The Study Of The Supernatural Elements In Shakespeare's Drama

Shakespearean criticism,which burgeoned in the lifetime of Shakespeare in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries,not only maintained its vitality and dynamism but witnessed further developments in the twentieth century and early twenty-first century when modern literary theories and new inter-disciplinary approaches are widely employed.While New Hegelian character analysis of Bradley,psychoanalysis,historical criticism and formal criticism(with a special interest in archetypes,imagery and symbolism)marked the modern turn of Shakespearean criticism in the first half of the twentieth century,in the second half of the century Neo-Marxism,deconstruction,new historicism,cultural materialism as well as feminism and postcolonialism began to lead the trend one after another.Together they make the Shakespeare studies increasingly prosperous.This thesis mainly employs new historicism in its study of the dramatic works of Shakespeare.In particular,I am interested in the nature and function of the supernatural elements in Shakespeare's drama.The new historicist concepts as “self-fashioning,” “power relations” “circulation about society power” “the textuality of history and history of texts,” “anecdotes” and so on are useful tools to help to disclose the entangled power relations in the Elizabethan and Jacobean society as well as the textual complexity and richness of the selected Shakespearean plays.This thesis is divided into three parts.The first part is the introduction,which addresses the paper's subject matter,raises basic research questions,outlines the results of relevant Shakespearean studies,introduces the research methodology and estimates possible contributions.The second part,which is the main body of the paper,includes four chapters.The first chapter mainly analyses the historical background and dramatic culture in Shakespeare's England.I will emphatically analyze the development and transformation of politics,economy,and culture during the reign of Elizabeth I and James I;the living conditions and social structures of contemporary urban dwellers;The dramatic culture in general and the works by other playwrights which had influenced Shakespeare in this chapter.A very important historical event during this era is the “witch-hunting” in Europe,which had an overwhelming impact on the folk's belief system and their psychology.The second chapter mainly analyses Shakespeare's dramatic works in his early period.I will make case studies of two comedies that involve the supernatural elements: A Midsummer Night's Dream and All's Well That Ends Well.By tracing the origin and significance of “May Day” and “Mid Summer Day” in folk culture,I make the suggestion that for Shakespeare in this period the supernatural world,which composes of fairies,wonderland,and magic,serves as the embodiment of ideal Humanist spirit that emphasizes the value of love,friendship and freedom.Such “small tradition” of folk culture is equally important to Shakespeare's works as the “grand tradition” of the dominant class.The third chapter analyses Shakespeare's two tragedies: Hamlet and Macbeth.The former uses the supernatural element,“ghost,” to express Hamlet's psychological torment in his seeking of revenge.Hamlet's delay not only results from his skeptical character,which is marked by his over-sensitive self-awareness and his constantly changing recognition of self-identity.It also reflects the writer's thoughts,especially his worries and doubts about the social and intellectual condition in Renaissance Europe and England.In Macbeth,through the reference of the supernatural elements,such as witchcraft,prediction,and black magic the play dissects Macbeth's growing desire for power as well as his sour and bitter conscience.Supernatural elements in these works serve both the psychological portrait of the heroes and the illustration of unfathomable fate.The fourth chapter analyses Shakespeare's supernatural dramatic world In The Tempest,a tragicomedy or romance,which was composed to the end of his career.Shakespeare turned to be more depressed and disillusioned in this period.His creation of a supernatural world of magic in this work only highlights such dark mood.The fact that Prospero,the main character,is expelled from his homeland as a Magician and returns to the real world after abandoning his trick,shows an anti-climactic self-fashioning process.On the other hand,Prospero's self-inflation and deflation also reflects Shakespeare's more mature view on the harmony of the world and the nature of the humanistic spirit.The third part shall make a summary for the paper.The creative process of Shakespeare's also is a journey of his self-interrogation,in which he constantly engages in self-fashioning and negotiates between individuality and ideology.Such communication and exchange of social energy itself is an interesting case study of Shakespeare's times in general.