My previous blog highlighted some of William Shakespeare’s (Billy Shakes) contributions addressing one of several recurring topics in entertainment works throughout history: love.
This week, it’s all about revenge, baby! Revenge … and betrayal.
Ahh revenge. It can be sweet—despite any naysaying regarding it. When warranted (and sometimes it is) and carried out effectively, it can be downright … beautiful. Gaining revenge born out of some betrayal, either abstract or concrete, offers writers meaty elements for creativity for those scribes specializing in suspense and drama works.
So, where does William Shakespeare come in? Billy Shakes produced some juicy revenge tales and a few intense works with betrayal in the mix. Four of his tales of revenge and betrayal are well-known.
Classic Billy Shakes ‘Revenge’ tales
Hamlet. Okay, so the whole point of this story centers around revenge, of Prince Hamlet getting revenge for his father’s murder, and his vengeful target is his uncle Claudius—who has become king (and is bedding Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude).
Now, although Hamlet sets off on his vengeful plot based on his ‘discussion’ with his dad’s ghost (who lets him in on the dastardly goings-on surrounding his murder), we mustn’t get bogged down in the farfetched details. It’s a good thing Hamlet didn’t readily act simply upon his ghost-father’s word, but this leads to events unfolding with his ‘search’ for the truth …
In Hamlet, we have faked insanity (Hamlet?) and levels of true insanity (Hamlet, Ophelia), misplaced hatred and unintended killings (Polonius). There’re poisoned swords and cups, and a vengeance plot that ends up killing most of the lead characters: Hamlet, Ophelia, Polonius, Gertrude, Laertes, and Uncle Claudius get it, and Billy Shakes even kills the messengers, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern.
All this mayhem is based on a grand stretch of consistent inconsistencies: Hamlet started off pretending to be insane to work his plan on Uncle Claudius, but by story’s end, we’re left unsure about that ‘pretense’—Hamlet just very well may be nuts. To be, or not to be … crazy—that’s the real question here.
And the ‘payback’ is spread around: for his father’s murder, Hamlet plotted revenge against Claudius, yet, Laertes gets revenge against Hamlet for killing his. Billy Shakes worked a doozy with this one—perhaps it’s why Hamlet is possibly the most-studied.
Titus Andronicus. Billy Shakes goes cannibalistic on us with this one. Title character, Titus Andronicus, witnesses the unjust deaths of his sons and learns of the rape of his daughter—all at the hands of the empress Tamora’s, sons. Titus then gets his payback by feeding Tamora her children in a pie. Okay, then.
One of the most violent of tales, William Shakespeare has gone all-out with the revenge in Titus Andronicus. What with all the multiple filicide, and the bodily mutilations, and the flesh cooking/baking, and more ‘faked’ insanity in the mix, the revenge factor is in overdrive as blood and gore run rampant. Accordingly, the ‘enjoyment’ of this play likely rests in its appeal to our baser natures.
Usually, revenge is carried out for some unjust wrong suffered, but there’s a lot of eye-for-an-eye going on in this work, all started over Tamora’s desire for revenge against Titus for killing her son; Titus, who sacrificed Tamora’s son for kill—
Anyway, it gets compounded and complicated (a bit too compounded and complicated, really). And these characters aren’t ‘innocent’ (well, maybe Lavinia, poor woman), so the ‘justice’ factor isn’t solid, the ‘sweet’ element minimal. Maybe it’s fitting Billy Shakes axes these characters, too, leaving only Lucius standing.
Classic Billy Shakes tales of ‘Betrayal’
Julius Caesar. Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, Mark Antony. You know the names, you know this play: Caesar’s boys, Cassius and Brutus, conspire to betray Caesar and kill him in order to protect Roman interests, but when the deed is done, Caesar’s other buddy, Mark Antony, is on a betrayal-revenge mission of his own.
Okay, so, Julius Caesar isn’t as much about Caesar (the man) as it is about the plot against him and the plot avenging him. Yeah, Caesar has achieved prominence and ‘respect’ for his battle and leadership accomplishments, but he also has weaknesses leading to his ‘downfall’: overconfidence (that soothsayer told him so, and wives expressing doubts should be heeded) and indecision (going to the Senate versus keeping his promise to his wife not to). Ahh, the Ides of March. Behind every good man … there’s a jealous cohort ready to plot his undoing.
Anyway, Caesar’s done before the middle of act three, but there’s more ‘fun’ in the aftermath of that gang-stabbing: Caesar’s dead and the Romans don’t know what to do with themselves. Meanwhile, Marc Antony is going along with the traitorous program, pretending he, too, was for getting rid of Caesar—but he’s just biding his time. When Brutus attempts to sway the crowds against Caesar, Marc Antony makes his move, bringing Caesar’s son, Octavius, along for the payback ride—running Brutus and his cronies out of dodge and into a suicide-pact of mass proportions.
For some reason, William Shakespeare redeems Brutus through Marc Antony’s ‘forgiveness’ and understanding of the betrayal, but I’m still working on the reasoning behind this move; I’m sure the Shakespeare experts can expound on it. To me, Marc Antony’s ‘payback’ betrayal kind of falls flat with that forgiveness element at the end.
There are also quite a few speeches in this play, speeches illustrating Billy Shakes’ wordsmith craftmanship I so enjoy. Along with the betrayal happenings, there’s a degree of political intrigue and commentary going on as well, making for engaging entertainment on many levels.
Othello. Successful general and fanciful storyteller, Othello, wins the heart of Desdemona (and her father by proxy), but Iago hates Othello and will have none of that. The result? You guessed it: like Romeo and Juliet, Othello and Desdemona take that final bow, with Othello smothering Desdemona before killing himself (after learning about Iago’s betraying a-double-snakes). Billy Shakes has no problem killing his characters. None.
Apparently, we come in after something has run amiss between Iago and Othello. Iago hates Othello (solid reason not clear: Cassio’s promotion? Othello slept with Emilia? Both? Idk.), and so, he’s working diligently behind the scenes to get Othello’s main man, Cassio, fired from his staff, and then sets everything up with many lies and misdirection so Othello believes Desdemona is cuckolding him with Cassio …
Instead of characters pretending to be insane or some other form of pretense, Billy Shakes has Iago (and his wife, Emilia), just outright lying all over the place. Othello may be a good storyteller, but Iago’s devious tales/stories has him beat—and soon beat down (i.e. dead).
There’s a bit of play with the span of time of action in this work (Over some days? Months? Again, Idk.), and Othello’s adventure tales can be distracting, but Iago’s scheming machinations keep things interesting.
Shakespeare has other works with revenge and betrayal (of course), but you get the picture.
In S.F. Powell Books:
The third book in my series, Broken Benevolence, doesn’t have any patricide or ghosts snitching, or human-flesh pies, or political backstabbing, or the like, but there is trauma and treachery and deceit and … revenge carried out for all three—with Dr. Naomi Alexander right in the thick of things.
The Broken Benevolence epithet, too, is a quote from William Shakespeare. Find out what it is this fall…
In the meantime, be in the book-series know (or refresh your memory in preparation for Book Three) with Books One and Two: Like Sweet Buttermilk and Obscure Boundaries.
In the next blog, it’s a (dysfunctional) family affair with William Shakespeare.
Until then,
