Did Shylock get the result he was hoping for when he took his case to court
Did Shylock get the result he was hoping for when he took his case to court? The terms of the contract were simple. Antonio borrowed some money from the Jewish money lender Shylock. The agreement was that if the money was not paid back in two months then Shylock was entitled to a pound of flesh off Antonio's body. Antonio did not pay him back so Shylock went to court over the matter. In the court scene a judge came called 'Dr Balthazar'. Dr Balthazar was actually Portia dressed a man so she was doing her best to change Shylock's mind. She managed to overturn the conditions and turn the tables on Shylock in three main ways. Firstly she said that the contract clearly said that he could clearly have his flesh but it did not say he could take one drop of blood. She also told him that he could not take more or less than exactly one pound of Antonio's flesh. Portia tells Shylock to go ahead and take his flesh but he may not break either of these rules. Portia says that if he does break one of then rules then all his lands and goods will be confiscated. The final charge she presses on Shylock is that as he is Jewish he is not allowed to kill a Venetian citizen. As there is practically no chance of him not successfully taking his flesh he is now the one begging for mercy. After Shylock realised that he wasn't going to get his way, he asked for the sum of money. By this time it was
How does Shakespeare make the Balcony Scene and the Death Scene in Romeo & Juliet Dramatically Effective?
How does Shakespeare make the Balcony Scene and the Death Scene in Romeo & Juliet Dramatically Effective? Shakespeare's famous play begins with a Prologue which establishes that this play will be a tragic one, and that the children of two families in constant quarrel ("ancient grudge"), Romeo of the Montague family and Juliet of the Capulet family, will both fall in love and die in the course of this play. The Prologue does not merely set the scene of Romeo and Juliet, it tells the audience exactly what is going to happen. The prologue lines 6 - 10: "A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; Whole misadventured piteous overthrows Do with their death bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, And the continuance of their parents' rage," The audience therefore watches the play with the expectation that it must fulfill the terms set in the Prologue. The structure of the play itself is the fate from which Romeo and Juliet cannot escape. There are certain eternal themes that will always still be relevant in any old play, things like love/hate/death/romance/jealousy and pain, there are still families who dislike and argue over each other. Families who often argue teach their younger generation to dislike the other family causing them to altercate and kill each other out of spite and hatred, and people still make stupid choices in
Is Prospero a power obsessed tyrant or an egalitarian?
Is Prospero a power obsessed tyrant or an egalitarian? The play 'The Tempest' portrays one mans fight to bring justice to those who have betrayed him in life. This character, Prospero, once the rightful duke of Milan, was overthrown by his brother, Antonio, and is now hell bent on seeking revenge. Throughout the play, there are elements of tyranny, egalitarianism and autocracy. Although these three elements are present, it is my opinion that Prospero is overall an autocrat. I will now explore the character of Prospero and show why I believe this. Prospero and his daughter Miranda where set adrift into the Mediterranean Sea after he was overthrown. Once Prospero arrived on the island, he immediately imprisoned two people, Ariel, an airy spirit, and Caliban, a monstrous creature. Ariel her self had already been imprisoned by Sycorax, an evil witch, when Prospero reached the island. When he found her, Prospero freed her but in return made her his magical slave. Although Prospero has imprisoned Ariel he is not tyrannical in his nature. He has not used force or death to manipulate her and cannot therefore be branded a tyrant. Prospero also says 'I will discharge thee', when his work has finished. If he is willing to free Ariel after her purpose is served then he is not being tyrannical in imprisoning her as a tyrant would not free one of his captives. He cannot be an egalitarian
Prospero is a powerful character. What impression does the audience get of Prospero in Act 1, Scene 2?
Prospero is a powerful character. What impression does the audience get of Prospero in Act 1, Scene 2? Prospero throughout the entire play has the power over everyone on the island. He maintains this power through the use of his magic and thus gains supremacy over the natural world. He also has a parental authority over his daughter, and this is illustrated in Act 1, Scene 2 when he tells her about how they came to be on the island. Prospero also has control over Ariel, due to his magical powers and also due to the fact that Ariel feels indebted to him for rescuing him. Prospero's authority could lead the audience to see him as a dictator. However, it is important to analyse Prospero's power to gain a balanced view of what the audience would conclude. At the beginning of Act 1, Scene 2 we find Miranda and Prospero on the shore of their island, looking out to sea at the recent shipwreck. Miranda asks her father to do anything he can to help the poor souls in the ship. Prospero speaks gently saying, "tell your piteous heart there's no harm done", and then assures her that everything is all right and that he has done "nothing but in care of thee". He goes on to tell her that it is time she learned more about herself and her past, saying "'Tis time I should inform thee further". He reveals to her that he orchestrated the shipwreck and tells her the lengthy story of her past.
What are your first impressions on Hamlet in Act I scene II?
What are your first impressions on Hamlet in Act I scene II? The first impressions on Hamlet vary with the audience, as some people see him as a misanthropic character, whereas others see him as a character of dignity, intelligence and sensitivity, also someone beyond his time. The atmosphere he provides though is very distressing, not only towards the audience but towards the characters, especially his rival Claudius. He can be seen as someone who separates the idea of reality and appearance. Everyone sets the allegiance towards Claudius their king, except Hamlet, when everyone has removed their mourning clothes except Hamlet, who is still wearing his "nighted colour," and Gertrude asks "Why seems it so particular with thee?" Hamlet responds to her question by using the word "seems", which Shakespeare used to represent appearances, and Hamlet says it twice in a single sentence, and he says he cannot pretend, but rather, must be what he is. Shakespeare might have intended to use "seems", because the idea of appearances is important, as I mentioned, but to show how Claudius might be the antagonist. His mood shows how misanthropic he can be, but also can be seen as sensitive by other people, as he has taken the 'forms, moods, shapes of grief' which are true for him. Though his emotions may seem to be those of an actor due to Gertrude's viewpoint, he is not acting at all,
How do Hamlet's Soliloquies reveal his Changing thoughts and Moods throughout the play?
How do Hamlet's Soliloquies reveal his Changing thoughts and Moods throughout the play? The play Hamlet is basically about life and death. We see this through the character Hamlet. Hamlet's character is not one dimensional, their are many sides to his personality. We can tell this by the way his mood varies throughout the play. Only in the soliloquies does Hamlet reveal his true self, and we 'the audience' begin to develop a better understanding of his complex character. A soliloquy is a speech in which a character (in this case Hamlet) reveals to the audience his thoughts and feelings which he is unable to express to other characters in the play. So in other words, soliloquies give a voice to Hamlet's thoughts. This is why soliloquies are so important, because a character can express his most inner thoughts with out judgement from fellow characters in the play. The three soliloquies I have studies are like signposts in the play. They guide us through Hamlet's mind at different points in the play. The main focus of my analysis will be on different actor's interpretations of this play, as well as the actual content and language of these three different soliloquies. The first soliloquy I am studying is in act one scene two. In this first soliloquy Hamlet talks about how if it wasn't for god's laws (sixth commandment, a religious law), he would committee suicide. This is due to
Discussing dramatic devices in Hamlet.
Hamlet In Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" there is a lot of dramatic devices. This causes tension because the guards of the Norwegian royal family are very jumpy as they think there might be another attack. However young Hamlet is going to avenge the death of his farther. Then tragedy strikes when everyone dies. A heavy dark atmosphere is established at the start of act one, scene one. By using, questions such as "Who's there?" Gives the impression that the guards are cautious, and scared. Also, "You come most carefully upon your hour." This implies that Bernardo came quite quietly and discreetly, and that Francisco is scared. This makes you wonder why they are scared, is there going to be another war? Why are they being careful? This draws in the audience and makes them ask questions. Elizabethan audiences strongly believed in ghosts, so by taking advantage of this, Shakespeare has used certain techniques to introduce a ghost. This would engage the audience because they would strongly believe. Also the use of the word "thing" in act one, scene one gives the impression that they don't know what the ghost is. For example when Marcellus says "what has this thing appear'd again to-night?" This tells us that he is scared; however he isn't aware of what he is scared of. Marcellus also refers to the "dreaded sight" this is a form of emotive language because the sight he is seeing is
Themes in Hamlet
31/01/08 Hamlet - My Thoughts on... Love: My thoughts on love follow: Love is an expression of the heart, emotions and experiences that contribute to a sense of affection and attachment to something inanimate or animate. Love can be feelings or states that are beyond basic control that are usually profound, indescribable and ultimately unavoidable. Love can encompass passionate desires of intimacy or non-sexual emotional closeness. In the end love is a fundamental necessity which enables us to feel as though we have a purpose in life. Revenge: My thoughts on revenge follow: Revenge is a way of expressing anger, weakness or any other uncontrollable thoughts due to someone/something affecting our life. Revenge is a build up of pressure and can result in either a depressive state or an undomesticated happening. An explosion of anger could result in an action to unfold that may not resolve any of the previous feelings. After taking revenge you may not feel relieved for the deed that we have accomplished. Revenge is not going to change anything as the original deed has already occurred. Suicide: My thoughts on suicide follow: To me suicide doesn't fix anything, however to someone that is suicidal it may appears as though it is the only real answer to all or most of their problems. For example: No money, no job? End my life and stop being a burden on society. Suicidal
Hamlet Today
William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" in Today's Society William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" remains relevant in today's society as the play explores many themes that are still appropriate. Such themes include death, suicide, duty and an individual's place in society. These themes are as prevalent today as they were in Shakespeare's time - during the Elizabethan Era. In the play 'Hamlet' we are aware that the character of Hamlet is attempting to rationalize certain issues in order to create a link between what he perceives is right, just and moral and that of society's expectations. The reason for Hamlet's relevance in society today is because the themes that were once illustrated through 'Hamlet' have lasted the test of time. Themes such as death are still abundant today. For example, Hamlet's third soliloquy reminds us that death is the only element that will allow us to feel as though we have a purpose. With death comes striving for a life that we will be content with in order to feel as though we have fulfilled a successful life. Hamlet later realizes that death is ethereal and does not fill this void because once we are dead nothing can or will maintain out life. "Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them." It is then evident that Hamlet has decided that there is an uncertainty of the afterlife and abandons the sense of heaven/hell in order to
The Play within the Play of Hamlet. To try and reveal his Uncle Claudiuss wrongdoing, he puts on a play that depicts the exact seen of the murder but it is unclear if this trick really displayed Claudiuss guilt.
The Starting of the True Mousetrap The novel, Hamlet, describes a story about a nephew who desires to seek revenge on his uncle for his father's death. To try and reveal his Uncle Claudius's wrongdoing, he puts on a play that depicts the exact seen of the murder but it is unclear if this trick really displayed Claudius's guilt. Hamlet believes that this play will show him if what the ghost told him was correct or if the ghost was just an evil spirit. Also this scene shows that Hamlet is just acting crazy because before Claudius shows up, Hamlet is speaking clearly to Horatio and is excited for what the play will reveal. When Claudius arrives, he begins to act insane again. Before the play starts, Hamlet questions Polonius about his acting past. This exchange pokes at the murder of his father and even foreshadows the death of Polonius. The dialogue between Polonius and Hamlet allows Hamlet, though acting crazy, to express ideas about the treachery of both Polonius and Claudius without them truly understanding that Hamlet suspects Claudius killed his father and that Polonius is betraying Hamlet's trust by spying on him and reading his love letters to Ophelia. When speaking with Polonius before the play, this dialogue foreshadows Hamlet's eventual killing of Polonius. Hamlet inquires about Polonius's acting background and Polonius explains that he used to be a good
