Shakespeare includes chaos causing agents and antagonists in his plays as a way of representing problems with both the protagonist as well as the current societal foundations in which he was living. By setting up each play with the tragic ruin or failure of our main character he depicts the correlation between what is fiction and what is reality. The play in itself is an allusion to actual societal issue during this time in England. The midland revolt which was a particular series of peasant riots around the time the play was written (classics and class)1 the synopsis being that a serious of revolts occurred due to poor political dealings between the people and the government which led to not only poverty but a massive wave of hunger. The direct parallel between the two are strikingly similar where Coriolanus and the tribunes depict what is wrong with the central governmental system I believe that the function of not only the tribunes but that of the setting as well as the political positions of the characters is what highlights Shakespeare’s own personal views of the political sphere at the time.
For example, in Coriolanus, we first begin to see chaos meddle its way into the play in act 2.3 lines 193-231.2 “They have chosen a consul that will from them take Their liberties, make them of no more voice Than dogs, that are as often beat for barking As therefore kept to do so.” when Sicinius and Brutus begin to insight the Plebeians against Coriolanus’s consulship this reflects even what in today’s society is a way in which opposing political parties use word play such as slander, and or use certain views or statements of a political candidate against them in an attempt to prevent them from taking office. While this might not have factored heavily in the main political sphere of Elizabethan reign, it might however address a more local political issue within the city of Stratford and London. Again, in act3.2 lines 1-92 3, Coriolanus must engage with the senators as a result of his pride getting the better of him, Shakespeare uses Coriolanus’s flaw to drive home the theme of what is wrong with his government by using the preceding scenes to set up this intervention. The discourse between Menenius and Coriolanus the senators and his mother, “Come, come, you have been too rough, something too rough; You must return and mend it. – Follow thine enemy in a fiery gulf than flatter him in a bower.” is somewhat reflective of the interactions between parliament and even modern congress. The connection being, Coriolanus and the tribunes (government) represents what prevents unity between political parties both in the play and in reality.
In ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Shakespeare uses Friar Laurence, and the rivalry between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s to represent the tensions between the Protestant and Catholicism at the time. It is because of this that I would argue that each time the Friar interferes with and involves himself in the torrid affair that it is a representation of the shift back to one of the two religions from the other during this time frame. In the play Friar Laurence insights chaos as the middle man for the entirety of the play helping to coordinate the love affair between Romeo and Juliet; he is also arguably the reason for the majority of the deaths in the play (symbolic of Queen ‘Bloody’ Mary).
In lines 1-30 of act 2.3 4 we see the friar enter giving his speech on the dual nature of plants just like humans not on does this foreshadow the events to come but it also reveals the friars own dual nature, as I said before the friar is only trying to help the lovers, however he is also flawed in his own understanding that by attempting to help he is only leading them both to their death
The friar does not intentionally do this to cause problems so much as help the young lovers much like Queen Mary’s sole purpose was to revert the country back to the practice of Catholicism, nonetheless this creates discord for the rest of the play. The scene in which Romeo in lines 60-90 of act 3.1 5 declares his love for Tybalt prior to the death of Mercutio, “I do protest I never injured thee, but love thee better than thou canst devise, Till thou shalt know the reason of my love, And so, good Capulet– which name I tender As dearly as mine own– be satisfied.” to me is a way in which Shakespeare criticizes Queen Mary because there is no real quarrel, rather there shouldn’t be in regards to what religion is being practiced. Shakespeare is criticizing that people shouldn’t be forced to subject to one religion or the other but rather be free to choose. This is why Mercutio represents the martyrs of the protestant church, whom were the victims of the Queens reformation. In lines 105-108 of act3.1 6 Mercutio states, “Help me into some house, Benvolio, Or I shall faint. A plague a’ both your houses! They have made worms’ meat of me. I have it, And soundly too. Your houses!” in this line Shakespeare uses Mercutio to symbolize the pointlessness of the killing of protestants as result of the reformation, the line “a plague a’ both your houses” might also represent Shakespeare saying that the idea of religion is based on its own hypocrisy since the goal of the catholic church is to love one another, it is completely undermined by the actions of the Queen. This is a similar point to his view of love in plays such as ‘The Merchant of Venice’, in which he alludes that love is a fickle facet of life and is also highly hypocritical.
In lines 51-123 of act 4.1 7 the friar convinces Juliet of a plan in order for her to marry Romeo instead of Paris. “Tell me not, friar, that thou hearest of this, Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it. If in thy wisdom thou canst give no help, Do thou but call my resolution wise And with this knife I’ll help it presently.” This supports the idea of Shakespeare addressing the political sphere and church because it represents Mary’s arranged marriage to king Phillip II of Spain as a means of establishing the catholic church as the permanent religion. Which would correlate to a marriage between Romeo and Juliet where Juliet represents Mary and Romeo represents Phillip, thus the reason the quarrel between the Capulets and Montagues would end. It would also represent the reason that Queen Mary would not have to worry about a change from Catholicism back to protestant or in the case of Romeo and Juliet the reason why Juliet would no longer have to kill herself. This whole dialogue goes about setting up the tragic end for both of the characters and ultimately not only does he interfere with both family’s interests, but he also leads to the deaths of both lovers. Again, this is perhaps in reference to Queen Mary who also faced a tragic demise, having born no heirs she died most likely due to the same reason that she could not have children. It is due to this that the plot of the play becomes so hectic as Juliet attempts to evade her current situation (for Mary the undoing of her reformation) marrying Paris by taking the potion, she only puts herself further into a predicament by triggering a series of events after accepting the potion from the father. Finally, we are presented with the scene of death as the two lovers end their lives. In lines 168-170 of act5.3 8 Juliet says, “Yea, noise? Then I’ll be brief. O happy dagger, This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die.” Shakespeare uses this line to represent the death of the Queen, in the following scenes it is the chaotic death of the lovers that leads to the peace between the Montagues and the Capulets where it correlates with the death of Queen Mary leading to the ascension of Queen Elizabeth to the throne which resulted in an era of peace that was brought between the two factions as result.
The correlations between both of these two plays and the real-life instances in which Shakespeare was influenced support the idea that Shakespeare did in fact use his characters as a facetious way of addressing the societal issues that he and his community faced during this time frame. The use of the characters was an ingenious method to give constructive criticism regarding the world around him according to his own views and beliefs.
2019-4-9-1554809502