Much Ado about Nothing was written by William Shakespeare as a comedy, but it could have very well been turned into a tragedy comparable to Othello. In Othello, Desdemona becomes a leading part of Iago’s plot to take down Othello for not giving Iago the job that he wanted. At first Iago insinuates and makes innuendos to Othello that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio, and Othello doesn’t believe Iago. Othello says “Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore, Be sure of it; give me the ocular proof; or, by the worth of mine eternal soul, thou hadst been better have been born a dog than answer my wak’d wrath”(3.3.360-364). Desdemona accidentally drops a handkerchief that Othello had given her.
Similarly in The Duchess of Malfi, when the Duchess’ attempt to deceive her brothers and conceal her marriage leads to her death. However self-deception is also a recurrent theme in both of the plays, in Othello, it can be argued that Othello’s self- deception proves just as destructive as Iago’s, as by deceiving himself of his true nature and labelling himself as “one not easily jealous,” he continually supresses his feelings of inner turmoil until he breaks under the influence of Iago. F R Leavis agreed with this stating, “The mind that undoes [Othello] is not Iago’s but his own.” The role of deception would be nowhere near as essential to the play without the influence of Iago; described by AC Bradley as the “artist of evil” his ruthless manipulation of the other characters in the play ensures not only the destruction of Othello, but his own. Self- deception plays a crucial role within Othello and The Duchess of Malfi; it allows the audience to see further into the characters personality and gain a deeper understanding of them as a character. Othello himself is the most palpable example of self- deception within the plays as from when the audience is first introduced to him in Act One Scene Two, he believes
Tybalt, indeed, had a serious impact on the lives of Romeo and Juliet, by killing Mercutio. He might have just been a minor character but he plays an important role in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as he contributed to the theme of hatred. Friar John and Balthasar, both are minor characters but yet, they still play an important role in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Each of them plays a part in changing the destinies of Romeo and Juliet. Friar John, who is sent by Friar Laurence to Mantua with a message for Romeo explaining the secret plan of Juliet and Friar Laurence, did not deliver the message
Shakespeare uses incessant word play, and constant mockery between key characters to portray the comedic effect. An example of constant mockery could be the ‘merry war’ between Beatrice and Benedick which continues throughout the entire play. Early on in the play Claudio and Hero fall in love at first sight. This leads Don Pedro to act like Claudio offering to woo Hero evidently fooling her at the masked ball. This is dramatic irony because the audience know who the masked characters are but the actual characters don’t.
These works have a similar villain. Tybalt of Romeo and Juliet is similar to Don John in Much Ado About Nothing in that both characters do not approve of the lover‘s relationships and wish to break them up. Furthermore, Romeo and Juliet are similar to Claudio and Hero, who are the leading couples in each play. The comic relief in each play is the watch in Much Ado About Nothing and the servants in Romeo and Juliet. Also, Mercutio and Benedick are both scornful of love.
Although Friar Lawrence’s intentions were good, his decisions and actions were the sole cause of Romeo and Juliet’s death. Do you agree? Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is the story of two young lovers who fall for one another only to realise that due to the feud their families’ share their love is destined for destruction. With all good intentions the minor character, Friar Lawrence was one of, but not the complete cause of their tragic end. There are three dominant aspects of their deaths, the feud between the two families, Friar Lawrence and most importantly, fate.
In Shakespeare’s play, ‘King Lear’, we are shown an array of characters that are multi-dimensional and extremely complex. Shakespeare has the ability to reveal a human character with an exceptional use of language. The three characters that I believe have large roles and functions within the play are, understandably, King Lear himself, The Fool, and Kent. The Fool acts as Lear's conscience and trusted guide, yet he is also a critic of Lear, a truth teller. In effect this makes a true friend, however some believe it was the Fool's constant remarks that drove Lear to madness.
Mistaken Identity William shakespear use of Mistaken identity is a imporant instrument to the play twelfth night because it provides confusion, mystery and humor to the play. In Shakespeare’s time mistaken identity played a role in his plays when female roles were played by males, and the idea of a male having a female role created a greater comic element. In the play twelfth night many characters have disguises and have their identities mistaken. Many characters in twelfth night have their identity mistaken , begginging with viola who dressed up as a male and assumed the name Cesario in order to succeed and work for the duke. Olivia also had her identity mistaken by her brother's best friend antonio.
Othello and Desdemona In the play, The Tragedy of Othello, Shakespeare really tests our conception as to what love is, and where it can or can't exist. Judging from the relationship between Desdemona and Othello, the play seems to say that marriage based on an innocent romantic love or profane love is bound to fail. Shakespeare is pessimistic about the existence and survival of a true type of love. There is a common thread of betrayal and deceit among his female characters, especially. Othello and Desdemona, as portrayed in the play, are the two greatest innocents there ever were.
Measure for Measure is classified as a problem play as it includes a combination of tragedy and comedy features. A tragedy play is defined as a play dealing with tragic events and with an unhappy ending especially concerning the downfall of the protagonist. A comedy is defined as a play of an amusing or satirical character usually with a happy ending. Measure for Measure fits both of these descriptions and is therefore difficult to classify as either a tragedy or a comedy. A problem play also poses several questions on the audience.