The fact remains that the larger actions which characters complete in the course of the play have identifiable motives behind them and thus we as critics have every right and duty to analyse character motivation. Most plays have central motives and in general these are the giant human emotions which motivate most people in real life; a few of the most common are:
Hope for reward: A major character desires to bring happiness and prosperity to himself/herself or to those whom he/she loves ; all of his actions are planned to hasten the advent of prosperity. He/she does virtually nothing except work towards this end.
Love: Basically a particular extension of the hope for reward. A character is motivated to a certain action because of the love which he has, the love he wants, or the love which someone had for him. And we must not exclude, again as an extension of the hope reward, the motive of self love.
Fear of failure: An inversion of the hope for reward. A character works in a certain fashion because he fears he will be crushed if he does not. Everything he does is designed to stall or prevent the advent of misery, failure or literal or spiritual poverty.
Religious feelings: Occasionally we see characters that are motivated by religious faith. He acts out of deep feelings and convictions that he is acting as God so directs. He sometimes acts as he believes he is supposed to act.
Some others incude:
Revenge
Greed
Jealousy
Hope for reward: A major character desires to bring happiness and prosperity to himself/herself or to those whom he/she loves ; all of his actions are planned to hasten the advent of prosperity. He/she does virtually nothing except work towards this end.
Love: Basically a particular extension of the hope for reward. A character is motivated to a certain action because of the love which he has, the love he wants, or the love which someone had for him. And we must not exclude, again as an extension of the hope reward, the motive of self love.
Fear of failure: An inversion of the hope for reward. A character works in a certain fashion because he fears he will be crushed if he does not. Everything he does is designed to stall or prevent the advent of misery, failure or literal or spiritual poverty.
Religious feelings: Occasionally we see characters that are motivated by religious faith. He acts out of deep feelings and convictions that he is acting as God so directs. He sometimes acts as he believes he is supposed to act.
Some others incude:
Revenge
Greed
Jealousy