To what extent is Macbeth wholly responsible for his ruin, which destroys not only himself and other individuals, but also disrupts the divine unity of Scotland?
Macbeth Anna 11W To what extent is Macbeth wholly responsible for his ruin, which destroys not only himself and other individuals, but also disrupts the divine unity of Scotland? From the instant Macbeth stabs Duncan he can never rid himself, those close to him and the 'Divine Scotland' of the multitudinous scenes of carnage. Macbeth is the darkest and most brooding of all Shakespeare's texts, from his first encounter with the witches he plummets into a world of ruthless ambition, murder and an ongoing nightmare until his final, untimely however inevitable fate of destruction and demise. In order to understand how Shakespeare intended his audience to react to and interpret the themes in the play and on whom he intended the blame for the disruption to be placed, I must analyse it from a number of different aspects. I must firstly gain an understanding of Jacobean themes to help me to understand the audience's reaction and also observe the beliefs surrounding supernatural activities at the time. Especially those of James I, the King at the time as it is widely known of his strong beliefs that Shakespeare would inevitably be aiming to satisfy. My essay will quantify the extent of the damage Macbeth's actions caused at different stages of the history of political Scotland and will analyse his thinking which displays such
Explain How Shakespeare Creates Dramatic Tension in III.v
Explain How Shakespeare Creates Dramatic Tension In Act Three Scene Five Ask people to give an example of a rich mixture of romantic lyricism, crammed with deadly enmity, tantalizing love, clandestine marriage, farce and heart - breaking tragedy, most would respond with 'Romeo and Juliet', the remarkable tale of 'star crossed lovers', is one of the most famous literary tragedies in history. Written in 1595, Shakespeare converses the story of devoted teenagers in a tumultuous world of sadness and grief as they defy all known laws of their time, in pursuit of forbidden love and the consequences faced for their actions; inevitably bringing them to their suicidal deaths. Leading to the scrutiny of Act Three Scene Five, which could arguably be, the most pivotal scene of the overall play. Dramatic tension is one of the most vital devices used in this scene with the feeling of trepidation, fear and ambiguity cascading from the scene, the string of events in which lead to the lovers 'death marked love', is plunged into motion. The scene takes place after Romeo's banishment by the Prince from Verona for the death of Tybalt "immediately we do exile him hence...that hour will be his last", the eviction of Romeo puts a strain on Romeo and Juliet's relationship as his life will now be jeopardy if he is found in the city, commiseration is felt for Juliet as the corollary of the
King Lear gold
King Lear shows how Shakespeare adapted a well known fairy tale and turned it into a dark play about family relationships. Choose from the many transcripts and audio files of well known actors and directors discussing how tyranny and rejection between parents and children can lead to extreme cruelty, suffering and madness. Richard Eyre's recent production at the National theatre has been hailed as one of the greatest and most accessible this century. In a frank interview he discusses his interpretation of the play and why it is essentially about families. Q: Why did you decide to direct the play of King Lear? It's a play I've thought about for many years and always felt shy of. It's one of the very first plays that I saw when I started going to the theatre, which was when I was in my late teens. Almost the first professional Shakespeare production I saw was Peter Brook's production of Lear, with Paul Scofield, and it made a very very deep impression on me. The play made a very deep impression because I was doing my A Levels in Sciences, in Physics, Chemistry and Maths, had virtually read no literature, and didn't know the play at all. I knew nothing about the play. I knew it was about an old man who was a king, King Lear, and I was knocked sideways by the production. I suppose it awoke my imagination to the power of the theatre and the power of that play, and the legacy of
What is a hero? In this essay I will be discussing three short stories - Half Brothers and The Sexton's Hero, both by Elizabeth Gaskell, and also Werewolf, which is written by Angela Carter.
Charlotte Squires 11KBO 30th January 2003 What is a hero? In this essay I will be discussing three short stories - Half Brothers and The Sexton's Hero, both by Elizabeth Gaskell, and also Werewolf, which is written by Angela Carter. I will compare them, and discuss the overall question 'What is a hero', and see how and if the stories address this subject. Elizabeth Gaskell was a writer who looked deeply at the grim reality of life, something that no writers before her had dared to do. She created books that told what a struggle it was to survive, and this earned her the friendship of writers such as Charles Dickens. Her novels, among them being 'Mary Barton', were extremely controversial and allowed the previously 'sheltered' middle-class to see what life was really like in the depths of the city. Angela Carter is a writer whose work nearly always falls within the fantasy genre. In particular, she is known for ' her attempts to deconstruct fairytales in terms of adult meaning, and to bring out an underlying subtext.' (Quote from fortunecity.com) The first short story that I shall be discussing is Werewolf, by Angela Carter. In folklore and legend, a werewolf is a person that changes into a wolf by the light of the full moon, but it is not a clear cut as that in this particular tale. As soon as the story
How does Miller use the concept of witchcraft for dramatic effect and to expose hypocrisy?
How does Miller use the concept of witchcraft for dramatic effect and to expose hypocrisy? Arthur Miller wrote this play in accordance and reference to the persecution placed upon him and many others by the committee of un-American activities. He was persecuted for his way of thinking, and this inspired him to write the play " The Crucible" to make people realise that history is being repeated. In his mind, the way he and the other communists were treated bared a great likeness to that of the "witches" of Salem and the way the Jews were treated during the holocaust. In the sixteen hundreds Salem was ruled by a theocracy so their ideas of truth and justice would have varied from ours. The puritans ideology was that if the bible says its so, it's so. Most of us are now aware that most of the bible is not to be taken literally, but symbolically. The play itself is based upon the idea of witchcraft and the outcome of hypocrisy and the drama that revolves around it. Lies are a force for destruction; it rips apart a whole community in a dramatic manner. This "game" results in death for the accused and it wouldn't be believed if it wasn't for selfish ministers out to save their status, reputation and money. The innocents are condemned to death. The question is 'How does Miller use the concept of witchcraft for dramatic effect and to expose hypocrisy?' In basic terms, I have to show
'Street Scene' was written by Elmer Rice and exploits the values of a Catholic family in New York, America. A powerful drama, 'Street Scene' deals with eternal issues: love, hate, racism and prejudice via several sets of families.
Drama Coursework: 'Street Scene.' Sophie Chapman 25th September 02 Response 'Street Scene' was written by Elmer Rice and exploits the values of a Catholic family in New York, America. A powerful drama, 'Street Scene' deals with eternal issues: love, hate, racism and prejudice via several sets of families. I have explored the aspects covered in this play primarily by role - play. Role - play is the art of taking on a character - without a script - and then being that character in a prescribed situation. Most of 'Street Scene' is set upon a stoop, therefore to create different levels; parts of the rostra were used to construct a platform with stairs for the actors to stand upon. 'Street Scene' is about a tragic family and in particular the torments of a middle - aged man called Frank Maurant. Mr. Maurant is a gruff, aggressive and hard man who cannot accept change and always employs the importance of family. His major qualm throughout the play is the concept of his daughter Rose going out with a Jewish boy. Mrs. Maurant is a concealed character who brings about much speculation amongst the local gossips over her close relationship with Sankey the milkman. She never admits to her adultery but suspicion amongst others leads to tragedy in the end. With a group of people, I devised a scenario that might have happened before Mr. Maurant's death. The scene is set in the
Directors notes and stage instructions for An Inspector Calls
Firstly, we have the Stage Instructions to consider. Throughout the play, there is no mention of Inspector Goole's physical appearance except in the first set of stage instructions when he enters the Birlings' house. He is said to "need not be a big man but he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness." As for his age, he is "a man in his fifties, dressed in a plain darkish suit of the period." There is no mention of any distinctive features to define him so already, an air of mystery has been created about this so-called inspector. For me, his "massiveness, solidity and purposefulness" and his name "Goole" build up a feeling of fear and this first set of instructions lead me to believe that he could be in the form of a ghost returning to teach the Birlings a lesson about responsibility. An additional example of this, is when Inspector Goole is talking to Mr. and Mrs. Birling (and occasionally Gerald) Priestley has added in instructions so that Goole speaks to them "savagely" and "severely", which indicates he has less patience and is not as forgiving with them as he is with the children, Eric and Sheila. I think this shows the possibility of Inspector Goole taking on the role of Priestley himself because the point of this drama is to portray a certain message. To be able to portray this message he has to make everyone accept their
Writing about the story of Romeo and Juliet, in a prologue then the relationship the Nurse had with Juliet then, who is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, and to what extent is fate responsible for their deaths?
Romeo and Juliet In this piece of course work I am going to be writing about the story of Romeo and Juliet, in a prologue then the relationship the Nurse had with Juliet then, who is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, and to what extent is fate responsible for their deaths? Theatres today and how they have changed since Shakespeare's day and I'll be finishing with comparing the two videos of Romeo and Juliet also Film adaptation of the modern Romeo and Juliet film and I'll be studying in detail (Act5 scene 3). The Prologue of Romeo and Juliet reveals the entire story in a single page. The prologue raises the questions (1) To whom do the events occur? And (2) What are the details of the story? The two families are very rich and powerful but Romeo, a Montague, and Juliet, a Capulet, are sworn enemies because of an ancient feud between their families. In beautiful Verona, Italy " . . . where we lay our scene. From an ancient grudge break to new Mutiny." This quote symbolises Romeo and Juliet's love. These star-crossed lovers prove their love by respecting each other in spite of their family's conflicting. Instead they love each other which in the end, was much worse than hating each other therefore fulfilling the uprising to which the Prologue refers. "Where civil blood make civil hands unclean," means that all the towns people and family members had a part in
Diary 1 - Hopes and Fears.
Diary 1 Hopes and Fears Dear diary (Marco), Today was the day before my brother Rodolfo and me prepared to leave from Sicily and begin our journey to America. I don't know why I feel so heartbroken about leaving, but I know I have to leave because if I don't things will be worse for me and especially for my family. My oldest son is sick in the chest and I don't know if ill be able to support my wife and kids if I stay in Sicily because there is absolutely no work and no work means no money, no money means I cant afford to get medicine for my boy while feeding my family at the same time. That's why it's vital that I go to America, the land of opportunity! Where there is always work! So if I could get work once in America then I would make some money and I could afford to feed my family properly, buying the medicine that my son needs so dearly to survive. Who knows maybe after a couple of years in America I'll have a good enough job making enough money to bring my whole family over, that's my dream and something that would make me really happy. I cant wait to go to America I'm so excited and I know that Rodolfo is to, I think he's even more excited than I am and that's probably because he's a young lad looking forward to growing up in America. I'm really worried about going to America because of the immigration laws in the country and how were going to get in without
Who was the driving force behind the murdur of duncan?
Who is the driving force behind the murder of Duncan? This Shakespearean play was written in the height of Shakespeare's career. The flimsiness of people's mental stability and their potential for Machiavellian tasks, prejudice, barbarity and voracity are explored. Use of supernatural beings is commonly used in his plays, with Macbeth this is being used with the characters of the witches. Macbeth tells the story of a Scottish lord who kills the king in order to become king himself after it was prophesised by a cult of witches who he meets only once in the play. He then also kills his friend Banquo as a result of his thirst for power but then suffers greatly from his guilt, as a result prevents him enjoying the rewards of his actions and becomes a depressed oppressor, murdering innocent people and eventually condemning himself to defeat in battle. In this essay I will be deciding who I think was the driving force behind the murder of Duncan, King of Scotland and the begging of Macbeth's spiral downwards. After reading the play I have found three potential forces behind the murder: . The Witches 2. Macbeth himself 3. Or Lady Macbeth. I must now closely examine the play's events and the behaviour and thought's of the central protagonists, so that I can finally conclude who I think was the main catalyst that made Macbeth commit this homicide. The very first party we come
