is laid upon your hate That heaven finds means to kills yours joys with love” (V, iii, 291-293) “For there never was a story of more woe, then this of Juliet and her Romeo” (V, iii, 309-310) Tragedy- Reinforced by the death of Mercutio as it is seen by Levin as quite an ironic end, as he has been the satirist- “represents the play moving from Romantic comedy to Romantic tragedy.” Comparing Comedy & Tragedy- Tragedy tends to isolate where comedy bring together, to reveal the uniqueness of individuals rather than what they have in common with others. Examples have been shown with the progression of Juliet whom begun in tragic settings as an only child mother “But one, poor one, one poor, and loving child” (IV, v. 46) whilst Romeo friar reflects on then as “two in one” (II.iv.37) yet again when taking the potion “my dismal scene I needs must act alone.” (IV.iii. 19) reflected in the setting of each of them dying
Shakespeare and Marlowe use trickery and deception to present their characters with certain qualities. Prospero is presented as powerful and vengeful at the beginning by conjuring the tempest using magic to trick the characters on board. Throughout the play he becomes wiser and leans the values of forgiveness of those who have deceived him. Faustus is a character that is put in the position of power and doesn’t use it for valid purposes. He’s useless tricks display vanity and indicate his wastefulness to the audience.
The clever technique Shakespeare uses allows al the characters to perceive Iago as ‘honest’ and quite pure and heavenly like. When all the while he is nothing but a lying serpent more like the devil than any heavenly like creature. At the start of act 2 scene 3 we see that Iago attempts to force Cassio into lecherous thoughts towards Desdemona. He is tempting Cassio into saying something he shouldn’t or something he may sooner regret. The key part of this however is that Iago is tempting Cassio, very like the devil himself tries to tempt us.
Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare shocks audiences with violent language, the supernatural witches and evilness. The nature of evil, in the context of this question, means ‘profoundly immoral and wicked’ which is true to most of the play especially after King Duncan’s murder. The nature of ambition in this context portends ‘a strong desire to achieve successes’. Based on these definitions, I agree with said view of this play to some extent. Evil is first inferred in Macbeth when we first meet the Weyward Sisters (witches) and they cantillate something: ‘Fair is foul and foul is fair.’ This juxtaposition of words indicates an unnatural feel which creates the feel of imminent evil from a possibly supernatural perpetrator.
To deceive is to give a false impression towards someone. Macbeth, the main character and many others do just that. In the play the characters have a different side to them then shown. “Look like an innocent flower /but be the serpent under it” (Macbeth I, IV, 65-66) Lady Macbeth reassured this to Macbeth explaining how they would get away with murder. Being deceitful is wrong and can lead you down a path of many lies.
There are obvious comparisons that can be drawn between King Lear and The Dresser, for example: both are tragic stories about an egotistical protagonist, Lear/Sir, and his descent into madness. Whether obvious, or subtle, there are many other similarities that can be explored as well, such as: plot/theme and character types. Plot/Theme King Lear and The Dresser, both, have an episodic plot structure and include the use of a parallel plot, or subplot. In King Lear, the main storyline is about the strained relationships between King Lear and his daughters – Goneril and Regan’s deceptive betrayal of their father, and Cordelia’s dismissed, yet unwavering devotion to him. The basic theme of “good vs. evil” is then reinforced by the
By presenting Claudius as the unfaithful serpent, it gives readers the connotation that he is evil, betraying and loathsome, correlating to the ghost’s and Hamlet’s feelings. Moreover, the serpent pattern of imagery is weaved in the ghost’s description of the poison- “swift as quicksilver it courses
The Role of Equivocation in the Play “That palter with us in a double sense,/ That keep the word of promise to our ear/ And break it to our hope” (5.8. 20-22). Equivocation is a common form in drama and is used to mislead others with ambiguous expressions. In Macbeth, equivocation appears to show a way of protecting others, to effectively display the evil actions of the witches and to cause violence and death that finally leads to the tragedy. Initially, equivocation is sometimes a method of protection.
He reasons that the witches are evil and not to be trusted “Banquo: That, trusted home,/ Might yet enkindle you unto the crown,/ Besides the Thane of Cawdor. But ‘tis strange:/ And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,/ The instruments of darkness tell us truths,/ Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s/ in deepest consequence” (1.3.129-136) Unlike Macbeth, Banquo is more cautious upon hearing the witches’ prophecies. Although he is an ambitious man himself, he recognizes that they are “instruments of darkness”. Banquo associates the witches with darkness because of their ability to earn Macbeth’s trust by telling him a truth, which he will become the Thane of Cawdor, then feeding into his ruthless ego by prophesying that we will become king. After he hears that he will become king he feels the need to make it come true, even if it means killing Duncan.
As the play progresses, it is evident that Macbeth is tempted by the witches and has become evil by the catalyst of their powers. The reader recognizes the mental weakness Macbeth really has even though he has power in ambition. The varying points of view of a play give the author more power for audience to become involved with the actions on stage. For example, Macbeth in one of his soliloquies says whole heartedly, "I am his kinsman and his subject," about the thoughts of killing Duncan only to be later plauged by vision of "thy blade and dudgeons gouts of blood." This first person point of view allows the audience to know Macbeth's thoughts that no other character in the play can.