A Study On The Concept Of Honor In Shakespeare's Henriad

William Shakespeare's literary achievements do not only place him at the top of British and European literature,but also earn him a place in the world culture.His plays,only next to ancient Greek drama,have always been a model for stage performance and literary creation in the past 400 years.Among Shakespeare's 38 plays,there are 11 history plays,which amounted to more than a quarter of total.These historical plays focus on the events during the100-year War between Britain and France and the War of Roses between the House of York and the House of Lancaster,presenting a panoramic picture of the 100 years history covering the Plantagenet Dynasty and the Tudor Dynasty.Shakespeare was quite interested in history and was good at seeking inspiration for his literary creation from history.8 of these 11 history plays,except for King John,Henry VIII and Edward III,can be divided into two tetralogies according to the sequence of historical events.And the second tetralogy,consisting of Richard II,1Henry IV,2 Henry IV and Henry V is often regarded as the mature one,which deals with a series of major events in British history,including Richard II's deposition,Henry IV's usurpation,British noble rebellions,Henry V's accession and the war between Britain and France.This thesis,based on the second tetralogy and a series of major historical events,will study the concept of honor of three types of characters,including kings,nobles and civilians: the meaning of the honor to them,their viewpoints on honor and their preservation of honor.The era Shakespeare lived in was at the end of the Renaissance.At that time,Humanism,as the ideology of the newly emerging bourgeois,had been widely spread and had exerted its influence on Shakespeare's plays.In addition,it is generally acknowledged that Shakespeare's history plays were also largely influenced by Machiavellianism.When dealing with the relationship between monarch and his subjects,Shakespeare was also influenced by Plato's philosophy.Shakespeareadvocates that all the social stratum,such as kings,nobles and civilians should,each in their own place,fulfill their obligations and duties,in order to maintain social stability and national security.The fulfillment of their deserted obligations and responsibilities in return is a way by which they preserve their honor.This thesis is a study of William Shakespeare's concept of honor through concentrating on his Henriad which is known as one of his tetralogies.This thesis aims at exemplifying the different concepts of honor possessed by the three different social stratum: a)Unity of responsibilities and rights as kings' honor;b)Balance of benefits and obligations as nobles' honor;c)The valuelessness as civilians' honor.Through the study of the concept of honor,it can be noticed that Shakespeare holds a comprehensive attitude towards the occurrences that threaten national peace,such as usurpation,rebellion,civil war and so on;he expresses his enthusiastic yearning for the ideal state with domestic stability,the wise monarch,the loyal and brave nobles as well as well-being of civilians.In the Henriad,Shakespeare's progressive significance lies in that he does not only pay attention to the lower-class people's living conditions and realize people's important role in historical development,but also begins to be concerned about their spiritual world;however,out of the limitation of age and his own views,Shakespeare does not place equal emphasis on the spiritual world of the civilians and that of kings and nobles which causes him to take a negative attitude towards the concept of honor of civilians.