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“`Mine honor is my life’: An Examination of William Shakespeare’s Portrayal of the Connection Between Life and Honor”

Wagler, Madeleine S
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1619094691716642

Abstract Details

2021, MA, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of English.
William Shakespeare’s tragedies dwell upon death, loss, grief, and sacrifice. But one of the common, underlying and at times unexpected components that recurs throughout the tragedies is honor. For Shakespeare’s honor is tied to human life, as Julius Caesar insinuates to his wife, “Cowards die many times before their deaths; / The valiant never taste of death but once” (2.2.32-33). Shakespeare’s honor is largely connected to how one lives their life, whether it be honorably in bravery, or cowardly in fear. The concept is further developed in Othello, when Iago says, “Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, / Is the immediate jewel of their souls” (3.3. 183-184). If one does not possess an honorable character, in other words, he or she owns nothing of import. This is reiterated in Richard II, when Mowbray says, “Take honor from me, and my life is done” (1.1.183). However, Shakespeare’s portrayal of honor often displays an ambivalence between the Christian and the pagan-humanist values of honor in his age. He toys with the concept of honor radically within the minds of several of his most prominent characters, namely the protagonists in King Lear, Coriolanus, and Macbeth. For these three men, honor becomes a moral trap, and they each meet tragic fates as a result. In this paper, I seek to illuminate the different functions of honor and how this coincides with Shakespeare’s overall theme which suggests that honor and (quality of) life go hand in hand, which demonstrates the idea that the pursuit of glory can prove to be a snare for the overly ambitious man.
Don-John Dugas (Advisor)
Vera Camden (Committee Member)
Ann Martinez (Committee Member)
75 p.
Literature
Shakespeare, William; Aristotle; Macbeth; Coriolanus; King Lear; honor; magnanimity; virtue; prudence; glory; paradox; quality of life

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Wagler, M. S. (2021). “`Mine honor is my life’: An Examination of William Shakespeare’s Portrayal of the Connection Between Life and Honor” [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1619094691716642

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Wagler, Madeleine. “`Mine honor is my life’: An Examination of William Shakespeare’s Portrayal of the Connection Between Life and Honor”. 2021. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1619094691716642.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Wagler, Madeleine. "“`Mine honor is my life’: An Examination of William Shakespeare’s Portrayal of the Connection Between Life and Honor”." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1619094691716642

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1619094691716642
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This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.