to sympathize. with the tragic prince Hamlet, but to provide the very complexities necessary in. understanding the tragedy of his, ironically similar, lady Ophelia as well.
The great Sophoclean play, Oedipus Rex is an amazing play, and one of the first of its time to accurately portray the common tragic hero. Written in the time of ancient Greece, Sophocles perfected the use of character flaws in Greek drama with Oedipus Rex. Using Oedipus as his tragic hero, Sophocles’ plays forced the audience to experience a catharsis of emotions. Sophocles showed the play-watchers Oedipus’s life in the beginning as a “privileged, exalted [person] who [earned his] high repute and status by…intelligence.” Then, the great playwright reached in and violently pulled out the audience’s most sorrowful emotions, pity and fear, in showing Oedipus’s “crushing fall” from greatness.
Shakespeare, William, Stephen Greenblatt, Walter Cohen, Jean E. Howard, Katharine Eisaman Maus, and Andrew Gurr. The Norton Shakespeare. Second ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997. Print.
Mehl, Dieter. Shakespeare's Tragedies: An Introduction. Cambridge, New York, New Rochelle, Melbourne, Sydney: Cambridge U, 1986.
Frye, Northrop. "The Tragedy of Order: Julius Caesar." Northrop Frye on Shakespeare. New Haven: Yale UP 1986.
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/.
Aristotle. "Poetics." In The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends. Ed. David H. Richter. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990.
Butcher, S.H. The Poetics of Aristotle trans. Pennsylvania State University: The Electronic Classic Series, Copyright 2000-2013. Web. 24 February 2014.
Shakespeare, William. The History of Troilus and Cressida. Ed. Jonathan Crewe. 4. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc., 2000. Print. November 2013.
Aristotle. The Poetics of Aristotle. Trans. S. H. Butcher. Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000. Print.