Short on time?

Get essay writing help

William Shakespeare Essay

195 samples in this category

Essay examples
Essay topics
In the story “Othello”, Shakespeare created a story of 2 men, the villain Iago and the hero Othello. Villain because we tend to see Iago deceives everyone in an elaborate attempt to bring down fictional characters. The premise behind Iago’s deceit is targeted on jealousy of a fictional character that is triggered once Iago isn't promoted to lieutenant rather than Cassio is given the work. Combined with the racial hate and his suspicions, Othello supposedly slept with his wife Emilia,...
2 Pages 730 Words
In twelfth night, Shakespeare presents love as a type of madness through the character of Orsino and Olivia when he writes 'If I am as mad as he, then sadness and merry madness equal be' In these lines, Olivia suggests she is as mad as Malvolio, who has been different after reading the letter from 'Olivia'. However, Olivia makes a clear observation here. Her 'madness' functions as an announcement of her feelings for Cesario, which still are not returned, thus...
2 Pages 698 Words
West side story is an example of how art has been combined into a story. Arthur Laurents wrote the story as an adaptation of William Shakespeare`s classic play, Romeo and Juliet. The main plot of these two stories are very similar, however, the way they are portrayed on stage shows the differences. Romeo and Juliet is a play and does not include other art forms other than acting. Whereas West Side Story tells the story through singing, dancing, acting, and...
3 Pages 1158 Words
“Whether the spirit of greatness / Or of woman I know not, but it shows / A fearful madness. I owe her much of pity”. Cariola’s choric commentary at the end of Act 1 Scene 1 of ‘The Duchess of Malfi’ reflects her uncertainty of whether to see the Duchess’ bid for self-determination as “greatness” of spirit or as “madness”, for she is moving beyond the bounds of socially accepted behaviour with no clear path to guide her. As Joseph...
5 Pages 2208 Words
In Shakespeare’s play ‘Romeo and Juliet’, the intense conflict between the families of the Montagues and Capulets illustrates the theme of internal conflict present throughout the play. It is this conflict that led to the downfall of Romeo and Juliet’s relationship and their inevitable death. In the play, Shakespeare uses a rhetorical question when Juliet states, 'What if it be a poison, which the friar Subtly hath ministered to have me dead?' This illustrates Juliet's doubt of Friar Lawrence’s intentions,...
2 Pages 734 Words
The world of Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida does not distinguish decidedly between the Greeks and the Trojans. Though the Greek camp is a makeshift assembly of tents pitched on the shores of Troy, and the Trojan society is the courtly palace of Priam and his sons, both societies value the same ideas and objects: honor in men, and beauty and faithfulness in women, as revealed haphazardly through appearances and acts. The inadequacy of such measures of worth, their failure to...
4 Pages 1833 Words
A problem play is a play in which the playwright portrays the social, political and economic problems of the society he lives in. The problem play is a development form of the ‘drama of ideas' (Drama of ideas is a type of discussion play in which the most acute problems of social and personal morality is revealed). It is tragic in tone and deals with human dilemmas along with the social evils, i.e., it is a play in which a...
4 Pages 2038 Words
In many ways, Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida and Measure for Measure are examples of his 'problem plays' that are concerned with self-division and lack of self-knowledge. The former play deals with the duality of the characters and it is in the knowledge or lack of knowledge in this duality between the characters which makes it a problem play. Self-division is also implicit in the latter play, where the characters are forced to confront their different natures due to a crisis...
6 Pages 2663 Words
Antony and Cleopatra’s love for one another is the prominent theme throughout the play, and although both characters profess to an incomparable “peerless” love, they encourage doubt in the audience by acting in a manner that appears to contradict this. This is demonstrated by Cleopatra’s bullying, manipulative manner and also with the ease with which Antony dismisses their relationship in front of Caesar and his marriage to Octavia. Ultimately, Shakespeare intended for the audience to question the genuineness of Antony...
6 Pages 3030 Words
Cleopatra, “Egypt’s Queen,” is arguably Shakespeare’s most resilient and enchanting female protagonist. She is personified as the embodiment of her country, ‘the soul of Egypt’, and defies the reductive Jacobean “most monster-like” perspective of women. The Renaissance stereotype of the subordinate and inferior female is in total juxtaposition to the possessive and shrewd characteristics that Cleopatra possesses, as she is in fact “a wonderful piece of work.” Cleopatra manipulates her associates and subordinates through her alluring sexuality and ‘infinite variety,’...
2 Pages 1018 Words
Vengeance, chaos, uncertain honor and untimely death-whether describing the fall from grace of a noble king, impassioned General, or valiant warrior, each arises in the historically based tragedies of William Shakespeare. Coriolanus, Shakespeare’s account of the societal and self destruction of a Roman warrior paragon, proves no exception, depicting the demise that results from any character trait excess, even honor. This particular play introduces a further element of gender to fatal excess, providing, through the characters of Coriolanus and Volumnia,...
6 Pages 2599 Words
In this play Coriolanus by Shakespeare, Coriolanus' expulsion is the peak of a sequence of incidents in which a few powers have a role, all impelling him to his absolute destruction. As is normal in Shakespearean Tragedy, the legend, at the crest of his accomplishments, falls, because of a lethal blemish in his character. Despite the fact that Coriolanus is viewed as the legend and hero of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus and ought to be a solid, thoughtful character, he is ruled...
3 Pages 1235 Words
Despite the adaptation of a text to film benefiting from the opportunities and abilities bestowed to a director through the visual aspect of the medium, narrative complexity and depth of literary themes almost inevitably suffer a condensation. Ralph Fiennes’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Coriolanus is not immune to this trend, with temporal constraints forcing Fiennes to focus upon thematic elements of Shakespeare’s original work that he finds to be integral to his interpretation. Whereas Shakespeare’s characterization of key figures such...
3 Pages 1494 Words
AP English Literature and Composition Name: __Carmen Cerrito____________ Major Works Data Sheet Title: ___Henry V__________________________ Author: __William Shakespeare_________________________ Date of Publication: __1600_______________ Genre: __Historical__________________________ Biographical information about the author: (Provide information that gives insight into the author’s historical experiences.) William Shakespeare was born roughly around April 23rd, 1564, and he later became a renowned English poet, playwright, and actor. He was the third child of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. John was an alderman, and bailiff, and held a mayor-type...
5 Pages 2437 Words
Any student of history who plunks down to expound on the fifteenth century is fighting Shakespeare from the minute he lifts his pen. It is a fight he will most likely lose. Shakespeare's representations of the Plantagenet lords, sovereigns, and nobles who led and demolished England are strong to such an extent that they have, by and large, become magically melded with the genuine, recorded people themselves. Who, for instance, can consider Henry V without burping up a line or...
3 Pages 1566 Words
William Shakespeare, renowned for his profound understanding of human nature and his mastery of the English language, has left an indelible mark on literature with his timeless plays. While Shakespeare is not typically associated with King Arthur in the same way as medieval chroniclers or modern-day authors, traces of the legendary king can be found within his works, albeit in subtle and nuanced ways. In Shakespeare's plays, King Arthur often serves as a symbol of noble kingship and chivalric virtue,...
1 Page 443 Words
In late 16th century English drama vengeful ghosts, adapted from a Senecan drama, became a common occurrence. William Shakespeare, a well revered writer, “is unique in the fact that he is the only author who fully participates in the popular vogue for presenting ghosts onstage”. According to Stephen Greenblatt, “Shakespeare, more than anyone of his age, grasped that there were powerful links between his art and the haunting of spirits”. In two of Shakespeare’s works, Julius Caesar and Hamlet, the...
4 Pages 2066 Words
Many of Shakespeare’s sonnets revolve around two people’s relationship with each other. Shakespeare’s sonnets show the Victorian standards of true love. Although Sonnet 130 and Sonnet 138 both discuss love, they have different views of how true love is expressed. Sonnet 130 regards loving your partner despite their faults and being honest about the fact that they’re human. Sonnet 138 is about omitting your faults from a relationship in attempts to preserve the love. In Sonnet 130, Shakespeare is brutally...
2 Pages 981 Words
Rosalind and Viola are seen as a dominant and independent figure in Shakespeare’s plays. Because, each exemplifies the power and intelligence to confront other characters with their gender-based disguises. They use their disguises as a way to take control of the romantic aspects in their lives, and they engage into different roles with the ability to defy the constraints that the society imposes on women during the Elizabethan period. In Shakespeare’s play, female characters obtain more power and freedom within...
3 Pages 1337 Words
Early Modern English l was about a hundred years old when Shakespeare was writing. There existed not dictionaries and Latin was still the language in which most documents were written. He contributed over 3000 words to the English language, because he was the first who wrote them . There are nearly 1700 of those words that were used by him for the very first time, including antipathy, assassination, hereditary, snow-broth, mouth honour, under-honest or zany. W. Shakespeare is well known...
1 Page 624 Words
Tourism is known as the largest tourist industry. It also has great importance because of how much you can get educated in different cultures. So, the European personality that I have chosen, that has led to the creation of tourist sites, concentrating in Europe, is William Shakespeare. After more than 400 years, he is very important to us because he is one of the most important literary figures of the English language for his performances with complex cultural and political...
3 Pages 1281 Words
The vast number of Shakespeare’s sonnets alone lends itself to an array of ideas and perspectives within the collection. These differing insights can be viewed as the embracing of a spectrum of views on sexuality and gender as well as a challenge to the biblical and cultural concept of love. The string of characters within the sonnets also convey differing vantages: the poet’s speaker, a fair youth, the seductive dark lady and a second poet whose appeal to the fair...
3 Pages 1397 Words
In the Play ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ written by one of the best English playwrights; William Shakespeare, the role of deception is an important theme that is presented frequently through the characters. The play is based upon deceptions and multiple schemes that are used to show the thoughts of nearly every character and the characters deceive themselves by putting on a different public facade instead of showing their true feelings and personalities. The play also involves a complex order of...
2 Pages 920 Words
“to hold as 'twere the mirror up to nature: to show virtue her feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure” (Hamlet 3:2). This quote from Shakespeare's infamous play Hamlet seems to be echoing to us a message of power. Specifically the power of not just his own play, but of texts as a whole in holding up a mirror up to us, a mirror which reflects our values, virtues,...
4 Pages 1680 Words
An individual’s self-perception varies based on what they believe is an illusion and what they believe is reality. In today’s society, this same idea is present when people interact with one another, as they may retain a different perception of what others think of them compared to what the blunt truth is. As a matter of fact, humans possess the potential to influence the behaviours and thoughts of others in a way that benefits themselves, and lets down those close...
2 Pages 1042 Words
William Shakespeares’ play Romeo and Juliet continues to engage audiences over 400 years after its release through the use of timeless universal themes. Shakespeare was born in 16th-century England. Living through the reformation and the renaissance period influenced Shakespeare’s’ writing was influenced greatly by his surroundings. The gender roles portrayed in Romeo and Juliet, whilst being that of a blatantly patriarchal society, are still relevant to modern audiences. Modern society, though less blatant, is still a predominantly patriarchal society. The...
2 Pages 1128 Words
Composed in the early 15th century, William Shakespeare’s “Henry IV Part 1” exhibits the power struggles that occur due to the socio-political upheaval that perpetuates his Elizabethan context. Through the rhetorical revision of history, the play explores the complexities and uncertainties of humanity, questioning the volatility of humans through pride and honour and its focal impact on kingship, the binaries it produces in human emotions and the valorous or shameful feelings it instils, elevating human complexities. Substantiating these ideologies is...
3 Pages 1204 Words
English has changed a lot on the course of history due to its heavy-borrower nature and if one could go back and travel in time to see the changes that the language has undergone, he would be surprised and maybe not even find similarity between those English’s. Change has happened due to different factors like time itself, literature, history, tradition and location of a specific country. A major influence and famous change have of course happened by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare...
3 Pages 1166 Words
In the Roman plays it (suicide) is justified by History; and for the others the audience is asked to exchange for a moment its Christian morality for the more primitive pagan sentiment, a less noble feeling, doubtless, but one which is perfectly intelligible to all men because it is instinctive. This, then, is the true attitude of Shakespeare towards suicide. It is an attitude which implies no moral theory, which has, in fact, nothing to do with morality, being determined...
3 Pages 1404 Words
“To be or not to be, that is the question.” You may have heard this phrase many times in your life But did you know that it came from one of the most well-known writers in the world. Shakespeare wrote this line in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ back in 1595/96. In year 9 you study Shakespeare as it’s in the course outline, but most people still don’t understand why we study it and how it is worth all the effort....
1 Page 607 Words
price Check the Price of Your Paper
Topic
Number of pages
Email Invalid email

By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Use & Privacy Policy.

Join 100k satisfied students
  • Get original paper written according to your instructions
  • Save time for what matters most
hire writer

Fair Use Policy

EduBirdie considers academic integrity to be the essential part of the learning process and does not support any violation of the academic standards. Should you have any questions regarding our Fair Use Policy or become aware of any violations, please do not hesitate to contact us via support@edubirdie.com.

Check it out!