We are arrant knaves all: notes on revenge and justice in Shakespeare plays

Abstract

Shakespeare treatment of the revenge theme adds substantial complexity to a genre greatly appreciated by Elizabethans. In Hamlet and Macbeth, for example, characters are troubled not only by the usual tension between Christian and honor ethics which were recurrent in such plays. They are disturbed by a feeling that the social system which gives sense to this tension is itself crumbling, making both action and inaction meaningless. Hamlet´s soul-searching and Malcolm’s discourse to Macduff echo a key Reform theological which posited the quintessential corruption of human nature. This paper discusses the dramatic implications of this new, controversial theological concept, on Shakespeare’s presentation of revenge.

Keywords

• Shakespeare
• revenge plays
• Lutero
• Hamlet
• Macbeth