Analysis of "Seven Ages of Man" by William Shakespeare.
Seven Ages of Man By William Shakespeare. Seven Ages of man is a poem written by William Shakespeare. It's actually a speech given by one of his characters named Jacques in his play As You Like it. Jacques is a pessimistic character who the poet uses to portray the life of a man in seven different parts. The first line of the poem "All the worlds a stage is a metaphor in which the world is associated with a stage. It is also the central metaphor around which the entire poem revolves. The next few lines also use similar terminology related to theatre. The word "All" in the first line establishes universality and we are told that men everywhere go through the same phases of life. The next line "...Just like actors, men and women in this world are not free to do as they will and are directed and controlled by their destiny. And just like actors in a play, the people make their appearances and go away i.e. they are born into this world and die. Because Jacques looks more towards the negative, he mentions death as in "exit" first and then birth or "entrance". This is because he looks at life's negativities closely. And so, this man, a player who has probably made an entrance plays seven main parts in his life. These parts are referred to as acts as in the line "And one man in his time plays many parts. His act being seven ages." When the child is born, he is an infant who
Romantic Poetry Analysis. John Keats On First Looking into Chapmans Homer reflects the many aspects of Romanticism
Poetry Analysis The romantic era rose out of and in response to the logical, more retrained forms of literature composed in the age of reason. It promoted the exploration of creativity in thinking, the joys of discovery and the enthusiasm and wonder evoked by mans complex relationship with nature. John Keats "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer" in the latter part of the Romantic period yet accurately reflects many of the above mentioned ideas. In this poem, the excitable young poet passionately recounts his joyous response to "looking" at the ancient works of Homer (as translated by an Englishman). Typically for the Romantics, Keats uses comparisons, imagery and tone to demonstrate his feelings and reflects the aspects of Romanticism through the use of poetic techniques. As this essay will now show. The poem expresses the intensity of Keat's experience and reveals his love of poetry. "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer" opens with the phrase "Much have I travelled in the realms of gold". "Realms of gold" is a metaphor implying world riches. This phrase also symbolises the world of literature and imagination which symbolises the world of literature and imagination which Keats is greatly passionate about. The term "godly" in the phrase "many godly states and kingdoms seen" gives a pleasing appearance and raises its standards to a high level of appreciation. "Round many
romeo and juliet newspaper article
Verone Times Yesterday, in Verona, in the hot hours of the afternoon, a fight occurred ending in the murder of Mercutio by Tybalt. Two gangs - the Montague's and the Capulets - found themselves face to face with each other in the streets of Verona. The two families are well known because of their huge grudge against each other that has been going on for years. Why the fight broke out! The reason, supposedly, for the fight was that there was an annual masked ball of the Capulet and Romeo crashed it. A member of Tybalt's family says they overheard a conversation where Tybalt said he 'swore revenge against Romeo'. Romeo, a Montague, Tybalt a Capulet mainly fought the fight, along with a friend of Romeo's - Mercutio. When asked who started the fight Benvolio answered, 'Tybalt, here slain, whom Romeo's hand did slay.' Mercutio was the first man to be killed in this tragedy that started as a hating between the families A little gossip for our ladies... Capulets festa! Last night, a party was organised by the Capulet family for the nobility and the beau monde. Of course, the Montagues were excluded from this reception. Lady Capulet graced the occasion and recounted some of it to me. Servants rushed around preparing the auspicious evening, lighting torches and turning the tables up so all the fair women could dance, primp, and charm young eligible
Compare and contrast the ways in which war is presented in 'The Charge Of The Light Brigade', 'Vox Militantis' and 'Drummer Hodge'.
Compare and contrast the ways in which war is presented in 'The Charge Of The Light Brigade', 'Vox Militantis' and 'Drummer Hodge'. The three poems 'The Charge of the Light Brigade', 'Vox Militantis' and 'Drummer Hodge' are set in the Crimean War and the Boer War. The Crimean War started in 1854 and in September of that year allies besieged Sebastpool in Crimea. In October the Russians attacked the British base at Balaclava. During this battle the Charge of the Light Brigade took place. The Charge of the Light Brigade was written immediately by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, after the reports came back to England. The Charge of the Light Brigade is different from the other poems because it is about a specific event whereas Vox Militantis and Drummer Hodge are more general. Drummer Hodge was written by Thomas Hardy; Hardy wrote this poem because he had heard of the death of a young drummer boy. The word Hodge was a word used for a 'country bumpkin' which he thought suitable because the young boy had lived in the country all his short life. Drummer Hodge is a very reflective poem and the only activity in the poem, Drummer Hodge being buried, only takes up two lines, showing not only that the burial was short and unceremonious but also that all of the activity of war is finished. The rest of the poem is about how strange it is that the drummer is now going to rest in this foreign,
Lady of Shalott Analysis
The Lady of Shalott "Over 100 years after it was written, discuss why The Lady of Shalott is still fascinating and mysterious. Does it still have a message for us today?" The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson was published in 1833. Although this poem was written almost 200 years ago, The Lady of Shalott is still fascinating and mysterious for readers. The reason for this is that Tennyson writes this poem in such a way that it makes readers think. This poem was written in a manner that still has a meaning for us today, and possibly many years to come. Often, in good literature and poetry there is no easy, correct interpretation of the author's intent. It is this intentional vagueness that allows multiple interpretations and keeps a work relevant through the ages. The poet's writing language and techniques is another feature contributing greatly to the fascination of the poem. The structure of this poem is very appealing. It is divided into four parts. Part one sets a scene for the story. "Willows whiten, aspen quiver," This quote suggests the scene is set in winter time, "willows whiten" illustrates that the trees are covered in snow, and the aspens "quiver" creates a cold atmosphere. Throughout part one, stanza one to four, there are many imagery used to help create a clear vision for the readers. For example, a metaphor, such as, "Long fields of barley and of rye,
Short story on The Charge of the Light Brigade poem
Short story on "The Charge of the Light Brigade" poem What Miss Willby wants? * Lots of description (that fits in with the mood) * Colour of the land scape * Characters feelings * Time * Description /Feelings * Small Dialogue * Sense of contrast (light/ dark, sound/ silence, black/ white) "Oh my God, what was I doing?" It was the day before the daunting campaign; the grey storm clouds cast a dark shadow over our heads as we took shelter in the tents. I was sharing a tent with my friend James. I have known him for 5 years now and I had never seen such fear on his face as I saw then. My name is Sam Jones; I was one of six hundred men who were camping out a league away from "Death Valley". We had been told by our senior officer to take a Russian gun's outpost half a league down the valley. I had had a good job back home; I had a wife and kid. I will never forget the look on Tim's face when he said goodbye. This is what I was fighting for; I was fighting for my life, I was fighting for them. *** ...I remember the first time I met James, we were working together on the construction site, it was his first day and I was the one to "show him the ropes". At first I was uncertain of his character, but I grew to like him and we soon became the best of friends. I can recall one particular day at the construction site. We were up on some scaffolding, on the second
English Literature Coursework - Nostalgia
Compare and contrast three poems from the English Literature Anthology where the speakers of the poems display strong nostalgic thoughts through theme, structure, language, mood and tone of the poems. Three poems where the speakers show strong nostalgic thoughts for the past are Piano by D.H. Lawrence, Poem at Thirty-Nine by Alice Walker and Crabbit Old Woman by Phyllis McCormack. They all display the common theme of wanting to return to the past, away from the pain, loneliness and the trials and tribulations of adulthood. In this essay, I will analyse how the poets convey their feelings through their use of literary structure, theme, language, mood and tone. The theme of nostalgia is expressed through each of the three speakers' different experiences. In Piano, the speaker is taken "back down the vista of years" and re-calls happier memories from his childhood. This happens when he hears a piano being played which is the trigger so that his "manhood is cast/Down in the flood of remembrance". This indicates that the poet yearns for the past and he feels less of a man when he reminisces. It also suggests that when he remembers his childhood and his memories rush towards him, reducing him to tears. In Poem at Thirty-Nine, the speaker remembers how she "learned to see bits of paper as a way to escape the life he knew". This shows that she remembers lessons like the value of
Compare Themes of "Love and Loss" from "When we two Parted" by Lord Byron and "first Love" by John Clare
Question Explore the themes of "love and Loss' and how they are expressed in the poems "When we two parted" by Lord Byron and "first Love" by John Clare. Answer "When we two parked" by Lord Byron and "First Love" by John Clare both deal with love that was once dear and is lost. While "When we two parked" is about the unhappy end of a clandestine romance, "First Love" is about unrequited love. The title of "When we two parked" is direct and provides a glimpse of Byron's feeling of heartbreak, despair and desolation. Reiterated in the first line, it lends the poem a tone of sadness and melancholy. The words "First Love" summons a feeling of innocence and naïveté, the poet has never been in love before and is doomed to get his heart broken. His title lends a tone of hope, which is ultimately crushed, making it an ironic title. The regular 'ABABCDCD' rhyming scheme of both these poems lends a feeling of constant loss and desolation. Enjambment is used to mirror the chaos of the poet's feelings, in "When we two parked". "First Love" has punctuation marks after almost every line, mirroring the poet's innocence. Both the poems use vivid imagery of cold. "First Love" uses 'snow' and 'winter' to mirror desolation after the first exhilaration of love; and the snow symbolises the death of the poet's love. "When we two parked" uses 'chill' and 'dew' to explore the feelings of
Carpet Weavers Morocco
Carpet Weavers, Morocco An analysis of Carol Rumens poem 'Carpet Weavers, Morocco' This poem deals with the issue of child labour in Morocco. In Morocco you will find that most carpets have been made by children who should actually be at school. However their parents can't afford to send them there so they are made to work. Many of them start weaving from the age of five. They are sent to work early because there at least their parents will know that they are fed. This is what Carol Rumens saw when she visited Morocco which inspired her to write this poem. In the first stanza Rumens describes what the children who weave the carpets are like. Looms are the machine on which carpets are made but in the poem they have a second meaning which is that another world is coming into view for them. 'Another world' could be talking about their dreams. The fact that they have oiled and braided hair could indicate that the children don't have time or money to cut their hair so they braid it. 'Their dresses bright' is a metaphor for happiness as bright and colourful things are thought to be happy and joyful. Referring to their heights as melodious chimes is showing that the children are of all ages as they are tall and short. The next stanza describes how the children make the carpet. She refers to the knots in the carpet as television because that is their entertainment whereas in other
Critical Analysis of The Forge by Seamus Heaney
Critical Analysis of The Forge by Seamus Heaney 'The Forge' is a sonnet with a clear division into an octave (the first eight lines) and a sestet (the final six lines). While the octave, apart from its initial reference to the narrator, focuses solely on the inanimate objects and occurrences inside and outside the forge, the sestet describes the blacksmith himself, and what he does. Interestingly, the transition from the octave to the sestet is a run-on or enjambment containing one of the key metaphors of the poem, the anvil as altar: Set there immovable: an altar Where he expends himself in shape and music. One effect of this is to enable us to experience the anvil or altar as a magical point of transition between the material and immovable world of objects and the fluid, musical world of human consciousness. The rhyme scheme of the sonnet is: abba cddc efgfef, a departure from the standard Shakespearean (abab cdcd efef gg) or Petrarchan (abba abba cde cde) sonnet form. The unrhymed 11th line He leans out on the jam, recalls a clatter is perhaps the most striking feature of the rhyme scheme, and, combined with the poem's second run-on, serves to emphasise the cacophony and disorder of the remembered horse-drawn carriages. The threefold full rhyme nose/rows/bellows gives a pleasing finality to the end of the poem, especially in contrast to other lines which tend more
