Tragic Destinies

William Shakespeare - Hamlet

General introduction

William Shakespeare belongs to the Renaissance period very mucle interested in Man's nature, in the old antiquities. The Renaissance manifest itse 222r1722c lf through humanism i.e. interest in Man. The humanists want a perfect society called Utopia.

The Revenge Tragedy (Hamlet)

The Revenge Tragedy is a frequent genre of the 16^th century. The Revenge is typical for the Renaissance and its titanic structure: there is always an intrigue or a net of intrigues. A father, a mother or a son has to revenge a dead person. Following this pattern Hamlet is one of the greatest Shakespearean revenge tragedies. In our case, Hamlet want's to revenge his father's death, the king of Denmark, who has been murdered by the latter's brother: Claudius. The usurper takes the crown and marries Gertrude, Hamlet's mother. But Hamlet's father asks for revenge on the battlements of the castle, in the form of a ghost.

By appealing to "a play with in a play" Hamlet reveals Claudius deed and finally Hamlet fights Ophelia's brother, Laertes but both are wounded. Meanwhile Claudius drinks a cup of poisoned water prepared by Gertrude.

The Tragic Destiny

Shakespeare's tragedies point to the desperate conditions of his heroes torn between feeling and reason. They are Titans of justice and freedom

Hamlet is the tragedy of a hero who wants to revenge the death of his father. He himself a scholar, Hamlet seems to be against the law act of revenging but he chooses his way by pretending he is mad. He always puts off the act of revenge not because he is a week person but because he doesn't want to make people around him suffer. He is a humanist wanting an ideal society and his questions "to be or not to be" reveals his tragic condition, that of being a human.

Theme: Revenge / Love

Plot:- complicated

most of the characters die at the end

a son avenges his father

the play within a play

Characters: real titans philosophizing and justifying their actions

Metaphors: Imprisonment (in Hamlet)

a)     the human being is prison for himself

b)    the marriage: a prison, bearing the germs of adultery

c)     the universe: similar to a living HELL

Romeo and Juliet

The Montagues and the Capulets, the two chief families of Verona are at bitter enmity. Romeo, a Montague, attends, disguised by a man, a feast given by old Lord Capulet. There, Romeo wins Juliet's consent to a secret marriage.

The two young heroes are pathetic in their love at first sight and are standard bearers of the humanistic ideas praising man as an individual above family rank. Shakespeare seems to have acquired growing knowledge of human nature. Romeo and Juliet is not a tragedy in the sense in which we understand the term "Shakespearean tragedy". Here, the unhappy ending is the result of accident or of fate. Although the lovers have their weakness, it is not their fault but their unlucky stars that destroys them.

Source of tragedy

- Fate = the source of tragedy is outside the tragic characters: they are not guilty, yet there is nothing they can do to prevent this tragedy.