An Analysis Of Shakespeare's Concept Of Kingship Reflected In His History Plays

It has been a long history since Shakespeare started his career as a dramatist. It's so natural that his plays have been widely studied, especially the tragedies and comedies, like Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, etc.. Various kings dramatized by this great playwright usually catch the readers'eyes: the insidious Claudius, the fatuous King Lear, the ambitious Henryâ…£, the sagacious Henryâ…¤and the weak-headed Henryâ…¥. An interesting phenomenon is that many of his plays were named after the names of the kings. To some extent, it suggests that Shakespeare had a special interest in English history and politics. Therefore, to get a comprehensive knowledge about Shakespeare's attitude towards kings ought to start from his history plays where one can find the most brilliant depiction of kings.In describing the kings, Shakespeare devoted his passion and enthusiasm. His attitudes towards the kings impenetrate his characterization of each. Among the eleven history plays concerned with nine English kings, only Henryâ…¤won his favor. The others all serve as a foil to give prominence to his ideal prince. Basically, Shakespeare respected the original sources despite several alterations by which he emphasized his inclination.Theoretically, Shakespeare was influenced greatly by the Italian statesman Machiavelli. Therefore, it is easy to recognize the Machiavellian traits from Shakespeare's plays in terms of politics, military affairs and the king's self-cultivation, such as the principle of adjusting measures to specific conditions.The concept of kingship advocated by Shakespeare was that the ideal prince should maintain the social order. It was the Shakespearean Age that caused its coming into being. Born in the time when feudalism was drawing to its end and capitalism was paving its way for the development of its economy, this concept of kingship acted positively in propelling the growth of capitalism. Having witnessed the misgovernment of the unqualified kings, Shakespeare held that the wise, virtuous and legitimate king is the basis of the national peace. Undoubtedly, Shakespeare's idea was advanced in the early development of capitalism. In the long run, this kind of concept which aimed at innovating the society through a certain person's achievements is proved to be impractical.This thesis explores Shakespeare's deeper intention in establishing the distinctive figures and reaches a conclusion that his ideal king should be capable, virtuous and legitimate. Except the Introduction and the Conclusion, the dissertation consists of three chapters. The Introduction provides some background information, such as the religious tradition and the social convention. Chapter One aims at finding out the wisdom of Shakespeare's ideal kings. Chapter Two concentrates on the virtues of his ideal kings. And Chapter Three probes into his promotion of the legitimate kingship. The Conclusion generalizes Shakespeare's attitude towards kings and further summarizes the type of his ideal kings.