The
legitimacy of characters in Shakespeare is fixed by birth but is
subject to change because of frustration with one's own label of
legitimacy and a desire to take advantage of others with more or less
secure legitimacy, as was the case in the Tudor period.
Me being a very verbose writer and making long, extensive quotes, I am almost up to six pages. I'm starting to wonder if I could save myself the trouble of writing [extensively?] about my other two topics, ambition and family relations and focus solely on the legitimacy issue. I could get away with it, at the rate I'm going.
I feel like if I did that I would be making less of an argument. I want to argue that the events of the Tudor dynasty not only influenced Shakespeare's politics but his literary themes in general. You could argue that politics and thematics are one and the same in Shakespeare, but I don't think so. I think that I could make a case for Shakespeare using "Tudor" themes without him making please-patron-only political statements. I want to say, "This is propaganda, but it's still art because..." The original audience would have understood that the Tudors did the exact same horrible things to each other? These are the forces shaping Shakespeare's plays because they are shaping his world? I think I'm on to something. I just need to know how to argue it.
Ooh, I hate having to switch topics mid-paper... it's no fun...
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think your thesis is rather long and wordy, and, frankly, I don't find it compelling. Perhaps it's because I don't have the rest of your introduction, but my reaction was kind of a "so what?"
However, I think you have a great thesis buried in your post already: "I want to argue that the events of the Tudor dynasty not only influenced Shakespeare's politics but his literary themes in general." Maybe clean it up a bit, take out the "I Want," and you're good.
As far as how you'd argue that... I think if you started with a brief historical overview, then showed scenes from your play(s) that mock/lampoon/reflect those events, that would work really well--especially if you could show the progression/development over several plays.
If you're focusing on Shakespeare and contemporary politics, you may want to look at Timon of Athens. IIRC, it's a lesser-known play, and was never actually performed in his lifetime, but it's the most explicitly political that I know of. Specifically, the play was written during the reign of James II, who was spending money like there was no tomorrow; in the play, Timon spends himself bankrupt, and, when he tries to get help from his friends, they turn him away. Timon, now bitter, goes off into the wilderness and eventually commits suicide.
Perhaps you could tie that to the financial mismanagement of King Lear? That might be one way to integrate that into a larger theme.
Either way, I hope that was helpful, and good luck with your thesis!
I like the idea of arguing that although something might seem like propaganda (and possibly be) it is also art. I think if you want to write about that, it would be a good idea, as it seems like that's where you're headed. Then you could use the idea of legitimacy in your thesis as a sub-heading under your new thesis instead.
ReplyDeleteSwitching topics is intimidating, but don't shy away from it completely. I think you do have something going and the potential to write a very compelling paper by tweaking things a bit to better suit your interests.
ReplyDelete