Multifarious Motivational Themes and Approaches in the Verses of William Shakespeare

Abstract

This paper explores the diverse motivational forces underpinning character behaviour in William Shakespeare’s works, offering a cross-genre analysis that spans his tragedies, comedies, histories, and sonnets. While Shakespeare’s dominant themes— love, ambition, and revenge—are well documented, this study examines how motivation functions as a structural and psychological engine within his dramatic and poetic oeuvre. Drawing on close readings of key texts, including Hamlet, Macbeth, As You Like It, and Sonnets, this paper identifies recurrent patterns of internal and external motivation, such as existential crisis, gendered self-preservation, and the desire for legacy or justice. By examining the use of soliloquy, metaphor, and rhetorical ambiguity, the analysis reveals Shakespeare’s innovative portrayal of proto-psychological realism centuries ahead of modern literary or psychoanalytic theory. Ultimately, this study argues that Shakespeare’s characters are not merely archetypes but complex agents shaped by dynamic motivations, making his body of work a fertile site for continued interdisciplinary inquiry into human behaviour and literary form.