Analyse an extract of not less than 500 words from a text of your choosing, commenting upon the use of language and reflecting upon the relationship between the nature of the extract and the era from which it comes.

Analyse an extract of not less than 500 words from a text of your choosing, commenting upon the use of language and reflecting upon the relationship between the nature of the extract and the era from which it comes. My essay will be based on an extract by William Shakespeare, from his tragic play 'Othello'. I will analyse the language used in the pivotal part of the play, Act three, Scene three. I will look at it against the time of writing and also look at the effect Shakespeare's great use of language has left us with today. William Shakespeare is thought to be the greatest writer we have ever seen, but he is also the most written about. His chronicles and commentators spill over global tongues, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian etc. He is actually in more than fifty languages. He was not for an age, but for all time. William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564. Shakespeare's father, John, was an apprentice glover and tanner of leathers. His mother, Mary Arden, came from a farming family. Shakespeare was the eldest of three sons and four daughters and was educated until he was sixteen. William Shakespeare was indeed lucky to survive to adulthood in sixteenth-century England. Waves of the plague swept across the countryside, and pestilence ravaged Stratford during the hot summer months. It is unclear what he did until he landed in London in 1591. He

  • Word count: 2411
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Governor Kathleen Blanco was persuasive in her address to rebuild New Orleans. Her speech takes on a motivated sequence design

Baron Muth 1/18/05 CMST Sec. 29 Reconstruction In a speech given on Wednesday September 14 2005, Governor Kathleen Blanco addressed the Joint Session of the Louisiana State Legislature in Baton Rouge, Louisiana about hurricane Katrina's aftermath. The audience included President George W. Bush, the Speaker, members of the House and Senate, clergy members, commanding officers, and honored guests. In her address, Kathleen Blanco focused solely on New Orleans. She thanked everyone involved in the relief effort, outlined ways to get the people who are displaced home and safe, and focused mainly on a plan of action to rebuild New Orleans back to normal. Just two weeks after the storm, governor Blanco was ready to address the nation about New Orleans. News crews were at the scene including the local news and CNN. The speech was recorded and is available online. She stood behind a podium in the chamber, and used a microphone to amplify her speech to the stadium seated audience. Kathleen Blanco's main objective was to get funding and support from the federal government for rebuilding the rampaged city of New Orleans. She is credible to ask for federal funding because she is the governor of Louisiana. She established even more credibility because she promoted identification, commemoration, plans of action, and personal experience in her speech. First, she ushered in a sense of

  • Word count: 1251
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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What's the significance of the moments when Iago addresses the audience?

What's the significance of the moments when Iago addresses the audience? Trying to psychoanalyse the nature of Iago is like trying to decipher the enigma. Iago is a character with so many different facets to his name that literary critics have been divided for years as to whether Iago is indeed a highly complex character or if he is one who is in fact very simple. We as an audience try and understand his actions. Perhaps Iago is of such a mentality that his audience simply cannot grasp his nature and it is only through the imagination of Shakespeare that we gain an insight into this different mentality. One reputable critic - Coleridge was of the opinion that Iago had a "motiveless malignity" a delight in evil for evils sake. This would remove the much-popularised view that Iago had several motives - envy, humiliation, failure and inferiority. Either intentionally or unintentionally Iago creates an air of mystery about himself, which is subtly revealed in his soliloquies with the audience. Critics have always felt that Othello and Iago are in some ways equal and opposite or rather, complimentary. However the Elizabethan audience would have considered them to be strangely similar, because they share common values. Both Iago and Othello suffer from the same disease - jealousy. So in this sense they can be seen as parallels. I think that this is what Shakespeare intended,

  • Word count: 1045
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Contrasting Oedipus and Othello: Reality and Falsity

Hayley MacPhee H. MacPhee 1 Professor Pal ENG 1121 10 April 2002 Contrasting Oedipus and Othello: Reality and Falsity In the plays "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles and Shakespeare's "Othello," there are many instances where both of the protagonists are blinded and misled. Oedipus and Othello have difficulty distinguishing between reality and falsity. Othello (incidentally more stubborn than Oedipus) does not "see the light" until he has murdered, conspired the death of a friend and committed suicide. Oedipus invents his own punishment without harm to others when he realizes exactly who he is and what he has done. Oedipus has "killed his father; sewed the womb of her who bore him" (exodus. 263). He has murdered his father, not aware that it was indeed his own father because he was adopted as an infant. When he returns to Thebes, he marries a woman "old enough to be his mother" and indeed, she is his mother. He has four children by her, two boys and two girls. H. MacPhee 2 Oedipus, the king of Thebes is an arrogant ruler who acts impetuously. He has saved Thebes from the curse of a sphinx by solving a riddle and when the city suffers from a rampant bout of the plague, Oedipus consults with an oracle immediately to see what can be done to help the city of Thebes. His successes and triumphs have rendered

  • Word count: 1640
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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A Comparison Of ‘Telephone Conversation’ And ‘Not My Best Side’

Anthony Grubert A Comparison Of 'Telephone Conversation' And 'Not My Best Side' For this essay I am to be comparing the two poems 'telephone conversation' and 'Not my best side'. First I shall begin by writing about the content of each poem separately, the first being 'Wole Soyinka's' 'Telephone conversation'. Telephone conversation is about two people from very different background orientations .One of the pair is a Black person whereas the other is a white landlady. The black person is a character attempting to find residence in a home that would accept him despite his inherent colour. The white landlady is a seemingly shameless woman who in regard of her attitude feels the need to speak to the man under false pretence of aristocracy. She quit obviously is no the aristocrat that she portrays with her accent. The black person is a well-educated gallant who makes his opinion and the facts of the issues concerning racism, which this poem makes reference to as soon as the conversation begins. 'Madam I hate a wasted journey I am African' this reveals that he has face great deal of rejection whilst in pursuit of a home which has been denied due to his colour. The man wishes for sanctuary in a place of residence away from the horrors that society's persecution have inflicted on him and those like him. He wants it all at a reasonable as well price as this extract will

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Othello's curse of distrust (Act I & II).

Gabriela Martinez English 1B/ Mr. Dave Borror Othello's curse of distrust (Act I & II) This is a story about a love between a black man (Othello) and a white woman ( Desdemona). These two lovers marry and try to maintain their love for each other at all costs. This includes loving each other albeit without the father's (Brabantio) approval. This love turns sour because of the carefully choreographed vengeance that Iago had in store for Othello. This disdain comes into play when Othello chooses Cassio as the 2nd in chain of command over Iago. Othello is a strong and skilled warrior in the art of war. He is admired for his courage yet he is so naive when it comes to matters of the heart. Othello is so easily manipulated by Iago's conniving ways. Iago manipulates everyone he must, in order to get whatever he wants. He's deceitful, cunning and thinks only of himself. Iago is a two-faced individual that pretends to be loyal to Othello while his treacherous actions prove otherwise. As this drama unfolds, Iago uses Roderigo for his money and in the attack on Cassio. Later we find that Roderigo does not come through that ordeal alive. Either the characters in this story can be seen as being on a borderline of naivety or Iago is the worst monster imaginable. I think that it is a mixture of both. Othello, Cassio, Roderigo and Brabantio unknowingly and unwillingly

  • Word count: 714
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Shakespeare's "Othello", the third scene of Act Three is the most suspenseful. Through elements such as pace of action, dialogue and stage directions, Shakespeare manages to create a scene laced with tension and conflict.

In order for a play to progress at a steady rate, yet still be capable of maintaining an audience's attention, it must have at least one climactic scene or episode. In William Shakespeare's "Othello", the third scene of Act Three is the most suspenseful. Through elements such as pace of action, dialogue and stage directions, Shakespeare manages to create a scene laced with tension and conflict. All of Shakespeare's plays divide into three sections: an introduction, crisis point and a tragic conclusion, therefore, "Othello", too, follows this method. During the first Act, we learn about the various personalities possessed by the characters, in particular, Othello and Iago; the Third Act is where Iago manipulates the other characters to such an extent that they seem to be acting of their own free will, which leads to the calamitous consequences in the final Act. The positioning of the play's climax is vital to create dramatic tension and obtain an efficient level of anticipation from the audience. Shakespeare successfully accomplishes this idea by providing aspects of characters' personalities, their motives, and the overall themes of the play early on in order to give the audience an insight into who is most likely to be deceitful and perform the evil deed in the central Act. The third scene of Act Three begins with Desdemona talking to Cassio about interceding with

  • Word count: 1425
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Iago is a powerful predator who exploits those around him by infecting their perceptions of truth with carefully chosen fallacy.

When the slightest hint of doubt or suspicion is planted into someone's mind, the damaging effect of jealousy is left to ensue. William Shakespeare's "Othello" supports this idea. Jealousy and suspicion are Othello's major flaws throughout the play and foreshadow to the audience the eponymous hero's imminent downfall brought about by his ancient, the manipulative Iago. NP Shakespeare uses the technique of beginning "Othello" at night and in the middle of a conversation to create intrigue. Iago and Roderigo are discussing the elopement of Desdemona, who Roderigo loves, and Othello. Although this conversation takes place at a very early stage in the play, it is evident that Iago is manipulative and cunning as he is already taking full advantage of Roderigo's wealth: NP "That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse As if the strings were thine". NP The first word we hear Iago speak is "Sblood", a powerful word conveying his fury and hate. Iago tells Roderigo the reason he is angry is because Othello has appointed Michael Cassio the position of lieutenant instead of him: "One Michael Cassio, a Florentine... That never set a squadron on the field". It is clear Iago thinks Othello has made a mistake in his decision as Cassio is not only inexperienced, but he is from Florence. NP Iago's inability to contain his rage is further revealed when he vows revenge on Othello: "I follow him

  • Word count: 4262
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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A marriage of convenience? Othello.

Gabriela Martinez 6-24-03 Mr. Dave Borror A marriage of convenience? Lines 130 to 177 in act 1, scene 3 of the Othello play is what encompasses Othello's speech to the Duke, the senators and Brabantio. Othello and Brabantio were present in front of the Duke and the senators, basically because Othello was being accused of witchcraft, since there was no other reason why a beautiful Venetian white young lady like Desdemona would feel attracted to a moor. The main goal of Othello's speech is to prove that there was no witchcraft involved, and the love that Desdemona felt for him came upon naturally. Further more, Othello's intentions towards Desdemona were not to just have a sexual relationship with, he wanted to do the honorable thing of those times, and so he had married her. This speech plays a very important role in the play. It is usually the case that soldiers, army men of those times would probably not be as articulate as most educated people of those times. Furthermore, many people would not have expected Othello to be as articulate as he was, since he was not only a military man, but he was also a moor. He drops his soldier image to show a group of white older men his feelings, his emotions, his love for Desdemona (979). This of course is an action that was very difficult for a man to do the same way it is difficult for today's men to confide their feelings of

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Shakespeares play Henry IV is a compelling illustration of civil strife and the manipulation of power. Passage 3.3. 172-93 from the play depicts the manner in which coercion is executed over a monarch in waiting.

Natasha Chopra Student # 3028829 Explication: Assignment One Tutor: Mariana Allen English 324 The Nature of Manipulation Shakespeare's play Henry IV is a compelling illustration of civil strife and the manipulation of power. Passage 3.3. 172-93 from the play depicts the manner in which coercion is executed over a monarch in waiting. The scene is set at the Boar's Head Tavern in Eastcheap, a place of ill repute frequented by Prince Hal, son of Henry IV, an idle prince squandering his life among a group of lecherous gluttons that includes, Sir John Falstaff. The dynamics between the prince and Falstaff are rather interesting, as they may trade insults on the surface it is obvious that there's a deeper-seated affection shared between the two. In this particular scene a comedic quarrel ensues between the rogue prince and the gluttonous Falstaff who is adamantly attempting to weasel his way out of paying his hostess by claiming he has been pickpocketed. His efforts at duping Mistress Quickly of the inn are thwarted by the prince who catches him in his boldfaced lies. However, with his characteristic quick wit he turns the situation around by exclaiming, "Dost thou hear, Hal? Thou knowest in the state of innocency Adam fell, and what should poor Jack Falstaff do in the days of villainy?" (Lines 170-174) It's ironic that the portly thief would use biblical references to plead

  • Word count: 1084
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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