Familial relationships in Shakespeare's works parallel directly with his own life and the views of the time. I believe that Elizabethan familial relationships are the same as today, and that we can use these relationships portrayed in Shakespeare's literature as tools to learn from the pitfalls and successes.
One section of my focus, familial Shakespeare, is about tragedy in the family. I believe this is an important connection to make between the contemporary family and Elizabethan family because tragedy is universal and, quite frankly, has occurred and will occur every day.
When I think of tragedy in the modern world involving families, I think of the latest incident in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when a man opened gunfire in an elementary school. He killed 12 children, and injured another 12.
Disclaimer: This video contains disturbing images.
Tragedy, like this, is sickening and depressing. It brings with it fear, anger, sadness, feelings of hopelessness and lack of control. Anything can happen, anywhere, and to anyone. You can't help but be weighed down by the disastrous reality of it. We feel and see the same thing happening in regards to the earthquake/tsunami in Japan.
So many helpless people were killed, homes were destroyed, and resources diminished. It's easy to become overwhelmed by darkness, yet there is always a light that emerges. Somehow familial bonds are strengthened through death and tragedy.
In Shakespeare's plays families are central to most of the tragedies. This means that families are "subject to horrific strains including betrayal, deception, egotism, jealousy, hatred, violence, and the accidents and assaults of fortune, nature and human family. Although the families succumb, in many cases, to these strains, the plays nevertheless demonstrate the value of families--otherwise we would not be moved by the tragic outcomes--as well as the powerful emotions, both positive and negative, associated with family life. The tragedies also deal with the ethical and philosophical issues, including the nature of familial love, the relation of family and personal identity, and the role of family in social and political life and in the cosmos." (Young 90)
One section of my focus, familial Shakespeare, is about tragedy in the family. I believe this is an important connection to make between the contemporary family and Elizabethan family because tragedy is universal and, quite frankly, has occurred and will occur every day.
When I think of tragedy in the modern world involving families, I think of the latest incident in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when a man opened gunfire in an elementary school. He killed 12 children, and injured another 12.
Disclaimer: This video contains disturbing images.
Tragedy, like this, is sickening and depressing. It brings with it fear, anger, sadness, feelings of hopelessness and lack of control. Anything can happen, anywhere, and to anyone. You can't help but be weighed down by the disastrous reality of it. We feel and see the same thing happening in regards to the earthquake/tsunami in Japan.
So many helpless people were killed, homes were destroyed, and resources diminished. It's easy to become overwhelmed by darkness, yet there is always a light that emerges. Somehow familial bonds are strengthened through death and tragedy.
In Shakespeare's plays families are central to most of the tragedies. This means that families are "subject to horrific strains including betrayal, deception, egotism, jealousy, hatred, violence, and the accidents and assaults of fortune, nature and human family. Although the families succumb, in many cases, to these strains, the plays nevertheless demonstrate the value of families--otherwise we would not be moved by the tragic outcomes--as well as the powerful emotions, both positive and negative, associated with family life. The tragedies also deal with the ethical and philosophical issues, including the nature of familial love, the relation of family and personal identity, and the role of family in social and political life and in the cosmos." (Young 90)
Shakespeare's son, Hamnet, died at the age of 11 from a terrible sickness. Michael Wood believes, in In Search of Shakespeare: The Duty of a Poet, that one way Shakespeare reacted to Hamnet's death demonstrates the strengthening and/or mending of familial bonds in the midst of tragedy. Immediately after his son's death, Shakespeare applied for a coat of arms for his father, John, as a way to recompense his reputation. He was granted the coat of arms, gaining the title of a gentleman and restoring his father's name. After losing his son, it seems as though Shakespeare wanted to mend the relationship with his father as a way to cope with his son's death.
Thus, tragedy not only directly affects families but illustrates the value of families at the same time. Toru Kikawada realized the importance of families through loss. Others are reunited through tragedy, both physically and emotionally. Either way, those of us affected and those of us on-lookers, gain a renewed perspective of family when tragedy strikes.
Thus, tragedy not only directly affects families but illustrates the value of families at the same time. Toru Kikawada realized the importance of families through loss. Others are reunited through tragedy, both physically and emotionally. Either way, those of us affected and those of us on-lookers, gain a renewed perspective of family when tragedy strikes.
