From Mirror Stage to Subjectivity: Exploring the Gaze in Shakespeare's Othello and Cyril Tourneur's The Revenger's Tragedy

• Main Authors: Shu-juen Chang, 張淑鈞
• Other Authors: Hsiang-chun Chu
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/52511224208214234934

碩士 === 國立彰化師範大學 === 英語學系 === 97 === Drawing on Lacanian psychoanalytic perspective, the thesis analyzes Othello and Iago in William Shakespeare’s Othello and the Duke, Lussurioso and Vindice in Cyril Tourneur’s The Revenger’s Tragedy. The thesis explores the characters’ identification with their images and fantasy from Lacanian perspective of the gaze. These characters can realize their misrecognition and establish subjectivity after traversing the fantasy. The thesis consists of five chapters. The first part is the introduction of various scholars’ argument about subjectivity. Review of criticism and chapter description will be presented in order. In Chapter One, the thesis aims at exploring Lacanian ego and subjectivity from the perspective of the gaze and desire. Three grammatical voices of the gaze (to gaze, to gaze oneself and to be gazed) manifests a subject’s misrecognition from the Mirror Stage to the Symbolic, but the passive voice leaves a hope for a subject to traverse the fantasy. Lacanian graph of desire indicates a path from traversing the fantasy to subjectivity. Chapter Two focuses on the ego formation of Othello, the Duke and Lussurioso based on Lacanian gaze. The thesis will analyze their desire and anxiety while they identify with their mirror reflection or the Other. Iago and Vindice, the gazers exploring their enemies’ desire, manipulate them through language or disguises. In Chapter Three, the thesis analyzes how the characters traverse the fantasy to subjectivity. Because of Emilia’s accusation, Othello traverses the fantasy. He accepts his lack and decides his future. Conversely, the Duke and Lussurioso fail to discover Vindice’s disguises and face their downfall. The thesis also explores the misidentification of Iago and Vindice and examines their reactions after traversing the fantasy. The final chapter compares misrecognition and subjectivity of each character. The thesis concludes that every man may be deluded in his images. Yet he can realize his misidentification after traversing the fantasy and establish subjectivity without the control of the Other.