Othello as a Tragic Hero.
Othello as a Tragic Hero Ever since it's definition by Aristotle as early as 250 B.C., the medium of tragedy is prominent throughout the course of classical literature and can be seen as a traditional hallmark of many great works produced over the centuries. Among other mediums such as comedy and chronicle, tragedy is diversely shown across the literary spectrum ranging from Sophocles' Oedipus Rex to Elizabethan theater as portrayed in plays such as Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. Simply defined, tragedy always entails the death of the protagonist. As a common standard in tragedy, the protagonist, or "tragic hero" is of high standing who is faced with some opposing force whether internal or external. "Tragedy is the imitation of an action; and an action implies personal agents, who necessarily possess certain distinctive qualities both of character and thought; for it is by these that we qualify actions themselves, and these- thought and character- are the two natural causes from which actions spring, and on actions, again all success or failure depends...." This excerpt from Aristotle's Poetics illustrates an aspect of tragedy upon which many works, including Shakespeare's Othello, are based. In Poetics, Aristotle expresses the writer's obligation to create what is known as a "tragic hero" in all forms of tragedy. He further explains that this persona must be dominated by a
Shakespeare seems to suggest that Duncan's acquiescent and innocent nature and Macbeth's extreme violence make ineffective leaders. An ideal leader on the other hand, has a balance between the "king-becoming graces" and necessary violence.
Shakespeare seems to suggest that Duncan's acquiescent and innocent nature and Macbeth's extreme violence make ineffective leaders. An ideal leader on the other hand, has a balance between the "king-becoming graces" and necessary violence. Duncan, the beloved and respected king of Scotland whom Macbeth murders in order to become king is the model of a virtuous and benevolent ruler. His death symbolizes the destruction of the great chain of being (http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/macbeth/canalysis.html). He however is not an effective leader. His over trusting and gullible nature prevents him of seeing what was bound to happen. His tendency to make snap decisions is his hamartia, which leads to his downfall. After he is informed of Macbeth's victory in battle he rewards him with the title, "thane of Cawdor" without realizing that he is an ambitious person who is willing to destroy anything on his path to get what he desires. Macbeth started out as a good leader and seemed to be worthy of the title, "thane of Cawdor." According to the bloody sergeant, he bravely fought against Macdonwald, the rebel and the Norwegians. He was referred to as "valiant cousin" and "worthy gentleman" (1.2 24). During act 2 however, Macbeth looses his values as a good leader and becomes a ruthless murderer, going on a massive killing spree. A true king, according to Malcolm should be able to
"Compare Luhrmann's and Shakespeare's versions of the last scene- the death of Romeo and Juliet. How do both versions create tension and sympathy in the audience?"
"Compare Luhrmann's and Shakespeare's versions of the last scene- the death of Romeo and Juliet. How do both versions create tension and sympathy in the audience?" The two versions are very different because of the huge time differences and how Shakespeare had to use his imagination to create atmosphere rather than relaying on modern media techniques such as lighting, sounds and special effects. The main characters in Shakespeare's version of Romeo and Juliet in the last scene are Paris, Balthazar, Romeo, Juliet and Friar Lawrence. In Baz Luhrmann's version of Romeo and Juliet he misses out scenes, which were originally in Shakespeare's version. Baz Luhrmann misses out vital scenes, for example when Paris and Romeo have a fight. This scene was the original from Shakespeare's version of the play. The fight scene between Romeo and Paris was essential because it tells us what Romeo encountered before he got to Juliet and where she was laying. "I do defy thy conjuration and apprehend thee for a felon here." Another important character is Friar Lawrence he went to the tomb and found Romeo dead, Friar Lawrence was also there when Juliet was waking up from her deep sleep. "Romeo! O, pale! Who else? What, Paris too? And steeped in blood? Ah, what an unkind hour is guilty of this lamentable chance!" In Shakespeare's time there wasn't much in the way of technology, Shakespeare's time
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Title: A Midsummer Night's Dream Author: William Shakespeare Date of Publication: 1600 Historical information about the period of publication: The 1600's were a time when North America was being colonized and starting to become a country. Shakespeare was in his prime and writing many plays during his time. Biographical information about the author: Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon, a prosperous market town in Warwickshire, England. When he was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, who was much older than him, and they had three children. By the time of his death in April 23, 1616, he had written three dozen extraordinary plays and over 150 poems. Characteristics of the genre: The play is a combination of Comedy, fantasy, and romance. Characteristics of these genres include making the reader laugh, in the case of comedy, wonder and imagine, in the case of fantasy, and feel deep down, in the case of romance. Plot Summary: The play starts out when the Duke of Athens, Theseus, is going to marry Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons. During the celebrations, Egeus walks in with his daughter, Hermia, and 2 young men. Egeus wishes Hermia to marry Demetrius (who loves Hermia), but Hermia is in love with Lysander and refuses to marry him. Theseus gives Hermia until his wedding to consider her options, warning her that disobeying her father's wishes could result in
The Role of Gender in Shakespeares King Lear
Kirby Southerland November 11, 2012 English 2010 The Role of Gender in Shakespeare’s King Lear The famous tragedy, King Lear, was written by William Shakespeare between 1603 and 1606 and later revised. [Originally titled The True Chronicle of the History of Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters and later The Tragedy of King Lear, which was a more theatrical version, many modern editors shorten the title, though most insist that each version has its individual integrity that should be preserved.] Lear’s daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordeila, are three of the main characters in the play. [The daughters are all treated differently, as Goneril and Regan flattered their father in elaborate terms, Lear’s youngest daughter Cordelia was straight forward and honest, though she felt she did not need to express her love for him in elaborate ways in public, and because of her silence, she was banished from the kingdom.] The mistreatment of women in general by all of the men in the play, but mainly by the king himself, is evident throughout King Lear, with the description of them being “promiscuous and disloyal,” and thus their role in the play was very miniscule. Cordelia is the exception to the promiscuous and disloyal stereotype, as she is portrayed as being a more ideal daughter, by the standards set by Shakespearean times, though according to
Richard III: A Four Act Spider and One Act Human
O’Neil Catherine O’Neil September 27, 2012 Shakespearian Tragedy Dewitt Henry Richard III: A Four Act Spider and One Act Human Scholars have debated about the essence of the tragic figure in Shakespeare’s tragedy Richard III, Richard, Duke of Glouchester and later King Richard III, toes the line between misunderstood human and complete monster. Richard does not appear as a human until the end of the play in Act V; until his downfall in the last fifth of the play, Richard has no qualities, relationships, or singular moments of conscience that qualify him as a feeling, full-fledged human as opposed to villain. In Acts I-IV of Richard III, Richard is seen as inhuman due to his lack of guilt over any of the murders he is behind, the way he ebbs and flows with his loyalties, and the lack of maternal love the Duchess of York feels toward him; because of this the audience is not able to feel that his death would cause any pain upon society. It is only in his failings in Act V that the audience is given a glimpse at his human qualities and immediately before his death begins to feel that there is something more to him and behind his plans than the villain façade he has had on during the previous four acts. If Richard had died at the end of Act IV, the audience would lack any feel of loss or grief. Richard is not burdened in the slightest by the murders he has either
THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES IN "MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING"
BATTLE OF THE SEXES IN SHAKESPEARE’S “MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING” Love is a heart wrenching yet common emotion recognised worldwide. Fairytales consist of two people falling in love, getting married and living happily ever after, because we believe that love is illusory. However, ‘things are not as rosy as they appear’ and it is only by Shakespeare cleverly centring his play ““Much Ado About Nothing”” upon the eternal battle between the sexes and manipulatively crafting two pairs of contrasting lovers that he answers our burning desire of how to love. Claudio and Hero are the fairytale couple who personify the idealisation of love, but interestingly it is Beatrice and Benedick who we identify with because intrinsically we connect with these outspoken individuals and secretly we would like to be like them. Witty, spontaneous and gutsy, they are portrayed with a certain depth, possessing the more serious human virtues. They mellow in the course of the play as they come to experience a sincere love that the other characters are incapable of feeling and inevitably it is these two who create a marriage of true minds, a union of equals. ““Much Ado About Nothing”” is not merely a play about the composition of courtly love, because Shakespeare pits our protagonists against both their society and the social conventions of Messina. As we watch Beatrice and
MALE HONOUR IN "MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING"
HONOUR IN SHAKESPEARE’S “MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING” Shakespeare’s 16th century portrayal of Messina in southern Italy is a place where social conventions rule and order is kept through the strong bond of honour that exists among men. Honour is the only measure of the man and serves as a way for others to determine and evaluate that person’s character. Thus a person ‘becomes’ their honour. While women’s honour revolves around the womanly virtues of chastity and fidelity, men, being more complex beings, naturally have a more intricate and structured honour paradigm. The Knights of the Middle Ages epitomised honour systems with their strict adherence to the chivalric code. Knights were elite warriors, holding immense military and political power, and honour was a central component in the concept of conduct known as chivalry, which influenced models of behaviour for nobles during the Renaissance and was admired and exalted as a sign of nobility and social standing. Because this period of time marked an age of instability and constant conflict, honour for men was inevitably tied up in the act of war. In this environment, where one’s life lay in the competency of his fellow man, one who proved to be proficient and capable at war was naturally held in high esteem and regarded as honourable. War was an ever present reality and provided both an ideal and valuable test
THE ROLE OF MESSINA IN "MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING"
SETTING IN SHAKESPEAR’S “MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING” Messina is a place where people find it hard to behave with appropriate seriousness and in William Shakespeare’s well known play “Much Ado About Nothing” the most important ‘character’ in the play is in fact, Messina itself, detailing as it does a Shakespearean comic world, by nature light hearted, witty, optimistic and destined for a ‘happy’ outcome for its trials. Yet Messina also deals with serious matters. Love, the impediments to love, and the pain that must be reconciled before love can be confessed, reciprocated, and fulfilled, are all a part of life in Messina. All of Shakespeare’s great comedies explore in one way or another the problems of being serious in a society ruled by laws of comedy and it is this concept that we relate to in the world of “Much Ado About Nothing”. In this witty and light-hearted play there are verbal jokes, puns and forms of word play which the characters deliberately employ in their zest for life and there are practical jokes and tricks of varying levels of seriousness which the characters also play on one another. One of the most successful jokes is the parallel practical jokes played on Beatrice and Benedick in order to trick them into admitting their love for each other and as long as sensitive feelings and serious fates are not too much at stake, which they are
The Long, the Short and the Tall
The Long the Short and the Tall Willis Hall has claimed that he wrote the play "simply as entertainment." How far do you agree with the statement that The Long and the Short and the Tall is only meant to entertain an audience and not educate them? The Long and the Short and the Tall is a play set in the Malayan jungle in 1942 during the Second World War. The play focuses on a small British patrol group who were sent north into the jungle to check for signs of Japanese advance. The playwright is Willis Hall who was first a regular solider serving in Singapore. The play was written for amateur actors in Edinburgh as they had regional accents, which suited the roles for 1950's characters. The title "The Long the Short and the Tall" came from an anti-war song, which was popular during the Second World War. The Long and the Short and the Tall offers the reader a new perceptive of war, responsibility, and isolation while also entertaining. The author Willis Hall makes use of his first hand experience as a solider to give the impression that the realities of war were off-putting. The play raises many issues mainly one being "war," which is addressed in the whole first act. The five patrol members have no awareness of battle and are unable to come to terms with their situation. However, until the Japanese prisoner came, none of the inexperienced soldiers have been faced with the