Shakespeare

6 Pages 1472 Words

Wicked World
William Shakespeare based his plays on evil actions, which the people of the 1600’s could relate to their own lives. Today, society reads his work, and they can compare it to the twenty- first century. Shakespeare uses the theme of evil to show one person’s greed interrupting the lives of all. In King Lear, Twelfth Night, Timon of Athens, Coriolanus, Taming of the Shrew, and The Tempest different forms of evil rule the lives of the characters in the same way people act today. Shakespeare proves the appearance of evil in mankind, such as greed, violence, and hatred dictates the world.
Society of the 1600’s, as today, thinks wealth will bring happiness. With this mindset, greed begins to control their lives. In King Lear, the greed of Lear’s older daughters controls Lear’s life. Goneril and Regan strive to overtake their father’s wealth and power. Shakespeare continuously shows the theme of evil for “ Every cruelty in the action is re-enforced. There is not one evil daughter there are two…” (Spencer 137). Goneril instigates a crime, and Regan responds with a harsher punishment. After receiving all their father had to offer, both daughters strive for more. Spencer says, “Goneril and Regan not only violate natural law by their behavior to their father, they also violate their proper functions as human beings by their lust for Edmund, a lust which ends in murder, suicide, and which makes the description of them as animals doubly appropriate” (Spencer 143). Lear realizes the deceit in his daughter when he says, “They flattered me like a dog, and told me I had the white/ hairs in my beard ere the black ones were there” (4.6.98-99). Greed continuously interferes with the lives of people today. Recently, Enron’s partnerships disguised five hundred million dollars of debt from their books to continue business. These officials of Enron Corporation have been caught with million dollar bonuses which w...