Author : Faisal mahamud
Keyword : Literature, play, humanities
Subject : Arts and humanities
Article Type : Review article
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Abstract : The present study is a qualitative one that exploits the textual analysis method to make a comparison between Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure and his The Tempest from the perspective of the Aristotelian concept of a play expressed in Poetics. According to Aristotle, a play must have six constituent elements: Plot, Character, Thought, Diction, Music and Spectacle. The presence of the first and the second element in the aforesaid plays are quite extensively sought in this study; the third and the fourth are slightly touched because of the limited scope of this Term Paper, and the fifth and the sixth are excluded simply because this study deals with the written texts of the aforesaid comedies, not with their dramatic presentations on stage. The study finds that neither of the plays maintains the “purity of genre.†Both plays mix tragic elements with comic elements. There is a similarity between them in respect of using sub-plots. Neither of them follows a single line of action. The main plot of Measure for Measure depicts Angelo’s enforcement of the law. This play’s subplot mimics the main plot; it shows Elbow’s enforcement of the laws on Pompey and Froth. In The Tempest, the main plot mainly shows the regain of Prospero’s dukedom. The subplots deal with Antonio and Sebastian’s desire to kill Alonso; the desire of Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban to kill Prospero and the development of the Ferdinand-Miranda relationship. The major characters found in Measure for Measure are the Duke, Angelo, Claudio, Lucio, Isabella, Juliet and Mariana. On the other hand, the major characters in The Tempest are Prospero, Miranda, Ariel, Caliban, Ferdinand, Antonio and Alonso. All the characters are not only individualised by Shakespeare but also presented with both local and universal traits. Shakespeare has given equal treatment to the minor characters in both plays also. Measure for Measure expresses Shakespeare’s thoughts on justice, mercy, love, sex and marriage. On the o
Article by : Faisal
Article add date : 2023-01-07
How to cite : Faisal mahamud. (2023-January-07). A comparative analysis between measure for measure and the tempest. retrieved from https://www.openacessjournal.com/abstract/1158