Discuss the presentation of the supernatural in 'Macbeth'. What part does it play in the drama?

Macbeth coursework essay Discuss the presentation of the supernatural in 'Macbeth'. What part does it play in the drama? 'Macbeth' is a play full of darkness and horror, to which the supernatural plays an important and necessary role. 'Macbeth' was written at the time that King James the first of Scotland was on the throne. Some people believe that the play was written for him, this is due to his extreme fascination with witchcraft. This is not the only thing that links King James to the play; he was also a real-life descendant of Banquo, Macbeth's best friend in the play. The people of England throughout King James' reign were Christian, both Catholic and Protestant. The Jacobeans believed in Heaven and Hell and lived in fear of eternal damnation, a severe consequence of witchcraft. Practising witchcraft was seen as being sinful and ungodly and not a positive and normal way of society. The Jacobean audience would have been somewhat intrigued and interested in a play with such characteristics like 'Macbeth'. They would have also been curious of Shakespeare's exploration of the supernatural, especially the aspect of Witchcraft. The play opens with three Witches, this sets the entire theme for the play as being dark and evil due to the language used and also the setting. This scene also mentions the aspect of good and evil, "Fair is foul and foul is fair." This quote is

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 1542
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Compare and contrast any two psychological perspectives.

Compare and contrast any two psychological perspectives. Two of the most fundamental psychological perspectives are the psychoanalytic, and the behaviourist. The father of the psychoanalytic approach was Sigmund Freud who believed that the mind was mostly within the subconscious; "The mind is like an iceberg, it floats with one seventh of its bulk above water." he divided the unconscious into three primary sections: The id has no consideration, and only thinks of the most basic needs; such as hunger and comfort. The id is based on our pleasure principle, we can see the id as a newborn baby; its needs must be met and all else is irrelevant. The ego is based on the reality principle and is usually seen to develop at around age three. The ego understands other people's needs and that being selfish may harm us in the long run. The ego's job is to placate the id, whilst considering the reality of the situation. The superego is thought to be developed by the age of five and is the moral part of us, our sense of right and wrong; it can be equated with the conscience as it serves the same purpose. The ego needs to be the stronger of the three, as a strong id would lead to actions with little thought for consequence, and an over developed super ego would lead to rigidity in thought and beliefs and lack of tolerance. The ego must negotiate between the two and maintain a balance. The

  • Word count: 1578
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Psychology
Access this essay

Paul Cezanne, who was the son of a wealthy banker, became a painter in the 1860s in Paris when he quit his studies of Law.

Paul Cezanne, who was the son of a wealthy banker, became a painter in the 1860s in Paris when he quit his studies of Law. By 1874 he was painting landscapes in the Impressionist manner and had some of his work included in their first exhibition held during that very same year. He painted in the Impressionistic manner, but sheared off in a different direction to the main body of Impressionist painters. The main body of Impressionist painters were concerned with the 'fleeting effects of light and colour', and in order to capture the surface impression of that moment 'they had to work fluently and quickly'. 's analysis was far more prolonged and pains-taking; He spent so long analysing his subjects that some of his work was never finished. began to be more concerned with the use of colour in modelling objects and landscape and as a way of expressing their underlying form. The basic ideas of Cubism have been claimed to be present in his philosophy. His theory was that the painter could always find the cone, the sphere and the cylinder in Nature, and that all natural shapes were composed of these shapes at their most basic form. inherited sufficient wealth to live in rich seclusion in Provence near Aix. He needed this solitude or he found it difficult getting on with others: being naturally ill at ease, neurotically sensitive and suffering from outbursts of temper. His great

  • Word count: 1499
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Art
Access this essay

Each reading of Othello establishes certain values. How have such values been explored in Feminist and Marxist readings of Othello?

English - Othello Essay Each reading of Othello establishes certain values. How have such values been explored in Feminist and Marxist readings of Othello? Shakespeare's works continue to promote intellectual discussion across all spectrums of academic discourse; the universality of their themes culminate in the excellently crafted play Othello. The multi faceted nature of such a text allows for many interpretations and readings; a feminist reading of Othello examines how the patriarchal nature of Venetian society manifests itself and works to label women who behave outside expected norms. A Marxist reading considers the effect of a class struggle, seeing Iago as part of the oppressed working class, taking advantage of the system set before him to overthrow the ruling elite. Both readings are equally valid, holding values intrinsic to discovering new meanings hidden within the text and beyond. The 1970's represented a dynamic decade in World politics and saw a rise in feminism. Like other concurrent social movements concerning peace, civil rights, ecological issues and gay rights, this women's movement challenged long-held assumptions about the distribution of power in society. A feminist interpretation of Othello focuses on the attitudes towards women; the way in which their sexuality is transferred into whoredom and their role in regards to men, is specified from birth -

  • Word count: 1485
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Having analysed closely the opening scene of

Macbeth Having analysed closely the opening scene of "Macbeth", examine two versions. Decide which is the most effective and give detailed reasons for your choice. Shakespeare wrote "Macbeth" for James I of England. It is based around the story of one of James I's ancestors. "Macbeth" is a popular and widely known tragedy. It is a short but very powerful play. It is filled with murder, mystery and a constant battle between good and evil. The main character in the play is Macbeth, a worthy and noble thane of Scotland who is a courageous and feared warrior. Upon hearing the witches prophesy that he shall be king, Macbeth and his wife set out on a malicious plan to kill the noble king Duncan. The witches did not tell Macbeth to kill Duncan but he decides that this is the quickest way to become king. Macbeth does indeed kill Duncan and become the king of Scotland, but in doing so he loses friends, respect, his wife and eventually his own life. In "Macbeth" there are four main themes, ambition, supernatural, trust and a constant battle between good and evil. Ambition is the driving force of the Macbeth. "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o'er leaps itself and falls on the other". There are a lot of supernatural happenings in "Macbeth". For example the three witches are able to foresee what is going to happen. Trust is another main

  • Word count: 1563
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Business & Sustainability

Business & Sustainability - Part 1 - Group Project After evaluating the report I conclude that Tesco fall into the Corporate Citizenship part of the Ethics-Morality Continuum which can be seen as above. This business fall into this category because it provide information and implements certain actions relating to the different issues involved in this category. Social development which is a key part of the Corporate Citizenship and can be defined as "...actions taken by organisation ....to improve the social, economic, cultural or environmental conditions of a society" Tesco have got a range of different policies which deals with different issues relating to the environment. Due to this I can say that the policies within Tesco cover all the basis part of the Social development issues at high standards. So the policies for Tesco are excellent however, there are still issues relating to some policies which are of concern for both Tesco supermarkets and Morrisons supermarket. For example the policy in question is the seafood policy because according to the Greenpeace oceans campaign both Tesco and Morrisons are fairly poor at this. "In our October 2005 report into the state of supermarket seafood... with Tesco and Morrisons also faring poorly. The research revealed that Britain's biggest retailers are responsible for the destruction of fish stocks.... UK's major

  • Word count: 1504
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Business Studies
Access this essay

To investigate the effect of temperature on the time taken for pepsin to digest egg albumen.

James Bolton 9HS Biology AT1 Aim: To investigate the effect of temperature on the time taken for pepsin to digest egg albumen. Prediction: The higher the temperature the quicker the time take for digestion, but once temperatures above 40 degrees are reached the reaction will slow down again. Hypothesis: Enzymes are biological catalysts made up from protein. As we know, catalysts are substances that speed up the rate of a reaction without itself being used up. One type of enzyme will only catalyze one type of reaction. An enzyme has an 'active site, which has a unique shape, which only a substrate of the same shape can fit into, like a key and a padlock. A digestive enzyme helps digestion by breaking down large insoluble molecules into small soluble molecules for absorption into the blood stream for uses within the body. Different groups of enzymes are responsible for digesting different types of food substances. The enzyme pepsin is part of the protease 'family' of enzymes that have the job of breaking down protein molecules into smaller amino acids for repair and growth of cells in the body. Enzymes can become denatured in extreme heat conditions or in unfavourable pH conditions. The bonds in enzymes are weak, thus when the above stated conditions are reached the bonds are broken, deforming the enzyme and its active site, and it will no longer act as a catalyst

  • Word count: 1535
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Science
Access this essay

What picture does Aristophanes give us in Lysistrata of the character of Ancient Athenian women and their role within Athenian society? Do you think this picture is true to life?

What picture does Aristophanes give us in Lysistrata of the character of Ancient Athenian women and their role within Athenian society? Do you think this picture is true to life? Within 20 lines of the play opening we discover how a woman's typical role in life is played. Calonice explains it's hard for women to get to Lysistrata's meeting because they will be "hanging round their husbands, waking up the servants, putting the baby to sleep or washing and feeding it." From this it's immediately clear women spend the majority of their time inside, doing household things. This is true to life because women did spend the majority of their time inside because it was frowned upon for women to be outside their house without their husbands, and as their husbands were at war, they were expected to stay indoors. The role of women is brought to attention again when Lysistrata explains to Calonice how she wants to stop the war with the help of other women. "If all the women join together...then united we can save Greece." Calonice justifiably responds with cynicism "How can women achieve anything so grand or noble?" Calonice feels that women don't have the ability to do anything, because they spend their time "at home looking pretty, wearing saffron gowns and make up and Cimberic shifts and giant slippers" and she is right to believe this because up until Lysistrata's plan is

  • Word count: 1490
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Classics
Access this essay

Examine the dramatic and significance of Act Three Scene Three to the rest of the play:

Examine the dramatic and significance of Act Three Scene Three to the rest of the play: Ultimately this scene is key to the plot as it is one of the longest scenes in the play. Many themes are explored and elaborated on in this scene as a result of it being so lengthy. We see the change in the main protagonist, Othello, from a very dignified gentleman into a crazed maniac, vowing revenge against his once beloved wife. I shall be exploring how the plot, characters, language and dramatic devices, used by Shakespeare add to the dramatic importance of this scene and to the rest of the play. This scene is important to the rest of the play because it accelerates the plot. The audience were already prepared for what was going to happen for the duration of the play, through a series of soliloquies and asides. Shakespeare immediately makes us, the audience aware of Iago's dislike towards the "black ram" from the very onset of the play. We find out that Othello had overlooked Iago for promotion in the army, he instead appoints Cassio the position. This grudge becomes apparent in Iago. Up until Act 3 Scene 3, we see Iago as a manipulative person. In Act 1 Scene 1, he even refers to Othello as "a Barbary horse". This is a derogatory term referring to Othello's cultural background; a racial stereotype. This statement would certainly shock an audience in the twenty first

  • Word count: 1543
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

5 issues that the world must be concern today.

5 issues that the world must be concern today There are so many tough problems that humanity must deal with; too many that I can't count. But as I look through these problems, I realize that there are five most pressing world issues that must be deal with and if these problems, such as deforestation, air pollution, overpopulation, global epidemics and terrorism, can be solve, then the earth will be mush easier to survive to the year 2025, or maybe longer. Air pollution There are currently three main sources of pollution: they are, water pollution, waste pollution, and air pollution. Of these three forms of pollution, the one that affects our health most directly is air pollution. The Earth is getting warmer, and scientists mostly agree that humans bear some blame. It's easy to see how global warming could flood cities and ruin harvests. At present, atmospheric gases trap enough heat close to the surface to keep things comfortable. Increase the global temperature a bit, however, and there could be a bad feedback effect, with water evaporating faster, greenhouse gas, which traps more heat, which drives carbon dioxide from the rocks, which drives temperatures still higher, which cause health problems and also damage the environment and property. Transportation plays a very important role on the air pollution because as more people driving their own car instead of taking

  • Word count: 1561
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Geography
Access this essay