Ophelia was once flawless, but since her encounter with Hamlet she has fallen into the same madness and wants to kill herself. Ophelia opens up her feelings towards Hamlet, even though her father and brother both warn her not to. Hamlet’s madness causes him to push Ophelia to the point of a mental break down. He drags her into the same hell he is
Mrs. Mooney was previously involved in a dysfunctional marriage to a “shabby stooped little drunkard” (61). Similar to her own marriage, Mrs. Mooney indirectly forces Polly to marry for money. Mrs. Mooney is a ruthless character as a result of her previous troubles. Consequently, Mrs. Mooney’s maternal connection with Polly is non-existent, turning their relationship into a business. When Mrs. Mooney is observing Polly’s interactions with young men, she becomes frustrated that “none of [the men] meant business” and considers sending Polly back to her previous job (63).
Blanche, Stanley and Stella all react to truth differently within the play. Throughout the play Blanche changes the truth in order to survive in the society she is in. All of the times that truth is exposed, all the results and consequences are destructive and negative. Blanche uses light and fantasy as a way for her to be shielded from the truth. “I can’t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action.” Blanche has a fear or light because she has a fear of people seeing her clearly and her true age.
There are many sides to the argument of whether Blanche evokes Pathos in Williams’ ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’. Critics often argue that her character is such that the audience is unable to sympathize with her, or that Blanche cannot be seen as a tragic victim in the play, resulting in a lack of Pathos felt for her. However, it could be said that because of the many tragic events in her life, such as the frequent deaths, the audience is led to sympathize with her and understand her, despite her unpredictable and at times cruel nature. There are many instances in the play in which Blanche expects sympathy from the people around her, exaggerating a tragic event to provoke it, something which the audience is able to see through when Williams uses dramatic irony. An example of this is Blanche’s explanation of how she has had to cope with the deaths of people around her: “…funerals are pretty compared to deaths… Unless you were there at the bed when they cried out ‘Hold me!’ you’d never suspect there was a struggle for breath and bleeding.
Gertrude’s marriage to Claudius was a key action of betrayal not only to Hamlet, who clearly despises his uncle even before he hears of his treachery, but also to the former King. Hamlet sees the marriage as incest, “Incestuous sheets, as she has married her brother in law. Incest is morally wrong and seen as disgusting as not only is it against these social values, however Hamlet is most disgusted as she promised herself to his father, yet like a whore, sleeps with her husband’s brother. Hamlet is also disgusted by how quickly Gertrude has gotten over the death of his father and can’t understand why she would ever wish to marry Claudius or sleep with him. Hamlet seems obsessed with his
This act illustrates the theme of uncertainty which is presented through dramatic irony as we know that Hamlet is "I essentially not in madness, But mad in craft." In Act 1 scene 3, Ophelia is caught in an ultimate struggle in which she cannot win as Ophelia is trapped in this tradition of patriarchy with no personal choice. At first she remained uncertain for the reason of Hamlet's madness but once Polonius concludes that the blame is the very presence of Ophelia, pain and guilt are inflicted upon her as she suddenly feels responsible for Hamlet's downfall. However these feelings evolve as his seeming insanity and rudeness strangles and fades any love Ophelia had for him. We are then shown that Hamlet's insanity frightens Ophelia away.
As a result of Hedda’s catty personality, the audience cannot draw pity or fear from what becomes of her and therefore she cannot truly be considered a tragic figure. The reason being Henrik Ibsen writes Hedda Gabler as a social problem play, and although it and its characters may contain elements of the tragic, Hedda Gabler is not meant to be viewed tragedy. What Hedda Tesman boils down to is nothing more than a selfish, bored and manipulative housewife with daddy-issues. As daughter of General Gabler, Hedda is accustomed to luxurious, yet rigidly militant lifestyle; thusly, all Hedda wants is independence. However, she acts in ways counterintuitive of her want: she decides to marry an amiable scholar with whom she shares no love, connection or feelings.
He sins against his whole family and by thinking that love can be quantified. And as it turns out, Lear isn’t only separating his family but power and responsibility as well. His very unpredictable, easily aggravated temper causes him to act wrongly and irrationally towards Cordelia, his favorite daughter who, he believes has betrayed her. Lear cannot understand that anyone’s, let alone his daughter’s, love for him could be ‘nothing’. I think pride, anger and greed for power prompted Lear to make the decision of giving up the kingdom to his malicious, hateful and ungrateful daughters, Regan and Cordelia.
As a realist, Stanley sees things as they are and does not try to distort or mask the truth in any way. His chief amusements are gambling, bowling, sex, and drinking, and he lacks ideals and imagination. His disturbing, degenerate nature, first hinted at when he beats his wife, is fully evident after he rapes his sister-in-law. Stanley shows no remorse for his brutal actions. Blanche Dubois is the most complex character in "A Streetcar Named Desire."
Katherine Mansfield portrays marriage as an obligation that needs to be fulfilled. The man is always the cause of failure of the marriage. In several short stories the women are seen trying to save the marriage. In A Married Man’s Story the marriage was unsuccessful because of the man being detached from his wife. Mansfield directly blames the male characters as the cause of the problem.