Comparing Heroes and Villains in Measure for Measure, Othello, and Haml

Comparing Heroes and Villains in Measure for Measure, Othello, and HamletAccording to John Steinbeck, Heroes ar bleak villains argon apt. This statement likely regards the internal aspects of characters, such as intellect, reasoning/motivation, and morality/responsibility, as indicated by consistency in action and/or articulation, as in direct speech or soliloquy. An examination of the heroes and villains in Measure for Measure, Othello, and Hamlet can determine whether Steinbecks generalization is applicable. Although Measure for Measure is not a tragedy by standard conventions, Angelo can be leaseed a tragic hero since he falls because of his hamartia, hubris. While he fits into Steinbecks generalization of innocent as a victim of the circumstances created by the Duke, Angelo is responsible for his own fate. When asked Whether you had not sometime in your life/Errd in this point which now you summon Claudio, (14-15, II.i) Angelo affirms he has never felt love or passion, nor h ad sex. Thus, being a man of virtue, Angelo believes he has the right to impose morality upon the city he unquestioningly enforces the law forbidding fornication. Since he is righteous, Angelos motivation is not wrong or immoral however, once he begins to manipulate sexual morality in his favor, his ingenuousness decreases. Angelo offers to spare Claudios life should Isabella engage in sexual relations with him he claims to be tempted by Isabellas virtue, and does not recognize his own hypocrisy in proposing on that point is charity in sinning to save Claudio. The reduction of Angelos virtue and righteousness continues as he sends Claudios death warrant after he has had sex with Mariana, who he believed to be Isabella. In additio... ...le to comedies, when considering A Midsummers Night Dream, As You Like It, and Measure for Measure, in which the heroes are mostly virtuous (innocent), and the villains are devious (cunning) however, since the Duke and Iago are both cunning villains , Steinbecks notion of villains is also appropriate for tragedy. More importantly, though, as previously noted, these heroes are directly responsible for their fall, and therefore challenge readers to consider the roles of heroes and villains in tragedy less traditionally Othello is not cunning, nor is he innocent, and so Steinbecks parameters exclude him. Thus, a more encompassing generalization would be that tragic heroes are responsible, and villains are cunning (Steinbeck). Works CitedShakespeare, William. William Shakespeare The Complete Works. Ed. Alfred Harbage. 1969. Baltimore Penguin, 1994.