How effective is the Prologue as an introduction to Romeo and Juliet?
In my opinion, the prologue is a striking and extremely effective introduction to one of the greatest tragedies ever written. One of the most unusual things about the Prologue is its structure; the fact that it is written in the sonnet form is very significant. The sonnet form of poetry is perhaps the most demanding and challenging poetic form that exists. For hundreds of years the sonnet (of which Shakespeare wrote 154) has been recognised as a structure that is only attempted by the greatest of poets such as Shakespeare or Wordsworth. It is often associated with love poetry and the fact that Shakespeare chooses the sonnet format to open Romeo and Juliet suggests his motive to prepare the audience with the love story to come. The sonnet is made up from 3 quatrains each consisting of 4 lines, with the rhyme scheme a,b,a,b, each quatrain telling us something different about the forthcoming play. The sonnet is finished by a rhyming couplet- a pair of lines that have the rhyming scheme c,c. Some might question why Shakespeare chose such a difficult poetic structure to open the play however it is clear to me that he chose the sonnet to grab the audience's attention but also to demonstrate his showcase of literary talent. The sonnet reveals to the audience the degree of Shakespeare's poetic genius to create a language - which in all its diversity can capture the most beautiful
Naming and Power in Friel's Translations
Write a critical appreciation of this passage, focus on Friel's exploration of the relationship between naming and power This passage, near the start of Act Two in Translations shows Owen and Yolland in the process of naming the places they come across on their map of Ireland. The characters and the text itself both deal with the issues surrounding these names and the powers names have over both people and places. The powers of destruction and creation are shown to be one of the effects of the process of naming. The beginning of the passage touches on the destructive side of naming by using the prefix 'de' ('describe' and 'denominate') twice in the words Owen uses to explain what they are trying to do by changing Irish place names; 'we are trying to denominate and at the same time describe that tiny area of soggy, rocky, sandy ground...' . The prefix 'de' usually expresses a reversal or negation which in this case would mean they are 'de - scribing' i.e. 'unwriting' and 'de- nominating' which phonologically sounds as if they are taking away the names of the places, although if one looks at the semantics of the words they mean completely different things. Use of the prefix 'de' also gives Owens remark a more negative feel, making the reader wonder if what they are doing is perhaps a bad, destructive thing rather than the constructive process it was intended to be; a theme
How does Tennyson create a memorable character in Ulysses?
How does Tennyson create a memorable character in Ulysses? This poem is a dramatic monologue spoken by Ulysses, the King of Ithaca. He has just returned to his kingdom after fighting in the Trojan War, but once caught up in his daily routine, he expresses his unhappiness with his life and indifference towards his family and people. Ulysses compares his heroic past to his current state of boredom, and emphasises his desire to revisit his past. Tennyson creates a memorable character in Ulysses, by giving him two sides - a heroic one, and a cowardly one. His desire to flee from Ithaca can be seen as selfish, as he is running away from his family and people, leaving his inexperienced son to take over his role. However, it can also be seen as admirable, as he is following his life long dream and wants to explore the world. Ulysses heroic desire to discover new worlds and to fight life to the end makes him a memorable character. The use of enjambment represents the idea of pushing forward 'beyond the utmost bound of human thought'. Tennyson's constant use of movement verbs, for example 'roaming', emphasises Ulysses desire for travel. The eating and drinking metaphors such as 'hungry heart' and 'drunk delight' represent the idea of fulfilment and Ulysses insatiable appetite for life and adventure. The intensifiers such as 'greatly' and 'much' emphasise this. Ulysses wants to live
Analysis of 'Strange Meeting' by Wilfred Owen.
Analysis of 'Strange Meeting' by Wilfred Owen 'Strange Meeting' by Wilfred Owen is a poem about a soldier in the First World War who makes contact with the spirit of a dead soldier's soul. After reading this poem, you know that the poet is against the war, and that war is somewhat worse than hell. The poem begins with the relief of a soldier as he escapes the war. Later on in the poem, the soldier meets the spirit of a dead soldier, and that is when he realises where he is. The spirit tells the soldier that if you go into war you are simply wasting your life. It also mentions the cruelty and harshness of war, and what it's like to be there. Although the poem is almost completely a monologue, there is some dialogue and narration too. Narration is to be found at the beginning, as the soldier leaves the battlefield and approaches the spirits of the dead soldiers, until he communicates with one of them. There's a small amount of dialogue used between the soul and the living soldier but the rest of the poem is a monologue, as soon as the spirit begins his speech, from 'save the undone years,'. The subject matter of the poem is to be found in this long speech, and the poet presents his views about the war very clearly in this. There is a consistent use of 10 syllables per line, and there is not a rhyme scheme for half the poem (and therefore half is a free verse poem). There
Read the following extract from Act 1 scene 2. In what ways does this passage show the conflict of Rome and Egypt?
AS English Literature - Section A - 'Read the following extract from Act 1 scene 2. In what ways does this passage show the conflict of Rome and Egypt?' - Throughout Shakespeare's Antony & Cleopatra, location plays an important role in the development of the play. It is one of few plays to have such a frequent interchange between locations and at the heart of this are the two contrasting worlds of Egypt and Rome. The two countries seem to differ completely to each other and this is reflected by the different attitudes of their respective people. Act 1 scene 2 is a pivotal scene in the play as the ladies-in-waiting of Cleopatra's court have their fortunes told by a soothsayer, this turns out to foreshadow the later events of the play. The passage is one of the most accurate at showing the substantial differences between the people and life of Rome and Egypt. It begins with the soothsayer telling the fortune of Charmian and Iras however, the two joke about the predictions and it is in this part that Shakespeare instils the passage full of sexual innuendo between the women to show the nature of the Egyptian women. Shakespeare's famous wit with wordplay is seen clearly as Charmian hints at the sexual meaning behind the word 'inch' while Iras clearly confirms both their intentions with the statement that were she to have an extra inch it would 'Not [go] in my husband's nose'.
Discuss the significance of the ghost in Act 1
Discuss the dramatic significance of the ghost in Act 1. "It harrows me with fear and wonder." Horatio's expressive words on first encountering the ghost in Hamlet are reflective of the concerns that were preeminent in the minds of the Elizabethans of Shakespeare's time with regards the supernatural. The influence of the people's rampant belief in ghosts, witches and superstitious ideas is evident on the pages of such Shakespearean works as Hamlet, Macbeth, Julius Caesar and Richard III. This idea of ghosts triggered a sense of fear, and instigated thought on matters such as death and the afterlife. The appearance of King Hamlet's ghost is thus not only typical of the era in which the play was supposedly written, as well as typical of other Shakespearean works, but brings to mind issues which are still widely debated today. Act 1 begins with a change of guards at the Elsinore castle, an active scene which has been interpreted by some to set off the tension in the play. The guards on duty, Marcellus and Barnardo, attempt to convince Horatio of an 'apparition', a 'dreaded sight' which they had twice previously seen. Horatio, however, is filled with disbelief, proclaiming, "Tush, tush, 'twill not appear." The repetition of the word 'tush' in this alliterative statement draws our attention to his doubts of the ghost's appearance, and thus makes it even more dramatic when the
With close reference to the language and action of the following passage, discuss Williams presentation of Blanches first appearance in the play.
Improvements Needed: I would like to improve the length of my essays, shorten my introduction and use far more quotations more effectively. With close reference to the language and action of the following passage, discuss Williams' presentation of Blanche's first appearance in the play. Introductions and first impressions play an important role in a novel. Streetcar Named Desire, the character of Blanche is the center of the play, in which all the problems that arise are as a result of Blanche's actions or simply her presence. Tennessee Williams conveys this in the beginning scene of the play, where Blanche is instantly distinguished as a stranger to the setting. She is seen being patronizing towards the other characters of the play, giving of the impression to the audience of a snobbish attitude. Blanche's character may just be the most interesting character, and arguably the main character, as we see her character evolve from the start due to the ways she finds ways to cover her true self, like by her clothing; she dresses as a noblewoman to come across as a classy Victorian lady, but this facade deteriorates significantly. When she enters, it is fairly easy to see that Blanche is new to the neighborhood, through her action of looking at "a slip of paper", which was an address. The numerous ornamental accessories ("necklace", "earrings of pearl") give the feeling that
All of the characters who experience misfortune in Othello bring it upon themselves. Discuss the truth of this statement
Essay: Othello All of the characters who experience misfortune in Othello bring it upon themselves. Discuss the truth of this statement. Many of William Shakespeare’s tragedies portray characters that eventually experience misfortune by the end of the play. Othello is a prime example of depicting various characters that each come to their own downfall because of a critical weakness. In the play, Othello’s mislead insecurities in his wife’s love for him, Roderigo’s foolish trusting nature, and Desdemona’s submissive naivety all illustrate Shakespeare’s usage of a critical weakness in creating each character’s own downfall. Othello, who slowly becomes increasingly jealous of Cassio, begins to reveal his key weakness of being mislead to insecurity in his innocent wife’s love for him. Scene 3 of Act 3 is crucial as it outwardly reveals the slow but important transition of Othello’s peaceful state to one of constant insecurity, shown through the short and direct dialogue given by Othello. In the previous acts, he would rarely ask such questions; he would openly display his thoughts. However, it becomes clear that he starts to respond much differently. He starts to demand Iago many direct questions such as, “Was not that Cassio parted from my wife?” (3.3.38), and, “Why of thy thought, Iago?” (3.3.108). These regard the touchy circumstance of Cassio’s
Alfred Tennyson and Wilfred Owen present different ideas about war in their poems, "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and "Dulce et Decorum est". Write about these poems and their effect on you.
Lucy Victoria Haig Friday 3rd December Alfred Tennyson and Wilfred Owen present different ideas about war in their poems, "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and "Dulce et Decorum est". Write about these poems and their effect on you. "The Charge of the Light Brigade" was written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, about The Battle of Balaclava which took place in 1854. Tennyson wrote the poem using information from an article in The Times and it remembers the bravery of the outnumbered cavalry men who were wrongly sent into battle. "Dulce et Decorum est" was written by Wilfred Owen during the First World War. It was written to show the truth about war and to illustrate that it is not a good thing to die for your country. "The Charge of the Light Brigade" has six verses. The third, fourth and fifth stanzas concentrate on the battle itself. The main part of the battle is depicted in verse four and tells how the soldiers were "sabring the gunners" and how "Cossack and Russian reeled" portraying the victory of the Light Brigade. The final stanza is a message from the poet to "honour the Light Brigade" and not to forget what the six hundred men did. The poem has a constant rhyming pattern all the way through with words like "blundered", "hundred", "thundered" and "wondered" or "shell", "fell" and "well". Having this rhyming pattern throughout makes the poem seem to flow
Analyse William Golding's choice of language during and after the killing of Simon. Why does the language use change?
Analyse William Golding's choice of language during and after the killing of Simon. Why does the language use change? "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!" This is the chant that begins the section, increased in its violence as it now says "kill the beast" representing the feelings of the boys. They want to destroy the beast but can't find it as it is inside each of them. This causes them to get ever more angry and frenzied, starting a ritualistic "dance" with "the chant" beating "like a steady pulse". This is reminiscent of Simon's experience earlier when a "pulse started to throb in his temple", just before he went into a fit. This suggests that the boys are also going into a trance or fit, but a much more dangerous one, unaware of their actions. They lose their individuality and start "the throb and stamp of a single organism", again with the throbbing and stamping inducing images of a trance-like ritual. Also the symbolisms of circles and the weather are repeated. The circle now "yawns emptily" waiting to catch someone inside. The weather is threatening, "Thunder boomed...the dark sky was shattered...scar...blow of a gigantic whip". This is a great contrast to the clear skies earlier in the book that symbolised peace. Now they begin to become terrified by the weather and the trance and out of this terror "rose another desire, thick, urgent, blind". This is
