Roger Osorio Per: 3

The Contradictory of Shakespeare

I. Introduction:

A. Tragedies appear most during periods when a people or nation are confident causing major
impact.
B. William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor. He was born on 26 April
1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon.
C. Title and characters
 Hamlet- Hamlet, Ghost, Ophelia, Laertes, Gertrude
 Beowulf- Beowulf himself, Grendel’s mother, Wiglaf
 Macbeth- Macbeth himself, Malcolm, Macduff, Banquo, Lady Macbeth
E. Shakespeare’s writing is full of key factors that affect plot, however, the big 3 are motivations of
the characters, their deaths, and overall impact.
F. In the stories of Hamlet, Beowulf, and Macbeth, many characters face similar acts of motivation,
death, and create a similar overall impact to their stories.
II. Impact

 In his striking pieces of writing, Shakespeare’s main characters are the target and affect the
stories’ plot the most with the death of others having the most affect.

1. In Hamlet

A. Ophelia

 “I have heard of your paintings too, well enough. God has given you one face and you
make yourselves another. You jig and amble, and you lisp, you nickname God’s creatures
and make your wantonness your ignorance. Go to, I’ll no more on ’t. It hath made me
mad. I say, we will have no more marriages. Those that are married already, all but one,
shall live. The rest shall keep as they are. To a nunnery, go.” (Hamlet himself, Act III
Scene 1)

 Hamlet talking to Ophelia and ranting about how women act and why it makes him
crazy. He then decides that this is the end of their relationship for her. This leads to
Ophelia losing her mind and later committing suicide and having Laertes to fight Hamlet
in what is Hamlet’s final battle. Setting the climax and the rest of the story for the
reader.

B. Gertrude

 “GERTRUDE: What have I done, that thou darest wag thy tongue
in noise so rude against me? HAMLET: Such an act
That blurs the grace and blush of modesty, Calls virtue hypocrite, takes off the rose
from the fair forehead of an innocent love and sets a blister there, makes marriage vows
as false as dicers' oath--oh, such a deed as from the body of contraction plucks
the very soul, and sweet religion makes A rhapsody of words. Heaven’s face doth glow
 O'er this solidity and compound mass with tristful visage, as against the doom,
is thought-sick at the act.” (Act 3 Scene 4)

 With Polonius dead and Gertrude worried about the sanity of her son. Hamlet lets her
know that she is partially responsible for this crime. Emphasizing that it is her fault for
the fact that her son is losing his mind due to her betraying her ex-husband and
marrying Hamlet’s uncle. Which is a bigger sin to Hamlet than the murder he just
committed.

2. In Beowulf

A. Monsters

 "I have heard moreover that the monster scorns in his reckless way to use weapons;
therefore, to heighten Hygelac's fame and gladden his heart, I hereby renounce sword
and the shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war-board: hand-to-hand is how it will be,
a life-and-death fight with the fiend." (Beowulf himself, Lines 433-440)

 Beowulf, knowing his strength, decides to take on Grendel hand to hand. Displaying how
much confidence the protagonist has in himself and later showing his scary power
against not only Grendel but with the monster’s mother and the dragon. Setting up the
plot for the rest of the story for Beowulf against the dangerous obstacles in his path.
With it leading to his ever-loving downfall.

B. Hrothgar

 “Wise sir, do not grieve. It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in
mourning. For every one of us, living in this world means waiting for our end. Let
whoever can win glory before death. When a warrior is gone, that will be his best and
only bulwark.” (Lines 1576-1584)

 Beowulf doesn’t want to mourn too much but instead he wants to avenge for Hrothgar’s
advisor. With this when Beowulf is on his final moments Wiglaf hears Beowulf dying
wishes and follows through with it. This creates a new hero who hopefully avenges his
comrades like Beowulf did.

3. In Macbeth

A. Lady Macbeth

 “Was the hope drunk. Wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since? And wakes it
now, to look so green and pale at what it did so freely? From this time, Such I account
thy love. Art, thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valor as thou art in desire?
Wouldst thou have that Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, and live a coward in
thine own esteem, letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would,” Like the poor cat i' th’
adage?” (Lady Macbeth, Act I Scene 7)

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  With Macbeth in doubt of going through with the plan to kill Duncan, Lady Macbeth
comes and reminds Macbeth of how badly he wants the crown and even questions his
manliness. With this Macbeth is ready to take the life of the current king and set himself
for all the power he wants, changing the environment and the mood of the story later
on.

B. Banquo

 “Thou has it no king, Cawdor, Glamis, all. As the weird women promised, and I fear Thou
played’st most foully for ‘t. Yet it was said It should not stand in thy posterity, but that
myself should be the root and father of many kings. If there come truth from them – As
upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine – Why, by the verities on thee made good, may
they not be my oracles as well, and set me up in hope? But hush, no more.” (Act 1 Scene
3)

 Banquo’s lines uncover that he is skeptical of Macbeth when he became the king. He
goes back to the witches’ words and realize that Macbeth achieved their outcome.
However, Banquo believes there was some foul play involved with this and worries that
Macbeth must have killed Duncan to get the throne. This fills Banquo with fear, the
thought also gives him hope that what the Witches predicted for him will come true. Yet,
he doesn’t realize that in order for his sons to become king, he will have to die.

D. With the title characters committing to their motivations it comes with many important plot
details that lead to each other’s demise. Not only that, but the actions of the environment and other
characters can really impact the main character. On the other hand, no Shakespeare story can end
without an important death.

III. Deaths

 Shakespeare’s work in the texts talked about here share a similar cause of death for the 3
title characters which is Hamlet, Macbeth, and Beowulf dying in battle and passing the
power to someone else.

A. In Hamlet

1. Hamlet

 O, I die, Horatio. The potent poison quite o'ercrows my spirit. I cannot live to hear the
news from England. But I do prophesy the election lights on Fortinbras. He has my dying
voice. So, tell him, with th' occurrents, more and less, which have solicited. The rest is
silence. O, O, O, O. (dies). (Hamlet himself, Act 5 Scene 2)

 While having a duel with Laertes, Hamlet is stabbed by the poisonous sword that
Claudius setup to kill Hamlet. This leads to the death of Hamlet in battle and the passing
of the throne to Fortinbras.

B. In Macbeth

1. Macbeth

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  Hail, king! For so thou art. Behold where stands 5The usurper’s cursèd head. The time is
free. I see thee compassed with thy kingdom’s pearl, that speak my salutation in their
minds, whose voices I desire aloud with mine. Hail, King of Scotland! (Macduff, Act 5
Scene 8)

 With the death of many, Macbeth ponders upon suicide until he is confronted by
Macduff. Leading to a battle, Macbeth does not back down and his head is found in the
hand of Macduff. Macduff has killed Macbeth and Malcolm has acquired his rightfully
deserved throne.

C. In Beowulf

1. Beowulf

 "You are the last of us, the only one left of the Waegmundings. Fate swept us away, sent
my whole brave high-born clan to their final doom. Now I must follow them." That was
the warrior's last word. He had no more to confide. The furious heat of the pyre would
assail him. His soul fled from his breast to its destined place among the steadfast ones.
(Beowulf himself, 2813-2820)

 In the final battle, Beowulf is wounded by the Dragon’s poisonous bite and is going to
die later on. However, Beowulf kills the Dragon and now has to deal with the wound.
Trying to the best he can, Wiglaf cannot prevent the perish of Beowulf. Before he dies,
Beowulf tells Wiglaf to become King and to honor his legacy with the kingdom.

D. The death of Hamlet, Macbeth, and Beowulf are caused by the final battle they had with a
rival and results with someone gaining the power to rule their respective kingdom.

IV. Motivations

 Shakespeare’s writing has a lot do to with the art of revenge which is with many of the main
characters such as the Ghost in “Hamlet,” Grendel’s mother in “Beowulf,” and Macduff in
“Macbeth” just to name a few.

1. In Hamlet

A. Ghost and Hamlet

 “GHOST: Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.

HAMLET: Murder?

GHOST: Murder most foul, as in the best it is, But this most foul, strange, and unnatural.

HAMLET: Haste me to know 't, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of
love, may sweep to my revenge.” (Ghost and Hamlet, Act I Scene 5)

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  While talking to the ghost of his father, Hamlet finds out that his uncle killed his father.
Now as the ghost request, Hamlet must get revenge for his father’s death by killing his
uncle.

A. Laertes

 “How came he dead? I'll not be juggled with: To hell, allegiance! vows, to the blackest
devil! Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation. To this point I
stand, that both the worlds I give to negligence, let come what comes; only I'll be
revenged Most thoroughly for my father.” (Act 4 Scene 5).

 With his return, Laertes receives the news from Claudius and hears that Hamlet is the
guy who killed his father. With that information Laertes focus turns to revenge and
leading into his final fight with the main character himself.

2. In Beowulf

A. Grendel’s Mother

 “She has taken up the feud because of last night, when you killed Grendel, wrestled and
racked him in ruinous combat since for too long he had terrorized us with his
depredations He died in battle, paid with his life; and now this powerful other one
arrives, this force for evil driven to avenge her kinsman's death. Or so it seems to thanes
in their grief, in the anguish every thane endures at the loss of a ring-giver, now that the
hand that bestowed so richly has been stilled in death." (made for Grendel’s mother,
Lines 1333-1344)

 After the death of her son, Grendel’s mother decides to get revenge on someone in the
kingdom that killed her son.

B. Beowulf

 “The warrior determined to take revenge for every gross act Grendel had committed—
And not only for that one occasion When he’d come to slaughter the sleeping troops,
Fifteen of Hrothgar’s house-guards Surprised on their benches and ruthlessly devoured,
and as many again carried away, A brutal plunder.” (Lines 1576-1584).

 Beowulf wants to get his vengeance on anything that has to do with Grendel. Since,
Grendel has killed some of his allies and even Hrothgar’s house guards.

3. In Macbeth

A. Macduff

 “Tyrant, show thy face! If thou beest slain, and with no stroke of mine, my wife and
children’s ghosts will haunt me still. I cannot strike at wretched kerns, whose arms Are
hired to bear their staves. Either thou, Macbeth, or else my sword with an unbattered
edge I sheathe again undeeded. There thou shouldst be; By this great clatter, one of the

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 greatest note Seems bruited. Let me find him, Fortune, and more I beg not.” (Act 5 Scene
7)

 Macduff is determined to execute Macbeth and get retribution on the ruthless killing of
his family, as this short discourse from Act 5, scene 7 clarifies. Macduff approaches
Fortune to assist him with discovering Macbeth and execute him, reverberating the job
of destiny and the otherworldly in the play, as spoke to somewhere else by the Witches.

B. Malcolm

 “Let's make us med'cines of our great revenge to cure this deadly grief." (Act 4 Scene 3).

 With the power-hungry Macbeth on a killing rampage, Malcom father was taken by him.
With this Malcolm talks to Macduff to prepare their plans to get back at Macbeth.
4. With all of these target characters ready for a fight to avenge their love ones, Shakespeare’s
characters are really showing a pattern when it comes to their motivations.

V. Conclusion

A. All these characters and pieces of texts are major roles in their stories when it comes to
their impact, death, and motivation.

B. Motivation is one’s way of meeting their goal. Impact is the character’s or item’s
effectiveness for their story, and death is when a person or thing is euthanized and how it
effects the story after their perish. In Shakespearean writing, these factors are mainly
shown through the title characters.

C. Your motives can undoubtedly impact your lifestyle, even your death.

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