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Replies | Post Reply | Shakespeare Queries From Genuinely Interested Students 3.15.97: Top | Help
You wrote:
>>>The climax is the moment of highest tension, when
all the buildup that's been going on all evening is
suddenly resolved. <<<Thank you. Your answer was right on target, and correct, of course.
I am aware of a school of thought (or, perhaps, vocabulary)
which seeks to label the "turning point" of a literary work
as the "climax." I believe this has led to much confusion.
I have even seen high school literature texts which make
this error, which only serves to confuse students, I believe.I know of a text which labels Caesar's death in _Julius
Caesar_ as the "climax." I also know of one which labels
the murder of Polonius as such. Yes, these moments do
represent a sort of a "turning point." Yes, they
are important scenes, in the plot structure.They do not, however, represent the Aristotilean
definition of the word "climax." They are NOT
the equivalent of Oedipus' moment of recognition,
and they do not equate with any definition of the
word which have seen published.If Polonius' murder represents the "climax," then
Shakespeare wrote one hell of a long "denouement."
And, one hell of an exciting one, at that.-Bruce
Posted by Bruce Spielbauer on March 29, 1997 at 15:53:25
In Reply to "Climax: Hamlet killing Claudius" posted by John Lazarus on March 26, 1997 at 23:12:34
Replies | Post Reply | Shakespeare Queries From Genuinely Interested Students 3.15.97: Top | Help