Theoretical intersections: Evolutionary Psychology and Marxism in 'The Tempest' and 'Romeo and Juliet'

This thesis is a theoretical excursion dealing with the large gaps of ambiguity in literary characters' behavior. Marxism and Evolutionary Psychology---two theories that disagree intensely with each other---are the cornerstone theories used to illustrate how some behaviors in literature (Shakespearean drama, specifically) are so unexplained and practically illogical that both theories could have a stake in the "correct" explanation; ultimately, though, a synthesis of the competing theories provides the fullest understanding. Further, I have tried to argue that behavioral ambiguity is discounted and overlooked by many critics because the behaviors almost always fit certain cultural or biological modes of intelligibility, which allow readers to make sense of the actions even in the absence of coherent explanations for the behaviors within the text. Examples include Miranda's first words about Ferdinand in The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet's initial meeting in Romeo and Juliet.