E X T E N S I O N SHAKESPEARE S THEMES AND SOURCES It has often been said that Shakespeare is a universal writer, that he is, in a sense, still contemporary to us. This is so because he treated themes, problems, feelings and passions which have always existed and will always characterise the human soul. This, added to his greatness as a writer, is the reason why he still is so popular nowadays. Themes In the Great Tragedies, the ruin of the protagonists is caused by a fatal fault or sin1. In Macbeth it is his and his wife s uncontrolled ambition: at the beginning of the tragedy Macbeth is a glorious2 and loyal general, but the desire to get the crown makes him and his wife kill the king with terrible consequences for everybody. In King Lear, it is the protagonist s lack of common sense which prevents him from distinguishing the good people from the bad ones. So, he trusts two of his daughters who are evil and do not love him, while he disowns3 the third one, Cordelia, the only one who really loves him and comes to his help when her sisters betray4 him. The consequence of Lear s bad choice will be his death and that of Cordelia and several other characters. In Othello, it is the protagonist s jealousy5 of his wife and the hate and envy6 of one of his of cers, Jago, which leads to the death of Othello s innocent wife and Othello himself, while it is the need for revenge which moves Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, and is the rst cause of all the deaths which take place in that tragedy. Othello country or to a person, often doing harmful things to them. 5. jealousy: an angry feeling when you think that the person you love likes someone else. 6. envy: the feeling when you wish for something that someone else has. 1. sin: the breaking of a moral or religious law. 2. glorious: someone deserving admiration and honour. 3. to disown: to refuse to maintain any connection with someone who was close to you. 4. to betray: not to be loyal to your 50