Tragedy of Shakespeare’s Plays Essay Example

in his plot to revenge against Claudius, nor does Laertes revenge against Hamlet despite threats. Shakespeare doesn’t, therefore, fully execute the framework of revenge.

The Tempest

In his play, The Tempest, William Shakespeare has explored the idea of the illusion of justice as the main framework guiding the play. The play tells a fairly of an unjust act. Shakespeare uses Prospero to develop the theme of the illusion of justice.

Prospero is a victim of injustice. His throne was taken by his brother forcing him and his daughter into a strange island. Prospero is determined to reestablish justice by restoring himself to power. However, the idea of justice in the play seems highly subjective. Prospero plays a victim of injustice who intends to restore justice by righting the wrongs done to him in the past, but he goes against justice itself by enslaving Ariel and Caliban who he uses to achieve his motives (Shakespeare, 2000).

In the beginning, Prospero seems hypocritical through his actions, but in the end, he establishes his idea of justice by forgiving his enemies and releasing his slaves. According to how the story ends, we can conclude that; in this play, Shakespeare has executed the framework of justice.

Othello

In the play Othello, the author address racial prejudice theme that framework of the play. The idea becomes clear to the audience since the two characters used by the author to develop the theme don not share the same race. To be precise, Othello is black, and Desdemona is white. The aspect of racial prejudice is portrayed throughout the story a situation that is evidenced by the way in which different character openly use racist language to describe

Othello. Names such as old black man, Barbary horse and frequent were referring the characters his lips as thick lips.

A passage that illustrates racial prejudice is evidenced when lago makes a point of alerting Brabantio that his daughter named Desdemona is having an affair with Othello. “I am one sir that comes to tell you that your little girl and the Moor (Othello) are now making the beast with two backs.” After getting the information, the father fails to believe that individual’s daughter can fall in love with a black man unless the man practiced some form of a trick.

The passage is important since it enhances the development of the racial prejudice. By referring Othello as the moor, lago play on the Elizabethan ideas that black man has an animal like hyper-sexuality.

Macbeth

The central theme that forms the context of the Macbeth is the destruction of wrought when moral constraints do not govern individual's ambitions. Precisely the subject that the play reflects upon is the corrupting power of unchecked ambition.

In Act I section four Lady Macbeth talks about Macbeth’s ambition “thou wouldst be great without ambition.” The quote serves great importance since it enables the audience to understand the nature of Macbeth, which is described to the public as the filled with human kindness (I.v.18-20). As later described in the play, the presence of hollowness in an individual’s ambition has the capability of destroying the life of the person in question. As illustrated in the play, Macbeth is a courageous army general whose nature does not allow the individual to commit evil deeds. In contrary to the individual’s nature, the desire for power and advancements makes

the only kill Duncan.

The passage by expressing the conflict between one's ambitions forms the basis on which the play is developed. The primary urge that drove Macbeth towards killing Duncan was corrupt thoughts that were inflicted to the general’s mind by the individual’s wife. The ambitions that Macbeth had though did not allow the person to kill were corrupted by the greed of power that the person ended up killing Duncan.

Reference

• Barnes, S., Coleman, A., & Shakespeare, W. (2011). Othello. St Kilda, Vic: Insight Publications.
• Shakespeare, W. (1904). The tragedy of Hamlet. University Press.
• Shakespeare, W. (2000). The tempest. Cambridge University Press.
• Shakespeare, W., & Gill, R. (2006). Macbeth: Reader. Oxford u.a.: Oxford Univ. Press u.a..