Discuss the ways in which Shakespeare Gains & retains the audiences In act I scene I of "A Midsummer nights Dream".
Discuss the ways in which Shakespeare Gains & retains the audiences In act I scene I of "A Midsummer nights Dream" The name of the play is called "A Midsummer nights dream." The play was written by William Shakespeare from the town of Stratford, the play "A Midsummer Nights Dream" was written at around 1590, an exact date is not known. It is a witty comedy, which is one of his earlier ones. Just before the Elizabethans period the only plays were heard was by performing them at the courtyards of English Inns. The courtyards were good places for plays because a big circle in which everyone could crowd round while the actors did a play in the middle, after the first theatre was built the plays still went on in Inns to get the local audience. When plays came on in the sixteenth centaury nearly everyone went to them, the poor the rich, the old and young, literally no one was left out. In the sixteenth centaury there was no such thing as lights special effects or electricity, so therefore plays looked very bland and plain. People went to hear the play and this is why Shakespeare tells everyone about the character, where they are going, who they are with. This is why Theseus keeps repeating the words "four happy days" about his wedding. This is so the audience know when it is and it stays in their heads. He uses the word "Wo'od" for Theseus wooing Hippolyita with "his sword."
What is the tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra
What is the tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra? Antony and Cleopatra seems to have a special place in Shakespeare's works because it is at a crossroad between two types of play. It clearly belongs to what are generally called the 'Roman' plays, along with Coriolanus and Julius Caesar. But it is also considered a tragedy. The importance of history in the play cannot be denied, especially where it is compared to Shakespeare's 'great' tragedies such as Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. But one might wonder what is specifically tragic in Antony and Cleopatra, and what can be said about the tragic in a play which is so different from the other tragedies. It is clear that the notion of 'tragic' in the everyday sense is not necessarily the same as the notion of 'tragedy', which is a philosophical notion whose definition depends on which philosophic system one takes into account. In this article I shall take the term tragic in its literary and dramatic sense and try to define its main characteristics. Taking into account a wide corpus of plays, from Antiquity as well as from France and England, we can detect several constant features that can define the tragic. A tragedy usually shows a character that is outstanding by his rank or/and inner abilities, falling into misfortune as a result of fate, and because of an error or a weakness for which he is not really responsible. Several tragic
Dream Sequences
Dream Sequences in Rudolfo Anaya's BLESS ME, ULTIMA There are always some reasons behind the election of one or another topic about which is going to be focused an essay of these characteristics. It is because of this that it seems to me proper to begin with a sort of explanation of why I felt attracted by the theme of dreams in this Anaya's novel. Something that will drive me to the latter analysis and development of dreams; their function, meaning, evolution and finally a conclusion that would synthesize this theme within the whole novel. The reasons were maybe very common: I thought that there was something hidden behind these dreams, that they could have a function, that it might be that Anaya used them influenced by some psychological movement (like Freud, for instance). So I was interested in answer all these questions and prove all my founded suspicions. Some of them were more or less clear just at the beginning of the book (it was obvious that the first Antonio's dreams have some meaning, at least for him, because they foreshadow the future or offered a clear vision of the past) While other of my suspicions were not so clear and needed some investigation to be done. The fact is that I was only at the beginning. And I knew I was going to find more dreams. Were they going to be like the first?. So from these inquiries arose my research process, and the result is
How is The Merchant of Venice like a soap opera?
How is The Merchant of Venice like a soap opera? The majority of people in Britain adore soap operas. They habitually watch them, read magazines dedicated to them and talk incessantly about them. They discuss the characters as if they were real and get involved with the storylines. When a character is killed off or written out, the general public reacts as if the character is a close friend or acquaintance. The Merchant of Venice is often described as the first ever soap opera as its structure is equivalent to a modern day episode of Eastenders. Elements of the play are similar to a soap opera, such as the way it raises issues and themes in the same way that many soaps do. It has even been said that if Shakespeare were alive today, he would be a scriptwriter on Eastenders. However, it is questionable whether the scriptwriters on this soap, who include Helen Blizard and Simon Ashdown, would be comparable to a playwright of the quality of Shakespeare. In the way soaps raise issues and themes so does The Merchant of Venice. One theme is money. Shylock's obsession with money is obvious from the start as his first line is, "Three thousand ducats, well." This dedication to money is one of the main character traits of Shylock. When his daughter runs off with her father's jewels, and Lorenzo, a Christian, Shylock is more concerned about the loss of his jewels than the loss of
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
To What Extent Did Thomas Cromwell Shape The English Reformation?
To What Extent Did Thomas Cromwell Shape The English Reformation? The nature of the English Reformation has generated fierce debate among scholars since writing began on the subject. Assumptions have changed and opinions have varied, but from Elton and Dickens to the 'revisionists' the prominent historians of the 20th Century have all agreed that Thomas Cromwell played a significant role in the tumultuous events of the 1530's. However, it is disputed whether it was King or Minister who orchestrated the reforms of the Reformation Parliament. Did Cromwell merely respond to the opportunities Henry VIII presented him with, or would events have differed considerably without Cromwell's presence? Cromwell's administrative genius made him a truly exceptional statesman; arguably as effective and capable as England has ever seen. It could be said that in just a decade of power he permanently changed the course of English history, laying the first steps of religious reform on which Protestantism climbed its way to state religion. This of course is the central dispute here, but what is clear is that as Chief Minister he was blessed with a logical and efficient mind in an age all too devoid of them. Cromwell was determined to empower the machinery of state and in the process made statute law the 16th century's greatest weapon. He used Johann Gutenberg's invention of printing press to
In conclusion the attitudes towards women in the plays Hamlet, Troilus and Cressida and As You Like It are that women are weak. This weakness is shown in different ways
Discuss the attitudes towards women in two or more of the plays studied. There are in fact only two female characters in the play Hamlet. These are the characters of Queen Gertrude of Denmark and the character of Ophelia who is Prince Hamlet's love interest. It seems as though the character of Ophelia is always being told what to do, both by her father and her brother. An example of this would be when her farther Polonius tells her to stop seeing Hamlet: I would not in plain terms from this forth Have you so slander any moment leisure As to give worlds of talk with the Lord Hamlet1 Here Ophelia is told that she is not allowed to continue seeing Hamlet because her father sees it as inappropriate. There is no argument against her father's orders; 'I shall obey, my lord.'2Ophelia replies that she will obey her father's instructions, even though it seems to us that she loves Hamlet. Her doings are based on what other people say. In Act one, in the third scene Laertes (Ophelia's brother) is leaving for France. Before he leaves he tells Ophelia that the 'best safety lies in fear'3 Ophelia is expected to follow Laertes judgment on safety and fear. Orphelia is motherless giving her more male dominance in her life, her character relies on others as 'her whole education is geared on relying on other people's judgments'4 and due to this 'Ophelia has no chance to develop an
Shakespeare's play Othello.
Abdul In Shakespeare's play Othello many issues are undertaken and explored. The three women play a vital role in this. Only one of the women in this play survives. All the women have no separate identity within the play; all three are married or associated with a male character. Bianca is the mistress of Cassio, Emilia is married to Iago and Desdemona is married with Othello. According to the time that the play was written in and the general hierarchy within Venetian society men hold all the power and women are considered to be of low intellect. Yet it is the women that speak the most sense throughout the play and it is also the women that are able to trust other characters in the play. Each woman represents a different social level, Desdemona being the highest and Bianca being of the lowest. Each sexual relationship in the play provokes some jealousy between the couple. essaybank.co.uk Bianca does not appear in the play as much as the other female characters yet her presence is key to the death of Desdemona as well as other play themes. Iago often refers to her as a prostitute, "A house wife that by selling her desires, Buys herself bread and clothes". She has fallen in love with Cassio, yet he does not speak of his returned affection for her due to his desire for status, and her social standing would affect this dramatically. She is the jealous partner in this
"Relationships at all levels involve complex powerplay." How is this complexity represented in the texts you have studied?
"Relationships at all levels involve complex powerplay." How is this complexity represented in the texts you have studied? Present this task in the form of a discussion between two personalities. Base your response on your prescribed text and at least three other related texts of your own choosing. Introduction music to 'Oprah' plays. Oprah Winfrey walks onstage, waving to the audience. Oprah: My my my, how are you today ladies and gentlemen? Well don't I have a special show for you today! An uninterrupted special of Oprah, that's right no advertisements, no newsbreaks, we have a delightful guest and I'm just so, so pleased that she could join us! Now as you know, I'm an open minded person and I just love talking to people, sorry, make that personalities, from all walks of life. This lovely girl has an amazing personality, and faced with a crisis, she remained dignified. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Clover! Clover trots onstage to a hearty round of applause. Oprah: Clover, how are you girlfriend? Clover: I'm great Oprah! Just glad to be away from Animal Farm. Whoops! I still call it that after all these years! Manor Farm it is now. Oprah: Well just to update our audience, Clover has been one busy babe. After leaving Manor Farm, Clover has gained her doctorate in psychology! You go girl! Interrupted by round of applause from audience And today
Outline how Shakespeare uses the structure and conventions of pastoral in 'As You Like It' and highlight one or more possible interpretive emphases which you think arise from this.
* Outline how Shakespeare uses the structure and conventions of pastoral in 'As You Like It' and highlight one or more possible interpretive emphases which you think arise from this. You should support your reading of the play through close reference to the text, and the inclusion of appropriate background reading. 'As You Like It' finds its origins in the pastoral tradition of the renaissance in which the rustic field and forest provides a sanctuary from urban or courtly issues. The play itself takes place in a forest where the characters are hiding from treachery at court or injustice in the family. This pastoral tradition began with theocrites in ancient Greece, whose writings explored the sorrows of love and daily injustices in a rural setting. Virgil expanded the tradition, emphasising the distinction between urban and rural lifestyles even more. The Pastoral traditions, in spite of taking many literary forms, conformed to a traditional set of rules. A typical story would involve exiles from the court or city going into the countryside and living there either with or as shepherds. While in the rural area, they would hold singing contests and philosophically discuss the various merits of both forms of life. Eventually the exiles would return to the city having resolved their particular problems. The pastoral works within Shakespeare's 'As You Like It' have most