On "Black Giants" In Shakespeare's Dramas

The history of researches on Shakespeare has lasted more than 400 years, so, insome people's opinions, it is more and more difficult to make new contributions inthis field. It seems that whatever studies on Shakespeare nowadays are unavoidablyimitating the former ideas. However, when we make a general survey of the historyShakespearain studies, we will find there is still some points missed. When severalgenerations have being carried on researches on personage, scene, story, and so on,they have neglected a kind of typical personality, that's, "black giants", for example,Richard III, Irgo, Edmund. Putting them in the specific historical linguistic context ofRenaissance to reveal the cause of their appearences, we get another perspective intothis specific group of characters of the black giants. They are called "black giants",because, compared with Shakespeare's heroic stature in drama, they are theincarnations of lion and fox and will do everything in order to achieve their goals; onthe other hand, they are beyond ordinary people in strength and ability, cunning inintelligence and fierce in strategy. They are a kind of persons that Machiavelli praisedhighly,in whom the kind of powerman's consciousness come to light all the time.According to the process of history, they show up as a result of historicaldevelopments, and they have promoted the development of history, too. However,they are shaped to praise the eternal truth that virtue will be overwhelmed evil. So,they must say good-bye to the historical stage by destroying themselves finally. Thisis the trend of history, and the necessity of history as well. In a word, through thestudies on "black giants", we will understand Shakespeare's plays more deeply andbestow more significance to the giants of the Renaissance."Black giants"in Shakespearain dramas is the subject of this thesis. I will try toexplore this kind of typical characters'enormous artistic charm. They main contentsof the thesis are: First of all, understanding"black giants"from their social backgrounds. Thetypical character are not isolated from the era that offers terms to them. Shakespearelived in Renaissance period, which regarded "human beings"as the centre of theuniverse and forever changed the confined human nature in the Feudal Middle Ages.It is during the Renaissance period that the capitalist ideas were developed, whereindividuals and their distinctions are encouraged to get abundant developments.Britain in Renaissance was a country where capitalism was developing andestablished hegemony position after defeating Spain in 1588. Shakespeare's"blackgiants"have the ambitions of controlling power. They have shown their instinct andstrength as well as the value as human beings in the specific period. Secondly,"black giants"have the ability to survive. Their way of existence isbeyond ordinary person. They have powerhouse's consciousness. Enormous energyand passion are their motive force of advancing courageously. They supportthemselves and conquest with strong powerhouse's consciousness. They takeadvantages to achieve the purpose in all means, for example, sinister, evil, fierce,cruel and deceitful ways, so long as they can succeed. Machiavellianism supportstheir actions with the political trickery theory. They are the incarnations of lion andfox, surviving in the society that is full of competition and challenge. Concealed intheir existence way is the power of the vitality. The power of consciousness adds tothe wisdom of the means, so they make a phase of history. Thirdly, "black giants"can not survive unprincipledly. Because they are worthletting people sympathize but not agreeing with. Restraining evil is the rule that theRenaissance or even the human history follows. Shakespeare is influenced deeply byhumanism and praises highly noble honor and personality. In his ideal life, the state isnot like Richard but Caesar, and he will not make evil the permanent victory. "Blackgiants"break the moral orders, but they are a certain part of the ethical order so theycannot go out beyond the ethical hedge and can not get rid of its constraints. They fall...