Shakespeare's Tragic Skepticism
Millicent Bell
Abstract
Readers of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies have long noted the absence of readily explainable motivations for some of Shakespeare's greatest characters: Why does Hamlet delay his revenge for so long? Why does King Lear choose to renounce his power? Why is Othello so vulnerable to Iago's malice? While many critics have chosen to overlook these omissions or explain them away, this book demonstrates that they are essential elements of Shakespeare's philosophy of doubt. Examining the major tragedies, the book reveals the persistent strain of philosophical skepticism. Like his contemporary, Montai ... More
Readers of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies have long noted the absence of readily explainable motivations for some of Shakespeare's greatest characters: Why does Hamlet delay his revenge for so long? Why does King Lear choose to renounce his power? Why is Othello so vulnerable to Iago's malice? While many critics have chosen to overlook these omissions or explain them away, this book demonstrates that they are essential elements of Shakespeare's philosophy of doubt. Examining the major tragedies, the book reveals the persistent strain of philosophical skepticism. Like his contemporary, Montaigne, Shakespeare repeatedly calls attention to the essential unknowability of our world. In a period of social, political, and religious upheaval, uncertainty hovered over matters great and small—the succession of the crown, the death of loved ones from plague, the failure of a harvest. Tumultuous social conditions raised ultimate questions for Shakespeare, the book argues, and ultimately provoked in him a skepticism that casts shadows of existential doubt over his greatest masterpieces.
Keywords:
Shakespeare,
Hamlet,
King Lear,
Montaigne,
uncertainty,
Othello,
tragedy,
social conditions
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2002 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780300092554 |
| Published to Yale Scholarship Online: October 2013 |
DOI:10.12987/yale/9780300092554.001.0001 |
