Compare and Contrast the characters of Mercutio and Tybalt.
Romeo and Juliet Compare and Contrast the characters of Mercutio and Tybalt. For this assignment I intend to write and discuss the differences and similarities of two characters portrayed in the play Romeo and Juliet. As well as describing and analysing them I will also show how these characters are presented in two adaptations of films by two different directors Zeffirelli and Lurhmann. These two characters are Mercutio and Tybalt; both characters play an important role as they both affect the outcome of the play and decisions other characters may have to perform. These two beings have a great grudge against each other which causes death to arise between the two. The main reason for this grudge is that Mercutio is from the Montague's and Tybalt from the Capulet's two communities with a bitter rival for one another. As well as Mercutio being from the Montague's so is Romeo, however unlike Mercutio Romeo wants to resolve this dispute peacefully, so it does not interfere with his love for Juliet, from the Capulet's. Romeos love for Juliet doesn't seem to do justice and makes Tybalt's hatred increase even more. Mercutio Mercutio is supposedly 14 we can only presume this as his age is not confirmed. He is seen as one of the main characters in the play along with Romeo, Juliet and Tybalt. During the play there are many actions and responses which reveal his true identity. One
Give a detailed analysis of Othello's final speech,
Give a detailed analysis of Othello's final speech, "Soft you a word or two before I go..." as presented in the various screen interpretations you have seen. Discuss the effectiveness. Put forward alternative staging options which you feel would be more effective. Make links with different Literary - Critical interpretations, as well as with context material. Show how the passage picks up themes from the play as a whole. Andrew Mackay 12E WORD COUNT: 1606 DATE: 04/02/03 The five screen interpretations where all with the actors playing Othello as, Welles, Olivier, Hopkins, White and Fishburne. All five were produced on video format with a contrast of film and stage presentations. I have decided to focus on the three presentations of, Olivier, White and Fishburne. The final speech of Othello starts with Othello near to or cradling the limp lifeless boy of Desdemona after he has killed her. Iago has been arrested and Emilia is dead. The play is closing in the traditional Shakespearian way with an explosive and emotional ending similar to Romeo and Juliet with the loves killing themselves as a result of misfortune and lies. In the films there is a mixture of setting and performance styles and some of the Othello's are "blacked up" as they are of Caucasian natural skin. This speech is important as it is the culmination of the whole play and all the issues raised as to the love
How does Shakespeare challenge the conventional role of women within the patriarchal society of Much Ado About Nothing.
How does Shakespeare challenge the conventional role of women within the patriarchal society of 'Much Ado About Nothing'. 'Much Ado About Nothing' is set in a patriarchal society in the late 16th century. In a patriarchal society, men are the dominating sex and women are the oppressed ones. The title of the play also plays a part in showing how things are overly based on sexual relationships between men and women. The play takes place over a course of three days. As so much happens during these three days, the events take place rapidly and can create confusion and misunderstanding. 'Much Ado About Nothing' is a play of wit, deception and slander. It is full of darkness just as much as it is full of light. For Beatrice, a pre-occupation with death arises from her entrapment within a court whose practices she does not admire. She constantly tries to oppose the views of her society with which she doesn't agree. The treatment of gender issues in 'Much Ado About Nothing' would have been central to its impact on Elizabethan audiences. Women, stereotypically, were expected to be silent, gentle, passive and submissive. Independent women were regarded with suspicion and interest. In the first three scenes, the male characters continually criticise the females. Benedick voices the traditional patriarchal ideology through his constant criticism of women's actions and sexual
Is Hamlet a coward or someone driven by his conscience?
Is Hamlet a coward or someone driven by his conscience? Hamlet's character is interesting because of the way he goes about his revenge. Compared to Laertes he is very hesitant, a thinker, not a warrior. His delay is mainly due to his perception of the ghost, whether it is really his father's spirit or an evil apparition, but is he really thinking of an excuse to delay seeking revenge or does he want to be 100% sure King Claudius was responsible for the death of his father? The important thing that Shakespeare is trying to portray is that Hamlet seeks certainty before he can take action, but is he a coward? Or someone who is purely driven by his conscience? The opening scene of the play is designed to present the ghost and arouse questions about its credibility. Whether it is an evil or good spirit, the ghost is the mechanism which triggers the need for Hamlet's revenge. Hamlet's uncertainty about the identity and purpose of the ghost is highlighted in Act I scene IV, "Be thou spirit of health or goblin dammed", hence the importance of his thought sequences in deciding whether or not the ghost was real and if not, is there a need to kill Claudius? To seek this revenge he would have to kill Claudius and his mother, for they are both guilty of having impure souls. But one of the very first internal conflicts Hamlet has is when the Ghost tells him (Act I scene IV) "nor let thy
To what extent do you think Shylock deserves the treatment given to him in the trial scene?
To what extent do you think Shylock deserves the treatment given to him in the trial scene? Shylock receives a variety of treatment during Act 4 Scene 1. He receives pity, mercy but most of all he is treated as bad as a "dog"; a "wolf", being viewed as heartless and vicious. Gratiano begins insulting Shylock before Portia enters; at the beginning of the court hearing. He says "thou be damned inexecrable dog", hoping Shylock would die for what he is doing. Gratiano tends to express the opinions of other people rather than his own, which shows how hated Shylock is. However, Shylock does receive (what turns out to be) mercy when Portia tell Shylock to "be merciful". "It is an attribute to God himself", Portia exclaims, showing she has considered how to appeal to Shylock and how she considers him as an equal, talking about their god and not excluding shylock as a non-believer etc. as others do. Although, while I think she is being fair in giving him mercy, I consider the possibility that if it was Antonio seizing a pound of Shylock's flesh, then Portia would not of tried to stop him. But I cannot be sure of this as there is no evidence supporting this apart from the Christians' general hatred towards Jews and - more specifically - Shylock. Later on, Shylock is offered to take 9000 ducats, thrice what he wanted, and leave. However, Shylock declines this offer due to it not
Much Ado About Nothing - Which man would you prefer to marry? Benedick or Claudio? Consider the ways in which each is presented before coming to a decision.
Laura McPherson 11.4(7) Shakespeare Coursework - Much Ado About Nothing Which man would you prefer to marry? Benedick or Claudio? Consider the ways in which each is presented before coming to a decision. Benedick and Claudio are the main male characters in the play. They are very contrasting in their action, words and approaches to love, which is shown throughout the play. The first impressions we have of each are derived from their entrance and first words from Act1, Scene 1, when the soldiers have returned from war. Benedick shows he is a witty and somewhat cocky character from even his first line, in which he and Leanato are joking about the fact that Hero is Leanato's daughter. Leanato says 'Her mother hath many times told me so,' Benedick's reply being 'were you in any doubt, sir, that you asked her?' (1:1:79), showing his quick-witted and light-hearted nature. Claudio's first words however, speak of Hero, 'the daughter of signor Leanato' and he makes known to Benedick that he thinks she is a 'modest young lady' (1:2:119-121), meaning she is sweet and he likes her a lot. As the play continues we begin to establish more of the men's characters. The remainder of Act 1, Scene 1 shows Benedick's objections to love, for example his comment 'shall I never see a bachelor of three score again' (1:1:147) suggests that to him it seems all young men decide to get married
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.
The Supernatural in "Macbeth"
Macbeth Supernatural, no matter if you believe in it or not it still attracts the audience's heart. In the time of William Shakespeare there was a strong belief in the existence of the supernatural. Thus, the supernatural is s recurring aspect in many of Mr. Shakespeare's plays. In "Macbeth", the supernatural is an integral part of the structure of the plot. Not only do witches appear but also a floating dagger transforms into reality. Shakespeare intelligently introduced the elements of the supernatural in Act 1, Scene 3. Shakespeare located his scene in a mysterious marshy, deserted "heath" on a day with "thunder", perfect for paranormal activity. Thunder and lightning was believed to be associated with evil, and when the play was presented in Shakespeare's time, cannonballs would be rolled to create the sound effect. Three characters are introduced; immediately we knew that they are involved with the supernatural because the second witch told the others that she was "killing swine". Witches tried to hide from humans in fear of being burned at stakes, so they had to be in an empty heath to meet Macbeth. Back in the day, witches were blamed for the death of animals. Also, the witches repeated phrases three times. "I'll do, I'll do, I'll do" and instead of any other number of witches, there were three of them. The number three was regarded as a magic number. The
Shylock - Victim or Villain?
Shylock Victim or Villain? By Pritesh Dave 10M The Merchant of Venice is a very racially controversial play. This is because the plays main story is about racism towards Jews. In the days of Shakespeare, many of the people were anti-Semitic. The Jews were just starting to migrate to England and the racism towards them was motivated by their success. The Christians believed that the Jews were "aliens" and they shouldn't be involved in the Christian was of life. Also, the Jews in Britain were extremely successful, some more than the Christians. They were allowed to lend money and charge interest, as it was not forbidden by the Jewish religion like it is for Christianity. During the 16th Century, many plays were written which involved Jews. The Jews played a "stock character". They were normally villains or a comic character. The Christians who would play the Jews in the play would dress up in traditional Jewish costume and would speak in an exaggerated accent. This would instantly indicate that this character was the villain or the comic character. The audience would boo and jeer at this character. At the end of his play this character would be made a fool out of and would lose most or everything important to him/her. For example, the Jew would die, the Jew would lose his daughter or wife, he would have his money and land taken or he would be forced to change religion. They
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
