William Shakespeare is one of the most ingenious and versatile writers in English literature. He wrote 37 plays in all, some of which are tragedies, some are comedies, and others are history plays. The English playwright and poet has produced an X-ray of the worldly life, human nature, human behavior, loyalty, love, affection, and other aspects of human relationships.
There are numerous instances of these phenomena in his plays. His genius does not lie in creating complex tragedies and comedies. He is not versatile due to creating history through his plays.
His reputation doesn’t lie in the creation of 154 sonnets that cover different themes like love, youth, beauty and time, indicating the transitory nature of human life and the superiority of time and art.
However, the most important and core aspect of his efficiency is that he has gone beyond the unity of time and space. This aspect of his writing made him famous as he could not remain confined to Greek rules: unity of time, place and action. He has created a universality of thought and character.
Betrayal and Suspicion in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Othello, and Julius Caesar
In Hamlet, Shakespeare shows us how King Hamlet’s brother, Claudius, plays a treacherous role and how his wife, Gertrude, acts very hastily, ultimately resulting in tragedy. Hamlet eventually entraps Claudius by laying a mousetrap for him, thereby revealing the secret.
He comes to know that Claudius has conspired to murder his father, committed an injustice to seize the throne, and married his mother. This illustrates disloyalty in human relationships, how trustworthy people become untrustworthy, and how human behavior tends towards grabbing power and position, hence showing moral degradation and corruption.
Two critical perspectives emerge from this play: one is the corruption in human nature and another is inconstancy in women’s behavior. While Hamlet is busy with his studies, Claudius hatches a conspiracy to seize the throne and occupy his brother’s wife. He manages to murder King Hamlet by pouring a poisonous fluid into his ear, which results in severe cracks in his skin, and he dies in pain.
Gertrude, King Hamlet’s wife, acts very hastily to remarry Claudius, which indicates the inconsistent nature of womenfolk.
Number two is Othello. In this play, Shakespeare tells us how Othello acts suspiciously and becomes misled by Iago’s lies and his own suspicions about his wife, Desdemona. He is unable to understand the truth behind the situation.
He suspects his wife and ultimately murders her. Eventually, he realizes that he was mistaken in suspecting his wife, but by then, he had lost his life as well as his prestige.
The same is the case with Julius Caesar. When Caesar is stabbed and sees one of his friends, Brutus, among his assailants, he utters the famous words, “Et tu, Brute?” meaning “You too, Brutus?” This shows how even our friends can betray us. It also reminds us that we should remain vigilant and alert in our interactions and dealings with others.
Flattery and Ambition in Shakespeare’s King Lear and Macbeth
King Lear: Here, we see how the king acts foolishly and is misled by the false praises of two of his daughters. However, his third daughter, Cordelia, does not fall prey to her father’s demand for exaggerated praise. Instead, she acts sincerely and refuses to offer false flattery.
As a result, she is banished from the kingdom. Ultimately, King Lear realizes his mistake in believing the false praises of his other daughters, Goneril and Regan, who eventually prove to be disloyal to him.
In Macbeth, we see how Macbeth acts hastily and how Lady Macbeth instigates her husband to murder King Duncan and seize the throne, ultimately resulting in tragedy. Here is a biblical parallel: Eve persuaded Adam to consume the forbidden fruit.
In conclusion, let me say that these four great tragedies make Shakespeare a writer of universal stature. They present an insight that human behavior is unpredictable, relationships can’t always be perfect, and loyalty can’t be tested until we interact with other human beings. They also show how supernatural agencies come to the help of an innocent fellow in distress, and how time turns the tide in favour of or against us.
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