Catalog of the Shakespeare Art Collection -- Shakespeare's Lovers, Lusters & Losers
Shakespeare's
Lovers, Lusters & Losers
by Hannah Tompkins
Mixed Media on Brown Paper: conte crayon, chalk, crayon, watercolor and
ink. 9-1/2" x 12".
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Illustrated: |
Others: Romeo & Juliet (R&J) Hamlet & Ophelia (HAML) Hotspur & Lady Percy (H. IV Pt. 1) Antony & Cleopatra (A&C)
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Losers: Philosophically, we are all losers, in one way or another. Some are born so, others fall into the pit accidentally while still others are pushed in, by Destiny, circumstances or by devious manipulators. Every loss is painful, be it a crown, a reputation or a friend. But the most difficult to reconcile is the irrevocable loss of a love and lovers. The above list is drawn from this last group. In Shakespeare there is a wide range of such losses and just as varied are the causes. According to his own confession, Shakespeare's Richard III was a born loser, a condition that was aggravated by his lust for power. This could also apply to Macbeth, who, despite his rise to the crown, was like Richard a born loser, although it's easy to blame the witches. Othello was pushed in by jealousy: Coriolanus was tripped by his own pride, and Brutus' plunge was an accident, blinded as he was by the phantom of 'honor'. They were losers all, who made the final surrender through violence, murder, assassination, suicide or madness. Yet, the loves that were shared were meaningful to the lovers, therefore tragic for its losers..
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