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COMMENTS |
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INTRODUCTION
Several common threads run through all Shakespearean tragedies, but the most prominent is this: in all his tragic plays, Shakespeare invites us to turn inwards and consider our own psyche through a thorough investigation into the mind of a tragic hero. Unlike his comedies, which centre around the interrelationship of people, Shakespeare’s tragedies are introspective,¹ and reveal universal truths about the nature of the human individual. Particularly enlightening truths about human nature are revealed by contrasting the plays Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth. While both follow the downward path of a tragic hero, the natures of these heroes are remarkably different² – as are their respective milieus. Shakespeare uses the plays to foreground the notion of human weakness. He illustrates how human beings are innately flawed, and in keeping with his strictly religious Elizabethan context, asserts that the disastrous manifestations of these flaws are driven by a higher power.³ In these plays, free will is an illusion, and Shakespeare maintains that if we allow our flaws to become sinful, we will be suitably punished.
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1. This integration of contextual information showcases our knowledge of Shakespeare’s oeuvre and genres.
2. A good comparative essay will acknowledge both similarities and differences between the two texts in the introduction (as well as throughout the body of the essay).
3. This is a clear delineation of the shared themes and authorial intent in both plays, which makes for a very strong introduction.
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PARAGRAPH 1
Shakespeare uses the hamartia of his tragic heroes to represent the innately flawed nature of humanity, specifically focusing on our susceptibility to being tempted by desire.⁴ As with all Shakespearean tragedies, the downfall of the initially noble hero is brought about by some fatal character flaw: Romeo’s impetuosity sees him throw caution to the wind to pursue his forbidden relationship with Juliet, while Macbeth’s “vaulting ambition” results in his murderous aspirations towards kingship.⁵ Shakespeare illustrates how common traits such as these, to which all people are prone, may manifest as sins. Driven by impulse,⁶ Romeo pursues and falls for Juliet within minutes of first seeing her, by way of so impromptu an advance that even he himself acknowledges it as “profane.” Yet while it is recklessness that sees him act so speedily, it is desire that sees him act at all. His pining for Rosaline is rich with clichés about love; unrequited, he describes it oxymoronically as “heavy lightness... feather of lead... cold fire.”⁷ This gives the audience the impression that he is not truly in love, but desires desperately the love he has read about – the source of such clichés. This is swiftly confirmed by his haste in forgetting Rosaline to pursue Juliet; the first words exchanged by the youths are rich with dramatic religious symbolism, and occur in fourteen lines – as is typical of a Petrarchan sonnet.⁸ It is clear that Romeo is attempting to fabricate the clichéd Petrarchan love he so desires – the lovers’ exchange is punctuated by rhyme, lending it a sense of artifice. Juliet’s comment “you kiss by th’book” confirms this: Romeo’s kiss, while passionate, lacks the originality of true feeling. This desire does, of course, mature into a deeply passionate lust for Juliet later in the play, a development confirmed by the lessening use of rhyme by the lovers. Thus, Shakespeare explores the extent to which the couple are susceptible to their own desires.⁹
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4. Note that this is a very specific topic sentence that provides a clear direction for the paragraph, but also goes beyond just saying ‘both plays have tragic heroes.’
5. Tying together both texts from the outset is a great way to show the assessors that you can confidently link the texts and comment on the similarities between them.
6. From here, we start to delve into one specific text – this is an important part of any comparative essay, as you can’t just bounce between one text and another; you need to spend time unpacking each text in isolation so that you can later make remarks about the similarities and differences.
7. I’ve collated these related quotes together to analyse them together, thereby making the discussion more efficient whilst still encompassing a range of examples.
8. Here, I’ve linked this contextual metalanguage to close analysis of the quotes.
9. Always try to tie things back to authorial intent and the essay question at the ends of your body paragraphs.
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PARAGRAPH 2
Though pursuing a very different object, Macbeth is also motivated by desire – a manifestation of his ambitious personality.¹⁰ There is barely a step between ambition and lust other than that of morality, and Macbeth’s morality is fragile, disintegrating at the very mention of his potential kingship. In an aside, he paradoxically declares that the witches’ prophecy “cannot be ill, cannot be good” – notably saying “cannot be ill” first.¹¹ Although he confirms through carnal imagery that the idea of killing Duncan “make[s] my heart knock at my ribs,” the fact that he considers the possibility at all, especially so soon after hearing the prophecy, illustrates his lust for power. He even admits that he “yield[s] to that suggestion” – the witches’ use of glorifying language (“all hail Macbeth”) has tempted him. Shakespeare employs religious allusion to emphasise that this desire is in fact a deadly sin; Macbeth understands that Duncan is an honourable man, predicting that “his virtues / Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued.” This celestial imagery is deeply emotive, calling to mind beautiful holy beings pleading for their lives, only to be cut down by Macbeth’s “deep damnation,” with alliterative ‘d’ sounds echoing the drums of the personal hell into which Macbeth will soon descend.¹² Thus, through the downfall of these two tragic heroes, Shakespeare points out the intrinsic susceptibility of man to lust, suggesting that the downfalls of his tragic heroes – the outcome of their lust – is controlled by a higher power; it is fate’s punishment for their sins. This is in keeping with the religious views of the time;¹³ an ardent fan of Shakespeare’s work, Elizabeth I was bringing to light an age of peace between Catholics and Protestants, and establishing the Church of England: the inclusion of the religious notion of a ‘higher power’ is Shakespeare’s nod to his royal patron. Not wishing to paint a portrayal of a vengeful God, however, Shakespeare does not reference Him directly, but rather refers to a universal morality – suggesting that justice will come to all.
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10. This is a nice link between the characters in each play. On the surface, it might seem like the theme of ‘desire’ is only relevant to Romeo and Juliet, but it is also evident in Macbeth, just in a different form.
11. Interesting point here about the order information is presented in, hinting at some possible subtlety Shakespeare was communicating through this authorial choice. This is a great example of how “overthinking” the text can in fact lead to some interesting ideas and interpretations. You probably wouldn’t stake a whole contention or thesis on this point, but it is a useful note as part of this wider discussion.
12. Very precise analysis of the meaning of words and sounds! Aim to do this kind of close analysis at least one or two times per essay to help your piece stand out from the crowd!
13. Here, we’ve made a link to the socio-cultural and political context in which Shakespeare wrote.
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PARAGRAPH 3
The downward trajectories of both heroes are permeated with a sense of inevitability. The audience are told of the fate of Romeo and Juliet before the play even really begins: the play’s Prologue not only reveals that the lovers will “take their life but also that this will be “the two hours’ traffic of our stage.” This metatheatrical technique enforces the inevitability of Romeo’s downfall; his fate is quite literally already scripted for him.¹⁴ References to the inevitability that surrounds Romeo’s tragic end are ubiquitous in the play; celestial imagery throughout famously refers to the lovers as “starcross’d,” and Romeo himself foreshadows “some consequence yet hanging in the stars.” He accepts that a higher power determines his actions, yet naively believes fate to be on his side; he wills it to “direct my sail.” As early as Romeo’s first misstep – intruding on the Capulet feast – Tybalt observes that “this intrusion shall / Now seeming sweet, convert to bitterest gall” employing gustatory imagery to juxtapose the couple’s naïve happiness against their inevitable future despair.¹⁵ This is a play on words, with ‘gall’ also describing such brazenness of behaviour as the audience already knows Romeo to have. When combined with the use of rhyme, this gives the lines a very prophetic nature. The use of prophecy in Macbeth is more blatant;¹⁶ Macbeth’s story and the witches’ subplot are interlocked like gears, and it is not entirely clear which is driving. Whether or not Macbeth might have committed the murder without hearing the prophecy is irrelevant, for the witches themselves represent a perverse form of divine intervention. Introduced amidst dramatic mise en scène, including “thunder” and “lightning,” they are certainly powerful beings, yet in contrast to this celestial thunderstorm they are portrayed as very earthy: the choice of the term ‘witch’ connotes a more carnal and corporeal type of magic than the fairies Shakespeare usually has do his bidding. This drawing together of opposites is extended with the famously paradoxical line, “fair is foul, and foul is fair.” These contradictory images suggest that the witches unite good and bad, balancing the moral universe, if in a perverse way. Thus, they are the voices of fate which make Macbeth’s downfall so inevitable. There is a real sense of hopelessness for Macbeth; despite his insistence that “chance may crown me without my stir,” the events of his ruin have already been set in motion by a higher power, and are thus out of his control.
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14. This is a rather unique point, and while your analysis doesn’t have to be 100% original to be good, it can be particularly impressive if you find evidence that most students likely wouldn’t consider. Don’t feel pressured to say something no one has ever said before (it’s Shakespeare after all... for hundreds of years, academics have written millions of words about his plays!) but try to look outside of the most obvious three or four examples that come to mind when answering an essay question.
15. There is some fairly sophisticated vocabulary scattered throughout this essay, but crucially, it is always used clearly and effectively. Your word choice should only ever enhance your argument, and never detract from it by seeming forced or clunky. The best way to do this properly is to ensure you have a good understanding of what the words mean in context, so look up the definition and usage of any words you’re not sure about while writing practice essays. That way, in exams and assessment tasks, you’ll hopefully be more familiar with this language and will be able to use it without needing a dictionary or thesaurus!
16. Comparative language like ‘more’ and ‘less’ is, of course, very useful in comparative essays, as it lets you make an explicit and unambiguous link between the texts.
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CONCLUSION
Shakespeare’s portrayal of tragedy foregrounds the innate flaws of humankind, illustrating how these flaws may, unchecked, mature into sins. He focuses on lust in particular, as a perverted form of characteristics that may even be heroic. Furthering his portrayal of sin, he illustrates the inevitability of these sins being punished by a higher power – a universal balance of justice that must be kept.¹⁷ Humans, we understand, may reach a point when our desire is incurable, past which we may be susceptible to this omnipotent punishment.¹⁸ These tragedies are quasi-religious cautionary tales to live in moderation.
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17. This conclusion briefly touches upon each of the major ideas that we argued for in the body paragraphs.
18. Finally, we end on a high note by asking ‘what is Shakespeare saying about humanity and our world?’ This is an implicit question in every essay topic, so a conclusion that answers it is guaranteed to impress the markers!
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