"In 'Antony and Cleopatra', Shakespeare is particularly interested in the psychological burdens that those in positions of power must endure". Examine the different representations of leadership in the play.
"In 'Antony and Cleopatra', Shakespeare is particularly interested in the psychological burdens that those in positions of power must endure". Examine the different representations of leadership in the play. As is often true of the study of history in general, the people who dominate Shakespeare's historical plays are those in positions of power and authority. This is simply because such people will be the ones to effect history in the most significant way. In 'Antony and Cleopatra' we see several different leadership figures, who show all of the range of burdens, strains and qualities that those in positions of power can have (such as Antony himself, Cleopatra, Caesar, Lepidus and Pompey). In terms of leadership, Classical Renaissance ideas can be very helpful when trying to approach Antony and Cleopatra for the first time. The traditional idea of heroism and leadership was summed up in the quality known as 'virtus', which describes the characteristics of a virile nature, military strength, and old ideas of chivalry and honour. Renaissance artists such as Machiavelli in 'The Prince', modified this to emphasise calm ruthlessness and intellectual power. As we shall see, these two opposing views of what a leader should be (the traditional and renaissance ideals) are reflected in the struggle between Antony and Caesar. Antony, representing the old 'virus' values, is defeated and
"In Batiste's determination to continue the struggle lies the essence of Blasco Ibaez's optimism. La barraca is a novel of protest, not of hopelessness" (G. Cheyne). To what extent do you agree with this statement?
"In Batiste's determination to continue the struggle lies the essence of Blasco Ibañez's optimism. La barraca is a novel of protest, not of hopelessness" (G. Cheyne). To what extent do you agree with this statement? I do not fully agree with the above opinion given by Cheyne. I do think that what he says is partly true but to say that the novel is lacking the theme of hopelessness would be wrong. It is more apt to say that the novel displays both a sense of protest from its characters and also a sense of hopelessness. In this essay I intend to explore the themes of hopelessness and of protest, discussing how they interact and thereby provide a sense of fate in the novel. Furthermore I will talk about what devices Blasco uses to emphasise these themes to the reader. From the beginning of Batiste's arrival in the huerta, the fields in which he works and lives have a sense of doom attached to them. Pimentó assures the huertanos that Bastiste's farming of the fields will not be successful and his efforts to do so would be stopped: Él, lo único que podia asegurar es que el tal sujeto no cogería el trigo, ni las habas, ni todo lo que había plantado en los campos de Barret. Aquello sería para el demonio.1 I would say that the way in which the whole of the village side against Batiste is a negative value of society that Blasco wishes to display through the device of the
"In Mrs. Tilscher's Class" by Carol Ann Duffy deals with one central theme. The theme of growing up is the main idea within the poem and is repeatedly imprinted throughout the poet's childhood
In Mrs. Tilscher's Class "In Mrs. Tilscher's Class" by Carol Ann Duffy deals with one central theme. The theme of growing up is the main idea within the poem and is repeatedly imprinted throughout the poet's childhood. This theme leads on to the more abstract idea of the child already maturing into a great poet. Her mind's eye is unbounded as she transforms her classroom into a place of riches and resides in her own world of imagination. Written improbably through the 2nd person viewpoint, the poem expresses these ideas personally to the reader, hence allowing us to empathise with the poet. The poet is able to recall several aspects of her primary school days, and is consequently able to paint a picture of her memories from the viewpoint of a young child. The writer not only conveys an inviting warm atmosphere of a 1960's classroom, but also unveils a liberal outlook to her childhood. A colourful classroom with numerous displays is made known to the reader: "The classroom glowed like a sweet shop." The classroom is made into a place of riches with this visual simile, used to radiate wonders of the child's mind. The word "glowed" in this line is a metaphor all on its own. The metaphor allows the reader to visualise the sweetshop gleaming due to the light refracting through the glass jars and translucent sweets. The poet can also bring to mind the teacher's
"in the park"
Gwen Harwood's "in the park" Gwen Harwood's "In the park" is a poem about a lonely woman sitting in a park with her children, while a man she once loved passes by. The poem is set in Petrarchan sonnet form, with the first eight lines showing us the woman's trouble and problem. However in the last six lines we see that the woman and this man will never re ignite, the last lines offer the solution to the problem. The title in this poem is very plain and almost reflects the woman and her life. Harwood begins the poem with an image of a poor woman with "out of date" clothes; this is a powerful impression on the reader as it immediately states that she is probably poor. The woman's children "whine and bicker" which shows us that she may have lost interest in her children and is not giving them enough attention as they "tug her skirt". Another child is very bored with herself that is shown through drawing "aimless patterns in the dirt", this notion of boredom reflects directly on the life on the disheartened woman. The last line is very important, it shows us that that the woman has no self-confidence and no will to change things either. The line also shows the reader that she once had a real relationship with a man. The enjambment over the first to second stanza creates a wonderful effect as the reader sees it as "too late" to do anything but if one was to read on they would
"In the play Hamlet, Ophelia and Gerturde are both victims" How far do you agree with this view?
"Ophelia and Gertrude are both victims" How far do you agree with this view? Ophelia and Gertrude are the most prominent female characters in "Hamlet" and as a result they do seem quite susceptible and vulnerable in the patriarchal society of Denmark that the play is set in. Many of the ideas and suggestions presented in the play are put forward by the dominant male characters. Since both women seem to have a loving attachment to Hamlet, when it comes to suggestions for establishing the cause of Hamlets madness, they are often used by the men as "bait" to lure him in. This in itself could testify for the idea that both Gertrude and Ophelia are collectively victimised. This is demonstrated in the scene just before Hamlet talks to Ophelia about his real feelings for her. Claudius declares he and Polonius will act as "lawful espials" and they then "may of their encounter frankly judge". Ophelia does not voice her opinion of their plans, although she is present for the entire discussion. Through this, she is shown to be passive with no strength to defy the orders of others. This could be due to a weak character or the fact that Ophelia is forced to conform to the ideals of the time and doesn't know any better. Through this repression, Ophelia is some what victimised as she feels and knows she must respect her elders wishes and obey her father. In one of the earlier scenes of
"Inconceivable" by Ben Elton - book review.
Contents Introduction.................................................2 About the Author.........................................3 Author's Works...........................................4 "Inconceivable"............................................5 * Synopsis.................................................................6 * Review................................................................6-7 * Extracts............................................................8-10 Introduction I have chosen to read the book "Inconceivable" by Ben Elton. As I do not read books a lot I did not have any real idea what or who I wanted to do this project on when it was first set. I decided that I would prefer to read a humorous book instead of a normal fiction story book which I may easily get bored of after a while. I did not have any authors in mind when I decided I wanted to read a comedic book, so I decided to go to a bookshop and look at a few books to see what I might like to read. I found books by Ben Elton and decided to look at a few of them because I had known that Ben Elton is a good stand-up comedian, so his books would probably be quite an interesting read. I read a bit of several of the books and thought that "Inconceivable" would be a good one to read purely because of the name of the book, the illustration on the front cover and the quotes from people and
"It has been said that all war poetry is violent and depressing. By looking at poems before and after 1900 see if you agree or disagree with this view." Use at least 2 poems by the same author
"It has been said that all war poetry is violent and depressing. By looking at poems before and after 1900 see if you agree or disagree with this view." Use at least 2 poems by the same author In this essay I will be analyzing the title question and find out what my view is on the opinion that all war poetry is violent and depressing. I will be studying two poems by William Shakespeare and two poems by Wilfred Owen; this will incorporate pre-1900 poetry and post-1900 poetry in my essay by using these two poets. I will also add in any quotes from other war poetry, which I feel is relevant to this essay. Firstly, I will analyze the two poems by Shakespeare, which I have chosen, Henry V at the siege of Harfleur and Before Agincourt. The first Shakespeare poem I will be studying is Henry V at the siege of Harfleur. This poem is a speech made by Henry V during the battle of Harfleur. It is a speech, which is meant to spur the troops to victory, and also it is a very patriotic poem. The poem is all about making England and fathers proud so the king is trying to convince the army not to be scared; what do the soldiers have to be scared about? Death, although it is not talked about so the violent part of war is avoided. The poem/speech is spontaneous and frantic as it is an attempt to rally the troops for a final push. The poem implies that the battle is in course because in the
"Hamlet is a character about whom we are told so much, yet we know little. Do you agree?"
"Hamlet is a character about whom we are told so much, yet we know little. Do you agree?" This essay will discuss the character of Hamlet and the ways he potrays himself across to the reader. It highlights his introspection, puns, and thoughts of death, thoughts of women and his "madness". These all help to find out more about Hamlets character. Hamlet first introduces us to his character through famous soliloquies however this is not the only way of finding out who or what he is. In his first scene Hamlet speaks to his mother, and mocks her lack of grief for his father, her dead husband. "I have that within which passeth show" and "These but the trappings and the suits of woe". At this point in the speech, Hamlet may merely mean that his grief for his father is genuine, but "passeth show" may also mean that he has some sort of feeling that can't be shown by "the trappings and suits of woe"--his black clothing and cloudy face. Hamlet says that the King is "My father's brother, but no more like my father, than I to Hercules". This comment, which appears in Hamlet's first soliloquy, makes it appear that Hamlet does not consider himself particularly strong or heroic. He uses extreme examples to show his "cowardliness". "O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!" says Hamlet at the beginning of his second soliloquy. He blames himself for lack of passion and accuses himself of
"Hamlets Character is contradictory". Discuss.
"Hamlets Character is contradictory". Discuss Shakespeare gives Hamlet a very indecisive character in this play. This in turn leads to Hamlet becoming contradictive, more and more so throughout the play. His main problem is that he is more of a 'thinker' than a 'doer'. This causes him many problems throughout the whole play. The first example we get of this comes in Hamlets first soliloquy. Here we find out what Hamlet truly feels about the situation he finds himself in after his fathers death. After initially seeming to be willing to go along with Claudius's and his mother's marriage here we find out how he truly feels. He expresses his disgust at the hastiness from which his Mother has married to Claudius so soon after his fathers death. He also expresses how devastated he is at the death of his father and Claudius taking the crown, which Hamlet believes should rightfully be his. Hamlet once again shows this when he goes with his Fathers ghost. He comes back from this encounter determined to take revenge on Claudius but then passes up many chances to do so in order to make sure that the ghost is telling the truth. Hamlet continues this throughout the play and ironically this leads to him doing exactly the opposite of what the ghost wants by hurting his Mother and not taking revenge on Claudius when he has many chances to. Another appearance of Hamlets contradiction
"It's easy to become a football hooligan!" - Discuss
Year 11 Football/Soccer Assignment "It's easy to become a football hooligan!" By: Akashay Agarwal 11D In our Football Assignment, we have been given the task to research on Football Hooligans, in depth information on Hooligans and use the statistics and information obtained to prove the statement, "It's easy to become a football hooligan". Below are Theories and Research related to Hooliganism: Hooliganism Hooliganism is termed to be a social problem that relates to crowd trouble and conflicts that occur in stadiums, nearby places where matches (esp. football matches) are going on. Certain people in the crowd fight against rivalry team crowd supporters. Being part of football violence, its basic aim is to disrupt the game, spread violence and fear amongst people, take revenge, etc. The game of football has been associated with violence since its beginnings in the 13th Century. During that period of football matches hundreds of players were involved and there were essentially pitched battles between the young men of rival villages and towns - often used as opportunities to settle old feuds (rivalry), personal arguments and land disputes. Who are the Hooligans and their Purpose? Hooligans are people who are in their late teens-twenties (though some might be older, esp. leaders). They are generally people who either earn low wages or are unemployed. They wear exclusive
