In the plays of William Shakespeare, whether a comedy or a tragedy, one character that is often seen is a villain. This villain may come in many forms, but one of the most popular forms is that of the bastard. The character of the bastard is always evil, but Shakespeare also gives us some clue as to why they have grown to be so evil. The character of Don John the bastard in Much Ado About Nothing, and the character of Edmund in King Lear have many of the same qualities. They are both bastards with legitimate brother, and their brothers are in line to inherit their fathers title as well as real assets. They are both scheming villains and their villainy leads them into trouble. They both say they are bastards and act evil because they are expected to. Shakespeare uses them in different ways to create different feelings for them from his audience. It is important to recognize the similarities of these characters in these different genres of plays to show how different each characters story evolves depending on the seriousness of the play. Don Johns schemes and crimes, as well as his punishments, are much lighter than those of Edmunds, because Don John is the villain in a comedy, and does not mean to cause great harm.
In the play Much Ado About Nothing, Don John is the bastard brother on Don Pedro, the Prince of Aragon. He, like many other bastards in the theater world during the Elizabethan Era, was assumed evil from the moment he enters the scene. The only words spoken to him by Leonato bring to mind a past indiscretion that caused a rift between Don John and the prince, being reconciled to the Prince your brother. I owe you all duty (1.1.140-150). Leonato lets him know that he is only welcome because the prince is allowing him to be part of his company when he says these words. Bastards are often treated badly in Shakespeares plays, but Don John is treated well when compared to the treatment received by Edmund.
I - Introduction A Shakespearean play that closely relates to society. ... Has a thirst for land and power but also a desire for the recognition denied to him by his status as a bastard. "Now, gods, stand up for bastards- (I ii, line 22) Wants to inherit father's land. ...
It reflects and is a product of the main anxieties of the period; a divided and unstable kingdom and the growth of individualism over feudalism, and the illegitimacy of the bastard child and the state of the family. ... It is not possible to appreciate Lear fully without historical knowledge of the original King Lear and its meaning to a Shakespearean audience. ... However if assessed in terms of strict Greek or Shakespearean models then Lear falls down somewhat as a tragedy, as it does not belong to a world in which transcendent human values exist. ...
His bastard brother manipulates their father to believe in Edgar's unreal intents of patricide and usurpation, so the latter, in order to escape's the father's deadly wrath, is left with no choice but to conceal his identity: No port is free, no place/ That guard and most unusual vigilance/ Doest not attend my taking. ... A "progress narrative" underlies the interpretation of other characters' motives for disguising themselves in the Shakespearean corpus. ... The shakespearean play is more than the sum of sequential events or the literal plot. ... Thus, it is pos...
What prompts Iago to commit such a bastardly act one may ask? ... The noted Shakespearean critic, Phyllis Rackin, concludes quite appropriately, Othello saw a simplified universe defined by grand ideals, with himself as the noble protagonist of heroic adventures. ...
Many critics regard "King Lear" as the greatest, and most tragic, of William Shakespeare's plays; indeed, some claim that it is the most tragic play ever written. And yet, it is difficult to see why we should regard "King Lear" as a tragedy for the King is basically a pathetic old man, vain and foolish, rash in his judgment and incapable of controlling his emotions. This characterization seems to preclude viewing Lear on the Aristotelian model of a tragic hero, as someone raised above the ordinary level of humanity, except in the most conventional sense of his social status. Moreover, in ...
