THEME: DARK COMEDY

Question 1

points

Answer 1

• Shakespeare made this originally to spite his audience who wanted comedy
• set it up as a tragedy all the characters are tragic and the ending is arguably a disguised tragedy
• the play’s covert message may be a satire of authority; the duke is bad so is angelo the ones who suffered recieved silence, puppets who have expired their purpose
• the happy ending is given by the duke, essentially a satire on how the powerful pretend to be giving and charitable but it is really for their own image as well as benefit.
• the ending of the play is like a literary depiction of tenebrism.

Question 2

Tenebrism (act 5)

Answer 2

Tenebrism is a term derived from the Italian ‘tenebroso’ which means darkened and obscuring. It is used to describe a certain type of painting in which significant details are illuminated by highlights which are contrasted with a predominantly dark setting.

This is probably a stretch but shakespeare presents the last act in a literary tenebrism, the play is centered predominantly around dark and tragic characters, a dark and ungodly setting along with themes of promiscuity, damnation and death.

the darkness of these subject matters illuminates the themes of mercy and justice, as well as puts the duke in the spotlight as the carrier of these hopeful messages. despite having a darkness within himself, the duke is largely presented as a divine being, with pure intentions. this exaggerated illumination of good among the evil may be satirical. depicting there is no real good among these characters -they are all complex and flawed in their own right in the end there is no moral ‘win’.