William Shakespeare’s plays explored the ideology behind human nature, good and evil, and the driving force behind the actions of the protagonist. Shakespeare’s novel plays Richard III, and Hamlet, reveals that royal birth breeds corruption. The protagonist of Richard III was Richard III, and the protagonist of Hamlet, was Hamlet. These plays, Hamlet and Richard III told the story of their respective protagonists.
Hamlet was a tragic hero who had a very complex characterization with justifiable intentions but questionable methods of achieving his goals. Throughout the story, Hamlet constantly came up with new ways to justify his irrational behavior by playing off as mentally unstable. While his goals were clear, to avenge the death of his father, his way of approaching it was quite odd and hinted at a truly mentally unstable character. Much of the drama, murders, and mischief in this play was driven by corruption in the royal family. Jealousy and envy played a large role in the murder of King Hamlet. Claudius, King Hamlets suspected killer throughout the play very well might have been driven my desire for power. If King Hamlet was dead, Claudius knew he would be next in line to claim the throne.
Hamlets royal status encouraged him to act mentally unstable because he knew that if he were to, in sound mind, attempt to avenge his father by killing Claudius that he would put shame to his family name. Acting mentally unstable gave hamlet the justification he needed to avenge the death of his father, without putting his family name in jeopardy.
Ophelia
“My lord, as I was sewing in my closet,
No hat upon his head, his stockings fouled,
Ungartered, and down-gyved to his ankle,
Pale as his shirt, his knees knocking each other,
And with a look so piteous in purport
As if he had been loosed out of hell
To speak of horrors, he comes before me.”
(Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 1, 75-81)
In this passage, Ophelia is describing to Polonius what she witnessed when Hamlet came to her acting mentally unstable for the first time. She says that he arrived with his pants down and looking very pale and knees weak. This was hamlets first attempt to make others believe that he was unstable. It is very likely that Hamlet was just acting, but this is the point in the play where we begin to see Hamlet turn into an irrational, less calculated character. This is relevant because it speaks to the lengths that these Shakespearean protagonists went to in order to protect their royal reputation while committing mischievous acts. Unfortunately, even with the amount of thought hamlet put into his act of vengeance, the end result was catastrophic for the entire cast. By the end of the play any attempt to retain the high status of the Hamlet name was disregarded. There seems to be a common trend of retaliation among Shakespearean tragedies, where no character is above another. Everyone believes in an eye for an eye. The Shakespearean royal character is unable to move on after tragedy. The Shakespearean royal character must retaliate because they have been raised to believe they are above the law. Greenblatt writes in his introduction to Shakespearean tragedies that “Here as elsewhere in Shakespeare’s tragic heroes exist in a world of immense heights and immense depths, a world in which they are willing to hazard everything: “and when I love thee not, / Chaos is come again (3.3.90-91)” (967).
Richard III, like Hamlet, is part of a royal family. Richard and Hamlet also shared a unique traumatic event at the beginning of each play that set the undertone for their motivations. Unlike Hamlet, Richard III was tormented as a child and was driven by desperation for power. Richard III sought power because he was unappreciated and isolated. Richard III was a manipulator, often convincing people around him to become political allies and ultimately support his endeavors. The royal status of Richard III gave him the necessary rapport with others that allowed him to effectively convince others. This is yet another example of a royal birth breeding corruption within Shakespearean protagonists.
Richard III eventually experienced the feeling of regret once he realized how truly isolated he had become by pushing away everyone close to him.
“O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me.
The lights burn blue. It is now dead midnight.
Cold Fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh.
What do I fear? Myself? There’s none else by.
Richard Loves Richard; that is I and I.
Is there a murderer here? No. Yes, I am.
Then fly. What, from myself upon myself?
Alack, I love myself. Wherefore? For any good
That I myself have done unto myself? (Richard III Act 5, Scene 3, Lines 177-186)
In this scene Richard III has come to terms with who he really is through self-realization. The psychological drivers that have caused him to act the way he did are coming back to haunt him as he realizes how alone he is. This feeling of regret is a form of tragedy in itself. Unfortunately, it is too late for Richard III to reverse any of the harm he’s done.
The Shakespearean tragedy relates closely to those who are born into royalty. Stephen Greenblatt notes in his introduction to the Shakespearean tragedy that “The deaths of the protagonists in these plays all bear a significant relation to everything that has come before, that is, to their choices, their suffering, their whole way of experiencing the world.” (964) The royal history of the protagonists Hamlet and Richard III was the backbone supporting the drama, mischief, and murder that initially impacted Hamlet and Richard III. Hamlet and Richard III retaliated with the same drama, mischief, and murder that had once impacted them.