The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd is a founder play of the tragedy during the Elizabethan period since it raises important issues of this time, such as the cruel and unfair death, revenge, social status as well as allegiance to the sovereign. These topics reached the population and it is probably due to this that The Spanish Tragedy was successful at the time. This paper will focus its analysis on the scene 2 of the first act, which is a short but meaningful passage of the play. This passage, which takes place at the beginning of the play, gives an idea of the initial situation. It allows the reader to become familiar with the characters, to know their role in the play and their intentions. This essay will be divided into four parts falling into line with the speaking turns of characters in this scene. The first part will focus on the General’s speech to the King of Spain. The second part will be concerned about the three times when Hieronimo pleads his son's cause to the King. The third part will look at the discussion between Balthazar, Prince of Portugal and the King of Spain. The fourth and final part will address on the quarrel between Lorenzo, the Spanish King’s nephew and Horatio, Hieronimo’s son and on how the King solves the quarrel by rewarding them for their acts.
The second scene of the first act of this play begins with a discussion between two characters, the King of Spain and the General. All begins when the King asks the General how goes his "camp ", in other words his army. General tells the King about the battle (lines 1 to 115). First, the General says everything is fine except for some losses. The General announces that the victory is on the Spanish side. The King asks details and here the General begins the ...
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...is proud to show to the King that he led out this battle and that he won it. If he acts this way, this is only to receive King's recognition and also a chain representing the dedication to his King. Hieronimo chooses to defend his son. If he does this, it is because it is important to him that the King sees and approves the achievements of his son. Balthazar does not necessarily expect any gratitude from the King of Spain but he stays polite and is pleased that the King spares him torture. For what concerns Lorenzo and Horatio, each of them wants to be seen by the King as the one who managed to capture the enemy prince. They wrangle in front of the King, who has to play the arbiter in this situation. The irony in their dispute is that it does not even need to be seen that the capture of Balthazar is the result of a collaborative effort where both were important.
The opening lines of the novel shows the motive of passion. In the novel, later, Mme. de Clèves asks for further explanation for the love between a woman and the king with “several other lovers” (1039). This passion forms the “political and social effects” (1039) that change the norms in the court. The court mixes this false “event into its own structure, so that the implausible now becomes the n...
In the Shakespearean tragedy Othello the number and description of themes is open to discussion. With the help of literary critics, we can analyze this subject in detail.
Othello is one of Shakespeare’s four pillars of great tragedies. Othello is unique in comparison to the others in that it focuses on the private lives of its primary characters. When researching the subject of Othello being an Aristotelian tragedy, there is debate among some critics and readers. Some claim that Shakespeare did not hold true to Aristotle’s model of tragedy, according to his definition in “Poetics,” which categorized Othello as a classic tragedy as opposed to traditional tragedy. Readers in the twenty-first century would regard Othello a psychological thriller; it definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat creating the emotions of terror, heart break, and sympathy. This paper will focus on what Shakespeare actually intended regarding “Othello” and its Aristotelian influences.
The archetypal tragedy of two star-crossed lovers, separated by familial hate, is a recurring theme, which never fails to capture the minds of the audience. It is only at great cost, through the death of the central characters that these feuding families finally find peace. This is an intriguing idea, one antithetical. I have chosen to analyze both Shakespeare 's Romeo and Juliet and Laurent 's West Side Story. The purpose of this essay is showing how the spoken language is utilized in these different plays to meet differing objectives. The chosen scenes to further aid comparison and contrast are the balcony scenes.
One of the most significant differences between Andromache and Hernani occur in their subject matters (1). Racine’s play is based on ancient Greek mythology that was part of the classical education of the seventeenth century; hence the audience was familiar with the characters and story line. In addition, the focus on duty in the play was meant to encourage the aristocratic audience to make compromises and follow what duty dictates in life, just like Andromache did, who, at the end of the play, is the only victor. On the other hand, Hernani is not based on classical mythology and would not have been known to the audience when it was first presented. Unlike Andromache, it takes place in the recent past in the sixteenth century, presenting a fictitious depiction of the Spanish court with the only real character as ...
Although many arguments could take place over the blame of Othello’s fate, the one murderer no one doubts is jealousy. Although Othello’s insecurities and “blindness” along with one of the most duplicitous villains in all of literature definitely catalyze the deaths at the conclusion of the play, in the end Othello must suffer the consequences manipulated or not. Despite the number of uninteresting characters in the play, Othello, the Moor of Venice contains one of the most intricate characters in any of Shakespeare’s plays, and will be discussed and intensely argued forever.
The role of the investigator in Renaissance tragedy, with special reference to Shakespeare's Hamlet and Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy
The play opens at the beginning of the war between the Philistines and the Israelites around the year 1007 B.C. at Mount Gilboa in Israel. The skene represents the battlefield of the war. The chorus is composed of experienced middle-age warriors from the Philistine’s army. The chorus is the men who truly honor the codes of war. In addition, the chorus is the one who witness how King Saul’s pride gets the best of him as they watch his death from a distance. The prologue begins with King Saul’s men waiting for the Philistines to attack (entering the scene). Before the war King Saul gives his army a rousing speech that encourages them to do battle, even though he knows th...
As a Shakespearean tragedy represents a conflict which terminates in a catastrophe, any such tragedy may roughly be divided into three parts. The first of these sets forth or expounds the situation, or state of affairs, out of which the conflict arises; and it may, therefore, be called the Exposition. The second deals with the definite beginning, the growth and the vicissitudes of the conflict. It forms accordingly the bulk of the play, comprising the Second, Third and Fourth Acts, and usually a part of the First and a part of the Fifth. The final section of the tragedy shows the issue of the conflict in a catastrophe. (52)
William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello puts on exhibit an obvious hero and other not-so-obvious heroes. Let us examine them all in this essay.
Shakespeare’s famous play Othello is a play of love that has turned bad by the unfounded jealousy of the protagonist character Othello. Arguably the contribution of Othello’s susceptibility to manipulation, his weaknesses and the manipulation of other characters tactics such as Iago each contribute to the downfall of Othello. However, to the extent of which each is more significant varies and this is what will be analysed in this essay.
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.
A modern tragedy of today and a tragedy of ancient Greece are two very different concepts, but ironically, both are linked by many similarities. In “Poetics”, Aristotle defines and outlines tragedy for theatre in a way that displays his genius, but raises questions and creates controversy. Aristotle’s famous definition of tragedy states:
These lines provide the foundation for Hieronimo to seek out revenge instead of allowing the courts to decide the fates of the murderers of his son. Hieronimo is clearly angry and infuriated that the murderers have yet to be discovered. This is the moment ...
Aristotle, as a world famous philosopher, gives a clear definition of tragedy in his influential masterpiece Poetics, a well-known Greek technical handbook of literary criticism. In Aristotle’s words, a tragedy is “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude, language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play, the form of action, not of narrative, through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions”(Aristotle 12). He believes that a tragedy should be serious and complete in appropriate and pleasurable language; the plot of tragedy should be dramatic, whose incidents will arouse pity and fear, and finally accomplish a catharsis of emotions. His theory of tragedy has been exerting great influence on the tragedy theories in the past two thousand years. Shakespeare, as the greatest dramatist in western literature, also learnt from this theory. Hamlet is one of the most influential tragedies written by Shakespeare. The play vividly focuses on the theme of moral corruption, treachery, revenge, and incest. This essay will first analyze Shakespeare’s Hamlet under Aristotle’s tragedy theory. Then this essay will express personal opinion on Aristotle’s tragedy theory. The purpose of this essay is to help the reader better understand Aristotle’s theory of tragedy and Shakespeare’s masterpiece Hamlet.