Tragic structure in shakespeares tragedies = cấu trúc bi kịch trong kịch shakespeare

Thu Phuong Graduation Paper Vinh University Foreign languages department ------------------ NguyÔn ThÞ Thu Ph¬ng Tragic structure in Shakespeare's tragedies Graduation paper Field: Literature Supervisor: TrÇn Ngäc Tëng (M.A) Student: NguyÔn ThÞ Thu Ph¬ng Class: 42 A 1 (2004 - 2005) Vinh - May, 2005 Tragic structure in Shakespeare's tragedies 1 Thu Phuong Graduation Paper 1. The rationale of choosing the theme Despite differences in languages, cultures, religions or society status people all over the world share common feelings when enjoying great books such as: “Hamlet”, “Othello”, “Romeo and Juliet”…by Shakespeare. It is easily understood that many classical plays still win the hearts of modern readers. Messages about love and people's life, indeed, never grow old. Shakespeare with his works is one of typical symbol for the vitality of literature. He is the writer of all ages whose greatness endures forever. The talent of Shakespeare demonstrates clearly in his tragedies. Almost people move into tears when reading them and messages people get from them always remain their value even in modern society. In order to fully understand Shakespeare's tragedies, his greatness and contributions, it is necessary to know tragic structure in his tragedies. This understanding will give you the key to open the door to the profound world in Shakespeare's tragedies. That is the reason why I choose the theme "Tragic structure in Shakespeare's tragedies” for my graduation paper. 2. The aims of the thesis The aims of the thesis are: - To study briefly about English Renaissance literature and one of its best representatives: William Shakespeare. - To study tragic structure in the tragedies before Shakespeare’s time - To study Shakespeare's life and works in general and his play’s tragic structure in particular through analyzing the structure of “Othello”, one of his four greatest tragedies. - To point out the main characteristics and distinction of Shakespeare tragic structure. Tragic structure in Shakespeare's tragedies 2 Thu Phuong Graduation Paper 3. The limitation of the thesis Shakespeare's works are enormous ranging from tragedy, comedy, historical plays . to poems. However, within the scope of this thesis, the writer only concentrates on tragic structure in Shakespeare's tragedies with a view to have a profound analysis. In order to demonstrate what has been found in the structure of Shakespeare's tragedies, the writer analyzes one play "Othello" - an outstanding example of Shakespeare's tragedies. 4. The methods of the study The methods used in this thesis include: - Collective method: collecting relevant materials from different sources internet, magazines, books, teacher's lectures etc . - Analysis and synthetic method: splitting up the issues to get core ideas, and then synthesizing to have an overall picture. - Contrastive analysis method: finding the differences and similarities between Shakespeare play's tragic structure with that of tragedians before Shakespeare’s time. 5. The design of the study The thesis consists of three main parts: Part I: Introduction The rationale, aims of the thesis, limitation of the thesis, methods, the desisn of the study are all introduced in this part. Part II: Content This is the main part of the study, which is divided into three chapters: Chapter I: Background Chapter II: Tragic structure in Shakespeare’s tragedies Chapter III: Tragic structure in "Othello" Part III: Conclusion Tragic structure in Shakespeare's tragedies 3 Thu Phuong Graduation Paper Part Ii Content Tragic structure in Shakespeare's tragedies 4 Thu Phuong Graduation Paper Chapter I Background 1. English Renaissance Renaissance is a French word firstly used by French historian Jules Michelet and then popularized by Swiss historian Jocab Burck that literally means rebirth. Rebirth is understood in two ways: A rebirth of classic learning and knowledge through the rediscovery of ancient texts and a rebirth of European culture in general. The English Renaissance began in the 1520s, reaching its peak of development around the year 1660, and not ending until roughly the restoration of Charles II in the 1660s. During this period, a vast changes and growths occurred in all aspects of English society and literature. 1.1. Society The distinctions of English society in the Renaissance periods were marked by great changes in politics. This time witnessed the decay of feudalism and the development of capitalist relation. Parliament became a much more important institution. The English Renaissance was a period of prosperity and increasing English power. England became the most important European country thanks to the reign of outstanding rulers: King Henry VIII (1509 - 1547) and Queen Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603). The English Renaissance was strongly affected by many great geographical, astronomical and scientific discoveries in the world. The discovery of America in the last decade of the 15 th century, the finding of a sea - route so Asia round Africa and the invention of printing opened the eyes of people to the earthy life, human nature and human abilities. People began to lead a revolt against the strict and cramped pattern of life in the Middle Tragic structure in Shakespeare's tragedies 5 Thu Phuong Graduation Paper Ages, which hindered people from enjoying life on earth and their culture from developing. The English Renaissance saw the awakening of men's mind, men's ability, of individual spirit and secularism, which led to the bloom of literature. 1.2. Literature There was a flowering of English literature in the English Renaissance. The key literary figures in this period were: the poet Edmund Spencer the philosopher Francis Bacon, the poets and playwrights Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare and Ben Johnson, and the poet John Milton. English poetry was exactly at the right stage of development since forms such as the sonnet were uniquely adapted to setting as madrigals. Drama entered a high developing time marked by the name of William Shakespeare. He is considered as the greatest writer the English language ever known. Literature of this time reflected the progressive ideology known as humanism. Human life, the happiness, the inner world of people and the belief in people's abilities became the main subjects in English art and literature. In contrast to the medieval thinker who emphasized God, the progressive thinker of the Renaissance placed the interest in human beings and considered them as the creator of the world. Literature, as a result, put people at its center. This explained a flowering of English literature in this period. 2. William Shakespeare's life and career 2.1. William Shakespeare's life William Shakespeare was born in Stratford - upon - Avon, England in April 1564, and died on April 23, 1616 (Julian calendar). Tragic structure in Shakespeare's tragedies 6 Thu Phuong Graduation Paper He was the third of eight children of John Shakespeare, a locally prominent merchant, and Harry Arden, daughter of a Roman Catholic member of the landed gentry. In 1582, he married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer. After his marriage, William Shakespeare left few traces in the historical record until he appeared on the London Literacy scene in about 1588. Since then, his genius was in full bloom and highly recognized. By 1592, he gained success as an actor and a playwright. Shortly later, the publication of Shakespeare's two fashionably erotic narrative poems Venus and Adonis (1593) and The Rape of Lucrece (1594) and of his Sonnets (1609) established his reputation as a poet in the Renaissance manner. However, Shakespeare's modern reputation is based mainly on the 38 plays that he apparently wrote. Shakespeare retired in approximately 1611 and spent the last years of his life in Stratford, his hometown. He died on April 23, 1616 and was buried in the Church of Stratford. In deed, there was a lack of a complete and authoritative historical record of William Shakespeare's life, however his name is well known all over the world. What he left for the world's literature remains its value even until now although the time has passed and the society has changed deeply. We understand him more through his work. 2.2. William Shakespeare’s career William Shakespeare is the writer of all time. His contribution to the literature of his time was so great that the English Renaissance has often become known as "the age of Shakespeare". As a playwright, he wrote not only some of the most powerful tragedies, but also may comedies and histories. He was also a great poet. He wrote 154 sonnets and several major poems, some of which are among the most brilliant pieces of English literature ever known. Tragic structure in Shakespeare's tragedies 7 Thu Phuong Graduation Paper His dramatic career is generally divided into four successive periods expressing his increasing maturity. The first period (up to 1594) This period is that of experiment and preparation. Shakespeare tried his hand at every current kind of dramatic work. Unlike his more mature work, his early plays imitate or are influenced by classical models. Four plays about the English civil strife of the 15 th century are possibly Shakespeare's earliest dramatic works. These plays: Herry VI, Richard III deal with the evil results of week leader ship and of national disunity. In style and structure, these plays are related partly to medieval drama and partly to the works of earlier Elizabeth dramatists, especially Christopher Marlowe. Shakespeare's comedies of the first period represent a wide range: Comedy of Errors, Two gentlemen of Verona Love' Labor' Lost. Those are of romantic stories. Most of them are the experiments with plot and character, because at this time, Shakespeare is on his way of finding his own ideal and style. The second period (1594 - 1600) The second period is occupied chiefly with happy comedies and chronicle- history plays. In this period, his style and approach became highly individualized. His plays at this time show his optimistic vision to people and to the world. It is best reflected in his sparkling comedies. The comedies charm the reader with the adventure of young men and women, their friendship and romantic love, their search for happiness. His comedies are usually based on misunderstandings, mix- up in events, or confused identity of characters that create comic situation. All of them are witty and romantic and what makes his comedies great is that we see in them a whole spectrum of humanity. His plays are filled with humanist love and belief in nobleness and kindness of human nature. The comedies in this period are: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (c.1595), The Merchant of Venice (1596), As you like it (1599), Twelfth Night (1600). Tragic structure in Shakespeare's tragedies 8 Thu Phuong Graduation Paper His chronicle- history plays deal with the history and development of the country. Like all the humanists of the time, Shakespeare believed in a centralized monarchy to be an ideal form of state power. In his plays, the combination of the tragic and comic to suggest a broad range of humanity became one of the favorite devices. Some of chronicle-history plays are: Richard II (c.1595), Herry V (c.1598). The third period (1600-1608) This periods marks a change in tone in Shakespeare's works from the optimistic mood of comedies to the pessimistic mood of tragedies. Shakespeare's vision turns unrelentingly to the tragic. His main works at this period are tragedies, all of them are written at the height of his maturity. What caused the shift in his vision from the sparking comedies of the 90's to the somber period that follows? Possibly, it is the result of contemporary society which was full of evils and injustice .In his plays, Shakespeare sets himself to grapple with the deepest and darkest problems of human character and life such as : injustice ,hypocrisy, falsehood, cruelty, revenge ,jealousy, greed . The four great tragedies of this period are: Hamlet, Othello (1604), King Lear (1605), and Macbeth (1605). In this period, he writes not only his major tragedies but also the more difficult comedies, known as the "problem plays" because their resolutions possibly leave troubling and unanswered questions. Two comedies "All's well that Ends well" (1602) and "Measure for Measure" (1604) are also dark in mood and they suggest a picture of morality in Christian term. The fourth period (after 1608) In this period, there is a change from dark mood to one of light, magic, music, reconciliation and romance. The plays are the mixture of comedies and tragedies. These plays are written in a grave vein differing considerably from that of his earlier comedies but ending happily with a reunion or final reconciliation. The important social and moral problems are still referred to Tragic structure in Shakespeare's tragedies 9 Thu Phuong Graduation Paper but without tragic tension in them and less conflicts. These plays contain romantic and fantastic elements and are known as romantic dramas. Some works in his last time are: Pericles, Prince of Tyre(c. 1608), Cymbeline (1610), Winter’s Tale (1610), The Tempest (c.1611) Shakespeare, in deed, as Ben Johnson said, "He was not for an age but for all time". The strength of Shakespeare’s plays lies in the absorbing stories they tell, on their wealth of complex characters and in the eloquent speech: vivid, forceful and at the same time lyric. The surpassing charm of his rendering of the romantic beauty and joy of life and the profundity of his presentation of its tragic side are what make Shakespeare's plays remembered all the time. His greatness will endure forever and all succeeding ages will find in Shakespeare what they need, what speaks to them. 3. Some typical features in Shakespeare’s tragedies Shakespeare’s tragedies have a strong appeal and influence on the audience, even the modern ones. They contain a lot of typical features, which make Shakespeare's tragedies distinctive and different from those of other dramatists. Shakespearean tragedies may be called a story of exceptional suffering and calamity, conducting the tragic hero to death. A tale for example, of a man slowly worn to death by disease, poverty, little cares, sordid vices, petty persecution would not be tragic in the Shakespearean sense of the world. Exceptional suffering and calamity, then affecting the hero, and generally extending far beyond him, so as to make the whole scene a scene of woe are essential ingredients in Shakespeare's tragedies, and the chief sources of tragic emotions, and especially of pity. In Shakespeare, the hero recognized his own responsibility for the catastrophe, which befalls him too late to prevent his death. Tragic conflicts in Shakespeare's plays are both external and internal. Tragic structure in Shakespeare's tragedies 10