You have been given the job of producing a modern BBC TV adaptation of The Tempest.
I would choose to set my own adaptation of The Tempest in a dark coastal area, perhaps towards the North of England as it is generally windier and tends to have cold temperatures, as it echoes a sense of darkness and mystique. This setting in itself can be used to create an eerie and foreboding mise-en-scene. Shakespeare’s Tempest features a mystical island; this can be replicated well in such coastal areas as they can be easily recreated to appear desolate, identical to how it is in the play – on a magical island. To complement this, special effects such as rainy/foggy weather can be used to create pathetic fallacy, especially in scenes such as when the actual tempest occurs in Act One. The weather would be a replication of the great storm, which forces the characters onto the island. Unlike Julia Taymor’s 2010 film adaptation, I would remain faithful to Shakespeare’s script/dialogue and retain the final epilogue between Prospero and the audience. In doing so, there remains an air of the authentic, archaic language that Shakespeare intended. Inevitably there will be some modernising (visual and SFX) especially in scenes such as the ‘splitting of the ship’ at the beginning, but this will not be as intrusive as in Taymor’s adaptation; I would use these effects minimally – specifically to dramatise characters such as Ariel, Prospero and Caliban. I would also
Act One Scene One of Measure for Measure is a scene surrounded in ambiguity and complex character motives
Act One Scene One – The Dukes Departure Act One Scene One of ‘Measure for Measure’ is a scene surrounded in ambiguity and complex character motives. In this scene the Duke of Vienna meets with his aged advisor Esacalus to discuss his immediate and unexplained departure from Vienna and his plans to appoint Angelo to rule in his stead. The play simply starts with the Duke saying “Esacalus”[1]. Using the noun in an almost imperative form is an indication of how much power the Duke really has and how much power the Duke will be handing over to someone as inexperienced as Angelo. This instantly begs the question why is he not leaving Escalus in charge? One opinion, which I support, is that the Duke is a Machiavellian Character who is hoping that Angelo fails so that when he returns the people will love him. Due to this manipulative attitude he cannot select Escalus as he may believe that Escalus may actually do a better job than him, something he cannot risk. This concept of deceit and manipulation is backed up by the fact that throughout the initial speech by the Duke he seems to actively aim to make Escalus feel of less value than he is worth. An example of this is “But that, to your sufficiency, as your worth is able”[2]. The use of words such as “sufficiency” appear to be designed to make Escalus feel like he is only just good enough and nothing more than
Bianca is more Shrew than She. To what extent do you agree with the statement that Bianca is the real Shrew of the play The Taming of the Shrew?
Bianca is “more Shrew than She”. To what extent do you agree with the statement that Bianca is the real Shrew of the play “The Taming of the Shrew”? Casual observers of The Taming of the Shrew would most likely interpret the title’s subject- The ‘Shrew’- as an obvious parallel to the play’s protagonist. Katherina, to many, is regarded as the true Shrew of the play- When one observes her temperament and actions and the beginning of the play, this is a reasonable assumption. However, a further analysis of this complex multi-layered play can change the reader’s perspective entirely. When I analyse The Taming of the Shrew, I do not believe that Katherina is the Shrew. Of course, her actions in the first half of the play do fit the definition of the word- “A woman with a violent, scolding or nagging temperament”- Take for example, when she drags her sister Bianca violently across the stage as Act II opens, and her general refusal and stubbornness at other’s requests. However, as it is implied in the title, Kate’s temperament changes greatly by the final scene of the play as she is ‘tamed’. Despite her early actions, I would personally believe that the very fact that she was capable of being tamed proves she is not the Shrew of the play. I would argue that the true Shrew is in fact Bianca- She is, to reiterate a phrase: “More Shrew than She
To what extent is Wilde satirising Victorian society in The Importance of Being Earnest and how does this add to its comedy?
To what extent is Wilde satirising Victorian society in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ and how does this add to its comedy? The Importance of Being Earnest, subtitled, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a comedy of manners whereby Oscar Wilde rebukes the Victorian aristocracy for their social issues that seemingly prioritise the most trivial of things such as style and appearance above those of true significance such as. Wilde further achieves this by incorporating elements such as farce and melodrama in order to highlight their senseless main concerns. Wilde portrays the act of “Being Earnest” as being in opposing to its definition as having features of dishonesty and false morality, with one of the main characters Algernon stating that “The truth is rarely pure and never simple”. Wilde’s first satirical attack in the play is marriage. Algernon is shown to perceive marriage to be a business deal as opposed to the projected illusion of it as described in the play as being based on mutual feelings of love (evidence – Ceclily or Gwendolen). This is evidenced by Algernon’s sharply comical and paradoxical epigrams in response to his best friend Jack Worthing’s admittance of wanting to propose to Algernon’s own ward Gwendolen he states: “I thought you had come up for pleasure? ... I call that business.” Wilde is seemingly satirising concept of
How does Wilde use marriage and courtship to create comedic and dramatic effects in "The Importance of being Earnest"?
The Importance of Being Earnest Coursework How does Wilde use marriage and courtship to create comedic and dramatic effects? At the time when the Importance of being Earnest was written, in 1895, society’s stance on marriage was very different to that of today. In our present society, when some say the idea of marriage is dated and becoming less common, it may be difficult to comprehend how pivotal marriage was to the Victorians. Marrying for love is, surprisingly, a rather new idea. This was rarely the case with Victorian marriages, which were often business proposals. The aim of marriage was to draw profit and higher social status, and to collect the wealth of the other family involved. Failure to adhere to these expectations would be considered out of the norm. Even more rigid than this social rule was the class structure all Victorians abided by, which decreed that no one could marry out of their station, in order to preserve the wealth of the rich. As stated by K Danielová in her thesis on Victorian marriage, “The social class the future partners came from also played an indispensable role… Couples were expected to come from the same social class.” This is seen in the play for instance when Lady Bracknell tells Jack that he should, “acquire some relations as soon as possible,” in order for her to consider his engagement to Gwendolen. Clearly, she means
For all the resolutions between some characters, the ending of the play leaves too many characters unhappy and alone. How far do you think Twelfth Night succeeds as a comedy in the light of this statement?
For all the resolutions between some characters, the ending of the play leaves too many characters unhappy and alone. How far do you think Twelfth Night succeeds as a comedy in the light of this statement? When one considers the convention of the Elizabethan romantic comedy, a light-hearted tale of love in which obstacles are overcome- often to resolve with a marriage, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night certainly challenges the convention. Although the resolution of the joining of three couples: Orsino and Viola; Olivia and Sebastian and Sir Toby and Maria satisfies the criteria for a romantic comedy in some way, the bizarre nature in which some of these relationships come about makes the audience question the likelihood of their successes. In addition, Shakespeare leaves an open dénouement in that the amorous outcomes some characters (Malvolio, Antonio and Sir Andrew) are negative- being left alone or unresolved. The melodramatic manner in which Orsino muses over Olivia at the very start of Act 1 seems to suggest that the unrequitedness of love is more for comedic value rather than a valid representation of true love and thus cannot be taken seriously. Orsino’s hyperbolic soliloquy of his love, “give me excess of it, so that it may sicken and so die” and later the pun of “was I turned into a hart, and my desires, like fell and cruel hounds, e'er since pursue me”
Macbeth Coursework.
MACBETH COURSEWORK 1T The witches are seen as being evil. This is because at the time, witches were accepted as being real and evil. Shown in the play because the first scene is thunder and lightning, which is associated with terrible happenings and things so suggests witches are terrible things. They speak in rhymes and use many equivocal terms e.g. 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair´. This suggests reversal and unbalance, which leads to chaos and disorder in Macbeth´s life. This is suggested because they immediately mention Macbeth so he is already associated with the witches and seen as being evil. The chaos is also shown in the natural world by the weather and natural events. Act 1 Scene 3, there is thunder when the witches meet again. The idea of them being evil is reinforced because in this scene because they are cursing a sailor. This suggests that Macbeth will also face a similar type of treatment. The mystery of the witches is increased in this scene because they know Macbeth is coming when the third witch tells the other two, 'Macbeth doth come.´ This raises the question of how they knew he was coming and reinforces the link between Macbeth and the witches, which suggests to the audience that Macbeth is evil from the beginning of the play. This link is further reinforced when Macbeth´s first line using the same equivocal as the witches, 'So foul and fair a day I
Macbeth Essay
Macbeth Essay I will be writing about how William Shakespeare has written Macbeth which changes the attitudes of the reader to a central character and varies at different stages of the play. I will be writing about the techniques to how he does this and the skill in executing them. Macbeth at the beginning of the play is told by the captain to King Duncan how fearless and brave he was. 'Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel' (Act 1 scene 2) This makes us feel admiration towards Macbeth and also highlights how fearless he seems. 'Disdaining Fortune' is Macbeth defying luck with 'brandished steel' fighting through the horde of the enemy in battle. The captain also says 'Like Valour's minion carved out his passage" (Act 1 Scene 2) Macbeth is described to be a soldier who is brave and strong fighting his way out of a group of enemies towards his main objective. 'carved' is effective because it gives us a image which shows how he seems to be fighting through, as if he with his sword is easily swiping away the enemy that are foolish enough to face up to him. This also highlights how ambition is a trait of his character. This makes him seem admirable because it then tells us how he is strong and brave and this is without even being introduced to the character in the play. Macbeth when we are first introduced to him is seen walking across the battlefield with his
Macbeth's diary.
Ceri Davies 07-02-02 Macbeth's diary On the day that the battle had ended, I galloped through the misted heath on my valiant steed. Along side my trust worthy, noble partner Banpuo. The battle had been against the traitors of the king's victorious country. As I galloped I looked apon the heath as if it was my own. Our clothes dripped with the blood or the rebels. One clear image remains, an image of McDonald, and I, Macbeth, unseaming him from the nave to the chop. In the distance were three figures. As they became clearer I sensed that Banpuo became unsteady on his horse. As we continued the figures also continued to become clearer. The figures were not man or women. Not black or white. An expeditious decision led me to believe that the figures were witches. At that point I became uneasy on my steed as my fear grew. I stepped down from my horse closely followed by the brother I never had. Banquo gasped I breathed in deeply and stepped forward. He then asked how far isn't called to Forrest. He rapidly stepped back, I followed his eye movement and it was at that moment I realised that they were not to be taken lightly. Then as I stared in horror and a slight fear, Banquo began to speak. I then stood straight demanded for them to speak unless it was beyond their ability. They stepped forward and then they began to reveal themselves to us. They called upon me as my
Links Between Hamlet and Ophelia
Links between Hamlet and Ophelia Hamlet and Ophelia are linked by many common characteristics, not the least of which is their madness. While Hamlet's madness seems to be feigned, Ophelia is truly crazy. The odd thing about their predicament is that they each drive each other more fully into the depths of illness. One of Hamlet's most famous lines is when he tells the Queen: "Seems, madam? Nay, it is. I know not 'seems.'" Hamlet is saying that he does not know what it is to pretend, he only knows what it is to be. This is the main question surrounding Hamlet in the play, is he feigning his madness, or is it real? After confronting the Ghost, Hamlet tells his friends that he is going to act mad in public, and that they should not worry for he is not really crazy at all. There is a common belief in these days that when someone tells a lie and firmly believes it they start to live that lie. Maybe this is true with Hamlet- he acts truly mad in public (even his mother believes it) that possibly he acts mad in private too. After Polonius tells Ophelia to repel Hamlet's letters, Hamlet enters Ophelia's room and looks at her with such a piteous and saddened face that even Ophelia begins to think there is something wrong with him. Shortly after that Hamlet encounters Polonius in a corridor and harasses him and says crazy things. In an aside
