Shakespeare in Popular Culture

Elijah Gabriel G.
Garcia Shakespeare in Popular Culture LCE 3

2019611782
The Pervasiveness of the Shakespearean Tragedy:
Intertextual Similarities Between Cowboy BeBop and Hamlet
William Shakespeare’s name and image have become a symbol that encompasses a variety of
qualities and a tool for reshaping other cultural objects. But these qualities are part of only one side of
his influence. One of the forces that have produced other facets of Shakespeare in our time is in the
realm of popular culture (Nunes, 2013). Although Shakespeare’s plays are nowadays associated with
high art and primarily appeal to a highbrow audience, the bard has never left the popular stage
(Domen, 2008). Shakespeare’s influence today is both ubiquitous and elusive; it is essentially a phe-
nomenon that represents an interrelated assortment of shifts that continues to re-define itself as time
passes (Purcell, 2009).
Shakespeare’s presence in popular culture is not just of relevance to the academe but society
as a whole since it operates within the realm of culture. The studies of the relationships between popu-
lar culture and Shakespeare help illuminate our understanding of the Bard’s apparent ever-lasting and
universal appeal. Although his works and likeness may not always be blatant or even alluded to, in the
eyes of some viewers, they may perceive a certain text or visual medium to have some semblance of
Shakespeare due to what their familiar with.”
This essay aims to make a broad and cursory comparison between the elements present in a
Shakespearean tragedy and in sci-fi anime Cowboy BeBop. The succeeding paragraphs aim to draw
from a number of sources to help situate what a Shakespearean tragedy is and define the necessary el -
ements that constitute it.
Tragedy and Intertextuality

Modernity has seen a widespread implementation of the formalization of standard terminol-
ogy in the academic realm. From time to time, if not all the time, research workers make use of opera -
tional definitions in order to not only establish the parameters of their thesis but also lay the founda-
tion of what they aim to prove. Jargon such as “tragedy” and “intertextuality” may be applied in dif-
ferent contexts and may have various operational definitions in different fields of academic research.
Before any attempt is made to distinguish Shakespeare from other Greek Tragedians, it is
worthy to define tragedy and highlight its features. The desire to trace a connection between the
ancient Greek tragedians and the playwrights of the Elizabethan and Jacobean theater in England, es -
pecially Shakespeare, has been a durable one, yet has been met with its fair share of skepticism
(Braden, 2017). Tragedy as a literary genre has undergone many iterations over the course of history
and is usually contrasted with comedy. It is a form of drama based on human suffering that invokes an
accompanying catharsis (Banham, 1998). Its purpose is to give pleasure to the audience, not by de-
lighting them as in comedy, but by moving them to deep spiritual experience by releasing in them a
storm of pity and terror that will expend itself and be succeeded by a “calm of mind, all passion spent
(Milton, 1900). It was Aristotle who first praised tragedy as the highest form of poetry and be -
queathed to posterity terms such as hamartia (error), catharsis (purgation), and mimesis (imitation)
(Banham, 1998). Research has affirmed the value of comparing Athenian and Shakespearean drama
on a level independent of any claim of actual influence. However, for most of the 20th century, the
consensus has been that Shakespeare and his Elizabethan era colleagues had any meaningful contact
with ancient tragedy, it was through Seneca (Braden, 2007).
A Shakespearean tragedy moves on several plains all at once and includes a variety of sub -
plots. It is reflective of the contradictions of social life during the Renaissance culture, in hindsight it
anticipated the development of realism and romanticism in the nineteenth century, and it revealed hid -
den depths of the human mind unknown to literature before (Nafi, 2018). Shakespeare‟s concept of
tragedy may be illustrated from three main points of views: First, Tragic Hero. Second, Tragic Ac-
tion i.e., Tragic Plot, and finally, Tragic Appeal i.e., Tragic Catharsis. The three aforementioned
views will be discussed in some details in the next section, through analysis of Hamlet and
Cowboy BeBop.
Finally, intertextuality is a term used by scholars to imply the overlapping of conventions in
texts and the way that audiences uses aforementioned conventions to create meaning (Allen, 2000).
Because genre, aesthetics, and narratives constantly shift, overlap, and evolve, meaning-making is an
ongoing phenomenon that accelerates as audiences become accustomed to new media form and con-
tent. Intertextuality will just be used loosely in this essay as it will try to bridge between CB and
Hamlet.
Cowboy BeBop
There is nothing strange in literature because every unit in literature owes some to
other preceding literatures. When genre is observed, it is visible that there is a common point within
all literary works. literary works have been classified as belonging to general types which were vari -
ously defined. In literature the broadest division is between poetry, prose and drama, within which
there are further divisions, such as tragedy and comedy within the category of drama. Conventional
classifications of a work to a certain genre tend to be a based on the notion that they constitute partic-
ularly enduring conventions of content (themes) and/or form (style) which are shared. At first glance,
Cowboy BeBop is as science fiction anime series since it is set in space, comes in the form of Japanese
animation, and has multiple episodes (or sessions). This classification is certainly a weak attempt to
classify it but to the ordinary viewer, that is what it is. However, actually watching the show emerges
a much more complex and intricate television series that not only supersedes the initial definition
given but also touches on other genres.
Cowboy Bebop is a critically-acclaimed Sci-Fi Japanese anime with 26 episodes (“sessions”).
The anime is panned by many critics to be one of the greatest anime of all-time and has even been la-
belled to be a gateway series to the medium (Robinson, 2009). Set in the year 2071, the anime follows
the lives of a bounty hunter crew traveling in their spaceship called the BeBop. The show is beauti-
fully animated; from the lively opening, the exciting hand-to-hand combat, the somber monotony of
being aboard Bebop, and the diversity of the galaxy it is set in, Cowboy Bebop is just fun to watch.
The opening track entitled “Tank!” kicks the show off with an explosion of loud up tempo-jazz ac-
companied with a short opening monologue. It grabs your attention with the bright colours and crawl -
ing graphics and, to be honest, it is one opening I do not skip. The reason why I brought it up is one of
the opening epithets that a lot of people may not notice;
“in 2071 in the universe... The bounty hunters, who are gathering in the spaceship
"BEBOP", will play freely without fear of risky things. They must create new dreams
and films by breaking traditional styles. The work, which becomes a new genre
itself, will be called... COWBOY BEBOP.”
Cowboy BeBop integrates many genres. The series covers a wide range of genres and draws most
heavily from science fiction, the western, and noir.
Despite having the word “cowboy” in the title, the anime pans to conventions of the Western
genre. Peter French (1997) notes death to be an essential element to the Western genre saying it is
about a dead man’s walk. Characters have been defeated and have lived with death in a cause as they
saw either an inescapable duty or as romantic. This trope pointed out is evident in Spike. Spike mean -
ders through life on Bebop as an escape from his tragic past. Spike, a former member of the Red
Dragon crime syndicate, wanted to escape with the love of his life; it was revealed however that after
he faked his death his significant other left him leaving him at disarray. Spike can never truly relin-
quish himself of his bloody past; much like Hamlet. It is a stretch to allude Hamlet to be a Western for
a number of reasons. French (2007) notes after all that the westerner is not out for a vengeance, which
is the reason for Hamlet’s prolonged revenge carried out at the exodus of the play. But, on the argu-
ment of intertextuality it is possible to see the connection. Furthermore, the westerner’s wrongs al -
ways relate to some harm suffered by him directly or by someone with whom he has established a re -
lationship with (French, 2007). This sentiment is present in both heroes of Spike and Hamlet.
Cowboy Bebop and Hamlet as Tragedies

As stated earlier, Shakespeare’s tragedy may be characterized with the presence of a Tragic
Hero, Tragic Action, (Tragic Plot) and Tragic Appeal/Catharsis (Nafi, 2018). Tragedy with Shake -
speare is concerned always with persons of “high degree” who eventually will suffer through a dispo-
sitional flaw (Bradley, 1965). Shakespeare intended to depict his tragic heroes as men in the
grip of a remorseless fate over which they had no control. Spike Spiegel is a tragic hero. He was a
member of high status within the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate who is destined to suffer a bloody end.
Spike’s central flaw is his disassociating apathy, masquerading it by being cool and easy going. The
emotional stasis he subjects himself to in order to escape his past is a result of his guilt. He is in a con -
stant state of questioning his existence. Spike is so emotionally chained to his pasts that he can only
live in the moment. To him, each session/episode is a fleeting high that distracts him from the life he
would have to rebuild. A striking feature of Hamlet and Spike’s character is melancholy. Melancholy
is the result of their speculative and contemplative mind manifested by their existential despair and
hesitation to do what must be done. As Liang (2015) further notes, tragic disasters typically result
from a character’s action, which springs from various flawed dispositions.
The action of the play is the outcome of the character of the hero. The calamities of tragedy
do not simply happen, nor are they sent by a supernatural power; they proceed mainly from the ac -
tions of men (Nafi, 2018). The aforementioned flaw of Spike along with the passiveness of dealing
with his past inevitably catches up to him and destines him to suffer his tragic fate in the end. With
Shakespeare, character is destiny. Much like Hamlet, Spike ultimately “contributes to the disaster in
which he perishes” and “the center of the tragedy lies in action issuing from character, or in character
issuing in action” (Bradley, 1965).
The term tragic justice denotes that good may go unrewarded, but evil cannot remain unpun-
ished and that an evil person can never escape scot-free. This we find in Shakespeare to a consider-
able extent; villainy never flourishes in the end. Tragic Appeal ultimately refers to our feelings to -
wards the characters in the play and impression left by the unfolding of the tragedy in our minds.
Both Cowboy Bebop and Hamlet are bittersweet tragedies. Both mediums have plots that are centered
on themes of fulfilling one’s destiny through revenge and reluctance to act and both end in the demise
of the hero. In particular, what makes Cowboy BeBop are themes it covers. The most recurring the-
matic focal points include existentialism, adult existential ennui, loneliness, and escapism from the
past. The past is the crux of the characters’ suffering. Ultimately, it catches up to them and in the end
it led to somber realizations, bittersweet departures, and a tragic ending. By the end, the core charac -
ters of BeBop liberate themselves from their past and are no longer in the emotional stasis they once
were.
With the closing epithet, it serves as a cautionary statement that decisions of our past linger
and will eventually catch up to us. Viewers are reminded that the weight that is at once the load of our
past and also the promise and burden of unrealized hopes and aspirations for the future is something
we all have to carry
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Elijah Gabriel G.

Garcia Shakespeare in Popular Culture LCE 3

Tragedy and Intertextuality

Cowboy Bebop and Hamlet as Tragedies

Allen, G. (2000.) Intertextuality. London: Routledge.

Braden G. (2017). Classical Greek Tragedy and Shakespeare. Classical Receptions

Robinson, T. (2009). Gateways To Geekery: Anime. The A.V. Club. The Onion.

Shaughnessy, R. (Ed.). (2007). The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and

Purcell, S. (2009) Popular Shakespeare: Simulation and Subversion on the Modern

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