Plays essays

The Struggles From A Cynical View Of Truth In Oedipus Rex

Oedipus Rex

W.E.B Dubois said, “Education among all kinds of men always has had, and always will have, an element of danger and revolution, of dissatisfaction and discontent. Nevertheless, men strive to know.” From this, we see the search for truth calls danger and bewilderment. The status quo dictates we accept the knowledge we are given, and skepticism is essential yet often frowned upon. Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex portrays the struggles from a cynical view of truth. The pursuit of truth, if conducted...

1 Page 597 Words

The Role Of Destiny In Oedipus Rex

Oedipus Rex

ABSTRACT In Greek society there is a great influence of myths on the literature and traditions. People believe that gods have a great role in the making of their fate. People and significant heroes try to escape from destiny but they are generally surrounded by the fate, in order to make them tragic This can be seen in many Greek dramas like Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. He was a religious person and he was inspired by belief of people in...

5 Pages 2171 Words

The Role Of Female Characters In Oedipus Rex And Macbeth

Gender Roles Macbeth Oedipus Rex

In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and Macbeth by Shakespeare, we see to extraordinary lady that are fundamentally for the two disasters. In Oedipus Rex, we've Jocasta and in Macbeth, Lady Macbeth. These two ladies have some various viewpoints and other where they're indistinguishable. Three focuses can be: their demises, characters and as spouse. A first point to coordinate is their demises. Both ended it all, since they were feeling remorseful in a route by their activities. Jocasta chooses to hold...

2 Pages 732 Words

The Theme of Revenge in Othello

Iago Othello Revenge

Revenge occurs because of hate which leads to people’s demise. Vengeance is one of the main themes in the play Othello by William Shakespeare. It is a recurring theme throughout the play, and the plot revolves around it. Retribution has been shown many times in Roderigo, in Othello, the play’s main character, and Iago, the main villain. They all have one thing in common and that is to take revenge on the people they hate, which leads to others’ or...

2 Pages 1117 Words

Symbols in Macbeth and Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Macbeth The Tragedy of Julius Caesar William Shakespeare

Symbols in literature works are used by writers to better convey the meanings in the stories. Also, it is evident that William Shakespeare, one of the most respected writers across the globe uses symbols uniquely in his work for the purpose of foreshadowing and to provide the reader with a better understanding of the overall theme. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, symbols are used to represent the overall theme of murder namely, the light and dark, blood, water,...

3 Pages 1467 Words

Iago's Importance and his Role as Othello’s Poisoner that Leads to his Downfall

Iago Othello

At the start of the play the audience is introduced to Othello, and he presents himself as a man of honour and dignity he is called ‘valiant Othello’ symbolizing that he is a brave and courageous, but Iago speaks of Othello in a hasty manner, he calls him an ‘old black ram’ he describes him as ‘tupping your white ewe’ when he wakes up Brabantio with reports about Desdemona's marriage with Othello. Othello starts to lose his confident and dishonour...

1 Page 594 Words

Iago as an Antagonist in the Play Othello

Iago Othello

“It takes 20 minutes to build a reputation and five minutes to destroy it”. “If that is thought about things will be done differently (Warren Buffet)”. Reputation is the general belief or opinion that most people may view about who you are. In certain situations, one’s identity can hold so much value that it may impede judgement and the decisions made. In the case of William Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Othello, reputation plays a significant role in representing how people manage...

3 Pages 1540 Words

Hunger Games VS Hamlet

Hamlet Hamlet Theme

Have you ever seen an idea as an appearance but it turns into a reality? The play Hamlet and the movie The Hunger Games are very similar to each other based on Characters and plot in the book/movie. In Hamlet, the appearance of the characters is so vain. Everyone is so full deception that the appearance is made to look different than the reality. In The Hunger Games, the plot is very different from Hamlet however the theme of appearance...

3 Pages 1529 Words

The Reasons Iago Stayed Silent in Othello

Iago Othello

In act 5 scene 2 of Othello, Iago had chosen to stay silent when confronted by Othello, after he was caught manipulating him into killing Desdemona. He had done this for various reasons which included keeping Othello and others thinking about his motives, having accomplished everything he had wanted to from the start, and the realization of what he had done and what consequences that lie ahead of him. Iago's choice had helped Iago as it kept everyone, mainly Othello,...

2 Pages 1024 Words

American Dream in Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman Death of a Salesman American Dream

Introduction: The Illusion of the American Dream in 'Death of a Salesman' The American dream is most often defined as being successful and financially stable. To achieve the American dream, one must work hard and sometimes people can be so focused on their goals that they can be causing pain, both emotionally and physically, without noticing. The play, Death of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller in 1949, presents a family of four that has many conflicts which stem from...

5 Pages 2153 Words

Hedda Gabler: The Struggles Of Conscious And True Expression For Women Of The 19th Century

Hedda Gabler

The play “Hedda Gabler” was written by Henrik Ibsen, a Norwegian playwright, who was sometimes referred to as woman’s rights activist. The play was first performed in 1890,focusing on gender and societal roles within the Victorian Era. The story is told through symbolic meaning as seen by protagonist Hedda Gabler. Hedda is a young newlywed married to an academic man named George Tesman. Despite having all the things sought after by women of this era, Hedda is very unhappy; finding...

3 Pages 1308 Words

Contextual And Cultural Considerations In Oedipus Rex

Oedipus Rex

There were so many things that I did not realise as I read the play. The interactive oral made me apprehend those things I could not imagine at first. During the discussion, student D. expatiated on the fact that the curse did not start on Oedipus at first but really began with what Laius did. The curse actually began at the stage of the ancestors. Before Oedipus' parents took over the throne, Amphion and Zeth usurped the throne of Thebes....

4 Pages 1796 Words

The Peculiarities Of Iago's Speech in Othello

Iago Othello

In William Shakespeare’s classic tragic play ‘Othello’, published in 1622, the dangers of illusion and deception develops in the play as Iago manipulates his appearances and works to fool Othello who has trouble differentiating between what appears to be true and what really is true. Iago adopts his preferable style of speech to conceive images in characters’ minds which are distant from reality. Throughout the play, every character views him as an “genuine” and “honorable” friend, who consistently gives valuable...

2 Pages 731 Words

Fate vs Free Will in Oedipus Rex

Free Will Oedipus Rex

The play Oedipus by Sophocles is a Greek disaster, which investigates the difference of destiny. The play spins around Oedipus, a man who in the end winds up lowered by his destruction. Emotional, verbal, and situational incongruity can be noted in Oedipus Rex. Dramatic inconsistency is a major piece of the play as the characterizing component and trademark which enables the group of spectators to comprehend the fundamental character and makes a feeling of dread since Oedipus' catastrophe could turn...

3 Pages 1190 Words

Othello and Iago’s Views and Values of Love, Appearance verses Reality and Racial Classes Conflict throughout the Play Othello

Iago Othello

Firstly, love. To Othello, love needs passion and trust to maintain. As a black man, even if he was the general, falling in love with Desdemona goes against the traditional 16th century Venice notions. They fell in love just because of passion, with Desdemona disobeying her father and not considering the importance of filial obedience. “O heaven! How got she out? O treason of the blood!” shows how angry Brabantio, Desdemona’s father is when he found out Othello and Desdemona’s...

1 Page 606 Words

Shakespeare’s Othello VS Nelson’s O: Mixing Alienation with Tyranny

Iago Othello

Tim Blake Nelson’s modern film, O, and William Shakespeare’s classic play, Othello, both involve Othello (Odin) handing the lieutenant position to Michael Cassio instead of Iago (Hugo). The main difference comes between the two settings, Othello representing an army and O representing a basketball team. Iago knows he deserves the promotion because he had some experience in the war, unlike Cassio. Hugo persuades Roger (Roderigo) to call Desi’s (Desdemona’s) father and explain to him that Desi is seeing Odin. The...

3 Pages 1607 Words

Twelfth Night: Play And Screen Adaptation

Twelfth Night

Shakespeare endeavors to make a dreary distress inside twelfth night, accentuating the torment got by the detested characters, while additionally including a detailed storyline that finishes in the traditional Elizabethan manner; marriage. Be that as it may, Trevor Nunn, with the additional component of visuals, weakens the play's content by utilizing stage activities and camera developments. In Nunn's 1996 adjustment of twelfth night, the adventure to rejoin couples is made more comedic and pleasant, as opposed to discouraging. This is...

2 Pages 956 Words

Macbeth, Romeo And Juliet, Julius Caesar And Midsummer Nights Dream: Value Of Shakespeare’s Drama

Macbeth Romeo and Juliet The Tragedy of Julius Caesar

I believe Shakespeare is still relevant in today's age as he made characters that can be related to kids and adults in the present time. He made characters about teenagers going through hard times, older people nearing the end of their lives, and people going mad for power, and the reason these characters stay relevant is because they have become part of our culture since they were created. There are a few plays that I will be touching on in...

2 Pages 811 Words

Macbeth And Oedipus Rex As Didactic Tragic Plays

Macbeth Oedipus Rex

The concept of tragedy, and the popularization of the emotion as a genre of written form, cannot be spoken about thoroughly without considering the two plays that defined the genre - Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare that tells the story of the titular character, who hears of a prophecy dictating his eventual rise to king, and this spurs he and his wife to form a plot to kill the existing ruler....

2 Pages 931 Words

Theme Of Disguise In Twelfth Night, Or What You Will And Measure For Measure

Measure for Measure Twelfth Night

Disguise has played a major role in society and England during the sixteenth and seventeenth century. The role of disguise was an extremely important concept in Shakespearean theatre, as it is used in to conceal the identity of one or more characters from other person in the play (Kreider 168). Often disguise within Shakespearean plays either exceeded the “boundary of any unitary image of subjectivity or resists what verisimilar role construction, emplotment of desire, and passion in relationships” (Weimann 798)....

6 Pages 2830 Words

Identity Of Woman And Male Dominance In A Midsummer Night’s Dream

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Woman

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare is a comedic masterpiece that raises questions on power, gender, and the deception of love which facilitates the drama culmination. Elizabethan norms included patriarchal authority, which Shakespeare not only questioned throughout the play, but also challenged. During Elizabethan times, the predominant role that women played was that of a housewife. Women were subservient to men and had no will of their own, thus they remained completely dependent on their male relatives, as they...

3 Pages 1578 Words

The Elements Of Similarities Between Twelfth Night And She’s The Man

Twelfth Night

The word appropriation means moving a text from one context to another, but keeping particular elements like the setting and character similar. An example of appropriation from both the film and the play is the quote ‘some are born great, some achieve greatness’ this quote is said in both the film and the play and it's just one of the many similarities between ‘Twelfth Night’ and ‘She’s the Man’. A writer might choose to appropriate a text because it can...

1 Page 588 Words

How William Shakespeare Uses Imagery of Nature to Create Central Ideas in Macbeth

Macbeth William Shakespeare

Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare and is thought to have been first performed in 1606. The play dramatizes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. William Shakespeare, the author uses imagery of nature to convey and create central ideas throughout the play. He does this for a number of reasons; to portray the mood at the time, to foreshadow important events of portray his thoughts clearly and...

2 Pages 836 Words

The Aspects of Shakespeare Story of Love

Literary Criticism Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare

Much ado about nothing’ is a play written by William Shakespeare in 1598 over 400 years ago. The play explores the message and the theme of love and how it can be complicated, which is still true today. There are three types of love in this play, Claudio and Hero show an example of romantic love or love at first sight. Beatrice and Benedick’s love starts with hatred and then ends up with them falling in love. Leonato is the...

2 Pages 695 Words

Omkara VS Othello

Iago Othello

I will be discussing William Shakespeare’s play ‘Othello’ alongside the adaptation ‘Omkara’. William Shakespeare’s play surrounds the downfall of the character Othello as a result of his personal flaws. Othello’s jealous nature and weak personality made him an easy target for the antagonist Iago to manipulate him which ultimately led to his demise. The adaptation by director Vishal Bhardwaj, set in rural Uttar Pradesh, North India, also follows the protagonist’s downfall, caused by his personal character flaws. Although the adaptation...

3 Pages 1334 Words

The Consequences Of Hamlet Madness

Hamlet Hamlet Madness

Today we have before you a good man whose mental state never had a chance to stand in this cruel world. A good man whose heart is just one of a mere boy’s, mourning the loss of his father. Betrayed by all, with the exception of one friend, our good prince stood alone in the world pondering whether to be or not to be. Won’t that always be the question? This is a relatable man with relatable features; every man...

1 Page 620 Words

Twelfth Night And She’s The Man: Themes And Messages

Twelfth Night

This essay will discuss the theme of relationships reflected in the characters of Viola and Duke Orsino in the film Twelfth Night and She’s The Man. Both depict a love triangle where the female lead fallsin love with the main male character,who is in love with someone else.In She’s the Man, Viola, who pretends to be Sebastian, falls in love with Duke who is in love with Olivia. The irony is that Duke uses Viola to send his love messages...

2 Pages 1008 Words

The Abuse Of Power In Animal Farm And An Inspector Calls

An Inspector Calls Farm

Social privilege and battles for equality are commonly discussed topics by twentieth century writers, who tried to denounce the popular uneasiness through their books. Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. The fable reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union. An Inspector Calls is a morality play written by English dramatist J. B. Priestley published in...

4 Pages 1758 Words

Othello: The Impact of Iago as the Disruptive Moral Other

Iago Othello

Othello by William Shakespeare is set during the Elizabethan Period when women and people from other races were segregated and “Othered” due to their sex, race or skin colour. This was a time period when it was extremely rare to see a black man with power. Shakespeare placed Othello, a South African origin, into the high role of Duke of Venice to add more controversy into the storyline. Othello is in large demand by the Venetian government, as shown by...

1 Page 591 Words

The Portrayal of Iago Character in the Play Othello

Iago Othello

In spite of all that modern critics have said on “Tragedy”, the definition of tragedy in the “Poetics” still remains the best. Aristotle said that “Tragedy is a form of drama exciting the emotions of pity and fear”. Although “Othello” covers the definition of tragedy, given by Aristotle in his book “Poetics”, but it is entirely different from all other Shakespearean tragedies. The reason is, Heroine of play is more tragic then Hero. Tragic flaw is the error of judgement...

6 Pages 2689 Words