stock characters/Shakespeare
Many common elements are evident throughout Shakespearean tragedy with regards to plot, theme, and, above all, character. Shakespeare used many similar ingredients when designing his characters, creating what is referred to as a stock character, defined as a ?personality type with a few obvious traits who appears again and again in different plays? (Andrews: World and Work Vol 1. Pg 50). This definition enhances our ability to understand the concept of a stock character and to identify them in Shakespearean tragedy. The term ?stock character? derives from the classic period when playwrights such as Plautus and Menander used very similar characters in their comedies. This eventually leaked into tragedy and became one of the most influential aspects of Elizabethan drama. One of the most famous and widely discussed classifications of stock characters in Shakespearean tragedy is the vice, a term which refers to evil devious characters in Shakespearean tragedies. Although the vice is a principal aspect of Shakespearean tragedy, this paper will concentrate on two types of minor stock characters, more specifically, the innocent female victim and the loyal friend to the tragic hero. The characters to be discussed will be Ophelia and C
Shakespeare?s utilization of similar classifications of characters throughout the majority of his work creates a common thread that links together the legacy he has left behind centuries after his death and maintains that Shakespeare is one of the most widely recognized playwrights in history. Stock characters such as the innocent victim and the devout friend to the tragic hero serve as not only vital characters that complete this link, but also as essential elements that are crucial to the development of many themes such as madness and faithfulness throughout Shakespearean tragedy. The two characters to be discussed first are Ophelia and Cordelia. These two characters share many attributes, most importantly that they were both innocent victims who were the only characters to be killed without justification in their respective plays. Ophelia?s only crime was that of love for Hamlet, and Cordelia?s lone wrongdoing was that of loyalty to her father. These circumstances classify Ophelia and Cordelia as not only innocent victims, but stock characters as well. The parallels continue as they both have very few lines in which they show courage, but instead, for the most part, are being told what to do. Cordelia demonstrates courage when she speaks the truth to her father, stating ?I love your majesty according to my bond, no more nor less? (King Lear. Act 1. Sc 1. Ln. 94-95), but this merely results in her banishment and eventual hanging. Ophelia, on the other hand, lacks a single scene in which she shows courage. She is merely a puppet to her father and her brother, vowing ?I shall obey, My lord? (Hamlet. Act 1. Sc 3. ln.136). This lack of conviction results in her death as well. Both women have committed no crime, but end up in the same place - dead. The only argument is, which of the deaths were more tragic - a maddened girl in love who is controlled by her family, or an honest girl who could
Some topics in this essay:
Andrews Vol,
Lear Macbeth,
Hamlet Act,
Plautus Menander,
Ophelia Cordelia,
Horatio Kent,
Kent Horatio,
Lear Act,
,
World Vol,
stock characters,
stock character,
friend tragic hero,
shakespearean tragedy,
king lear,
tragic hero,
friend tragic,
andrews vol,
2 pg,
innocent victims,
vol 2,
vol 2 pg,
act 1 sc,
2 pg 63,
andrews vol 2,
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Approximate Word count = 1288
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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