Satire in Shakespeares Works - Essay Example

Satire is the use of certain words and expressions to deride certain characters or situations. It is the use of ridiculous expressions to expose the absurdity and shallowness of certain people in particular set up. However, satire is not just plain simple disdain or ridicule. Humor is a major part of satire; in fact it is humor that adds to the mocking power of the satirical expressions. Thrall gives one of best definitions of satire "A literary manner which blends a critical attitude with humor and wit to the end that human institutions or humanity may be improved. The true satirist is conscious of the frailty of institutions of man's devising and attempts through laughter not so much to tear them down as to inspire a remodeling" (Thrall, et al 436). There are many examples of satire in literature and media today. In literature, William Shakespeare has maintained a special place in satirical prose. He has satirized almost every folly and superficiality that he came to know of through his observations and interactions with people, yet his plays contain so many other features, that one couldn't label Shakespeare as a satirist. "There is satire, as there is everything else, in Shakespeare. The pseudo-statesman is satirized in Polonius, the courtier in Osric. Both Touchstone and Feste have caustic tongues. Malvolio shows that Shakespeare had no more liking for the Puritans than his fellow-players. Yet for all this, and for all that might be added, it would be absurd to rank Shakespeare among the satirists; and the same is true of the dramatists in general. Except when they fall into feud with one another, or with some class peculiarly obnoxious to them, they rarely make satire the staple of their plays". (Walker 114) "As you like it" is one of Shakespeare best comedies with a very high satirical tone. This play exposes the absurdity of human world, far more than any of Shakespeare's plays. In fact, it was first of its kind where the entire play 's main purpose was to ridicule certain people and situations. Pastoral romance is the focal point of his satire. On 1st July 1599, the government passed an order to suppress satirical work. This led to flaring struggles between the authorities and writers. Shakespeare closely observed this contest and created a satirical comedy on its bases. However, the dismayed and chaotic social conditions of England provided the main inducement for satirical work. In "As you like it", Jacques is the main character that fulfills the duty of a satirist. He belongs to the group of people who are discontent about life in general and are very vocal about their discontentment and dissatisfaction with life. He finds all happy people as foolish and so he finds all people in Arden and their happy temperaments as ridiculous. It includes some very hilarious pieces of prose, which are basically attempts at satirizing romance of country folk. Some of them are scenes such as those of heroine being kidnapped by robbers and saved in a heroic way by the hero and his brother. Some central characters of satire are Orlando who is a perfect lover, Rosalind and Celina who are perfect friends and Adam who is a perfect loyalist of conservative ideas. (Campbell, 44) Shakespeare in his play has tried to mock the romantic dreams of love-stricken couples, which take refuge in the countryside. However, when they reach there, they find that it is not so. In fact, it is far from the image, the people of city have of country. This is what Rosalind and Orlando had on their mind when they ran away from the injustices and atrocities of city, which were keeping them apart. Much to their surprise, they found out that this Forest of Arden was a land of terror. It wasn't where people who could live peacefully with each other in lap of nature. The country presented its own set of problems and challenges, in some cases more challenging than the city. Some characters were pure mockery of country folk, such as Silvius, Phebe, William and Audrey who are far from picture perfect image of their kind. The foolish, lovesick ideas of country people have been satirized in the following conversation between Phebe and Silvius. (Campbell, 47-49) Phebe:) Good shepherd, tell this youth what 'tis to love. (Silvius:) It is to be all made of sighs and tears; And so am I for Phebe. . . . . If it to be all made of faith and service; And so am I for Phebe. . . . . It is to be all made of fantasy, All made of passion, and all made of wishes, All adoration, duty, and observance, All humbleness, all patience, and impatience, All purity, all trial, all observance; And so am I for Phebe. - As You Like It (Phoebe & Silvius at V, ii) The next few lines expose the superficiality of country people of which only the city people are condemned about. "The best thing in him Is his complexion; and faster than his tongue Did make offense, his eye did heal it up." - As You Like It (Phebe at III, v) Phebe seem to forgive Silvius only on the basis of his pretty appearance. The most interesting of all characters is that of Jacques, who plays an important role in satirizing countrymen, exposing the absurdity of people around him. He apparently seems to be full of sorrow and depression, but it is only an appearance. In real he is only permanently disgusted and irritated by people around him, which Jacques admits himself in the following lines. " I have neither the scholar's melancholy, which is emulation; nor the musician's, which is fantastical; nor the courtier's, which is proud; not the soldier's which is ambitious; nor the lawyer's, which is politic; nor the lady's, which is nice; nor the lover's, which is all these: but it is a melancholy of mine own, compounded of many simples, extracted from many objects, and indeed the sundry contemplation of my travels, which, by often rumination, wraps me in a most humorous sadness." - As You Like It (Jacques at IV, i) ("William Shakespeare") He acts like a typical traveler who finds faults with countrymen as they appear ignorant and uncivilized to him. However, he isn't really happy with the city life too. It is traveling in the main England that has turned him sour and bitter about people and life. He is not engaged in any useful work himself, as that was one of main feature of all Shakespeare's satirical characters. "Futility, Shakespeare clearly believed, was the proper end for characters designed to fit into the intellectual and structural conventions of dramatic satire." (Campbell 118) But the most interesting character is that of Touchstone, who is critic's critic, that is he is the one who brings into the absurdity of Jacques's character and life and he does it so perfectly and subtlety that Jacques never discovers that it is he who is being ridiculed by Touchstone. (Campbell 57). Another very important satire was Mac Beth. Though Mac Beth is very often seen as a tragedy, a close analysis reveals the satire in Mac Beth. Mac Beth has always been considered as a tragic figure, yielding to evil and eventually being destroyed by it. However, because Mac Beth succumbed to evil by his own choice, the question arises if it was a really a tragedy This brings out the hidden sarcasm in Mac Beth. Tragedy is one in which evil in lives of characters generates fear and pity. Mostly importantly tragedy should end up gathering pity and sympathy for the one who is stricken by it. However, that is not the case with Mac Beth, because Mac Beth wasn't forced by fate to succumb to evil, rather he chose it himself, therefore the character is not a tragic figure and the play not an tragedy. Mac Beth was initially shown as a humble, honest and morally upright man. However, when he saw there was a chance for him to gain power, he lost all his values and morals. The greed and lust for power corrupted him. It changed him completely as a man, from a comrade who possessed the best of qualities of humility and honesty to a king full of arrogance, lust and evil. In fact, once he acquired means to gaining power, there was no end to his lust. At times, he did feel remorse for his deeds as in following lines he regrets killing the King. ( " Macbeth ,Tragedy or Satire) Me thought I heard a voice cry, "Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep," the innocent sleep, Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care, The death of each day's life, sore labor's bath, Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course, Chief nourisher in life's feast-) (Act Five, Scene 1, lines 9-10). But his greed overcomes all his values. The goodness of high character succumbs to the evil of power. And this leads to his corruption and disaster. Thus, one can say that Shakespeare was tries to mock the society of its shallow values and reveal the true, ugly face of its hidden desires. He shows how many people, except few, are able to resist the lust for power. He explains how society who is well aware of the malice created by power, yet secretly covets for it. And those who get an opportunity, make sure they don't miss it, no matter how difficult the path be or what values they will have to sacrifice in the process. Shakespeare, in his play, also satirizes the Catholics for their Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The entire government along with few Catholics conspired to assassinate the King. Barrels of gunpowder were collected under a cellar in Parliament, which were to explode during the King' address on 5th November 1605. The witches in his play were equivocated with Catholics who conspired against the King, who was thought to be a God's representative. Thus Catholics in the Plot and witches in Macbeth did treason against the Church and State.(Marcius) There was a strong reaction by the public against Catholics who had compromised on their loyalty to the King. In the following lines extracted from Macbeth , revealed Protestants' criticism of the Catholics. Porter says the following lines, which seems to allude to Father Garnet, a conspirator in the real plot. "Faith, here's an equivocator, that could swear in both scales against either scale; who committed treason enough for God's sake, yet could not equivocate to heaven" (2.3.8-11). This was directed towards the behavior pattern of priest during the trial and his end. It is pointing out sarcastically towards priest's crime, in God's name, against the King and how crime led to his execution. (Nostbakken, 65,92,109) Love's Labor's Lost is another satirical comedy. It was written for a special audience consisting of Queen Elizabeth and her ladies, with the first performance given in 1597 in the court of Queen Elizabeth. The play starts with King of Navarre and his three friends Berowne, Dumaine, and Longaville, who earnestly decide to dedicate three years to study with no involvement in any worldly activities and pleasures , especially with women. Berowne seem to dislike this vow and discuss with his friends the benefits of loving a woman. However, his efforts prove futile as King refuses to allow Princess of France and her companions to even enter his palace. Later, on meeting the Princess and her companions, love takes over their vows and each falls for one of the ladies. ("Love's Labor's Lost") It is full of hilarious scenes satirizing the failed attempts of the King and his companions to avoid worldly pleasures and indulgences and to devote themselves completely to study. It is satirizing people who try to avoid or refuse to themselves what is natural and normal. The play makes fun of how people trying to do so, behave when confronted with their own natural desires. It mocks at such people and their attempts at living a hermit's life. It is also ridicules people who try to live their lives according to certain rules and regulations without giving a chance to themselves to yield to natural desires and wants. It satirises King's vows to live a secluded ,chaste life for three years: Not to see ladies, study, fast, not sleep. (Act 1,Scene1) And these men were not allowed relations with women, not even smallest of conversations. However, Berowne plays the part of satirist. He satires such attempts and tries to convince others, especially the King, that such practices are not necessary for learning. This brings out a very common feature found in our society. People believe that in order to succeed at certain thing, one needs to be obsessed about it, giving up one 's entire life and its pleasures. However, Shakespeare explains that this is not important; in fact, it may impede the process of learning, because true learning doesn't only come from books. Real learning has a lot to do with observing and living the real life. Secondly, it is only when one is truly satisfied by one's life, is he capable of any true learning. Biron explains this in these words: Small have continual plodders ever won Save base authority from others' books. (Act1, Scene1) "In Love's Labour's Lost, Berowne (Biron), whose slightly hammy acting made his hypocrisy all the funnier, proclaimed an enthusiasm for "women's eyes" that had the same joy of discovery that Costard finds in the famous "remuneration" speech. There was, as is so trendy in many current productions, no underlying cynicism in this Berowne, and the youthful exuberance of the quartet of lovers made this satire on academe all the more immediate. The troubles encountered in the rustics' pageant of the Nine Worthies also had an air of authenticity that more experienced actors frequently lose." (Birdman 327) Further, it is doesn't consist of an typical romantic encounters. It is not filled with vows and promises to live together forever. It is a love resulting from witty conversations. This was a mockery of activities that took place in the court of Queen. As a queen was a virgin herself, much of activities involved intellectual conversations with her friends, rather than any involvements with men.(Campbell, 24,25) Forever, the men can not resist what is natural and give away their hearts to these women and conclude that true learning comes the the best teacher-life, in which women and love play a vital role. Thus, this play is a satire of a group of scientists at Raleigh who detach themselves from life and its beauty , in the quest to learn more about the very life they have abondoned. These people considered women as evil and any involvement with women would lead to destruction of man most precious asset-mind.This is therefore a message to all such people that true learning comes from life and from living it to the fullest.( Campbell, 30)( Micheal) In conclusion, we can say that Shakespeare was also an expert at satire. He observed life with all its pecularities and absurdities, which served as a source for his satirical prose. However, not all his satire was just and unbaised. We can see that a lot of his satire was impressed by his own emotions and bias,which is true about about satires and satirists. " But satire isn't fair; it is purposefully unfair. It uses exaggeration to get at the least palatable truths. At their very worst, profilers are so possessed by the ecstasy of accusation that they do indeed wink at the evils in their movement." (Alleva 18) However, by giving them a sweet comedical tone, Shakespeare's satire is right on target , just doesnot appear severe or harsh. Campbell, Oscar James, Shakespeare's Satire, London, Oxford Press, 1943 Shepherd, John. C. "William Shakespeare." GIGA Quotes. 01 January 2007. GIGA-USA. 22 Mar 2007 . "Macbeth, Tragedy or Satire" Study World. 22 Mar 2007 . Marcius, Caius. "Macbeth and the Gunpowder Plot." Gun-powder-plot. 15 October 1997. 19 Mar 2007 http://www.gunpowder-plot.org/news/1998_04/macbeth.htm Nostbakken, Faith. Understanding Macbeth: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. . Westport, CT: 1997. "Love's Labour's Lost." Wikipedia. Wikipedia. 23 Mar 2007 . Delahoyde, Micheal. "Love's Labour's Lost." Shakespeare. 2007. Washington State University. 19 Mar 2007 . Birdman Alleva Walker Thrall, William, Addison Hibbard, and C. Hugh Holman, eds. A Handbook to Literature. New York: Odyssey Press, 1960. Read More