Return to journal cover.

Discuss the destruction and/or redemption of families in at least two of Shakespeare's plays


The theme of family destruction and redemption is one which transgresses the boundaries of genre, featuring, to some extent, in all forms of Shakespeare's plays. Indeed, as Elizabeth Bieman discusses, the royal court itself "becomes a large metaphor for the family in a patriarchal culture" (William Shakespeare: The Romances, p.74). This discussion will focus on the patriarchal role within the relationships of parent and child; man and wife, and siblings; examining how the patriarchal values of culture effect the destruction of families.
Children are governed by a duty to their parents, though this duty can often instigate the destruction of a family relationship; for the eponymous hero Hamlet, it is his duty to "Revenge his [father's] foul and most unnatural murther." (I.V, line 25). For Portia, in The Merchant of Venice, it is an obligation to her dead father, to be bound to the caskets when courting a husband:

I may neither choose who I would, nor
refuse who I dislike; so is the will of a living daughter
curbíd by the will of a dead father.
(I.II, lines 23-5)

The duty of children towards their parents surpasses the mortal state; the patriarchal role, although embodied by the patriarch himself, exceeds his individual status and takes on a cultural value. Hamlet and Portia are bound not merely to their father's wills, but to the powerful patriarchal society in which they reside - duties which threaten their downfall and the destruction of their families. Hamlet and Portia could easily violate their obligations; Hamlet could ignore his futile quest for revenge -indeed his family is already destroyed as his mother's bed is "A couch for luxury and damned incest"(I.V, line 83), and Portia could choose Bassanio without the preamble of the casket scene - indeed her obligation causes her despair at the risk of loosing Bassanio:

I pray you tarry, pause a day or two
Before you hazard, for in choosing wrong
I lose your company; therefore forbear a while.
(III.II, lines 1-3)

and so her defiance towards the caskets could bring about her happiness. Indeed, it has been observed that Portia's song in Act III, scene II, creates a strong resonance for the word lead - with words such as "bred", "head", "nourished" etc., spurring Bassanio to the selection of the lead casket. If this were the case then Portia's song is a violation of the will of her father, and thus her family bond. However, as many critics have observed, the resonance of the song may be a technique for Shakespeare to imply Bassanio's internal thought process as he selects the casket; Portia is not breaking any bond of faith with her father.
To disobey the patriarchal will is to also disobey the will of God. In both life and death fathers take on a demigod status, as Duke Theseus states to Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream:

To you your father should be as a god;
One that compos'd your beauties; yea and one
To whom you are but as a form in wax,
By him imprinted, and within his power,
To leave the figure, or disfigure it.
(I.I, lines 47-51)

For Hamlet to ignore the motive of revenge is to condemn himself against "all you host of Heaven" (I.V, line 92) and all "heavenly guards" (III.IV, line 104). For Portia to disobey the caskets, is to condemn herself to the dangers of an unsuitable husband -the caskets are the final act of provision, by her father, to ensure her happiness in marriage. Thus the violation of the patriarch's will leads to the destruction of the family, the self, and the order of God.
In The Merchant of Venice and Hamlet, the patriarch is removed from the direct action of the play (with the exceptions of Shylock and Polonius) - distanced by death, in the case of Portia's father, or in Hamlet distanced by an ambiguous status as either a "spirit of health, or goblin damn'd" (I.IV, line 40). However, despite the lack of the patriarch's presence, children are bound to their duty within a patriarchal culture, for the court, with the King as supreme head of state, is itself a patriarchal structure demanding servitude and loyalty. Thus the father, as symbol of a patriarchal culture, creates a system of oppression and tyranny over his children, leading to the destruction of the family. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Egeus oppresses the love of Hermia for Lysander:

I may dispose of her;
Which shall be either to this gentleman [Demetrius],
Or to her death, according to our law.
(I.I, lines 42-4)

and the critic Alexander Leggatt sees this oppression of love in terms of perspective and old age:

"When Hermia and Egeus look at Lysander, they see two different people, for she sees with the eyes of love, he with the eyes of cantankerous old age, obsessed with its own authority." (Shakespeare's Comedy of Love, p.92)

But Leggatt is wrong to simplify Egeus' oppression as a stubborn will, for the oppression is not merely personal authority, but is sanctified under the rules of his culture, its "law". The patriarch is not alone as the destroyer of the family, but is aided by a culture where subservience to the patriarchal will is the norm. Lysander has "bewitchíd" Hermia (I.I, line 27), and "stol'n the impression of her fantasy" (I.I, line 32) and thus Egeus' language betrays a cultural attitude where female freedom is condemned as an evil, immoral and unnatural liberty, leading to disobedience and family breakdown.
Indeed, this patriarchal oppression can also be seen between the relationship of Florizel and Perdita in The Winter's Tale. Here, the patriarch Polixenes obstructs Florizel's choice on the grounds of unequal social rank, and is equally as severe as Egeus in A Midsummer Night's Dream -both threaten death, though for Florizel it would "But shorten [his] life one week" (IV.IV, line 422). Although Polixenes' death threat is idle, he is nonetheless overtly distanced in his relationship with his son:

"We'll bar thee from succession,
Not hold thee of our blood, no, not our kin,
Farre than Deucalion off."
(IV.IV, lines 429-31)

Deucalion was the Noah figure of the Bible, an ancestor of man, and thus Polixenes' threat borders on extremism; his remark is the uttermost form of verbal divorce, and thus a literal destruction of the family bond. Although Florizel predicts the oppression of his father, and uses it as justification of his secrecy and disguise, it should be noted that Polixenes' initial objections arise because he has been cheated of his patriarchal role:


Methinks a father
Is at the nuptial of his son a guest
That best becomes the table.
(IV.IV, line 394-6)

Florizel's secrecy smacks of "Something unfilial" (IV.IV, line 406), and thus instigates Polixenes' rage and the destruction of their family bond. However, it should not be forgot, that Polixenes' objections also arise from the shock that "a sceptre's heir, /thus affects a sheep-hook!"(IV.IV, lines 419-20) Even in Hamlet, there are implications of family roles contesting with love, for Hamlet "may not, as unvalued persons do, / Carve for himself, for on his choice depends / The safety and health of this whole state" (I.III, lines 19-21) and thus may not marry Ophelia without disregarding his family role. Social roles within a patriarchal society are thus accessories to the destruction of the family.
In tragedy, the theme of patriarchal oppression and family destruction is also evident. Romeo and Juliet are suppressed by both Montague and Capulet patriarchs -the rivalry for dominance between the households creates an unstable society akin to wild animals fighting over territory. Where the patriarchal system is dangerously precarious, or at loggerheads, the love which blossoms under its rule must face the dire consequences of opposing its power. Like Romeo and Juliet; Lysander and Hermia; Florizel and Perdita; lovers are forced to flee the patriarchal tyranny in order to secure love, to reawaken the compassion of their parental oppressors, and to redeem the family.
Human failings, in some instances a hamartia, also lead to the destruction of family relationships. In The Winter's Tale, Leontes' jealousy instigates the loss of his son and the banishment of his daughter. Some, like Camillo and Paulina, see Leontes' jealousy as irrational, as the product of a "diseas'd opinion" (I.II, line 296) and "weak-hing'd fancy" (II.III, line 119). However, Shakespeare's language has enough sexual undercurrent to justify Leontes' jealousy; "Nine changes of the wat'ry star" (I.II, line 1) have passed by the opening of the play, mirroring Hermione's gestation period, and indeed, as Camillo observes, "tis safer to/ Avoid whatís grown than question how ëtis born." (I.II, lines 433-4). Elizabeth Bieman attempts to understand the destructive jealousy of Leontes by use of psychoanalysis, arguing that

"We often need to interpret Leontes' actions more as those of an authoritarian husband, a puer turned senex, than as those of a king." (William Shakespeare: The Romances, p.80)_

Understanding Leontes in such terms is highly subjective, as dramatic art does not posses a psyche; rather, we should understand Leontes' jealousy in terms of Shakespeare's breeding language. However we decide to comprehend Leontes' jealousy, it is the effect of this supposedly "ill-ta'en suspicion" (I.II, line 460) on the relationship with his son Mamillius that is more relevant. As we are made aware, Polixenes and Leontes regard their sons with much love:

He's all my exercise, my mirth, my matter;
Now my sworn friend, and then mine enemy;
My parasite, my soldier, statesman, all.
He makes a July's day short as December,
And with his varying childness cures in me
Thoughts that make thick my blood.
(I.II, lines 166-71)

and thus the destruction of this family bond is one of severest consequence, for the tender language of Polixenes, which mirrors Leontesí love for Mamillius, betrays the strong affection of the relationship. Unfounded jealousy, or any other emotion without true grounds, will lead to the destruction of a family, as Antigonus warns Leontes:

Be certain what you do, sir, lest your justice
Prove violence, in which three great ones suffer,
Yourself, your queen, your son.
(II.I, lines 126-8)

and when the patriarch is corrupted by falsely founded emotions and judgement, sanctified under the law of the state as "justice", the family is thrown into turmoil. Redemption of the family can only occur when the patriarch accepts his failings, accepts that the matriarch is the true symbol of family unity -as a pregnant woman Hermione is the epitome of parenthood -and repents his actions, like Leontes:


I have done sin,
For which the heavens, taking angry note,
Have left me issueless.
What might I have been,
Might I a son and daughter now have look'd on.
(V.I, lines 172-7)

Indeed, as a statue Hermione is elevated to the symbol of a wronged matriarch; in her pregnancy, she embodies the wronged family on the verge of destruction, victimised by the raging power of the patriarch: but her true power does not arise until the final act:

Does not the stone rebuke me
For being more stone than it? O royal piece,
There's magic in thy majesty, which has
My evils conjur'd to remembrance.
(Leontes, V.II, lines 37-40)

It is only as a "piece" symbolising family ruin that Hermione is able to facilitate redemption: Leontes achieves recognition of his "evils" of judgement and thus the future family security is ensured. Leontes' jealousy arises because the patriarch Polixenes intrudes on his territory; although invited on terra firma, he is uninvited in the emotional territory of a man and wife. In a patriarchal society the presence of another patriarch creates instability and insecurity: it is an unacceptable threat to dominion; and families, like lovers, must suffer as victims of the tension between these poles of power.
The issue of control and dominance, of which gender provides the fairest rule in families, is one closely associated with family destruction. Antigonus allows Paulina to "take the rein" (III.II, line 51) and have control over herself, though "she'll not stumble". Leontes sees this female liberty as a threat to patriarchal control, believing that Antigonus "dreads his wife" (III.II, line 80). The implication of violence in the struggle for marital dominance is overt; Paulina of "late hath beat her husband" (II.III, line 92) and although this beating is a verbal one, the violence is explicit. As Antigonus observes, "Hardly one subject" (III.II, line 112) can control a woman; thus matriarchal control is portrayed as the ideal in marriage to achieve stability in the family. Indeed, it is only when Antigonus betrays his wife to follow Leontes' orders that the destruction of the marriage occurs; he leaves Act III, Scene III "pursued by a bear", and is subsequently devoured -a somewhat harsh lesson for betraying Paulina's opinion of Hermione. Bassanio, in The Merchant of Venice, also betrays his wife's trust; by surrendering his oath for Antonio, and giving up his ring (symbol of wedded unity) he breaks the marital bond:

Life itself, my wife, and all the world,
Are not with me esteem'd above thy life.
I would lose all, ay, sacrifice them all
To deliver you.
(IV.I, lines 284-7)

Although the marital bond is betrayed for loyalty to a friend - a more noble reason than jealousy - we are aware that his "wife would give little thanks for that" (IV.I, line 288).
The redemption of marital relationships can only occur when either patriarch or matriarch surrenders control to their spouse, when they "give and hazard all [they] hath" (The Merchant of Venice, II.IX, line 21); or when equality in the marriage is achieved, such as in the mature relationship of Theseus and Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night's Dream. It is interesting to note that often, to facilitate family union, the female must assume the guise of the male, to adopt the patriarchal power of the society -like Portia as the lawyer Balthazar in The Merchant of Venice, or Rosalind as a shepherd in As You Like It. Thus women must vie not only with their husbands, but also with their patriarchal society in order to prevent the destruction of their families.
Society and state also have the potential to motivate the destruction of a family. In As You Like It and The Tempest we see siblings vying for dominion. Orlando, in As You Like It, confronts Oliver's appropriation of power with a rebuke:

I have as much of my father in me
as you
(I.I, lines 49-50)

and thus challenges his brother for the right to his true rank as a gentleman. However, his direct challenge to the inheritance of the patriarchal role suggests his rivalry is based not on the desire for an education, but on the desire to inherit his father's station. Just as two patriarchs in one society creates instability and insecurity, two potential patriarchs likewise create a situation where family values are in jeopardy. However, although Oliver is a "bloody brother" (II.III, line 37) and there is overt violence in their relationship, Orlando respects the bond of family:

Wert thou not my brother, I would not
take this hand from thy throat till this other had
pull'd out thy tongue
(I.I, lines 59-61)

As the filial bond is evident in Orlando's language, redemption remains obtainable. Indeed, it is Orlando that saves Oliver from the serpent in the woods of Arden; thus the rescue of his evil brother can be seen as an allegory of the fall of man, though inverted from its Biblical origins to prevent the fall from Grace, and thus the fall of the family.
Redemption of the family, when set against the material desires imposed by State, does not always occur. In The Tempest, Antonio's "strong imagination sees a crown / Dropping upon [Sebastianís] head" (II.I, lines 207-8), inspiring him to "Open-ey'd conspiracy"(II.I, line 301) for Alonso's kingship. It is only Ariel, as instrument of Prospero's "project", that prevents further destruction of family bonds. Indeed, Prospero aspires to the symbol of the usurped brother who instigates, through magic, both redemption of the family and of the court. However, Prospero "cast upon [his] brother" the rule of Milan to allow his "secret studies"(I.II, lines 75-77) and thus is unfit to govern his dukedom. His bitterness "that a brother should / Be so perfidious!" (I.II, lines 67-8) arises not from a true sense of betrayal, but from the jealousy that his brother is capable of better government, of being a better patriarch. Indeed, Prospero fails as a symbol of family redemption, for his forgiveness is laden with bitterness:

For you, most wicked sir, whom to call brother
Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive
Thy rankest fault -all of them
(V.I, lines 130-32)

and this "rankest" language serves to "infect" the sense of family reconciliation. Indeed, Antonio's response is mere silence.
All family destruction has its origins in unstable patriarchal systems -through unstable politics and greed for dominion; through imposed roles on women and children; and through faults evident in the patriarchs themselves. Redemption can only be accomplished when the patriarchal flaws of society are redressed through the female principles of compassion, fairness and equality -that is to say, when a woman no longer has to assume the guise of the patriarch (like Portia as Balthazar in The Merchant of Venice), and when a woman's integrity is no longer "counted falsehood" (The Winterís Tale, III.II, line 27).

Bibliography

Elizabeth Bieman, William Shakespeare: The Romances (Twayne Publishers 1990)

2) Shakespearian Comedy, Malcolm Bradbury & David Palmer eds., (1972)

3) G Blakemore Evans ed, The Riverside Shakespeare, second edition (Houghton Mifflin, 1997)

Alexander Leggatt, Shakespeareís Comedy of Love (1974)

5) Kenneth Muir, Shakespeare's Comic Sequence (Liverpool University Press, 1979)


_ As Bieman explains, the puer is the man "obsessed with the image of purity in woman" (William Shakespeare: The Romances, p.78), and the senex is the older, wiser, more cynical man nearing the end of his days.