Shakespeare in Star Wars: A War of Clones and Roses

O now, who will behold

The royal captain of this ruined band

Walking from watch to watch, from tent to tent….

For forth he goes and visits all his host,

Bids them good morrow with a modest smile,

And calls them brothers, friends, and countrymen.    (Henry V, 4.1.29-35)

     A comedy ends in a wedding.  A tragedy ends with a pile of bodies.  How does a history end? Reality is less thematically cohesive than fiction, so stories based on real events are less often linked by archetypes.  Life is full of small comedies and tragedies, and a history can contain either. Histories do not necessarily have a binding format. Shakespeare's histories, however, have certain traits in common that link them strongly. They are legacy stories, a small part of a larger tragedy or comedy.   Some end happily, others sorrowfully, but they all focus on the same set of moral values. While his comedies focus on the morality of marriage and his tragedies on the questions of death, Shakespeare's histories expound on the nature of leadership by following powerful men through their often questionable decisions.  Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes a similar aim, focusing on the actions of the Jedi, particularly Anakin Skywalker, as they fight against the Separatists. 

     One set of similarities between Shakespeare's histories and The Clone Wars is the overarching narrative they each tell a part of.  Most of Shakespeare's histories tell of a part of The Wars of the Roses, a series of disputes over the throne of England in the 15th century.  Two rival factions vied for the monarchy through both political maneuvering and open warfare for several decades. Shakespeare's histories primarily follow the kings from the House of Lancaster, Henry IV, V, and VI.  The Clone Wars is also about power disputes.  The war began when the Confederacy seceded from the Republic.  Both the histories and The Clone Wars often ask the same moral questions about war.  When is war justified? Shakespeare asks whether it is right to go to war in order to achieve a position of power in Henry V.  Ahsoka considers her part in the war when she meets the pacifist Lurmens, and again when she and Padmé meet the Separatist Bonteris.  Should leaders feel responsible for the deaths of their soldiers? Henry V does not believe so, as long as the war is for a just cause.  Pong Krell and the Kaminoans also treat the lives of soldiers with disturbing disinterest. The similar circumstances serve as a backdrop for the discussion of similar themes.

     Shakespeare was a patron of the royal family.  Because of this, he could not safely write overtly negative things about the kings.  Instead, he had to express his opinions more subtly. The kings in the histories are often good on the surface.  They honor their word. They lead well in battle. Henry V in particular has a strong sense of camaraderie with his men.  However, he also has a violent temper and unquenchable ambition. In many ways Henry V is similar to Anakin Skywalker. Both Henry and Anakin appear to have a special fate ahead.  Henry is destined for the throne of England. Anakin is the Chosen One, and is fated to bring balance to the Force. These are the life stories of men we already know will become great.  Anakin, like Henry, possesses a sense of brotherhood with the men he fights alongside. Both men achieve brilliant military victories against insurmountable odds. These victories display the incredible capability of these two men, but like Henry, Anakin has a dark side.  He has a dangerous temper like Henry as well, raising the question of whether Henry will end up like Anakin does. Each is also irresponsible to some degree. Before he was king, Henry kept the company of fools and thieves who frequented taverns and robbed travellers. He says to himself that this is intentionally done to make his rise to the throne more incredible, but once he is king, he still shows a lack of accountability.  He places all the responsibility for the war with the Bishop of Canterbury and refuses to accept the weight of the death of his men. Anakin is also irresponsible, though it shows itself differently. Several times he runs away from his forces and disobeys orders in order to take on another mission. There is a difference between the irresponsibility of Anakin and Henry however. While Anakin is presented as an impetuous hero, Henry seems to follow morally questionable ambitions.  This is not to say that Anakin does not ever make questionable decisions like Henry. His secret marriage to Padmé was full of potential problems. The same is true of Henry and Katherine's marriage. However, both men pressed on regardless of these difficulties. Henry and Anakin have many of the same weaknesses, concealed by similar strengths and abilities.

     Unlike Shakespeare's comedies or tragedies, there are few characters in his histories with a direct analog in Star Wars.  C-3PO could be compared to the foolish and pompous Falstaff. An argument could be made for Joan of Arc being similar to Ventress.  Richard III's plotting has similarities to Darth Maul's conquest of Mandalore. However, the real similarities between Shakespeare's histories and The Clone Wars are in their themes.  Leadership, war ethics, and politics dominate both stories.  Though they are part of a larger comedy or tragedy, histories have unique characteristics of their own.  They tell the beginnings of the legacies of great men.

Shakespeare in Star Wars: The Tragedy of Anakin Skywalker

Many of Shakespeare's greatest plays are tragedies.  The tragic genre allows the author to delve into humanity and morality at a deeper level than others.  Tragedies have the opposite pattern to comedies. Comedies begin with a problem and have a happy ending, usually a wedding.  Tragedies, on the other hand, begin with a character of high status and often great wealth before his life falls apart, and many people end up dead.  Ambition and revenge are also typical of Shakespeare's tragedies. Though many stories outside of Shakespeare fit into this pattern as well, the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy is a particularly good example of these similarities.

     A key part of tragedies is the setup.  The circumstances must be exactly right for everything to fall apart at once, and there are many circumstances hovering on the brink of disaster throughout the Prequel Trilogy.  The Phantom Menace does not contain nearly as many tragic elements as the other two movies, but some are still present.  The Jedi Order was unprepared for the return of a powerful enemy like the Sith, much as Julius Caesar did not expect hostility from the Roman politicians.  In both cases, complacency and a lack of preparation set the stage for tragic events. Another critical circumstance in setting into motion the events of Revenge of the Sith is the romance between Anakin and Padmé.  Like Romeo and Juliet, the couple are not allowed to be in love, so they marry in secret.  Weddings are usually a symbol of happiness in Shakespeare, but secret weddings foreshadow tragedy.  A wedding is a joyful occasion with feasting and fellowship, so to have one without guests is to undermine the happiness of the celebration.  In Shakespeare, a wedding without guests leads to tragedy, not joy. The same will ultimately be true of Padmé and Anakin. In addition, Palpatine carefully grooms Anakin's ambition to prepare him for his tragic role.  The evil counselor is ubiquitous within the tragedies. Lady Macbeth stokes her husband's desire for the crown. The ghost of Hamlet's father goads him to take revenge on his uncle. Iago convinces Othello to distrust Desdemona and Cassio.  This type of character actively works towards the tragic outcome and is often the main contributor to its realization. The combination of unprepared leadership, improper passion, and uninhibited ambition has all the makings of a tragic downfall.  

     The causes of tragedy, however, are not the only shared element.  The motivations and actions of tragic protagonists are also similar.  Most tragic protagonists fall into one of two categories: the vengeful hero or the ambitious villain.  Hamlet is an example of the vengeful hero archetype. He seeks to kill his uncle for murdering his father and then marrying his mother.  He loses sight of almost everything as he contemplates, and eventually succeeds in, killing his uncle. Anakin follows much the same pattern, though Palpatine convinces him to attack the wrong people.  By the end of Revenge of the Sith, Anakin views the Jedi Order the same way Hamlet viewed Claudius: as an evil usurper.  He feels betrayed, especially by Obi-wan, who, much like Gertrude, has chosen to side with his enemy.  In the process of achieving his "justice," Anakin estranges Padmé, leading to her death, just as Hamlet induces Ophelia's insanity and suicide.  The obvious difference is that Anakin's usurping Claudius is not truly the Jedi Order, but Palpatine himself. However, he does reconcile his mistake in Return of the Jedi when he finally defeats the Emperor, like Hamlet, at the cost of his own life.  The tragedies, and Hamlet in particular, are characterized by soliliquys, when a character expresses his inner thoughts and turmoil to the audience.  This is not a common element in film, but one can imagine the battle ensuing in Anakin's head as he waits for Palpatine's arrest in the Council chamber.  Often, however, Anakin's struggle is expressed in his conversations with other characters. Hamlet contemplates the nature of death, while Anakin seeks advice from Yoda.  Hamlet questions the depth of his own sorrow at his father's death whereas Anakin confides in Padmé about his reaction to his mother's. Much like Hamlet, Anakin is a vengeful hero.

     Anakin is not purely a vengeful hero though.  He also has many of the characteristics of an ambitious villain like Macbeth.  Macbeth was a faithful and honorable thane, even killing MacDonwald, the leader of a rebellion against King Duncan.  It was not until three witches gave him a prophecy that he would be king that Macbeth's ambition began to take hold of him.  Similarly, Anakin Skywalker was a renowned military genius who killed the supposed leader of the Separatists, Count Dooku, before his own downfall.  Both Macbeth and Anakin killed the leaders of rebellious uprisings before becoming one themselves. Unsurprisingly, this foreshadows their own fates.  Both are awarded promotions for their victory: Anakin, a seat on the Jedi council, and Macbeth the rule of Cawdor, but each holds a flame of ambition that desires more.   In their quest for power, both Anakin and Macbeth become demented and inhuman. Their loss of humanity is demonstrated through killing of the innocent. Macbeth has Macduff's wife and son killed and attempts to kill Banquo's son as well.  Anakin shows his remorselessness by killing the younglings in the Jedi Temple. Macbeth's ambition is stoked by his wife and the prophecy that he will be king while Anakin is the subject of a prophecy of his own and a mentor's deceit. One person is skeptical of the prophecy's fulfillment however: Mace Windu.  Windu, like Banquo, warns against putting too much faith in prophecies and distrusts Anakin's counselor. In part for this reason, both Windu and Banquo are killed. Though driven by fate, both Macbeth and Anakin also seek to defy fate. Macbeth sees a vision of a line of kings descended from Banquo, and kills him to prevent it.  Anakin sees a vision of Padmé's death and does all that he can to prevent it. This selective acceptance of fate leads to each believing himself to be invincible, always a precursor to defeat. Obi-wan is Anakin's Macduff, showing up once disaster is already in motion to end its cause. Like Macduff, he faces the full extent of his enemy's delusion and desperation in a duel before brutally defeating him. Macbeth's descent into madness is not isolated however.  He is accompanied by his wife, who eventually commits suicide to escape the world her husband has thrown into chaos. Padmé too loses the will to live due to her husband's insanity and destruction. However, the wife of the ambitious villain is not the only one who is thrown into despair at his struggle for power. Many die both attacking and defending Macbeth's castle of Dunsinane, and the entire kingdom goes dark as a symbol of the usurpation of proper rule. Scotland itself bears the greatest burden of his madness.  Anakin's ambition has even graver consequences, subduing entire planets under the opression of the Galactic Empire for nearly thirty years. Macbeth is not the only example of the ambitious villain.  Julius Caesar and Coriolanus follow similar patterns.  Each time, the protagonist throws aside conventional ideas of what constitutes rightful rule to advance his own position, while ascribing to himself noble ideals.  This always brings about chaos and tyranny. Curiously, in almost every instance, the protagonist's wife commits suicide as a result. Though Anakin has the marks of the vengeful hero archetype, he is clearly an ambitious villain as well.

     How can Anakin be both hero and villain?  He obviously becomes a villain as the trilogy progresses, but the audience remembers the good man he was.  Though his actions are unquestionably wrong, the viewer holds on to the hope that there is still good in him somewhere.  He becomes a villain, but the memory of the hero remains. Although the Prequel Trilogy has become somewhat of a punchline in popular culture, it is not fitting to forget the potential that lies within it.  It has incredibly strong ties to Hamlet, Macbeth, and Julius Caesar, three of the greatest works written by arguably the greatest author who ever lived.  The tragedy genre allows the creator to dig into moral and existential issues like no other.  Though Anakin's emotion may leave something to be desired, the story of his tragic downfall is highly compelling and the perfect introduction to the redemption of the Original Trilogy.