Shakespeare's View On Nature In The Four Great Tragedies

Regarded as the masterpieces of the world literature,Shakespeare's four great tragedies – Hamlet,King Lear,Othello and Macbeth – have been interpreted by a multitude of critics from a multitude of perspectives.In Shakespeare's time,the word “nature” is used in two ways.The first meaning is “human nature” and the second one is “the natural world”.Most critics focus on the first meaning,showing how Shakespeare's works penetrate the human nature,exposing all the weaknesses of human mind and character as well as their strengths and brilliance.But to examine Shakespeare's works from the second aspect,revealing how they attempt to remind us of the enlightening effects of the “nature” on man – meaning all the existence,either living or non-living things of the universe – might be more significant,especially in contemporary society.Therefore,the theory of Eco-criticism,with its focus on man-nature relations might serve as a good tool in helping us uncover Shakespeare's view on nature.The author,in this thesis,intends to explore the playwright's view on nature,aided by the theory of Eco-criticism and further on,to reveal how Shakespeare had enlightened us in the relationship between man and nature and the lesson man can learn from nature.The thesis is divided into three parts.Part I serves as the introduction,covering the background in which Shakespeare lived and wrote his plays,the status quo of Shakespeare studies both at home and abroad,the emphasis falling on the theoretical development of the Eco-criticism and its core theoretical principles,especially those adapted in this particular thesis.Part II,the main body of the thesis,is composed of three chapters.Chapter I deals with the function of nature as guidance to man.Human beings are imitators of nature and nature guides man in the aspects of moderate behavior,benevolent behavior and wholesome relationship among family members.Chapter II explores the function of nature in setting models for the society.Order in nature provides man with a standard according to which man manages or adjusts the order of the society,either ethically or politically.Chapter III expounds the function of nature as a touchstone of various harmonious relationships in the cosmos.The everlasting harmony among all things in the natural world offers us an example for how man should manage various relationships he is in.Part III functions as the conclusion of the whole thesis.Based on the previous discussion of various functions of nature on human beings,the author draws the conclusion that Shakespeare in his four great tragedies very clearly expresses his view on nature.In his view,nature plays the function of setting norms for human beings in many aspects and in his time,when Renaissance was still in its heyday in England and human beings had just been liberated from the Catholic confinement and come to realize the power of man,such a view on nature could serve as both a warning to human beings against the tendency of self-conceited negligence of the constructive existence of nature and a reminder of the value of nature for the welfare of human being themselves.At the same time,the author also points to some drawbacks in Shakespeare's view on nature,which exist naturally as the result of the restraint of his own times.