To what extent have you found it possible, in your consideration of literary works, to separate the individual from his or her public role? In your answer you should refer to any two or three works you have studied.

5) b) To what extent have you found it possible, in your consideration of literary works, to separate the individual from his or her public role? In your answer you should refer to any two or three works you have studied. In the novels studied we can see that the characters have two completely different faces, a public face and a more personal face. This can be seen in the characters of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart' while also being evident in Antoinette and Edward in Rhys' 'Wide Sargasso Sea'. In these novels we see the narration centered around these protagonists. This enables us to see an inner side of them which they attempt to conceal from the societies which they live in, Okonkwo and Edward for fear of being weak and Antoinette for fear of being condemned. In allowing us to see their reactions to certain events and being able to track the changes in their way of thinking in response to certain events we see their attempt to conceal their emotions. In this way we can see and clearly separate the individual from their public role in these novels. To begin with, 'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe revolves around the life or Okonkwo. Through the omniscient narration we are enabled to see the thoughts of Okonkwo all throughout the novel. One such example is in the very beginning of the novel, where Okonkwo attempts to show Umuofia that he is a great man

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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In act 1 scene 2 Richard III has many difficulties before he wins Lady Anne. Shakespeare, too, has many challenges in this scene. How are these overcome? Do you find Lady Annes capitulation to Richard credible?

In act 1 scene 2 Richard III has many difficulties before he wins Lady Anne. Shakespeare, too, has many challenges in this scene. How are these overcome? Do you find Lady Anne's capitulation to Richard credible? The war of the Roses is a civil war between two families fighting for the crown. On one side there are the York's and on the other side there was the Lancaster family who at the start of the war have thrown. At the end of the war the Lancaster's have lost the thrown and the only important living Lancaster left is Lady Anne. Lady Anne was the wife of Lancaster prince Edward. He has been killed by Richard III who is a York. He also killed Lady Anne's father in law and the reigning king Henry VI. Shakespeare sets Richard III just after the York's have won the crown. Richard is at a celebration party where everybody is having fun are talking and are having a great time. The way Shakespeare presents Richard III makes us feel that he is the only one not having fun. The reason for this is that Richard III was a great fighter but after the war has finished he has nothing to do and he "hate the idle pleasures of theses days". He is "Deformed, unfinished, sent before my time". As he is deformed he can't woo a woman because no body wants to be with him. Richard III is the type of character that never lies. He tells the audience what he is going to do then he does it and then

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Is Richard III a hero or a villain

Is Richard III a hero or a villain? A hero is defined as "a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability, an illustrious warrior, a person- a man admired for noble achievements & qualities (e.g. courage), the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work". A villain is defined as "a scoundrel, rascal; also a criminal, a character in a story or play whose evil actions affect the plot". I feel as if I should define "antihero" as this could be a relevant term for Richard. An antihero is defined as "a protagonist who lacks traditional heroic qualities (e.g. courage). The question is very relevant to the character of Richard. I believe this is because he encompasses two personalities, which in itself makes him villainous, but also makes him a character of several dimensions. Certain qualities fall into the categories of "villainous" & "heroic" but Richard's character is not simply one or the other, since he embodies characteristics which fall into both categories. During Richard's life, there was a great lack of political stability. The Wars of the Roses (which lasted 30 years) was fought between the houses of Lancaster (red rose), & York (white rose). By the end of the play, the crown belongs to Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, who is linked to Lancaster. It is often thought that Tudor monarchs encouraged a particular

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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'In his depiction of Richard III Shakespeare has created much more than a simple theatrical villain' Discuss

'In his depiction of Richard III Shakespeare has created much more than a simple theatrical villain' Discuss In Shakespeare's Richard III, Richard is undoubtedly a monstrous villain set out to seize the throne of England for himself in any way possible. He does this by ruthlessly killing people in line for, or even anything to do with, the throne. Shakespeare, however, albeit historically inaccurate, has created a man much more than what meets the eye. Behind his physical deformities lies a man of extreme intelligence and wit, who is very shrewd and crafty. He is a villain, but much more than an average villain. He is a deeply malicious monster yet significantly wise and perceptive. He gains the throne not simply by butchery but by intelligence and exploiting the weaknesses of those around him. The play tells us lots more about him. The opening speech made by Richard, probably one of the most famous speeches, informs us initially of the background to the play and sets the scene. It is a soliloquy - a speech delivered by a character alone on the stage to the audience. The opening four lines, containing at the start one of the two most well known lines in plays, tell us that the War of Roses between the House of Lancaster and the House of York is now over, and that Richard's house (the House of York) has prevailed and triumphed as the ruling house of England: Now is the

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  • Level: GCSE
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What have you found of interest in Marlowe's presentation of history in Edward II?

What have you found of interest in Marlowe's presentation of history in Edward II? Throughout Edward II, Marlowe uses a variety of stimulating techniques to present the drama as a history play. Marlowe manages to use the tradition of the chronicle or history play and develop it further producing an extremely compelling, unique piece of work. It is a play which on one hand shows structural affinities with the chronicle plays, in that it has a stirring plot with a rapid flow of incident and plenty of variety while on the other hand it has points of contact with tragedy in its attempts to show on stage heart-rending scenes filled with passionate utterances, deep pathos and high tragic dignity. This can be seen in Act four, scene two where the pace quickens as Marlowe deviates between countries. We see Edward receiving the news that Isabella, Mortimer, Kent and the young prince Edward are collecting an army in Hainault to attack on King Edward: 'Ah villains, hath that Mortimer escaped? With him is Edmund gone associate? And will sir John of Hainault lead the round? Marlowe therefore states historical moments, which did actually occur, but real, human, affectionate feelings are also shown from Edward, which makes the drama so much more intriguing. Also, in this scene the importance of Prince Edward continues to grow in a carefully controlled way. In the midst of Edward's anger

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  • Subject: English
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Explain the importance of Act 1 Scene 1 to 'King Richard Third' Discuss your ideas for presenting these scenes and say, how successfully you think the Loncraine Version interpreted them.

Explain the importance of Act 1 Scene 1 to 'King Richard Third' Discuss your ideas for presenting these scenes and say, how successfully you think the Loncraine Version interpreted them This plays deals with the story of King Richard third, Duke of Gloucester, and reflects on how he gained the English Throne. The genre is 'history' although in our terms it changed to 'horror' due to the number of deaths that take place among the characters throughout the film. Richard becomes the focus of the play; it is structured to allow the audience to feel involved and complicit in his crimes. The backdrop to the play is the infamous civil conflict, 'the war of the roses'. The play is presented in the Tudor perspective. It was written to flatter the monarchy. Therefore, Shakespeare portrayed Richard in a negative light as a deformed, obsessive villain not a hero. The conflict of the 'war of the roses' was a brutal civil war where Queen Elizabeth's godfather Henry VII defeated Richard and gained the throne of England, the first Tudor monarch. In this way, Shakespeare indicated that the Tudors were the founders of peace, ending the 'war of the roses' in favour of Elizabeth. The civil war affected people badly, throughout the whole British Isles. Shakespeare's language indicates that after the civil conflict, everybody was involved in great celebrations. The language of war is balanced

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'Dangerously alluring', to what extent is this an accurate estimation of Richards Character?

'Dangerously alluring', to what extent is this an accurate estimation of Richards Character? Richard III. One of the most complex characters in Shakespeare's various plays. Psychologically, he is an enigmatic individual, who possesses a number of contradictory characteristics, which qualify him as a fantastic villain. He is a man so determined to succeed, that he can almost be perceived as slightly insane. His three dimensional character means that there is a side of him that will appeal to the audience, and absorbs the viewer into his world of madness, irony, and mayhem. There is no other suitable way to characterise Richard, apart from 'Dangerously alluring', as I will prove in a psychosomatic analysis of Richard in the play 'King Richard III'. One of Richard's most dangerously alluring characteristics is his manipulative speech. He is undoubtedly the most articulate character in the whole of the play, making him dangerous to encounter. He proves, throughout the play, that, with the aid of his 'honey words', he can free himself from any situations that may jeopardise, his plot and thus his path to the throne. One of the most improbable situations, which Richard's verbal dexterity allows him to escape, is his confrontation with Anne (Act I Scene III), at the funeral of her late husband Edward Prince of Wales, who died at the hands of Richard following the Battle of

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How does Richard change over the course of the play Richard III?

How does Richard change over the course of the play Richard III? As soon as the play begins, Richard begins his role as an actor, a fully evil actor who though his mastery of the stage has come to appreciate his own skill. Richard has a strenuous need to perform, and desperately wants to play a role. Therefore I don't think we really see the 'real' Richard very often. " As I cannot prove myself as a lover... I am determined to prove a villain" This shows how Richard is shunned by love and friendship; he is seen as an outsider and wants to become an important figure. In the opening soliloquy, Richard talks of his physical deformity, which may have been nothing, more than a creation of Shakespeare to further the point of Richards disharmony from nature, making the deformity seem an outward sign of his wickedness. It soon shows that Richard uses his deformity as an excuse for is actions and as a tool to win other peoples sympathy. Richard is appealing because he is such an expert in changing his personality towards different people and being a manipulator. During his rise to power in acts I - III he is always in charge of himself and very aware of how to play each scene to his advantage, he informs the audience of what he intends to do then does it. Throughout the play Richard is seen as an outsider and apart from social figures. He is clearly a murderer and a villain yet he

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How far would you say Shakespeare creates sympathy in the minds of the audience for Richard's victims?

How far would you say that Shakespeare creates sympathy in the minds of the audience for Richard's victims? Shakespeare's play, Richard III, written in the 16th Century, is a tragedy revolving around Richard of Gloucester's ascent to the throne of England. Throughout the play, the plot centres around the murders orchestrated by Richard, of several important characters including Lady Anne, George Duke of Clarence and the two princes in the tower. He is also indirectly responsible for the fleeing of one of his closest friends and political ally, Buckingham. Shakespeare deals with each of these characters quite differently, encouraging the audience to be more sympathetic towards some victims rather than others. It must be remembered that this play was effectively a dramatisation of history which had occurred only few centuries previously in the period 1471-1485. It could also be considered a sequel to three other plays that Shakespeare had written about the Monarchy of England, and he would have been aware that some of his audiences would have come with pre-conceived ideas about the characters in this play. The effects of any play depend on its production- different productions will engage different sympathies from an audience. A constant factor may be the plot, theme and language that the actors use, but also the type of stage, costumes, sound effects, acting styles and

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  • Subject: English
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'His honour rooted in dishonour stood, And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true' (Tennyson, Lancelot and Elaine). Richard III

'His honour rooted in dishonour stood, And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true' (Tennyson, Lancelot and Elaine). From the very opening of the play Richard III, Richard establishes himself as a synonym for villainy. And that is the general impression we assume when considering the disposition of Richard III, a ruthless, villainous tyrant who felt the only means in which to achieve ones ends was to use hostility, force and injustice. It would be so easy to condemn Richard for his tyrannical, Machiavellian ways, for after all, all the history we know of Richard is malevolent. Yet the portrayal of this mis-understood protagonist in the text Richard III has been edited to make the audience averse towards Richard III, by the playwright, William Shakespeare. Richard III manipulates the Court of York the same way that William Shakespeare manipulates history. Shakespeare vilifies Richard III in order to glorify Richmond, founder of the Tudor dynasty. Shakespeare re-writes history to, takes events out of chronological sequences to make Richard's transgressions seem more iniquitous. Although technically a history, Richard III is considered a tragedy, as it consists of a tragic structure, showing the ride and fall of a single protagonist. In his opening soliloquy, Richard says he is 'determinéd to prove a villain' (I.I.30), and the play develops this ambiguous statement into an

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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