Arboreal Tradition and Subversion: An Ecocritical Reading of Shakespeare’s Portrayal of Trees, Woods and Forests

Authors

  • Andoni Cossio University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain
  • Martin Simonson University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/2083-8530.21.06

Keywords:

Shakespeare, trees, woods, forests, ecocriticism, tradition, subversion

Abstract

This paper analyses from an ecocritical standpoint the role of trees, woods and forests and their symbolism in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard II and The Tempest. The analysis begins with an outline of the representation of trees on stage to continue with a ‘close reading’ of the mentioned plays, clearly distinguishing individual trees from woods and forests. Individual types of trees may represent death, sadness, sorcery and premonitions, or serve as meeting places, while forests and woods are frequently portrayed as settings which create an atmosphere of confusion, false appearances, danger and magic. This reflects a long-standing historical connection between trees and forests and the supernatural in literature and culture. However, while individual trees largely reflect traditional symbology, conventional interpretations are often subverted in Shakespeare’s treatment of forests and woods. From all this we may infer that Shakespeare was not only familiar with the traditions associated to individual tree species and forests in general, but also that he made conscious and active use of these in order to enhance the meaning of an action, reinforce character traits, further the plot and create a specific atmosphere. More subtly, the collective arboreal environments can also be interpreted as spaces in which superstitions and older societal models are questioned in favour of a more rational and reasonable understanding of the world.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Andoni Cossio, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain

Andoni Cossio (UPV/EHU) is working on a PhD dissertation on the role of trees and forests in Tolkien’s works. He is sponsored by the Pre-doctoral Funding (PRE_2017_1_0210 MOD.:A), awarded by the Basque Government, and by the research group REWEST, funded by the Basque Government (IT-1026-16) and the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). His publications focus on nature in Tolkien’s works, and he has organized six international conferences on the Inklings in Spain.

Martin Simonson, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain

Martin Simonson received his PhD from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) with a dissertation on the narrative dynamics of The Lord of the Rings. He is the author three monographs on the literature of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S Lewis and Stephen King respectively. He has also edited several volumes on Western American Literature and German Romanticism, and he is the translator of several works by J.R.R. Tolkien into Spanish, among others Beowulf (2014), The Story of Kullervo (2015), Beren and Lúthien (2018), and The Fall of Gondolin (2019). He currently teaches 19th and 20th century English literature in the BA program of English Studies, and an introductory course on fantasy, horror and science fiction at the MA program of comparative literature offered by the University of the Basque Country.

References

Barton, Anne. The Shakespearean Forest. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139015257

Barton, Anne. “The Wild Man in the Forest.” Comparative Criticism. Spaces: Cities, Gardens and Wildernesses. Ed. E. S. Shaffer. Vol. 18. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. 21-54.
Google Scholar

Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment. London: Penguin, 1991.
Google Scholar

The Bible. Authorized King James Version. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Google Scholar

Chambers, E. K. William Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and Problems. Vol. 2. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1930.
Google Scholar

Cossio, Andoni. “Tree and Forest Models in Victorian/Edwardian Fantasy: MacDonald, Morris and Grahame as Triggers of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Creativity.” Intelligence, Creativity and Fantasy. Eds. Mario S. Ming Kong et al. London: CRC Press, 2019. 411-417.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429297755-69

Egan, Gabriel. Green Shakespeare: From Ecopolitics to Ecocriticism. New York, NY: Routledge, 2006.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203300770

Egan, Gabriel. Shakespeare. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007.
Google Scholar

Garrard, Greg. Ecocriticism. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Routledge, 2012.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203806838

Gersdorf, Catrin and Sylvia Mayer. “Nature in Literary and Cultural Studies: Defining the Subject of Ecocriticism—An Introduction.” Nature in Literary and Cultural Studies: Transatlantic Conversations on Ecocriticism. Eds. Catrin Gersdorf and Sylvia Mayer. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2006. 9-21.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789401203555_002

Harrison, Robert. Forests: The Shadow of Civilization. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 1993.
Google Scholar

Hayman, Richard. Trees, Woodlands and Western Civilization. London: Hambledon & London, 2003.
Google Scholar

Henslowe, Philip. The Diary of Philip Henslowe, from 1591 to 1609. Ed. J. P. Collier. London: Printed for the Shakespeare Society, 1845.
Google Scholar

Hooke, Della. Trees in Anglo-Saxon England. Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 2013.
Google Scholar

Kendall, Paul. “Willow.” Trees for Life. 2020. Accessed 21 May 2020. https://treesforlife.org.uk/into-the-forest/trees-plants-animals/trees/willow/willow-mythology-and-folklore/
Google Scholar

Laqueur, Thomas W. The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal Remains. Princeton, NJ, Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvc77h3r

Leland, John and Alan Baragona. Shakespeare’s Prop Room: An Inventory. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2016.
Google Scholar

Maguire, Laurie and Emma Smith. 30 Great Myths about Shakespeare. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118326770

Morton, Timothy. Ecology without Nature: Rethinking Environmental Aesthetics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2007.
Google Scholar

Nail, Sylvie. Forest Policies and Social Change in England. Berlin: Springer, 2008.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.112024

National Trust. “Ankerwycke.” National Trust. Accessed 21 May 2020. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/runnymede/features/ankerwycke
Google Scholar

Orange, James. History and Antiquities of Nottingham. Vol. 1. London: Hamilton, Adams and Co., 1840.
Google Scholar

Reynolds, George F. “‘Trees’ on the Stage of Shakespeare.” Modern Philology 5.2 (1907): 153-168. JSTOR. Accessed 21 May 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/432486
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/386737

Shakespeare, William. The Comical History of the Merchant of Venice, or Otherwise Called the Jew of Venice. The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works. Eds. Stanley Wells et al. 2nd ed. Oxford, New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2007. 454-479.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oseo/instance.00012536

Shakespeare, William. The Merry Wives of Windsor. The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works. Eds. Stanley Wells et al. 2nd ed. Oxford, New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2007. 512-536.
Google Scholar

Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works. Eds. Stanley Wells et al. 2nd ed. Oxford, New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2007. 402-423.
Google Scholar

Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works. Eds. Stanley Wells et al. 2nd ed. Oxford, New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2007. 1221-1244.
Google Scholar

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works. Eds. Stanley Wells et al. 2nd ed. Oxford, New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2007. 682-718.
Google Scholar

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of King Richard the Second. The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works. Eds. Stanley Wells et al. 2nd ed. Oxford, New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2007. 340-367.
Google Scholar

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works. Eds. Stanley Wells et al. 2nd ed. Oxford, New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2007. 970-993.
Google Scholar

Shapiro, James. 1606: Shakespeare and the Year of Lear. Paperback ed. London: Faber & Faber, 2016.
Google Scholar

Simonson, Martin. “The Arboreal Foundations of Stewardship in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Silmarillion.” English Studies in Africa. 60.2 (2017): 12-22. Accessed 21 May 2020. doi: 10.1080/00138398.2017.1406735.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00138398.2017.1406735

Slovic, Scott. “Ecocriticism: Containing Multitudes, Practicing Doctrine.” The Green Studies Reader: From Romanticism to Ecocriticism. Ed. Laurence Coupe. London, New York, NY: Routledge, 2000. 160-162.
Google Scholar

Thomas, Vivian. “Plants.” The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare. Eds. Michael Dobson et al. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015. 116. Accessed 21 May 2020. doi:10.1093/acref/9780198708735.001.0001.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780198708735.001.0001

Wells, Robin Headlam. Shakespeare’s Politics: A Contextual Introduction. London, New York, NY: Continuum, 2009.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.5040/9781472555427

Woodland Trust. “Willow, Crack (Salix Fragilis).” Woodland Trust. Accessed 21 May 2020. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/crack-willow/
Google Scholar

Downloads

Published

2020-06-30

How to Cite

Cossio, A., & Simonson, M. (2020). Arboreal Tradition and Subversion: An Ecocritical Reading of Shakespeare’s Portrayal of Trees, Woods and Forests. Multicultural Shakespeare: Translation, Appropriation and Performance, 21(36), 85–97. https://doi.org/10.18778/2083-8530.21.06

Issue

Section

Articles