Shakespeare Literature Reviews Samples For Students

William Shakespeare considered the greatest English writer has developed a vast work, approaching various themes in the plays or poems that he created. Another highly appreciated English poet is Andrew Marvell, who besides poetry was also a politician, which is visible in his work, as many poems approach politics as the main theme. This paper takes a closer look at the two poets’ literary works, focusing on two of their poems, respectively “Sonnet 18: Shall I compare Thee to a Summer Day” (William Shakespeare) and “The Garden” (Andrew Marvell), identifying the common themes between the two poems, depicting other similarities, as ...

Othello, a play written by William Shakespeare begins in Venice, a powerful center of banking and commercial activities and also known for its military prowess. The plot of the play revolves around Othello, a black Moor who is also an army general, Iago, his aide, Desdemona, his wife and Cassio who became his lieutenant. After Othello marries Desdemona, her father is opposed to it and takes the matter to the Duke. It is ruled that what Othello did was wrong and he is sent to war as a result. His wife accompanies him to Cyprus as well as Cassio and Iago.

Because Iago ...

This essays delves into the question whether or not Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is insane or merely feigning this state. Through the utilization of several quotes and deeper analysis of the protagonist’s actions and words, this essay endeavors to provide enough information to buttress the fact that Hamlet is not actually marred by insanity, but rather that his sanity was so well presented that everyone believed in it, while he cleared his path towards a bloody revenge.

For centuries, Shakespeare’s melancholy prince Hamlet has been the centre of debate among critics, urging to prove or disprove his ...

Major Events

In this act, Roderigo intends to hurt Cassio but instead, Cassio’s leg is hurt by Iago. Othello hears the cries and the first impression is that Iago has wounded Cassio. He declares to resolve avenging on his wife while exiting. Gratiano and Lodovico also hear Cassio’s cries but Iago pretends not to do know what is going on. Iago stabs Roderigo when Gratiano and Lodovico are looking away but Roderigo does not die immediately but ends up incriminating Iago through the letters present in his pocket. Iago tries to frame Bianca which is an indication that he ...

What Hamlet Has Changed and What We Learn From Hamlet and Hamlet the Play by William Shakespeare

Information Hamlet Learns Concerning Events in Denmark
Hamlet learns about various events in Denmark and finds out more information concerning his family, friends, reality, and appearances, balancing thoughts, loyalty, polities, and love. The new information that Hamlet learns becomes essential in his life and influences his perception and conception about various aspects in life. Hamlet realizes that Denmark is filled with corruption and is on the verge of destruction. He finds out that ruthless scheming by many people starting with the palace, and royal treason troubles Denmark.

Family

Hamlet learns significant information concerning his family. First, he finds out ...

Horatio: "Before my God, I might not this believe without the sensible and true avouch of mine own eyes.

For they are the actions that a man might play,
But I have that within which passes show,
These but the trappings and the suits of woe. (I.ii)
This passage gives information that makes Hamlet more complex and not simply seem crazy. No one believes that he has seen the ghost of his dead father, and considering that his father’s ghost asks him to get revenge for him by killing the King, he reacts with emotional distress. His emotional outbursts and strange comments have everyone around him believing he has gone crazy and that the ghost ...

Analysis of “Middle Passage” by Robert Hayden with Reference to Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”

Robert Hayden used reference to “The Tempest” in his work “Middle Passage” because both of the artworks shared the same theme that depicted the misery of the African people.

“We find it paradoxical indeed

that you whose wealth, whose tree of liberty are rooted in the labor of your slaves” (Hayden, 1)
Hayden told us that masters were retaining their power in the society by keeping others enslaved, and most of the slaves were Africans in the ship described in the poem. Secondly they were treated as if they were not humans (Hayden, 1). The older work shared a story of the royal party ...

Throughout the entire play, Shakespeare shows that sleep is important to the development of the events in the story. Arguably, sleep serves as the channel that runs through the life of each character in different ways. As the characters sleep, they become unaware of the events that happen. In turn, the characters attribute the events in their sleep to dreams as they are unable to explain the events in their sleep. Sleep and dreams overshadows the main idea in the play and lead to the theme of dreams versus reality. The title of the play suggests that the events ...

Introduction

Race, gender and power are issues that affect our day-to-day life and can hinder or promote progress, depending on how they are handled. Race and gender are issues that a person has to live with as he or she has no choice once found to belong to a particular group. There am2qare challenges that comes with being born in a certain gender depending on expectations of the society. Power, on the other hand is an occurrence that can happen or disappear depending on the circumstances. Since the issues of gender, power and race are part of our life, it is necessary for ...

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Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night revolves around the life of Viola, the play’s central character who disguises herself as a man when the story begins. Depicted as a comedy, the play describes a case of mistaken identity and a love triangle involving the three main characters. Throughout the narration, Shakespeare keeps the characters in a state of oblivion and allows the disguised female to keep her secret until the play’s finale. To bring forth the ideas and themes, the play focuses on its characters and their lives as they interact with each other.
Feste, ...

Summary of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Historians and dramatists have a history of presenting their subjects differently. In order to ascertain the language used and the way they presented their protagonists, this paper looks at Shakespeare’s representation of Julius Caesar. Shakespeare wrote his play much after Caesar’s assassination; therefore, there is every possibility that Shakespeare could have used a lot more of dramatic presentations to influence his audience.
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar opens with a scene on the streets of Rome. Act I, Scene I. A street in Rome; enter Flavius, Marullus and some commoners. It begins in February 44 BC., when Julius Caesar enters ...

The story of Cinderella is, perhaps, one of the most well-known stories in the world. Many cultures have traditional folk stories involving the rags-to-riches story arc; becoming massively successful in the face of adversity seems to be one of humanity's driving personality features. Because the story of Cinderella is so ubiquitous, it is not surprising that great storytellers borrow tropes, character arcs, and thematic ideas from the folktale. Tales like the Cinderella story are generally not created merely as a form of entertainment, but also as a way to educate people-- particularly children-- about cultural mores and societal expectations. These tales ...

This paper entails an anthology of three poems. These poems include Langston Hughes’s Poem As I grew older, Shakespeare’s Sonnet #4, and Emily Dickinson’s "Nature" is what we see. These three poems are crafted by poets with great experience about life and nature. The overarching message that is presented in these three poems is that life is difficult and has numerous challenges. Every opportunity that comes our ways should be exploited to its fullest. Our lives should be simple so that we can sustainably protect resources for future generations.
The rationale of this anthology is ...

1. Thesis Statement:
Virginia Woolf displays her style in her works A Room of one's own and Professions for Women to expose by example and historical fact the constraints society imposes upon women who write.
2. A Feminist Analysis of A Room of Her Own
The works A Room of one's own and Professions for Women focus on the constraints placed upon women and how a lack of money and the ability to live independently would prevent them from achieving socially recognized success as authors in their own life times.

3, Argument:

Virginia Woolf opens a history book on how ...

Midsummer Nights Dream is a play by William Shakespeare that explains the events surrounding the marriage between Hippolyta and Theseus who was the Duke of Athens. The adventures of four young lovers also take centre stage in the play. Shakespeare makes use of magic fairies to bring out some of the most and hilarious bizarre situations in the play Midsummer Nights Dream. He uses magic to embody supernatural power of love which is symbolised by the use of love potions by people in the play to win lovers (Shakespeare, 14). Shakespeare uses magic to create an unreal world in which ...

A Midsummer Night’s Dream has many things to say about the themes of love and marriage; it is mostly portrayed as something foolish and impetuous, with youthful lovers making rash decisions and falling into literal spells. This is most acutely displayed with the subplot wherein theatrical fool Nick Bottom is turned into an ass and wanders into the forest. Titania, having been exposed to a magic potion on her eyelids, looks upon Nick, who now has an asses' face. The two characters meet, and Titania showers him with affection, including the efforts of Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Mustardseed and Mote, several ...

Hamlet, written by the legendary William Shakespeare, is a play which tells of the tragedy of the Prince of Denmark. In the play, the Prince attempts to exact revenge on Claudius, his uncle, for murdering his father, King Hamlet. Set in the Danish Kingdom, the play explores the themes of incest, moral corruption and revenge. As odd as it may appear, it is quite ironical that Claudius decides to kill his own brother, King Hamlet, and take his wife, Queen Gertrude. When the Prince realizes the real cause of his father’s death, he is overcome with seething rage, and ...

Literature

Introduction
Application of visual effects during a stage play can add a considerable amount of realism to the whole play. There are a large number of visual effects that are used for theatrical plays. But, imagination and creativity are two vital elements in implementing these effects. Besides this, lighting effects are the common ones that are widely used to create a hover of visual realism. The other common visual effects are physical effects and pyrotechnics. In pyrotechnics, much care is taken to ensure safety over the stage, and it is mainly used in rock concerts.

During medieval times, visual effects were looked ...

Introduction

For answering this question in relation to three of the couples of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Hermia and Lysander, Helena and Demetrius and Titania and Oberon), there must be initially analyzed the love between them. Love takes various shapes and there are different ways to love: sincere and tender, having one another when others oppose the lovers’ feelings (as it is the case of Hermia and Lysander), obsessively or accidentally (as it happened in the case of Helena and Demetrius), or with passion and feelings of possession or jealousy (which define the love between Titania ...

Introduction

One of the darkest plays of William Shakespeare, “Macbeth” is a poem that holds a significant artistic and symbolic power, striking by the brutality and violence of the murdering acts committed by Macbeth and his wife, which are, in the end, the results of uttered prophecies. The poem imposes a note of dark mystery and an estate of anxiousness, because of the murderers committed by Macbeth, which indicate the force of evil taking over the human nature through rage, despair, thirst for power, violence and agony. Likewise, the presence of the unnatural elements (the three witches and their prophecies, the ghosts of ...

The sense of love, compassion and nobility is exhausted in Othello. It is replaced by a growing sense of misogyny, harshness and ignominy. Act IV of the play depicts this replacement, and we find that the principle characters are not those who act, but those who suffer.
In the first scene of the act, and after being convinced of the unfaithfulness of his wife, Othello confronted Desdemona and accused her of betrayal. His imagination is manipulated by Iago’s lies that he interprets his wife’s denial as a proof of her sin. Even though Othello does not deny his ...

Othello is introduced, at the beginning of the plays, as a black man who lives in Venice, Italy. He is known for his noble soul. Although he is black in skin, he had a white heart. In addition, he was brave and he became a leader in the Italian Army for he won many battles. However, by the end of the play, all these qualities, initially attributed to him, are put into question.
Throughout the play, Othello becomes more and more addicted to the venomous and bestial language of Iago .He swings crazily between the desire for blissful ignorance and the ...

Shakespeare’s Othello is a story of tragedy. Iago’s deeds are satanic and devilish. Throughout the play, he manages to disseminate hatred and doubt among the characters. Profiting from Othello’s faith and naivety, Iago deceives Othello and instils jealousy in him and makes him believe that Desdemona is betraying him. In act II, Iago starts working on his villainous plan.
Being alone with Roderigo, Iago reveals the first step of his plan of undermining Othello’s happiness. Othello considers Cassio as his left hand, which makes Iago jealous. As such, he uses Caasio and Roderigo to get ...

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind

Blow, blow, thou winter wind Thou art not s o unkind as man's ingratitude; Thy tooth is not so keen, Because thou art not seen, Although thy breath be rude. High-ho! Sing, high-ho! Unto the green holly: Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly: Then high-ho, the holly! This life is most jolly. Freeze, freeze thou bitter sky, That does not bite so nigh As benefits forgot: Though thou the waters warp, Thy sting is not so sharp As a friend remembered not.
2
High-ho! Sing, high-ho! Unto the green holly: Most friendship is feigning, most loving ...

- How does Iago ultimately convince Othello of Desdemona's infidelity? Is it convincing? Why do you think Othello thinks it is? Iago ultimately convinced Othello of Desdemona’s infidelity by making up a story about Cassio. Iago narrated to Othello that while Cassio and him were sleeping, Cassio started sleep talking and started calling Desdemona’s name. Cassio began kissing and caressing Iago, imagining that Iago is Desdemona. One thinks that the story of Iago is quite believable considering that Othello is beginning to doubt Desdemona’s fidelity already. Furthermore, Iago had to remind Othello that Cassio served as a go-between ...

Ray Robert, comments on Shakespeare’s use of the word “complexion” in Shakespeare’s sonnet 18. Editors and critics of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 all agree that the word “complexion” refers to both facial complexion as well as the face of the personified sun. The face of the sun is at times dimmed by clouds and similarly internal clouds of melancholy darken the disposition or complexion of the young man. The author notes that, Shakespeare in his sonnets refers to a “combination of humors of the body” which determines a person’s “complexion” or his/her temperament. As such, the author asserts ...

Death is the expression of life. It has a double sense and a double meaning in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. The funeral ceremony, mourning, revenging, talking with ghosts or committing suicidal acts represent passages in the circularity of life, based on various cultural or religious beliefs.
The Christian tradition implies a funeral ceremony for the dead people. Hamlet’s father did not benefit of such a ceremony after he was murdered by his brother, Claudius, who later took his throne and his wife. Nevertheless, prince Hamlet is permanently mourning him through his acts, through his perceived madness, illusory estate, and mixed thoughts: revenging ...

Analysis of King Lear, Act V by William Shakespeare

The play King Lear by famous William Shakespeare is known as one of the best tragedies in the world. It was written at the beginning of the 17th century but still remains on stage. This means that it is successful and interesting to modern spectators. The story of the King, the powerful man, who wanted to be loved for his accomplishments by his family and friends, retire in calmness and die in the circle of beloved daughters. Instead, the King gone mad because of shame and sorrow. Members of his family die. However, the strong dramatic effect of the play ...

The quote, “What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form, in moving, how express and admirable! In action how like an Angel! In apprehension, how like a god! The beauty of the world! The paragon of animals! And yet to me what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights neither me nor woman either" personifies the Renaissance spirit because of the newfound interest in the world that it professes (Shakespeare). This period begins in the 13th century, where a combination of political, social, economic, religious, and cultural factors all affected changes occurring in ...

One of William Shakespeare’s most famous poems is found in the play entitled “As You Like It”, recited by the character Jacques. Most people have heard of the first few lines of the poem:

“All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players” Jacques (Act II, Scene VII, lines 139-140)
This poem is frequently quoted because it holds deep meaning in life (Garber 139). Shakespeare compares life to a seven act play. The poem consists of twenty eight lines and is written in a form of a sonnet. There are three different themes that can be found in this poem – performance, ...

Dickinson’s “Crumbling is not an instant's act”and Shakespeare’s “That time of year thou mayst in me behold”

Emily Dickinson’s poem, “Crumbling is not an instant's act,” is a fascinating description of how a person’s life or self disintegrates. Reading this text by Dickenson gives the feeling of seeing a deeper truth about a common concept, which in this case is personal “crumbling,” “dilapidation,” or “slipping” (1, 3, 12). Emotions that are depicted in the poem include wonder, detachment, and resignation. The wonder felt about “crumbling” comes from the visual descriptions that Dickinson gives to the process, calling it “a Cobweb on the soul” and “Devil’s work” among other things (5, 9). Dickinson describes the process of “crumbling” as ...

One of the reasons why William Shakespeare’s tragic play Hamlet remains such a popular work of literature, both for dramatic representation in its original form as well as for adaptation into more modern contexts, is that the themes and events in the play reflect truths about humanity than remain accurate in modern times. There are still taboo relationships that should not take place, at least according to the majority opinion among humanity; there are still times when it is difficult to know just when to take drastic action; and try as we may, it is still impossible to separate ...

Troilus and Cressida, a tragic play by William Shakespeare is known as a difficult and unpleasant play of the author. Written around the year 1600, the play starts with the Trojan War while ends with the end of hector. This paper intends to discuss the message given by Shakespeare in the epilog of the play, Troilus and Cressida and further discusses the epilog.
In the epilog Shakespeare tried to bring reader more close to the drama; Shakespeare informed reader about the themes and brief of the story. The novel is based on the belligerent troy and Greek, Trojan prince Troilus ...

Music and Heritage in August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson

Music plays both an obvious and a subtle role in the action of August Wilson’s play, The Piano Lesson. The most obvious part is because of the piano itself. The piano is a part of the Charles family history. It was bought by the Sutter family during the time that the Charles family was owned as slaves by the Sutters. Robert Sutter bought the piano for his wife by trading two slaves for it; however, his wife, who plays the piano, decides she wants her slaves back because she misses them. Since the Sutters are unable to get the slaves ...

1. This line occurs in Act four, scene four of Hamlet. It is spoken by Hamlet shortly after discussing with the Captain the war over a tiny piece of land. This line furthers the play by motivating Hamlet to continue with his plot of revenge. The phrase, “spur my dull revenge” suggests that Hamlet was losing momentum but is now regaining it. It develops the theme by revisiting the idea of Hamlet’s desire for revenge, which is the primary story line of the play. In this line, Hamlet is basically saying that everything he sees is only encouraging him ...

August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson

As part of August Wilson’s ten play cycle, The Piano Lesson concerns issues that African-Americans deal with in the 1930s, primarily the effect of the past, its bearing on the present, and the consequences for the future. The weight of the past in the play is represented by the piano. This piano once belonged to the Sutter family, slaveholders who owned the members of the Charles family who currently possess the piano. As Doaker reveals when he explains to Boy Willy why Berniece will not consent to the sale of the piano, members of the Charles family stole ...

Response to Question #1:

Othello’s reaction in line 35 suggests that Iago’s accusations regarding Desdemona are finally beginning to affect him. Just before, Othello is interrogating Iago with clipped lines like, “What hath he said?” and “With her?” In line 35, Othello begins talking to himself, rather than interrogating Iago. He also begins to use the same type of flawed logic that Iago has been using all along to convince him of Desdemona’s alleged betrayal. In line 40, Othello says, “Nature would not invest herself in such shadowing passion without some instruction.” He is basically saying, “I have doubt, so ...

Analysis of Shakespeare’s Sonnet Twenty-nine

Often time writers writing express their inner turmoil. Although there is no record saying that sonnet twenty-nine is a result of tumult facing Shakespeare at the time the sonnet was produced, it is safe to say that he did draw some inspiration from the state of his mental and financial well-being during that particular time of his life.
Some of the best writings are the writing one has lived. Fifteen ninety-two, the year sonnet twenty-nine was written, was not a good year for Shakespeare. The theatres closed due to the outbreak of a plague, bringing a halt to his livelihood; and literary ...

If we truly are masters of our own fates, then the actions that we take guide the course of our lives; in contrast, if we fail to take action, then our lives do not move forward. In order for a human being’s life to be harmonious, there must always be a delicate balance of thought and action that allows that person to make decisions wisely while at the same time keeping the urge to act on impulse too often at bay. However, if the scales tip to far in one way or another, then the results can be disastrous for ...

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet tells the story of the prince of Denmark, who is much troubled by an encounter with his dead father, former king of Denmark, claiming he (the father) was murdered by his brother, the current king of Denmark. Because of the revelation, Hamlet became bothered. The event with his father’s “heavenly body” allowed Hamlet to think about and make a stand about certain dilemmas of life.
The story as previously mentioned is filled different topics and ideas that usually plague an individual or a nation at their time and age. Ideas of the fear of the ...

Background

Much Ado About Nothing is a play by William Shakespeare that dramatizes a number of contemporary topics such as Love, friendship, society, customs, parent-child relationships and villainy. Considered one of the great writer’s best comedies, the play combines aspects of robust hilarity with some serious discussions of honor, friendship, love, relationships, court politics, and shame. The play is considered a joyful comedy that ends with multiple marriages and has no death. Shakespeare introduces the reader to a group of individuals having a past with each other from the point where Beatrice asks the messenger if all soldiers have returned from the war. Although ...

King Lear follows the story of the titular character Lear, an elderly king who wishes to give up his power, and attempts to divide his lands among his three daughters. However, a series of unfortunate and capricious events, brought on primarily by Lear's own vanity and anger, lead him to slowly descend into madness, pushing away his three daughters. The show turns into a bloodbath, with all three daughters and Lear dead at the end of it, with many deaths stemming from jealousy, capriciousness and futile competition among military leaders. The play, however, demonstrates Lear's journey as the end result of ...

Gertrude is, more so than any other character in the play, the antithesis of her son, Hamlet. Hamlet is a scholar and a philosopher, searching for life's most elusive answers. He cares nothing for this "mortal coil" and the vices to which man has become slave. Gertrude is shallow, and thinks only about her body and external pleasures. Like a child she longs to be delighted. We do not see much of her in daily activity, but if we could we would see a woman enraptured by trinkets and fine clothes, soft pillows and warm baths. Gertrude is also a very sexual being, and ...

Hamlet written by William Shakespeare has one of the greatest and widely recognized lines in literature, “to be or not to be”. Many have pondered over what this one line actually meant, but because it’s open to interpretation there are many perspectives. Many at times, it is assumed that this phrase contemplates suicide. The point where the protagonist uttered this line was a truly tragic moment, and he felt his life to be full of burdens and sorrows. Therefore, it is understandable if he wanted to commit suicide. Many also claim that Hamlet was pretending to be mad, so ...

Hamlet’s Antic Disposition: Real or Unreal

The young prince Hamlet decided to put on an “antic disposition” to find out if the supposed ghost of his father had been telling the truth about its death. But as the play progresses, there are moments when Hamlet’s insanity seems to become less and less of a pretense and seems to become more and more genuine. Most of his actions and thoughts are consistent of that of an insane person; however, some of his actions and thoughts also indicate that he is aware of this and that it is all part of his act.

Insanity is a very broad ...

William Shakespeare's Hamlet features one of the most complex, interesting and tragic cast of characters ever depicted on the stage and in Western literature. However, of particular interest are the women of the play - depicted solely by Hamlet's mother Gertrude and love interest Ophelia. Far from the stereotypical damsels in distress, these characters are strong, complex and multifaceted. In this paper, we will examine these two characters in detail to show just how interesting these characters are, and their pivotal roles in the play itself.

Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, is a model of repressed guilt and shallow ignorance. As opposed to ...

In the history of human thought, there were various issues, which even the brightest minds could not explain or measure in materiality of human perception. One of such issues is and always will be love and its nature. Shakespeare was one of those who managed to perceive the nature of love and explain it in his works. The play which unravels his perception of the nature of love is “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The aim of the present paper is to outline what Shakespeare meant under the nature of love and how he explained it in his play. ...

Shakespeare’s Protests against Institutional Racism in Elizabethan England

Othello is not the only play in the Shakespearean canon that features racism, and it certainly is not the only play that challenges social mores. Whether it’s the feisty Beatrice, in Much Ado About Nothing, turning social convention on its head, in the sense that women were supposed to be prim and proper in Elizabethan England, when she wows Benedick with her powerful desire to save Hero, or whether it’s the Jew Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, endowed with many of the physical characteristics associated with the worst stereotypes associated with members of his religion but ...

SUMMARY

In light of the “revelation” that Hero has been unfaithful, Leonato becomes extremely saddened and feels betrayed by her. Leonato continues with the ruse that Hero is dead, in order to expose the person who would betray her. He challenges Claudio to a duel and leaves; then Benedick challenges Claudio as well, having felt betrayed by Claudio’s actions, which led to Hero’s apparent death. This leads Claudio and Don Pedro to realize that he does, in fact, love Beatrice. Dogberry and Verges bring Borachio and Conrad with them and convey the truth of their crimes to Claudio and ...

SUMMARY

Hero begins the plan to bring Beatrice and Benedick together by holding a conversation with Ursula and Margaret about how Benedick is in love with Beatrice, with Beatrice overhearing – they attempt to guilt her into having feelings for Benedick. They talk him up, stating that he is a catch, and Beatrice decides that it might be a good idea to “take pity” on poor Benedick and give him a chance.

On the other side of the coin. Benedick is being teased by Leonato, Don Pedro, and Claudio about opting to never marry. Benedick says he has changed his mind, but will not say ...

Lady MacBeth is a pivotal character in Shakespeare’s darkest play, a woman bereft of human feeling other than greed and a naked lust for power. Lady MacBeth is the ultimate “power behind the power,” playing on her husband’s own ambition and willingness to be tempted. Frustrated over her inherent weakness, she rages against the notion of a weaker sex that produces housewives or witches. As such, she is an exploiter who sharpens the blade of MacBeth’s desire, whetting his appetite for the crown. In a sense, gender becomes a neutral issue. Cleansed of feminine sensitivity, Lady MacBeth is a force seeking only power.

...

Indian Culture

The main thing I learned about Indian culture from this reading concerns the use of language. What surprised me was how similar the references are to that of a Shakespeare play. This works was clearly written at a time when the people of India couldn’t have had any international influence and, therefore, it is astonishing that such a parallel can be drawn. At the beginning of Act III, for example, King Dushyanta has a lengthy monologue. In it he says:
“Here may the zephyr, fragrant with the scent

Of lotuses, and laden with the spray

Caught from the waters of the ...

A Response to a Sonnet by Shakespeare

Abstract
I am going to write about my response to ‘Sonnet 130’. I chose this sonnet because it made me laugh at Shakespeare’s stated attitude to his lover, because it is so unexpected when you first read the poem, but the the sonnet is read you come to understand that Shakespeare is also making a serious point baout love and the stereotypical images of feminine beauty that were dominant in his day. Those stereotypical images have their parallel in our society too, because through the media images of what women should look like ideally are carefully used to ...

The primary characters of Shakespeare’s plays typically have an element of tragedy to them: some unfortunate outcome for them that occurs either despite their circumstances or because of them. In the case of Othello, the titular character is a tragic figure whose race leads many, including Iago, to scheme against him and lead to his downfall. In this essay, the character of Othello will be examined in terms of his race and behavior, through the lens of G.K. Hunter's "Othello and Color Prejudice." Here, Othello is presented as a black man who is a heroic figure, constantly fighting against the perceptions ...

Othello is a tragedy play by William Shakespeare written in 1603. The play is based on the story Un Capitano Moro by Cinthio that was published in 1565 (Bert 2). The play revolves around four major characters namely Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, and Iago. Othello was a Moorish general in the Venetian army while Desdemona was his beloved wife. Cassio, on the other hand, was Othello’s trusted but unfaithful pennant partner while Iago was a close working colleague to Othello, who has constituted to the development of major themes in the play due to his character. The cunning character ...

Is power generative or destructive? Can a man have both love and power at the same time? Since, we are talking about characteristics, it’s impossible to generalize an answer. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.” Hearing this quote coming from one of the wisest human being, will remind us directly of Macbeth. Macbeth has done all of his power to ...

Is power generative or destructive? Can a man have both love and power at the same time? Since we are talking about characteristics, it is difficult to sum up an answer.. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.” (Engebretson) This quote coming from one of the wisest human beings will remind us directly of Macbeth. Macbeth did his best to show the ...

Othello by William Shakespeare is a classic example of a Good vs. Evil story. Iago is the quintessential Evil where as Desdemona takes on the mantle of Good, pure and innocent. Caught in the battle between the two is Othello, who personifies the essence of a flawed human nature. It is up to the human to decide which side to take in the battle. Othello falls for the schemes of Iago and doubts Desdemona without just reason or cause. Hence, he is more responsible for killing Desdemona. Othello goes from a self-assured man who is successful and has the love of his wife ...

Introduction: Hamlet is a famous drama written by William Shakespeare, between the year 1599- 1600. Hamlet, the lead character in the play is the prince of Denmark. There are various themes in the play. For example, the difference between appearance and reality. Prince Hamlet was torn between appearance and realities that happened in his life. The following text of Act III, scene iii of the play is analyzed: “A brother’s murder, he says, is the oldest sin and “hath the primal eldest curse upon” (Semper 79; De Grazia 83). Hamlet is the most complex character ever written by ...

William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is best characterized by his ambition, which leads him to commit heinous murders and eventually causes him to become insane. In “Macbeth”, one of the greatest tragedies ever written, the protagonist transforms from a valiant nobleman to an insane and violent tyrant, whose downfall comes as a relief by the end of the play. The tragedy is a literary genre which tackles a serious or somber topic, and in which the protagonist has an unhappy fate, usually brought about by a major flaw in his character. In the play, Macbeth first kills Duncan to take ...