Compare Brutus and Antonys speeches in Act III Scene 2 of Julius Caesar. Analyse the dramatic effects created by Shakespeares use of language
Compare Brutus and Antony's speeches in Act III Scene 2 of Julius Caesar. Analyse the dramatic effects created by Shakespeare's use of language. Like most of Shakespeare's tragedies, Julius Caesar is loosely based around true events during the Roman era. Julius Caesar is based upon a Roman emperor who ruled the empire until his death. Caesar was born around 100 B.C. and died in 44 B.C. Although the play is named Julius Caesar, the main characters of the play are Brutus and Mark Antony. Before Brutus began his speech, the third citizen says: "The noble Brutus is ascended: silence!" This reaction from the third citizen reflects the fact that Brutus is a significant figure and reflects also their eagerness to listen to Brutus' statement for Caesar's murder. Brutus begins by addressing the crowds as "Romans, countrymen and lovers!" This helps him appear very courteous. In line 18, Shakespeare uses a chiastic structure "believe me for mine honour and have respect to mine honour, that you may believe" to swing the audience's support towards Brutus. Using a chiasm (repeating words in a different way) makes Brutus' words more emphatic. From line 22 onwards Brutus is explaining his reasons for killing Caesar. Brutus uses memorable sentences such as: "Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more." Here Brutus is stating that he did indeed care about Caesar. However, he
Iago is fascinating for his most terrible characteristic: his utter lack of convincing motivation for his actions.
Iago is fascinating for his most terrible characteristic: his utter lack of convincing motivation for his actions. Iago's motivation is nothing more than jealously, self-absorption and hatred, yet his tact is presented in a decidedly and socially acceptable fashion, that is, until his true self is uncovered. In being so wrapped up in himself, Iago's vengeful attitude knows no bounds. His motivation becomes first known to us in the first scene of the play, in which he claims to be angry at Othello for having passed him over for the position of lieutenant. At the end of Act I, scene iii, Iago states that he thinks Othello may have slept with his wife, Emilia: "It is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets / He has done my office". However none of these claims seems to adequately explain Iago's most deep hatred of Othello, and Iago's lack of convincing motivation or his inability or unwillingness to express his true motivation-makes his actions all the more terrifying and sinister. He is willing to take revenge on anyone, Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, Roderigo, even Emilia, at the slightest provocation and he enjoys damage that he causes. Iago's true power lays in his great talent for understanding and manipulating the desires and insecurities of those around him. Thus making him both a powerful and compelling figure. He seems to be the puppeteer of all the other characters in the
Romeo's letter to his father - Romeo and Juliet.
Dear Father, As you read my last words to yourself I am lying dead not because of a sword wound but because of a broken heart. Confusion and puzzle must be swarming through your head like a beehive but as you come to the last word of this letter you should hopefully understand and forgive me. I received an invitation that invited me to my only foes mansion but I met my only true love there. Rosaline was the one that I thought had my heart but my thoughts were deceived and my eyes saw the truth. As I gazed through my mask I saw her. I asked myself 'Did my heart love till now?' only about a quarter of an hour later I knew the answer to this question. I asked for a kiss and was denied at first. When going to kiss I said thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged. Our lips touched and my heart throbbed I pleaded 'Give me my sin again.' As I requested she did. A women interrupted our moment and told Juliet that her 'mother craves a word' with her. 'What is her mother?' I asked with curiosity and the answer that I got was like a sharp pain through my heart. A Capulet I asked myself how can this be? 'my life is my foe's debt' A Capulet or not I had to go and see my lady again and see I did. She appeared at her balcony. She gazed into the star night as I looked into her eyes 'Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,' I fell more in love. She spoke 'Ay me!' I muttered to
How does Shakespeare use imagery in his play Romeo and Juliet to intensify the drama, create atmosphere and illuminate the central themes?
GCSE Coursework: Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet How does Shakespeare use imagery in his play Romeo and Juliet to intensify the drama, create atmosphere and illuminate the central themes? In Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", Shakespeare uses imagery to create atmosphere, intensify drama and illuminate central themes. By using a variety of metaphors, dramatic irony, use of figurative language and his explanation of poetic forms he conveys meaning and character excellently. He incorporates all of these dramatic devices and more to convey the plot and reveal those things that were Elizabethan concerns. Shakespeare starts the play with a prologue. This was very popular in Shakespeare's time and he uses a sonnet to imply love because it was established as a poetic form for love and devotional poetry. It's used to set the scene and describes what is going to happen. It describes Romeo and Juliet as "Star crossed lovers"; this shows the audience the play is going to be about romance but also despair and feuds and not being in control of one's own destiny. The sonnet shows Shakespeare's ability to distil the essence of language and draw the audience into the action. Using the sonnet Shakespeare achieves the 'suspension of disbelief', which shows his class as a writer because it highlights the theatricality of the play, to show the audience that the play is completely fictional.
Commentary on Macbeth soliloquy Act V scene V"To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
Commentary on Macbeth soliloquy Act V scene V "To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. " Soliloquy is a speech made by a character alone on the stage or thinks she/he is alone. Through soliloquy, the audience gains an honest and direct experience of that character's mind. In this particular soliloquy, Macbeth expresses overwhelming despair. This soliloquy encompasses the entire experience of Macbeth's kingship, short to the entire play. Imagery, time, dictions and repetition each have its constituency in shaping this important soliloquy. The passage reveals to the reader the despair and desolation of Macbeth just before the deciding battle with Macduff and Malcolm. Just before the soliloquy, Macbeth has been informed that Lady Macbeth is dead. The sudden departure of Lady Macbeth marks the lost of Macbeth's only love and trusty as well as the ties to the world. By now, Macbeth is all alone, as most of the previously mentioned Thanes have taken side with Malcolm. After this soliloquy, Macbeth is
'Antony's use of rhetoric in Act3, Scene2 is more effective than Brutus'.
'Antony's use of rhetoric in Act3, Scene2 is more effective than Brutus'.' To what extent do you agree with this statement? 26 If one considers merely the apparent 'winner' of the argument in Act 3, Scene 2, then Antony is the obvious choice as the better orator. However, Brutus probably had a more difficult job as he had to convince the crowd to forgive him for the murder of the (effective)1 head of the Roman Empire. In fact, the use of rhetorical devices in both speeches is extensive and generally well balanced. This has been affected by the order in which the men spoke to the crowd, which could, to some extent, alter the opinion of the rhetorical devices used. Rhetorical devices in the passage are well used, especially in the case of Antony and his use of pathos, although one may argue that in this instance pathos is particularly easy to use. An example of pathos2 is,'...I should do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong (who you all know) are honourable men. I will not do them wrong; I rather choose, to wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you, then to wrong such honourable men.' This quote in some ways appears at first glance to be pro-Brutus but the undertones are more malicious and if said in grief3, could evoke powerful emotional reactions from the audience which is one of Antony's main objectives, so to make the plebeians4 turn against the conspirators in their, and at the
Discuss Shakespeare's treatment of courtship and marriage in "Much Ado About Nothing". In your essay you should refer to modern interpretations of the play and consider the context in which they were produced as well as the context of the original play.
Discuss Shakespeare's treatment of courtship and marriage in "Much Ado About Nothing". In your essay you should refer to modern interpretations of the play and consider the context in which they were produced as well as the context of the original play. In 'Much Ado About Nothing' there are two love interests on which the play is mainly focused. The courtship between the two couples Beatrice and Benedick and Hero and Claudio gives the audience a glance at two completely different forms of love. The relationship between the characters Claudio and Hero is one which is very traditional and a very safe way of communicating their feelings to one another. Shakespeare borrowed the story of Hero and Claudio from a man called Matteo Bandello, this shows that this may not be his own view of how love should be expressed. He did however invent the story of Benedick and Beatrice; this may mean that he believes that the way in which love is expressed should be much more spontaneous and heart-felt. The way that Beatrice and Benedick treat each other offers humour as this is one of Shakespeare's comedies whilst also providing a relationship which seems much more modern and extraordinary for the time. The courting between Beatrice and Benedick is slightly vicious as they seem never to compliment each other but instead comment on each others faults 'he is no less than a stuffed man' and the
What are the different forms of deception that occur in the play and what is their effect?
What are the different forms of deception that occur in the play and what is their effect? Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare, is a play about misperceptions, love and the overall comedy of relationships. The main plot revolves around a young couple, Hero and Claudio, and the obstacles they must face in order to be together. The humour ensues when Benedick, a sworn bachelor, meets Beatrice, Hero's opinionated cousin, and from the very beginning they make their great resentment for one another extremely clear. Through the use of relationships in the play, Shakespeare shows the reader the many different forms of deception, and their positive and negative effects. One of the main examples of deception made evident in the play is deception of friends to promote love. This is shown when Don Pedro lets Hero and Claudio in on his plan to bring Beatrice and Benedick together: "I will teach you how to humour your cousin, that she shall fall in love with Benedick, and I, with your two helps, will so practice on Benedick." The effect is a positive one, as his plan works and the pair overcome their differences and end up falling in love. This is one of several examples of deception that is for positive, and helps the comic tone of the play evolve. Deception to cause harm is another form that is used in the play. This time Don John, the villain of the town, and Borachio, his
How does Shakespeare convey the theme of love and conflict in the Prologue, Act 1 Scene 5, Act 3 Scene 2 and Act 3 Scene 5 of 'Romeo and Juliet'?
HOW DOES SHAKESPEARE CONVEY THE THEME OF LOVE AND CONFLICT IN THE PROLOGUE, ACT 1 SCENE 5, ACT 3 SCENE 2 AND ACT 3 SCENE 5 OF 'ROMEO AND JULIET'? When writing about love and conflict in the play, I will focus on four parts of it; the Prologue, Act 1 Scene 5, Act 3 Scene 1 and Act 3 Scene 5. In each of them, I will look for love and conflict, and how is it related to many other things in the play, such us the development of characters or Shakespeare's dramatic style. The essay should help those who will read it understand what is hidden, or seems to be hidden, beyond Shakespeare's use of language, form and other things. All of my points are based on the different bits of the play and how I myself interpret them in relation to the theme. The whole play is introduced by the Prologue. In the 20th century film I saw with my class, the Prologue was given in the form of TV news, where a woman was introducing the story, as they usually do in the news, saying things like ''Three Italian soldiers died in Iraq in an explosion yesterday. Protests against the war rise.'' or ''Famous footballer X stopped playing football. Millions of fans wail.'', and then showing and speaking about the whole story. This quite well explains how the Prologue works. It tells us the destination of the story (''In fair Verona, where we lay our scene.''), explains who the story is about (''Two households, both
A letter from Lady Macbeth to her husband.
My beloved Macbeth, I can barely write as unrighteous tears cloud my eyes and blur my vision. Oh, my love, how I have battledwith my conscience and how my words 'our deeds must not be thought of ' come back to haunt me. Screams in my head paralyse my sleep and torture my wake. I can no longer live for fear of the truth being shared. Ever since I received that fateful letter I began plotting how we could speed our path to power. I should have let fate take its course instead of trying to take fate into my own hands. If I had done that then maybe the smell of Duncan's blood would disappear and perhaps I would not be writing this, my final letter. I remember the time when we were a young happy couple, so much in love, so much to live for. How long ago this all seems now. I wish we could return tothat happiness, but it is all too late. I have ruined everything you worked so hard for. You were a role model to everyone who knew you. Well respected, brave and loyal, you served your country and gained the trust of our king. He rewarded you well and would have rewarded you further, but now I' ve destroyed everything. I am filled with pain and anguish and hopeless despair and all I can offer you is that when I am gone it may relieve some of the guilt I have put upon your soul. I recall being overcome with emotion when you returned to me after the battle and you were given
