Discuss about the Shakespeare Literature for Corruption of Fair Youth.
The aim of the following essay is to make a fruitful analysis of the difference in the notion of corruption between the sonnets and the plays of Shakespeare. The paper would therefore concentrate on identifying the varied applications of the theme of corruption in different plays and sonnets of Shakespeare. In order to accomplish the aforementioned objective of the present paper, the discourse has chosen one of the magnum opus of William Shakespeare, which is Macbeth. Further, for making a profound comparison, along with Macbeth, the paper would discuss about the theme of corruption in the play Richard III and in four of his sonnets – sonnet 29, sonnet 94, sonnet 95 and sonnet 96. It has been stated by Jane Roessner that the notion of corruption is found in Shakespeare’s “fair youth” sequences, where readers can find the speaker’s discovery of in the apparent description of beauty and truth of his male friend (Roessner). The present paper would attempt to understand whether the percept of Jane Roessner is true considering the sonnets of William Shakespeare along with recognizing the different applications of the corruption theme in the above-mentioned literary pieces.
Prior to identify and explain the potential differences in the application of the corruption theme between Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets chosen above, it is essential to emphasize on the key arguments presented in the article – “Double Exposure: Shakespeare’s Sonnets 100-114”. The article at its initial stage has highlighted the fact that the early sequences of “fait youth” have chiefly celebrated the union of beauty and the truth of the young individual and has considered “time” to be the major constraint for sustaining the beauty of the young man or the “fair youth” (Roessner). According to Jane Roessner’s considered article, it cannot be admitted that time is a chief constraint for preserving the beauty because; time has a potential power that can have a more pivotal threat upon moral and physical aspect (Roessner). It has been understood from Roessner’s expressed opinion that the beauty of the “fair youth” might not be expressed or reflected by the inner worth of the person. The article gives hint of the fact that there is deceptive attire that hides the inner corruption of the “young youth” (Roessner).
In this context of “the corruption of fair youth”, Sonnet 95 of William Shakespeare can be considered. The Sonnet 95 is primarily known as the sonnet of the “warning of sexual praise” and through the particular sonnet Shakespeare has used the theme of corruption by revealing the corruption of beauty and beauty (Panwar). The sonnet tells the story of a man who is corrupted to his own sins, faults and sexual accomplishment. Most significantly, the sonnet speaks of the particular individual’s corruption towards the glorification he acquires from his sexual accomplishments (Krieger). With the application of the theme of corruption, the poet has formed his dictions and meters in way to disclose how the person’s twisted story of vices and sins and the destruction of virtue. In one hand, by using the words like “sweet’ and “lovely”, Shakespeare portrays the beauty of the young man, by the application of the word “shame” he overshadows the previous attribute on the other hand (Schiffer). It should be mentioned here that, in order to successfully infuse the theme of corruption, the poet has strongly employed an attitude that is completely paternal. By applying the paternal attitude, Shakespeare has depicted how appearances can be deceiving (Leishman).
Further, in order to reveal the corrupted act of the young man, Shakespeare compared the young man with “fragrant rose” to imply his beauty, while at the same time showed that vice like a destructive worm is growing inside the flower. It is understandable that to reason behind the corrupted mind of the young man towards his sexual promiscuity is the rewards and appreciations he earns from that (Ma). It is interesting to denote that the speaker who is describing the beauty of the young man is corrupted too as instead of knowing that the person is flawed and has a deceitful character, he is desiring him. Henceforth, it is understandable that the speaker himself is corrupted into the beauty of the young person. It can be said that two kinds of corruption has been displayed by Shakespeare, one is of the young man towards his vice and another is that of the speaker who is corrupted by the beauty of the “fair youth” (Auden).
Unlike the corruption of the fair youth in Sonnet 95, in his one of magnum opuses, William Shakespeare used the theme of corruption for power and most significantly of control. It is one of the fundamental attributes of human nature that whenever they get complete power over something, they discover a new definition of control (Johnson). In their minds, they start to believe that they will not be responsible for whatever action they will take or whatever decision they will make, which may impose harm on other (Garritano). The particular concept is considered to be related with the fundamental theme of corruption. A human individual will perceive control like the aforementioned way after having power, which would corrupt the cognitive activities of the particular. Moreover, being powerful, a person generally decides to do anything they want when they are corrupted by power and the very concept has been applied in the magnum opus – Macbeth. In the considered play, along with the protagonist, Shakespeare casts the corrupted attribute in the behavior of Lady Macbeth too. In this respect, it is required to mention that the protagonist – Macbeth himself was not shown corrupted to power and control when he has been only the thane of Cowdor (Ndidi). The influence and manipulation imposed by his wife – Lady Macbeth is considered to be the sole cause of Macbeth’s indulgence into corruption.
According to Ndidi, greed as well as deception motivates corruption, which is capable of ultimately taking a person’s life. Corruption turns out to be a problem for life when deception and unjustified greed becomes fair for an individual. In Shakespeare’s tragedy – Macbeth, the very scene when Lady Macbeth is seen to convince Macbeth to kill King Duncan while he will be sleeping, can be called as an inauguration moment for the theme of corruption. The greed of Lady Macbeth to become the queen of territory and her hunger for power has been portrayed on the fundamental premise of corruption (Kiss). On the other hand, Macbeth’s greed to take place of the King and thereafter continue to deceive people and kill them in order to hide the fact that he is guilty in the first place for the murder of Duncan – establishes the notion of corruption more powerfully. It should be contemplated here that unlike the corruption of beauty, in Macbeth, the readers are introduced with another kind of corruption that is the corruption of power. However, it should not be ignored that in both Sonnet 95 and in Macbeth the notion or subject of corruption have centered on one common aspect that is deception.
Nevertheless, a similar notion of corruption can be seen in Richard III where the playwright – Shakespeare has drawn a plot which illustrates that to which extent, a person will to go only to acquire power. Like the character Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth, Richard in the play Richard III is found to possess same characteristics (Lamb). It is understandable that Richard III is duplicitous and has the urge to do anything in order to possess power and control. Even his very soliloquy – “I am determined to prove a villain.” – is indicative of the fact that the person is corrupted to power and control so deeply that he believes that he should prove himself a villain (Appleby). Following such determination of Richard III that is driven by the corruption of power, King Richard is shown to kill Clarence as well as King Edward. Further, forced by his inner worth, which is subjected to corruption of power, Richard III is found to murder Lord Hastings with the help of witchcraft. It has been understood that the unlike the corruption of beauty, here in Richard III, the concentration is completely on the corruption of power (Alexander). In this context, it is required to mention that the cannibalistic eating ritual prior to kill a character has helped the playwright to present the play’s theme of corruption of power in a more vulgar way.
Therefore, the evaluation of the play Richard III is indicative of the fact that the application of the notion of corruption has similarities with the application of the same in Macbeth. However, there is no similarity between the subjects of corruption in Richard III with Sonnet 95. Moreover, it should be kept in mind that whereas the theme of corruption and its application Sonnet 95 has been shown as a negative aspect though not harmful, in both Macbeth and Richard III, the theme of corruption has been depicted in a vengeful, terrible and violent attire. On the other hand, in Sonnet 29, which is part of the series of the “fair youth” sequences can be evaluated here. In Sonnet 29, the speaker who is apparently seemed to be alone, depressed and left unfortunate about his life, suddenly gets positive vibes only by thinking about one of his special friend (Kellogg). It is understandable that the speaker is thinking about one of his male friends to whom he is attracted much. The speaker desires to be rich and be fair and charming, which is again indicative of the fact that like the speaker of Sonnet 95, the speaker Sonnet 29 is corrupted to beauty. However, unlike Sonnet 95, here the poet has not displayed any certain kind of corruption of deception (Burckhardt).
The similarity of the application of the notion of corruption is found to be similar in both Sonnet 95 and Sonnet 29 as in both of the sonnets; the speakers themselves are found to be corrupted in love and in the fair beauty of the male friend (Ma). It can be therefore assumed that the corruption of love and beauty is somewhat a staple subject of corruption for the sonnets of the “fair youth” sequence of William Shakespeare. On the other hand, unlike the use of the theme of corruption in sonnets, in most of the plays like Richard III and Macbeth, the theme of corruption centers on the aspect of power (Russo). Following the application of the subject of corruption in Shakespearean sonnet, evidence can be taken from Sonnet 96 and Sonnet 94. As signified by Jane Roessner in her article – “Double Exposure: Shakespeare’s Sonnets 100-114”, the speakers of the poems who are striving to immortalize the beauty of their young male friend from time (Roessner). Further, the article underpins that the speaker of these sonnets is corrupted to the beauty of the fair youth in such an extent that the person is attempting to preserve the beauty by persuading the “fair youth” to be a truth. The particular percept is applicable in time of evaluating 96 as per the reason in the sonnet; the speaker desires to depict the fair youth in a portrayal that would not seem negative. It is a clear indication about the fact that the speaker is corrupted in love and towards the beauty of his young male friend (Schiffbauer). In Sonnet 96, instead of knowing that the deceiving nature and the sexual promiscuity of the young male have become a steady topic of gossip for the public, the speaker desires to display the young individual in a way that would not make him look vicious (Duncan-Jones). Henceforth, is a clear indication about the fact that the person is corrupted and his corruption is forcing him to present the male youth in positive and truthful attire that would not seem vulgar or vicious way even though in reality it is sinful (Auden).
Henceforth, it is understandable that corruption of love and beauty is a staple in the aforementioned sonnets, whereas for the considered plays of Shakespeare, the notion of corruption has been driven by power and control chiefly (Ma). Unlike the Sonnets 95 and 96, in Sonnet 94, the speaker opens about the true nature of the male youth and apparently it is an argumentative fact that there has been showing no corruption. It is because the poet elaborates about the fact that there is a dichotomy between the outward appearance and the inner worth (Schiffer). It can be however contradicted that while depicting the natures of the superior individuals who are indifferent towards any kind of temptation, there a slight hint about the fact that the speaker is possibly one of them who seeks their attention (Duncan-Jones). Therefore, there is tone of being corrupted in the ironic attribute of Sonnet 94. However, unlike Richard III and Macbeth where vicious people are shown in a negative way rather than shown in a less harmful way, through the application of corruption of beauty and love, the viciousness of the young male character have been dominated (Schiffbauer).
Therefore, one similarity can be attached in the present context, which is that with the help of the application of corruption theme, Shakespeare has emphasized on the viciousness of human individuals. It can be argued that while the corruption theme has presented the mal-characteristics of the male youth in a non-harmful way in the considered sonnets, in the chosen dramas, the same theme of corruption has criticized the viciousness of the corrupted characters (Johnson). On the other hand, it should not be neglected that in the considered plays, there has been no use of the corruption of love and beauty theme and that should be considered as the chief differences between the chosen sonnets and the chosen dramas (Burckhardt). It can be therefore said that Shakespeare has differentiated his use of the corruption theme according to the plot and subject matter of his literary pieces. It is because, while for Richard III and Macbeth, the corruption theme has evolved around the premise of power, control and fame, the theme of corruption in the Sonnets like 29, 95 and 96 has concentrated on the subject of love as well as beauty.
Most significantly, the above evaluation is indicative of the fact that the opinion made by Jane Roessner is true and considerable for the sonnets of the “fair youth” consequence of Shakespeare. The form of corruption is may not be like that of Macbeth or Richard III but the acts of the speakers in the sonnets of the “fair youth sequence” have attempted to immortalize the fair beauty is the proof of having a corrupted mind.
From the above elaborated discourse, it can be deduced that there is a significant difference between the applications of corruption theme in the sonnets of the “fair youth sequence” and the dramas like Richard III and Macbeth. According to the paper above, while for Macbeth and Richard III, the corruption theme is related to power and control, for the sonnets like 29, 95 and 96, the very theme regards love and beauty.
References
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Ndidi, Okey-Agbo Jacinta. “Power And Corruption In Three.” (2013).
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