TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF THE PLOT OF THE FIVE PLAYS.
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. An Action-Drama. Scheme of Actions. | Main Plot. | | | First Main Cross Nemesis Action: Story of the Jew: complicated and resolved. | | { | Sub-Action to First Main, also Link Action: Jessica and Lorenzo: simple movement. | } | Underplot. | | Comic Relief Action: Launcelot; stationary[7]. | | Sub-Action to Second Main: Episode of the Rings: complicated and resolved. | | Second Main Problem Action: Caskets Story: simple movement. | External Circumstance[8]: The (rumoured) Shipwrecks.
Economy. Two Main Actions connected by Common Personage [Bassanio] and by Link Action [Jessica]. General Interweaving. Balance. The First Main Action, which is complicated, balances the Second, which is simple, by the additions to the latter of the Jessica interest transferred to it, and the Episode of the Rings generated out of it. [Pages 82, 88.]
Movement. Action-Movement: with Contrary Motion between the two Main Actions. The First Main complicated and resolved by the Second Main [hero of Second, Bassanio, is Complicating Force; heroine of Second, Portia, is Resolving Force], the Complication assisted by the External Circumstance of the Shipwrecks—in process of resolving the First generates a Complication to the Second in the form of the Episode of the Rings, which is self-resolved. [Pages 66, 282.] Passion-Movement in the background: Wave-Line of Strain and Relief by alternation of the two main Stories; the Episode of the Rings is Final Relief to the Final Strain of the Trial.
Turning-points. Centre of Plot: Scene of Bassanio's Choice (iii. ii.) in which the Complicating and Resolving Forces are united and all the Four Actions meet. [Pages 67-8.] Catastrophe: Portia's Judgment in the Trial (iv. i, from 299).
RICHARD THE THIRD. A Passion-Drama. Scheme of Actions. Main Nemesis Action: Life and Death of Richard.
| Underplot: System of Cross Nemesis Actions connecting Main with York side of Enveloping Action. | | Clarence has betrayed the Lancastrians for the sake of the House of York: | | He falls by a treacherous death from the King of the House of York.—To this the Queen and her kindred have been assenting parties [ii. ii. 62-5]: | | The shock of Clarence's death as announced by Gloster kills the King (ii. i. 131), leaving the Queen and her kindred at the mercy of their enemies.—Unseemly Exultation of their great enemy Hastings: | | The same treachery step by step overtakes Hastings in his Exultation [iii. iv. 15-95].—In this treacherous casting off of Hastings when he will no longer support them Buckingham has been a prime agent [iii. i, from 157, iii. ii. 114]: | | By precisely similar treachery Buckingham himself is cast off when he hesitates to go further with Richard [iv. ii. and v. i.] | Link Nemesis Action connecting Main with Lancaster side of Enveloping Action: Marriage of Richard and Anne (p. 113). Enveloping Nemesis Action: The War of the Roses [the Duchess of York introduced to mark the York side, Queen Margaret to mark the Lancastrian side]. Economy. All the Actions bound together by the Enveloping Action of which they make up a phase. Parallelism: the common form of Nemesis. Central Personage: Richard.
Movement. Passion-Movement, with Similar Motion [form Nemesis repeated throughout (page 282)].
Turning-points. Centre of Plot: Realisation of Margaret's Curses [turn of Enveloping Action] in iii. iii. 15. Catastrophe: Realisation of Nemesis in the Main Action: iv. ii, from 45.
MACBETH. A Passion-Drama. Scheme of Actions. | { | Main Character Action: Rise and Fall of Macbeth. | | Character Counter-Action: Lady Macbeth. | | { | Character Sub-Action: covering and involved in the Rise: Banquo. | | Character Sub-Action: covering and involving the Fall: Macduff. [Pages 129, 142.] | Enveloping Supernatural Action: The Witches. Economy. Parallelism: Triple form of Nemesis, Irony and Oracular Action extending to the Main Action, to its parts the Rise and Fall separately, and through to the Enveloping Action. Contrast as a bond between the Main and Counter-Action. Balance: the Rise by the Fall, the Sub-Action to the Rise by the Sub-Action to the Fall. [Page 276.]
Movement. Passion Movement, with Similar Motion between all.
Turning-points. Centre of Plot: Change from unbroken success to unbroken failure: iii. iii. 18. [Page 127.]
Catastrophe: Divided: First Shock of Nemesis; Appearance of Banquo's Ghost: iii. iv. Final Accumulation of Nemesis: Revelation of Macduff's birth: v. viii. 12.
JULIUS CÆSAR. A Passion-Drama. Scheme of Actions. Main Nemesis Action: Rise and Fall of the Republican Conspirators.
| { | Sub-Action to the Rise [Character-decline]: The Victim CÆsar. | | Sub-Action to the Fall [Character-rise]: The Avenger Antony. | Enveloping Action: the Roman Mob.
Economy. Balance about the Centre: the Rise by the Fall, the Sub-Action to the Rise by the Sub-Action to the Fall.
Movement. Passion-Movement, with Similar Motion between the Main and Sub-Actions. [The form of the Main is distributed between the two Sub-Actions: compare page 282.]
Turning-points. The Centre of Plot and Catastrophe coincide: iii. i. between 121 and 122.
KING LEAR. A Passion-Drama. Scheme of Actions. Main Plot: a Problem Action: Family of Lear: falling into Generating Action: [the Problem]. Lear's unstable settlement of the kingdom, power transferred from the good to the bad.
| System of Tragedies [the Solution]. | | Double Nemesis Action: Lear receiving good from the injured and evil from the favoured children. | | Tragic Action: Cordelia: Suffering of the innocent. | | Tragic Action: Goneril and Regan: Evil passions endowed with power using it to work their own destruction. | Underplot: an Intrigue Action: Family of Gloucester: falling into Generating Action: [the Intrigue]. Gloucester deceived into reversing the positions of Edgar and Edmund.
| System of Tragedies [its Nemesis]. | | Double Nemesis Action: Gloucester receiving good from the injured and evil from the favoured child. | | Tragic Action: Edgar: Suffering of the innocent. | | Tragic Action: Edmund: Power gained by intrigue used for the destruction of the intriguer. | Central Link Personage between Main Plot and Underplot: Gloucester (page 283). | Sub-Actions, linking Main and Underplot, or different elements of the Main together. | | First Pair: | { | From the good side of the Main: Kent. | } | Crossing & complicating one another. | | From the evil side of the Main: Oswald. | | Second Pair: | { | From the good side of the Main assisting Nemesis on Evil Agent of the Underplot: Albany. | | From the evil side of the Main assisting Nemesis on Good Victim of the Underplot: Cornwall. | | Third Pair: Cross Intrigues between the Evil sides of Main and Underplot { Goneril and Edmund Regan and Edmund } culminating in destruction of all three (v. iii. 96, 221-7, and compare 82 with 160). | Farcical Relief Action: The Fool: Stationary. Enveloping Action: The French War: originating ultimately in the Initial Action and becoming the Objective of the DÉnouement. [Page 273.]
Economy. The Underplot dependent to the Main (page 276). Especially: Parallelism and Contrast (page 277). Central Linking by Gloucester. Interweaving: Linking by Sub-Actions, &c., and movement to a common Objective. Envelopment in Common Enveloping Action.
Movement. Passion-Movement, with Convergent Motion between the Main and Underplot, and their parts: the Lear and Gloucester systems by the visit to Gloucester's Castle drawn to a Central Focus and then moving towards a common Objective in the Enveloping Action. [Page 282.]
Turning-points. Catastrophe: at the end of the Initial Action, the Problem being set up in practical action. [Page 205.] Centre of Plot: the summit of emotional agitation when three madnesses are brought into contact (page 223).
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