Polar Bears Essay

Assignment Question: Themes of love, friendship and loyalty are always fluid in Shakespeare’s work. Assess this statement with reference to two works.

Thesis Statement: Shakespeare’s presentation on themes of love, friendship and loyalty are always fluid given the underlying inconsistencies of human interrelation on bounds of individual differences, the socio-historical context of the society and the influence of nature or the supernatural evidently portrayed in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tragedy of King Lear.

In William Shakespeare’s (1564-1616) attempt to explore themes of love, friendship and loyalty in his plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1600) and King Lear (1603-1606), there is distinct and constant portrayal of these themes classified of inconsistencies. It is crucial to understand that the historical context of Shakespeare’s writing is important in grasping a true understanding of the inconsistencies that exists in love, friendship and loyalty. Writing during the time of the renaissance, Shakespeare’s critical writing of such themes is of great importance in understanding the new socio-political framework of the early modern English times. Shakespeare therefore presents a new kind of paradigm for human relations unearthing past traditional ideologies with a forward outlook of society. Through his careful use of characterization, dialogue and the interesting development of plot, Shakespeare successfully creates for the reader, a rather insightful appreciation for the central themes of the plays in relation to theatre at the time of his writing. Regardless of the difference in form of the plays under analysis, Shakespeare manages to maintain and demonstrate the idea of the fluidity of love, loyalty and friendship by highlighting how inherently erratic human relationships are while at the same time providing for the reader, an opportunity to