King John Posthumus Hotheadedness Quotes

A common character attribute found Shakespeare’s male protagonists is that of being hotheaded. He uses this characteristic to insert aspects of different genres into the plays. In The Life and Death of King John, the Bastard’s hotheadedness adds a comedic element to an otherwise heavy play. While in Cymbeline, a more comedic play, Posthumus’s hotheadedness creates tragedy. He successfully uses the same characteristic to create two different results. Shakespeare uses hotheadedness in different way to get different results. While the Bastard is hotheaded not just through what he does but also through what he says, Posthumus is hotheaded primarily through his actions. And not just by his actions, but by the size of them, which are always the most dramatic he can think of.
In King John, the bastard’s hotheadedness is something that gradually goes away, in order to show his growth in maturity as a character. But in the beginning of the play, this hotheadedness, makes him more likeable. Particularly since he is one of the few characters who speaks and acts honestly. He is nowhere as dramatic as Posthumus but that lack in being over dramatic makes his later character development more believable. Despite some of his actions …show more content…
He is on the verge of attacking Iachmo but when Imogen gets in the way and he knocks her down instead. This is when her true identity is revealed and the two make up and embrace. Despite that Shakespeare treats the act of pushing someone onto to the ground out of anger, it is still a sign of Posthumus’s uncontrollable anger. He, for the second time in the play, puts Imogen in danger and attempts to hurt her, although this time he does not know it is her. It makes the audience wonder what kind of husband Posthumus really is and what his hotheadedness could do in the future and makes them wonder why Imogen is so willing to take him