The Images Of Christians In Shakespeare’s Dramas

Shakespeare is a dramatist greatly influenced by the Christian culture and many characters created by him possess typical Christian features. This thesis attempts to apply the theory of Imagologie in Comparative Literature to study the six typical images of Christians in The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet and King Lear.Apart from the introduction and the conclusion, the thesis consists of four chapters. The first chapter provides a brief introduction to Shakespeare’s Christian culture background and the biblical influence on Shakespeare’s dramas. The second chapter analyzes The Merchant of Venice to explore two typical images of Christians:Antonio and Portia, regarding Antonio as an integration of mercy and cruelty. To his friend, Antonio shows great mercy but he treats the Jew Shylock so cruelly, which reveals his cruelty. As an image of Christian, Portia shows forgiveness and kindness to Shylock. The focus of the third chapter is to analyze two images of Christians in Hamlet:Hamlet and Claudius. For his father’s death and mother’s incestuous marriage, Hamlet has to avenge on Claudius but the Christian teachings make Hamlet fall into the struggling between love and revenge. Claudius has committed many deadly sins, but he is consciousness-stricken to attempt to repent in order to obtain God’s forgiveness. The fourth chapter aims at two images of Christians in King Lear:Lear and Cordelia. As an image of Christian, Lear is a sufferer, seeking for the true love from Cordelia in the process of suffering to get a new life. Cordelia is an image of Christian with high degree of dedication and she insists claiming justice for Lear, even sacrificing her own life.The reinterpretation of these six images of Christians in the thesis may hopefully help the academia in China to further understand the images of Christians in Shakespeare’s dramas.