All contributors in Shakespeare Tragedies
Our image of Hamlet is a durable one - but does it have any basis in the play Shakespeare wrote? more...
A comparison with revenge dramas like "The Spanish Tragedy" and "Antonio's Revenge" can help elucidate the vexed question of Hamlet's madness. more...
Shakespeare carefully hones his language to illustrate the movements of Hamlet's mind in this famous speech. more...
Shakespeare's Friar Lawrence is coloured by prevailing attitudes to Catholicism in Renaissance drama. more...
Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet
Friar Lawrence helps Romeo and Juliet in their plan to marry secretly. But does this ambiguous character have his own agenda? more...
In Hamlet's second soliloquy, the prince berates himself for his inaction compared to the First Player. Shakespeare explores ideas of role, character and integrity. more...
A chracter study of Shakespeare's Mercutio, who has been identified by some critics as the hinge between comedy and tragedy in Romeo and Juliet. more...
All feature articles in Shakespeare Tragedies