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
When you hear the name Shakespeare, who do you think he was? Do you think that he was some crazy writer that made up words and phrases because he wanted to? Or did you think he was a mastermind and an idol for English literature? If you looked at everyone’s reasons, I’m sure that the pros would outweigh the cons. The main reason being is that the globe theatre is still alive today, along with his words, phrases, sonnets and...
1 Page
560 Words
William Shakespeare is a English poet, playwright, and actor. He was born on April 26,1564 in Stratford as we believed but no one really knew. Shakespeare first record of being alive is when he got baptised. He died on April 23,1616 in Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom at the age of fifty two and was buried in Holy Trinity Church. Shakespeare was married to Anne Hathaway. He had three children. He was the best selling fiction author. He sold at least four...
3 Pages
1351 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
Even a small seed of suspicion placed in someone’s head can lead to horrible, destructive things. Sexual desires cause jealousy and mistrust. “Sexual images trigger chemical reactions in your brain, which in turn compel us to act in specific ways or be drawn to certain things, or motivated to engage in particular behaviors” (Kuszewski). In William Shakespeare's play Othello, sexual imagery is shown through the characters and we see that a person can be driven by their sexual desires. Emilia...
1 Page
435 Words
Get a unique paper that meets your instructions
800+ verified writers
can handle your paper.
Place order
Throughout the plot of the play, the character Othello reveals himself as an amoral character. His character is interesting from many perspectives since the protagonist develops from being a heroic and moral individual into a cruel and amoral person, who even kills, as the result of Iago´s insidious machinations. Othello can be described as a foil since he shows the same dishonest and cruel behavior as Iago. At the beginning of the play, Othello is represented as moral, since „he...
2 Pages
943 Words
Throughout the play ‘Hamlet’ by William Shakespeare, we experience the inner mind of a very damaged prince on a path for vengeance, but to reach the end he must overcome his inability to act. Simba, being the ruler of the Pride Terrains, fantasizes about emulating his dad's example and having the opportunity to do anything he desires when he is as yet a lion fledgling. A similar desire is seen in Hamlet, however, his uncle weds his mom and his...
1 Page
590 Words
Quotation Speaker Context Significance You must not put another scandal on him (i) Polonius He is speaking to Reynaldo. He is telling lies about Laertes and for Reynaldo to spy on him. Polonius wants Reynaldo to spread bad rumors about Laertes, but to make sure he is saying it in a way you can gather information and in a way that it doesn’t seem so bad, anything to do with sexual activity just to see what he has been doing....
4 Pages
1784 Words
Both Claudius and Hamlet are very clever, intelligent, charming, and skilled manipulators. What separates the two into villain and protagonist are their motivations and beliefs. Throughout the play, it is a back-and-forth battle between Claudius and Hamlet as they struggle to achieve their own causes. In this essay I will show how, despite failing to eliminate Hamlet as planned, he is still a master manipulator and puppet master who gracefully orchestrates the end. Before we delve into the specifics of...
4 Pages
1741 Words
One of the most frequent reoccurring themes in the play is the idea of Lies, Deceit, and Corruption. Despite his claim to really hate these things, Hamlet finds himself coming up with quite a few lies and schemes on numerous occasions and being exposed to some deceit himself. The play Hamlet is set in a world in which political deception is a necessary part of life, and lies are part of a normal day. Seem familiar? Maybe that’s because it...
1 Page
619 Words
Hamlet's plot is based on a universal element, which is the relentless complex battle. From the battle of the opening scene with the spirit of a deceased man to the bloodbath of the final scene, which leaves almost every key character dead, Death winds its way through the whole of Hamlet. Despite too many deaths, though, the treatment of the problem of death Shakespeare is notably clear in his depiction of Hamlet, who is portrayed as an individual obsessed with...
3 Pages
1559 Words
The qualities and motivations of a character are highlighted through the use of foils. In literature, a foil is a character whose actions and words contrast the characteristics of another character. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, various characters are foils to Hamlet, revealing his prominent character traits and the reasoning behind his decisions. Fortinbras’ haste and success illustrate Hamlet’s inability to act upon his desires. Furthermore, Horatio’s intelligence and stable nature illuminate Hamlet’s melancholia. Moreover, Laertes’ lack of remorse and impulsivity...
4 Pages
1987 Words
William Shakespeare’s Othello explores the term 'other' to achieve his purpose of trying to question the validity of stereotypes. Shakespeare uses the protagonist, Othello to question the racial prejudices during the Renaissance and to question the validity of stereotypes. During the Elizabethan Era in England, a dark-skinned person in a position of power wasn't part of the norm during the Elizabethan England, the population, at the time, considered dark-skinned people to be seen as a minority compared to the English...
1 Page
406 Words
Hamlet by Shakespeare is a classic five-act Shakespearean tragedy. Hamlet’s sanity and his ability to switch from sane to insane is the sum of his claim to madness. Hamlet is sane based on his actions in the play. Sanity: the ability to think and behave in a normal and rational manner; sound mental health, from Merriam-Webster dictionary. Hamlet uses his sanity to manipulate and take advantage of those around him. This leads the people who love him, and even just...
1 Page
631 Words
Struggling to find the right direction?
Expert writers are here to provide the assistance, insights, and expertise needed for your essay.
Description While Polonius and Claudius hide and eavesdrop on Hamlet’s interaction with Ophelia in which he vituperates against her, he breaks into his third and most famous soliloquy which is dominated by reason and not emotional agitation. It questions the righteousness of life over death in moral terms, while much emphasis is on the idea of death as an escape from the misfortunes of life—despite him remaining determined to live in the end and see his revenge through. It uncovers...
2 Pages
903 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
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
“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
“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 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
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
William Shakespeare's play Macbeth has themes and characters that are still relevant today and this is what makes his work endure time. People are still motivated by greed, ambition, and jealousy today just like in Shakespeare's times. Macbeth wanted to be king and some people today would do anything for money and power. It is the themes and characters that explore these themes that allow people in the 21st century to continue to relate to the Shakespearean play Macbeth. Shakespeare...
2 Pages
1102 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
