The concept of love at first sight in Shakespeare's comedies.
Shakespeare uses the idea of love at first sight to make his comedies, particularly Midsummer's Night Dream, As You Like It and Twelfth Night, lighter and more comical. The dramatic suddenness of love in these plays point to a great deal of irrationality, loss of control and the idea of love sickness. Several of the characters in these plays fall in love so quickly that it can be difficult for the audience to take their feelings seriously. Instantaneous love works well within the context of this type of play since they are not serious love stories, but instead similar to a light farce on romantic confusion. Falling in love at first sight can in many ways be seen as irrational, which is why Shakespeare uses it to point out the absurdity of his characters. Take for instance the play Midsummer's Night Dream. Titania, a beautiful fairy queen, falls madly in love with Bottom, who is a mortal with an ass's head: 'And thy fair virtue's force doth move me / On the first view to say, to swear I love thee' ( MND,III.I). Often love does not make sense and in this case, it would be difficult to understand how Titania could fall in love with Bottom, but Shakespeare is trying to stress the very foolishness of love altogether. Another Shakespearean comedy that is full of irrational characters falling in love instantly is As You Like It. Orlando and Oliver are particular foolish
To what extent are Lear's and Gloucester's troubles brought on by "the surfeits of their own behaviour"?
Yousif Ahmad To what extent are Lear's and Gloucester's troubles brought on by "the surfeits of their own behaviour"? Lear's claim that he is "a man more sinned against that sinning" is undeniably true, but the pathos of his fall is elevated - made more profound and resonant - by the inescapable reality that much of his suffering is ultimately self-inflicted. As voiced by Bradley: "the storm which has overwhelmed him was liberated by his own deed". Lear's fall is a product of conflict - a conflict that is alternately embedded in philosophical differences and a clash of generations. The most obvious generational conflict which exists in the play is that between Lear and his daughters Goneril and Regan. Nature is deeply rooted in the play (perhaps because it deals with a time before Christianity took a foothold in Britain) and is found both metaphorically and physically manifesting itself throughout: the main antagonism in the text comes in the shape of children (the natural preservation of oneself) doing something fundamentally unnatural (that being to turn against their own father). Numerous characters comment on the stark savagery of this throughout the play including Edgar, Albany and of course Lear himself: "Tigers not daughters", "Whose warped looks proclaim what store her heart is made on", "Twas this flesh begot those pelican daughters", "Ingratitude, thou marble
The American Dream in Death of a Salesman and A Streetcar Named Desire
Leon Nepomniatshy American Literature II December 9th, 2002 The American Dream in Death of a Salesman and A Streetcar Named Desire The American Dream is a central aspect of the plot of the two plays in question. It serves as both the motivation for Stanley's behavior in A Streetcar Named Desire, and Willy Loman's vision that his son Biff refused to uphold in Death of a Salesman. In Miller's play, Willy turned his vision of the American dream into more of a culture. He sincerely believes that the key indicators of success are how much money and brand-name appliances you have, how "well-liked" you are, and how hard you worked to achieve all you've got. His two sons, Happy and more so Biff, are victims of their father's failed vision and his efforts to make himself look good despite his obvious failure (through lying and inflating facts). Biff's view of the American Dream is different from that of Willy's - he wants to define success for himself, and not let success define him, as it did to his father, as his words "I've always made a point of not wasting my life, and every time I come back here I know that all I've done was waste my life" (Baym 2118) indicate. Perhaps, this difference was brought about when Biff found out about his father's affair back at the age of 17, and exclaimed "You fake! You phony little fake!" (Baym 2166) at both his father and the American Dream.
Is Willy Loman Presented as a Hero/Victim in "Death of a Salesman"?
Is Willy Loman Presented as a Hero/Victim in "Death of a Salesman"? Willy Loman is presented as both a tragic hero and an unconscious victim in "Death of a Salesman". "Death of a Salesman" is very much based upon the American Dream, and whether we are slaves or conquerors of this dream. This is an idea that the playwright Arthur Miller has very passionately pursued both through Willy's own eyes, and through his interaction with the different characters in the play. Firstly, the definitions of a hero and a victim very much influence the way that Willy is viewed by the audience. Miller has not used the play to suggest that Willy Loman is an ordinary hero, but more a tragic hero. A tragic hero, simply by definition means that the reader already begins to see Willy in a more sympathetic light. A tragic hero is somebody who cannot forget his past, and so is destroyed by the consequences of his own actions. In order to picture Willy as a victim, again one cannot think of a regular victim, but of an ignorant victim. This would mean that Willy was completely unaware of his role as a victim in the play. It would also imply that Willy was not in control of his own fate. From the beginning of "Death of a Salesman" we see Willy playing the very victimised role of the conformer. Near the end of the first scene, as he speaks to his sons in one of his flashbacks he says: "the man who
Examine how the family theme is presented in “Death of a salesman".
Arthur Miller set out in "Death of a Salesman" to paint a true portrait of how one person thinks, and, in fact, his original title for the play was "The Inside of His Head." Miller wanted to show us the feelings, observations, and associations that occur daily in our "subjective process of thought-connection," as he later put it. He was striving for a believable and accurate pattern of thought and language, with all its confusions and contradictions. In the "Introduction to the Collected Plays," Miller wrote, "I was convinced only that if I could make him remember enough he would kill himself, and the structure of the play was determined by what was needed to draw up his memories like a mass of tangled roots without end or beginning." In his daily life, Willy has recently been moving uncontrollably from the present to the past and back again, much to the distress of himself and his family. Within this play, the 'family theme' is one of the major ideas which Miller wanted to portray. I feel that this theme can be clearly seen through the individual characters, the relationships between these characters, and how the family was shown in the past and the present. In an essay entitled "The Family in Modern Drama," Miller states, "We are all part of one another, all responsible to one another. The responsibility originates on the simplest level, our immediate kin." The
"The interest of the drama expires with the fourth act" How far do you agree with this assumption that the life and death of the Duchess is the predominant focus of interest for the audience?
"The interest of the drama expires with the fourth act" How far do you agree with this assumption that the life and death of the Duchess is the predominant focus of interest for the audience? The view as expressed in the question can only be answered after defining the importance, and role, of the Duchess and also whether the other characters are not equally as important. It presumes that she is only influential while she is alive. The idea as expressed by Pratchett in Reaper Man "No one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away... the span of someone's life they say is only the core of their actually existence" is one that I feel is applicable to the questions and one I shall endeavour to explore. The interest that is inherent with the Duchess I feel lies within the complexity and controversy of her character: Her feministic view to life seen in her valiant effort to remain in control amidst her brothers, "Whether I am doomed to live, or die, I can do both like a prince". She marries for love, "when I choose a husband I will marry for your honour" and is the aggressor in choosing Antonio about for a mate "we are forced to woo because none dare to woo us". A strong female role is uncommon outside comedies and so dominant, monarchic role of the Duchess would have attracted attention. The Duchess could have been seen as an allegory for Elizabeth I;
Compare how Act 3 Scene 2 was presented in the two versions of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" that you watched.
Compare how Act 3 Scene 2 was presented in the two versions of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" that you watched. You are asked to pay particular attention to the way the characters of Helena and Hermia are presented and to comment on how different audiences might respond to the two films. 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is a play written by William Shakespeare. It is about the love life of four characters, two men, Lysander and Demetrius, and two women, Hermia and Helena. Lysander and Hermia love each other and Helena loves Demetrius. However, Demetrius loves Hermia too. In the scene in the videos, two fairies, Oberon and Puck, are trying to bring Helena and Demetrius together so that the four of them can co-exist peacefully. However, Puck accidentally makes Lysander fall in love with Helena, and then Oberon makes Demetrius fall in love with Helena too, with some juice that they pour into the men's eyes. Therefore, both men have now fallen in love with Helena and Hermia is desperately trying to win Lysander's love back. However, Lysander keeps declaring his love for Helena and his hate for Hermia so Hermia eventually tries to start a fight with Helena but is dragged off by both men. Then both men leave the scene bracing for a fight, and Helena is chased away by Hermia. There are two versions of this scene, the black and white version directed by Max Reindhart in 1935, and a colour
Compare the ways in which the Miller presents John the Carpenter in 'The Miller's Tale' with the ways in which Miss Fozzard presents Bernard in 'Talking Heads 2.'
Laura Westwood Compare the ways in which the Miller presents John the Carpenter in 'The Miller's Tale' with the ways in which Miss Fozzard presents Bernard in 'Talking Heads 2.' In your answer you should pay particular attention to: * Vocabulary and style * Form * Any other features of language you consider to be important. The presentation of Bernard and John is largely different due to the narrative styles of the authors in the two stories. 'The Miller's Tale' is written in the style of third person intrusive narration, therefore the reader is influenced by the Miller's views and attitudes towards the carpenter. The Miller gives direct input to the presentation of the carpenter by expressing his feelings through comments such as "This sely carpenter goth forth his wey." This encourages the reader to agree with the suggestions the author makes, therefore in this case we believe the carpenter to be silly and naïve, this is also emphasized by the tone of the narrative voice, being quite diminutive of the carpenter. The Miller is also an omniscient narrator, so he 'knows all' and 'sees all' that is going on in the text. As there is not 'I' the story relates directly to the reader, therefore as a reader we tend to relate to the character the narrator relates to, and in the same way find humour in the way that John the carpenter is treated as the Miller obviously finds
IT and financial services
IT AND FINANCIAL SERVICES ASSIGNMENT ONE WORDS CONTENTS SECTION 1 * IDENTIFYING THE DUNCAN FAMILYS FINANCIAL NEEDS SECTION 2 * FINANCIAL PRODUCTS CURRENTLY USED BY THE DUUNCAN FAMILY SECTION 3 * RECONMENDED FINANCIAL PRODUCTS AND SERVCIES AND PROVIDER SECTION 4 * REFERENCES SECTION 1: IDENTIFYING THE DUNCAN FAMILES FINANCIAL NEEDS Mr George Duncan is aged 38 and is married with two children. He works full-time as a company secretary for Leuchars and Panton Ltd, chartered Surveyors. His wife, Anne Duncan works part-time as a playgroup Leader. Salary unknown. Mr Duncan's salary earns £3,500 gross per month; this is paid directly into his current account. The Duncan family have a fairly straightforward and traditional banking system. They have one current account with the Royal Bank of Scotland and one savings account with the Dunferlime Building Society. They also have a share portfolio. The Duncan's money transmission is purely cash and cheque. They have no outstanding debts from borrowing etc. With George's monthly income of £3,500, they have a monthly outgoing of £1,185, which is detail below: £ FOOD & DRINK 315 CAR EXPENSES (petrol, road tax, repairs and insurance) 80 CLOTHING 80 ELECTRICITY & GAS 70 COUCIL TAX 210 ENTERTAINMENT (cinema, theatre, restaurants, TV) 65 TELEPHONE 25 LIFE ASSURANCE 50 OTHER EXPENSES 25 PROPERTY
Comparison of Two Productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream
GCSE English/English Literature Assignment Shakespeare's 'A midsummer Night's Dream In this assignment I am going to study William Shakespeare's 'A midsummer night's dream'. Which I will watch be performed by two different theatre company's. The first show is to take place at the Royal exchange theatre, on the 8th April. Directed by Lucy Bailey. The second performance is to take place on the 16th May, at the Salford Lowry theatre. Performed by The Royal Shakespeare Company. Directed by Richard Jones. In this assignment I will describe the two different theatre designs. I will also look closely into one chosen key scene, giving a brief plot of the scene and discuss key characters from this scene. I will comment on how the two different directors, directed my chosen scene and the differences between them while commenting on how affective they were. I will then compare the two different productions overall and specifically in my chosen scene saying which one I preferred and why. As well as any other thoughts on the play. The theatre design of the Royal Exchange is a theatre in the round. A road ran from one side of the theatres across to the opposite side. Although this was a fixes scene it was multi-per phased a lamppost stood in one corner of the theatre. This was very affective as it gave the audience the idea of being in the middle of nowhere. A if it was just one on going