The Role of Women as Tragic Hero in Shakespeare Plays

Abstract

William Shakespeare continued to be held high in esteem and admiration despite the passing of the years for quite a number of reasons. He is one the greatest dramatists the world has ever known that his plays continued to be displayed in the world’s renowned theatres though the themes they have portrayed have been of strong relevance five hundred years ago. His perfect grasp of human nature and man’s psyche has been one of the factors behind his success. He was able to grapple with some certain universal qualities of personality which he skillfully applied to his characters that remained celebrated across the centuries. In this thesis which sets out to handle thematic elements of murder, the researcher has managed to investigate certain play (Macbeth) with specific reference to the female role in bringing about the calamities of the individuals involved. The ultimate aim is to find out how Shakespeare had managed to build up the theme of murder. The recurring reference to supernatural elements helped drive his themes to the intended end beyond question the value of these ghostly elements. Freudian’s theory of psychoanalysis was touched upon as was unavoidable in such kind of project. The theory was found to be particularly much more applicable with Lady Macbeth whose conscience sways to and fro to give her the most painful moments of her life. Lady Macbeth was diagnosed by many critics as developing pathological fear that betrayed her conspiracy in the murder of King Duncan. In Othello, both Iago and Othello carry the seeds of a mental illness not mention that of Desdemona. Hamlet was such an exemplification mental disorder that he himself started to question his faculties. His mother Gertrude was seen journeying from one end of loving her son and have pity on him to another 6 extreme point of loving Claudius. Ophelia, who was in genuine emotional relationship with Hamlet, was forced and under coercion expressed her hatred to Hamlet. All the characters involved have their psychopathetic element including the Ghost Hamlet who orders his son to have mercy on his mother as she was naive. The characters in the selected plays as regards their struggle in life, they sometimes bid success and sometimes their lives are full of pain, suffering and failure, echoing real life. It is this which substantially elongated the works of Shakespeare