TEXTUAL, CONTEXTUAL AND RHETORICAL ARGUMENTATION IN SHAKESPEAREAN WRITINGS

Abstract

Shakespearean writings are repellent with persuasive, argumentative, and logical techniques. The current study undergoes conceptual analysis as well as a methodological framework for interpretation by examining the complex mechanisms of textual, contextual, and rhetorical argumentation in Shakespearean works. Shakespeare's plays, which are famous for their intricate language and wealth of intertextual connections, provide a rich environment for examining how argumentation is intermingled into speeches and dialogues as well as into more subtly constructed narratives and cultural references. From a conceptual standpoint, the study outlines the complex nature of argumentation in which characters participate in convincing conversations that are representative of Elizabethan and Jacobean literary sociopolitical viewpoints. In terms of methodology, the study suggests a hybrid analytical framework that combines close text reading, historical contextualization, argumentation, and rhetorical analysis to show how Shakespeare constructs arguments to sway audiences in the past and present. Toulmin’s theory of argumentation has been applied on selected texts of Shakespearean plays. Shakespeare's capacity to captivate readers and viewers across time and cultural barriers is shown by the research's mapping of these reasoning techniques, underscoring the rhetorical artistry's timeless significance.