Invasion subplots in Shakespearean tragedy

[ajvenigalla]

Interesting thought I have.

Of Shakespeare's five great tragedies (Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra), almost four of them involve invasion subplots

In Othello the invasion threat by the Ottomans is taken out by the sea, though the subtler invasion into a happy marriage is there.

In Hamlet the invasion subplot comes in the form of Fortinbras' invasion of Denmark, and ends with his successful invasion - with, oddly and interestingly enough, the blessing of Hamlet himself.

In King Lear, the King of France and Cordelia launch an invasion on Britain to reclaim the kingdom for Lear. And the Duke of Albany, forced to fight to defend Britain, actually supports the invasion as righteous.

In Macbeth, General Macbeth puts down a usurpation before himself usurping. And at the end, Malcolm and Macduff lead an army from England to invade Scotland and boot out the usurper in order to restore the true lineal king.

In Antony and Cleopatra, a play set at the beginning of the Roman Empire, there is the subplot of Rome's conquering Alexandria and making it a part of its grand empire of "universal peace".

[OrphanPip]

I suspect part of it could be attributed to England's own precarious position at the time with the threat of invasion from Spain (which was attempted during Shakespeare's lifetime) or France always a lingering possibility. England wasn't yet the military and naval power it would emerge as in the 18th and 19th centuries.

[Magnocrat]

Shakespeare, like most of us, knew war and violence was part of our tribal nature and so spread it liberally in his composition's.
For good measure he mixed it in with love , self - interest , compassion , honesty and dishonesty.
His ultimate aim was to represent mankind in all its complexity.

[ajvenigalla]

Shakespeare, like most of us, knew war and violence was part of our tribal nature and so spread it liberally in his composition's.
For good measure he mixed it in with love , self - interest , compassion , honesty and dishonesty.
His ultimate aim was to represent mankind in all its complexity.

Good point. This is part of Shakespeare's large invention of human representation - his representation of the human soul in all its breadth and nuances