Shakespeare's Manipulation of Disguise, Deception and Illusion.
Examine Shakespeare’s manipulation of disguise, deception and illusion in one or two plays from the module.
To manipulate is a curious verb that itself presents two very defined meanings: ‘To handle, esp. with skill or dexterity; to turn, reposition, reshape, etc., manually or by means of a tool or machine’, or ‘To manage, control, or influence in a subtle, devious, or underhand manner’.[1]
The ambiguity that follows such a verb can usually be cleared with a sufficient context but the ambiguity of Shakespeare's uses of manipulation can be a little bit more equivocal.
With this being said, we could approach his ‘manipulation’ of disguise, deception and illusion in two ways:
a) The ‘dexterity’ in which he develops a plot including a perceptible use of those three analogues. b) The less noticeable ‘influence’ of Shakespeare upon his texts through the use of disguise, deception and illusion, in order to cleverly accomplish something, which could be, for example, a specific audience response.
It seems logical to discuss firstly what it is not hidden in the text; all the information a simple reader can gather from the storyline. Thus, what follows is merely an approach and interpretation of the two histories that we have studied in this module ‘The Plays of Shakespeare’, Henry V and Julius Caesar (English and Roman histories respectively).
Secondly, a study of what is intended within the plays, that is to say a representation through the voice of some critics of what is behind the plot will be discussed later.
Undoubtedly, Shakespeare displays enormous rhetorical ability, very frequent during the Elizabethan period. His works provide a wide range of literary devices combined with a complex syntax. However, it is also in his creativity in terms of a narration of historical events that he makes the human nature shine through mechanisms such as disguise, deception and illusion.
1. Disguise
• Physical disguise:
To manipulate is a curious verb that itself presents two very defined meanings: ‘To handle, esp. with skill or dexterity; to turn, reposition, reshape, etc., manually or by means of a tool or machine’, or ‘To manage, control, or influence in a subtle, devious, or underhand manner’.[1]
The ambiguity that follows such a verb can usually be cleared with a sufficient context but the ambiguity of Shakespeare's uses of manipulation can be a little bit more equivocal.
With this being said, we could approach his ‘manipulation’ of disguise, deception and illusion in two ways:
a) The ‘dexterity’ in which he develops a plot including a perceptible use of those three analogues. b) The less noticeable ‘influence’ of Shakespeare upon his texts through the use of disguise, deception and illusion, in order to cleverly accomplish something, which could be, for example, a specific audience response.
It seems logical to discuss firstly what it is not hidden in the text; all the information a simple reader can gather from the storyline. Thus, what follows is merely an approach and interpretation of the two histories that we have studied in this module ‘The Plays of Shakespeare’, Henry V and Julius Caesar (English and Roman histories respectively).
Secondly, a study of what is intended within the plays, that is to say a representation through the voice of some critics of what is behind the plot will be discussed later.
Undoubtedly, Shakespeare displays enormous rhetorical ability, very frequent during the Elizabethan period. His works provide a wide range of literary devices combined with a complex syntax. However, it is also in his creativity in terms of a narration of historical events that he makes the human nature shine through mechanisms such as disguise, deception and illusion.
1. Disguise
• Physical disguise: