In his works, the famous William Shakespeare made it a habit to raise numerous important topics. And his play 'King Lear' was no exception. In it, next to such themes as suffering, appearance versus reality, family relationships, the value of nothingness, and how much 'nothing' can represent is of great importance. In the first scene, Lear banishes Cordelia, which as a result reduces her to nothing. While Cordelia is deemed worthless, the King of France still takes her as his...
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In âKing Learâ, Shakespeareâs playwright offers a vivid yet negative portrayal of Lear himself. The audience confronts a hero king whose hamartia brings about not only his downfall but also the destruction of his surroundings and more devastatingly upon innocent people. Lear is portrayed as an arrogant king with an innate sense of superiority, great wrath, and error of judgment. When Shakespeare introduces to his audience a king who is susceptible to the servile of his daughters and other acquaintances,...
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In addition to the theme of the continuous decline of King Lear in William Shakespeare's play of the same name and his personal growth as the titular character, the theme of family relationships and their destruction is equally important. It is due to King Lear's initial misjudgment of Cordelia that the play catalysts towards tragedy. It could be argued that the drama of King Lear revolves around the destruction of family relationships. Tragedy ultimately emerges from the broken bonds of...
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Edmund, one of the main characters in William Shakespeare's 'King Lear' is complex. To some, he seems immoral, like a man missing his moral compass. To others, he seems clever, like a man set on finding success through illegitimate means. But in my eyes, I see him as a desperate man looking for closure through means of climbing the hierarchical ladder while simultaneously destroying it. Many label him as the antagonist of the play, many may also follow the bookâs...
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Tragic heroes are characters of nobility; they are held in a higher status but suffer a reversal of fortune through their own flaws. Even the most noblemen can succumb to their flaws and suffer the consequences, as illustrated in 'King Lear'. King Learâs tragic flaw is his blindness, which eventually leads to his own demise. In Act 1, Lear ineffectively divides his kingdom among his three daughters. Goneril and Regan persuade him through flattery, and Cordelia remains truthful and tells...
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âA Raisin in the Sunâ is a play written in 1959 by Lorraine Hansberry about a family struggling with oppression and discrimination as they try to improve their financial situation with an insurance payout following the death of Walter and Beneathaâs father. The play deals with several different themes. The three biggest themes are the value of dreams, racial discrimination, and the importance of family, and this is important because, without these controversial themes, the family would not have been...
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The ghost of the King of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet. The play ends with a duel, during which the King, Queen, Hamlet's opponent, and Hamlet himself are all killed. Characters: Hamlet: The Prince of Denmark, the title character, and the protagonist. Hamlet is the son of...
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There are many different ways to analyze the Author Miller's play Death of a Salesman. The critics cannot agree if the play is a Greek tragedy, a family drama, a gender study, or a morality play (Centola). Miller thought it was a Greek tragedy, CS however, the critics argued that the play did not use elevated language (Ardolino). One way to analyze the play is as a family drama. A second way to analyze the play is Millerâs unique use...
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The first-ever black woman to have a play performed on Broadway and all around the world in 35 different languages was accomplished by Lorraine Hansberry according to Nava Atlas in Lorraine Hansbury, Creator of a Raisin in the Sun (Atlas). Hansberry was raised in a black middle-class family in the southside of Chicago as the Civil Rights Movement was expanding. The Civil Rights Movement fought against segregation inspiring young black activists to express themselves in terms of art. Hansberry expressed...
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Some people believe that they are completely in control of their lives, while others believe that their lives are completely controlled by fate. And therein lies a question. Are our lives controlled by fate or our own choices? Two texts attempt to answer this question. The first is 'Oedipus', by Sophocles, and 'Into the Wild', by Jon Krakauer. After analysis, 'Into the Wild' seems to answer this question far better than 'Oedipusâ. âInto the Wildâ gives evidence of how a...
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Introduction Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman addresses the loss of identity and a man's inability to accept change within himself and society. The play is a montage of memories, dreams, confrontations, and arguments, all of which make up the last 24 hours of Willy Loman's life. The play concludes with Willy's suicide and subsequent funeral. Arthur Miller's play was directed by Volker Volker Schlondorff. Death of a Salesman is a 1949 stage play written by American playwright Arthur...
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A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, introduces several of her characters, where money is a promise of escape, a gift to be stored up and fought for whenever possible. But as the story progresses, the Younger family must constantly consider their wish for significant wealth against their wish for freedom. Beneatha, Walter, and the others eventually choose conceptual values over easy choices that hold out the potential of more money. Each personâs dream serves a significant emotional purpose...
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The play A Raisin In The Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry carries on the tradition of the Harlem Renaissance by centering the different characters' experiences during and after this period and departs from or extends beyond that tradition by describing their realistic struggles and the racial injustice that they experience every day. In the play A Raisin in the Sun a person who carries on the idea of the Harlem Renaissance is Lenaâs daughter-in-law Ruth Younger. She portrays the centering...
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Death of a Salesman, published in 1949, is one of Arthur Millerâs most well-known works. The stage play portrays several universal themes such as betrayal, abandonment, and living the American dream which resonates with many Americans. Miller spoke to working-class families worldwide through his portrayal of the main characterâs (Willy) failure to acknowledge the American dreamâs false promises and how it affected his family. The play is written in a way that makes it deeply confined to reality. This story...
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âDarn those eggsâ, said Walter Lee. He wanted his wife to listen to his ideas. Walter Lee was tired of being poor. Walter Lee had a dream of being a part of the upper class whom he always observes. Walter felt that all of his dreams would come true if he could own the store he dreamed of. Overall, his dream was worth it but it was harder for an African American to do anything at this point in time....
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Wilde succeeds in criticizing the Victorian era by using satire to show the reality of the society of the time. Throughout the movie, we can clearly see the characteristics of the Victorian period. For example, the desire and pressure of marriage for young women of the time and always focused on the financial side. The characters are also part of a group that seems to be somewhat distinguished from English high society, which is relevant to why the movie is...
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¨Loyalty is such a force for destruction because it readily clashes with genuine virtues such as honesty and fairness - all while seeing itself as superior to those virtues.â(Asghar, paragraph 4). Blind loyalty is a trait that is often bad. In both the article, Loyalty Isn't A Virtue, It´s the Enemy of Workplace Ethics by Rob Asghar, and the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, blind loyalty is shown to be a poor trait. Blind loyalty often makes a...
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Merchant of Venice: Friendship Thesis Statement: Shakespeare portrays many forms of love in Merchant of Venice such as the friendship between Antonio and Bassanio, which grows and becomes stronger as the play continues. Since Bassanio is such good friends with Antonio, he feels comfortable asking him for money, and he needs it for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that he has a debt he needs to pay. Secondly, he wants to see Portia, but he doesnât have...
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'Death of a Salesman,' starring Dustin Hoffman as Willy Loman and directed by Vholker SchlondrĂśff, is a superb drama written by Arthur Miller and starring Dustin Hoffman as Willy Loman. At the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, the film 'Death of a Salesman' earned 10 Emmy nominations and four Golden Globe nominations, earning three and one, respectively. The plot of the movie revolves around 'The film, which premiered on CBS on September 15, 1985, almost exactly follows the script of...
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SHYLOCK I hate him for he is a Christian, But more for that in low simplicity He lends out money gratis and brings down The rate of usance here with us in Venice. If I can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him. He hates our sacred nation, and he rails, Even there where merchants most do congregate, On me, my bargains, and my well-won thrift, Which he calls 'interest.' Cursèd...
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Juliet expresses her love for Romeo by stating âO Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny is saddened by the fact that Romeo and her are star-crossed lovers because Romeo is Juliet's only love. Their families are enemies therefore, they are bound to be apart forever. Juliet does not want Romeo to be a Montague, she can see that Montague is merely a name and has little to do with who he is as a person. She realizes that one...
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Shakespeare uses symbolism to depict ambition and express Macbethâs inner conflict which he encounters subsequently from his actions. Blood is a symbol of the way Shakespeare displays ambition throughout the play as blood illustrates the change in Macbethâs character. At the start of the play, blood is a representation of Macbethâs loyalty and honor. Throughout the development of the play, Macbeth deceives King Duncan and murders him, where the blood is presently connected with the homicide and Macbethâs untruthfulness and...
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'Macbeth' is a tragedy, in which the protagonist, Macbeth, embarks on a dark path of betrayal and bloodshed that leads to his own demise and death. The play was written by William Shakespeare and dedicated to James 1 in 1606 who succeeded the throne in 1603. This tragedy deals with major themes such as ambition, guilt, and supernatural elements - such as the appearance of witches. The supernatural was a popular element in many of the plays written in Shakespeare's...
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Appearances often hide reality is a significant part of the play, revealing the tragedy in which the characters must cloak up their nature, indicating things are not always as they seem. The reality of someone can be changed depending on their desires and ambitions. Shakespeare presents appearance as a visual outforward form of what we see, where reality is what is actually going on. Appearance vs. reality is presented in Macbeth, changing the flow of the play, allowing us to...
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Death of a Salesman is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1949. The play focuses on the last 24 hours of the main character, Willy Loman's life. It also shows flashbacks which include memories that Willy has experienced. In this essay, I will analyze the main themes along with the structure of the play and how the characters are revealed within the text. The main themes in this essay are betrayal, abandonment, the American Dream, and family. As a...
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In the play, âDeath of a Salesman,â Arthur Miller uses a number of literary devices to convey his overarching messages to the audience. His symbolism in particular allows him to shape the themes of this story by repeatedly emphasizing their importance throughout the duration of the play. In this play, Arthur Miller uses a number of symbols pertaining to Willy, Biff, and others in the story to effectively portray a subliminal and repeated central theme of denial, contradiction, and deterioration...
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Death of a Salesman was written by Arthur Miller. Arthur Miller was an American playwright and essayist in 20th-century American Theater He was born on October 17, 1915, in Harlem, New York, United States, and died at the age of 89 years old, February 10, 2005. Arthurâs father was Isidore Miller and her mother was Augusta Miller. Arthur Miller was also the author of âThe Crucibleâ and âAll My Sonsâ these are some of his famous plays. Arthur Miller graduated...
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'Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.' This soliloquy by Macbeth displays a conflict of ideas and his desire for ambition against all things right. He is asking not to be judged for his wrongdoings. His actions, brought about by prophecies lead to death and have a domino effect throughout families and the kingdom. With Macbeth in a state of flux, the conflicts he encounters are not only physical and emotional but also metaphorical....
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Macbethâs self-awareness and grasp of reality deteriorate as the play progresses. How far do you agree? Notably, the witches have an instant effect on Macbethâs self-awareness from when he first meets them in Act 1, Scene 3. At the beginning of this scene, Macbeth has a firm grasp on reality and refers to the witches as the âweird sistersâ. When he first hears the witchesâ prophesy he doesnât believe them and thinks that what they say is impossible. Even though...
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Since the dawn of time, mankind has persevered due to ambition. Whether it be for a civilized life or finding the truth of the universe, we all strive for our determined goals. Parentâs ambition is for their child to grow, ambition can manipulate our ideas and will in a productive manner. However, when ambition takes over our consciousness it can also inflict unanticipated pain. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is an established tragic hero due to his noble birth...
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