The Revnger's Tragedy
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| Assignment Type | Term Paper |
|---|---|
| Subject | N/A |
| Academic Level | Undergraduate |
| Citation Style | MLA |
| Length | 2 pages |
| Word Count | 620 |
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Revenger’s Tragedy: A Passage Analysis
The Revenger’s Tragedy, a work frequently attributed to Cyril Tourneur, illustrates thematic of lust and ambition within the backdrop of the Italian court system. The work employs satire, contradictory language and exaggerations to draw attention to the corruption and absurd nature of the subject. Specifically, it is the contradictory language employed by the author that provides greater connectivity to the satirical nature of the work. In the selected passage, there are several examples of contradictions, illogical and paradoxical mechanisms that reflect the general tendency of the work as a whole. The significance of these mechanisms lies in the author’s perspective of the court’s absurdity. Philosophically, the court system is supposed to be a place of honor, justice and distinction. The court presented by Tourneur, has no such distinctions. As a result, what the court is supposed to be and what it is are diametrically opposed. Using contradictory language and illogical thought patterns in the writing, therefore, reflects the larger context of the work thereby attracting more attention to the greater contradictions of the setting itself.
In the first two lines of the selected passage, the terms “noble poison” and “Innocent villain” are both used. The adjectives selected by the author to describe the two nouns are either blatantly opposite or illogical. Poison, for example, is generally regarded as dangerous or something to avoid. Attaching a description of “noble,” therefore, would appear illogical or contradictory if it were considered only by itself without consideration of the larger themes. Similarly, an “innocent villain,” is a pairing of words that would be opposite of justice. A villain, in a conventional sense or in a sense of a just system would be guilty and not innocent. An innocent villain implies that something is asunder within the conventional understanding of human logic. As the speaker in the passage continues, they point to something larger at play that makes such contradictions possible. In this regard, the speaker states that they have “made strange fellows” as a result of the “innocent villain” paradigm. The corruption that is thematically tied to the greater work is referenced as the mechanism that is making such illogical or contradictory dynamics a reality. Though not as overt, the use of a “slave” as a potential source of strong information in the passage is also contradictory to the expressed positions of the time. A slave, by their nature in society, was deemed to be inferior or of lesser stock than others. For the speaker to suggest that a “slave” had some degree of wisdom or insight not present in the court is therefore another strategy that reflects a contradictory logic to the entire equation of justice presented.
Holistically, the selected examples in this passage are not something unique to this section of the work. They strategically tie into the larger satire of the setting itself. Similarly, the image of “blood” in the passage ties violence to the court, which should be an entity trying to fix violence through justice. Irony, being the exact opposite of its intended purpose, is the key element that binds all of the themes in the passage. It is ironic that court is full of ambition and lust since it is supposed to be a beacon of justice in human society. Similarly, it could be considered ironic that poison is noble or a villain innocent. Had the examples in the selected passage been isolated and not reflected to broader themes in the work, their inclusion by the author would have been more perplexing. When looked within the perspective of the greater context, however, they make sense for the meaning that is trying to be crafted by the author.
Works Cited
The Revenger’s Tragedy, a work frequently attributed to Cyril Tourneur, illustrates thematic of lust and ambition within the backdrop of the Italian court system. The work employs satire, contradictory language and exaggerations to draw attention to the corruption and absurd nature of the subject. Specifically, it is the contradictory language employed by the author that provides greater connectivity to the satirical nature of the work. In the selected passage, there are several examples of contradictions, illogical and paradoxical mechanisms that reflect the general tendency of the work as a whole. The significance of these mechanisms lies in the author’s perspective of the court’s absurdity. Philosophically, the court system is supposed to be a place of honor, justice and distinction. The court presented by Tourneur, has no such distinctions. As a result, what the court is supposed to be and what it is are diametrically opposed. Using contradictory language and illogical thought patterns in the writing, therefore, reflects the larger context of the work thereby attracting more attention to the greater contradictions of the setting itself.
In the first two lines of the selected passage, the terms “noble poison” and “Innocent villain” are both used. The adjectives selected by the author to describe the two nouns are either blatantly opposite or illogical. Poison, for example, is generally regarded as dangerous or something to avoid. Attaching a description of “noble,” therefore, would appear illogical or contradictory if it were considered only by itself without consideration of the larger themes. Similarly, an “innocent villain,” is a pairing of words that would be opposite of justice. A villain, in a conventional sense or in a sense of a just system would be guilty and not innocent. An innocent villain implies that something is asunder within the conventional understanding of human logic. As the speaker in the passage continues, they point to something larger at play that makes such contradictions possible. In this regard, the speaker states that they have “made strange fellows” as a result of the “innocent villain” paradigm. The corruption that is thematically tied to the greater work is referenced as the mechanism that is making such illogical or contradictory dynamics a reality. Though not as overt, the use of a “slave” as a potential source of strong information in the passage is also contradictory to the expressed positions of the time. A slave, by their nature in society, was deemed to be inferior or of lesser stock than others. For the speaker to suggest that a “slave” had some degree of wisdom or insight not present in the court is therefore another strategy that reflects a contradictory logic to the entire equation of justice presented.
Holistically, the selected examples in this passage are not something unique to this section of the work. They strategically tie into the larger satire of the setting itself. Similarly, the image of “blood” in the passage ties violence to the court, which should be an entity trying to fix violence through justice. Irony, being the exact opposite of its intended purpose, is the key element that binds all of the themes in the passage. It is ironic that court is full of ambition and lust since it is supposed to be a beacon of justice in human society. Similarly, it could be considered ironic that poison is noble or a villain innocent. Had the examples in the selected passage been isolated and not reflected to broader themes in the work, their inclusion by the author would have been more perplexing. When looked within the perspective of the greater context, however, they make sense for the meaning that is trying to be crafted by the author.
Works Cited