Abstract This paper examines how Lorraine Hansberry's play, "A Raisin in the Sun", is a dramatic tour de force and was one of the more important developments in American dramatic literature in the second half of the 20th century. It looks at how her moving play focuses on the domestic life of the Younger family as they decide what to do with a check that they have received after the death of Walter Lee's father. It shows how, from the very beginning of the play, Hansberry creates a tone that sets the stage for the later dramatic action and how the play is, ultimately, a meditation on how the human spirit is able to rebound after our dreams have been destroyed. It analyzes how Hansberry reveals the specific dreams of each character in the play and how, in each case, their dreams are disappointed in some strange and sad fashion.
From the Paper "All of the Youngers do have important, although different dreams. Beneatha dreams of going to medical school, Mama dreams of moving into a new house, and Walter Lee wants to open a liquor store. The problem is that the amount of money that the family has is finite and can only serve to fulfill some, and not all, of the Younger's dreams. Walter Lee's dream has a particular significance in relation to his manly pride, and the failure of that dream is terrible. However, ?By the end of the play, they learn that the dream of a house is the most important dream because it unites the family,? and it is through this common dream that the Youngers realize their true strength ("Themes, Motifs, and Symbols")."
Abstract This paper examines the play, "Endgame", by Samuel Beckett, which is about the pain and struggle that human relationships endure when founded in pain and human suffering. It looks at how the use of his play to illustrate the decay of one era and the fight against another is not unusual in the literary world and how the underlying theme that brings this play to greatness is the use of Hamm's decaying body, while his mind stays presumably intact and intellectually sound. It also demonstrates how the pain and anger that accompanies such situations illustrates the pain of moving between Modernism and Romanticism.
From the Paper "The character of Hamm provides many examples of the fight against Romanticism by Modernism. Hamm shows anger and disgust for the two which is the way of Modernism against Romanticism. If one has a difficult time exploring the theme of Modernism as it is illustrated through the relationship between Hamm and Nagg and Nell one can view it as a teen fighting against a parent. As teens grow older and start becoming young adults of their own they naturally tend to fight against the parents who have raised them. This path is taken for the purpose of the teen eventually emerging as a self propelled and capable adult who still uses certain elements that the parents have provided along the way."
Abstract Shows the conflict between the father, Troy, and his son, Cory. Examines Troy's relationship with his family, his sense of responsibility, and his bitterness over past and present racial discrimination.
From the Paper "One often wonders whether fences were built to keep people out or to keep them in. August Wilson's play shows us both sides of that old adage. Troy has just finished serving fifteen years in prison and now has an honest job. Upon returning to ..."
Abstract Henrik Ibsen's characters are not the people they appear to be. This paper explains that, on the surface, and at the beginning of the play, audiences see typical people pursuing typical lives with typical problems. Not until the play progresses, and in retrospect, do audiences realize that society negatively or positively stimulates the characters motives and actions. This paper looks at three such characters in Henrik Ibsen's play, "A Doll's House": Torvald; the protagonist, Nora; and the antagonist, Krogstad.
From the Paper "Krogstad plays the role of the antagonist in A Doll's House. His actions mirror the traditional role of an antagonist. He is the source of the play's conflict and causes Nora to worry about resolving the seemingly irresolvable problem. He is the character that creates the tension in the play. Nora's husband, Torvald Helmer, wants to fire Krogstad and Krogstad is desperate (Johnston). This is one clue to the Krogstad's predicament and that he is not an antagonist in the formal sense of the word. When he hears of his impending job loss, he blackmails Nora. The two have forged Torvald's signature to a bank note and now he threatens to tell Torvald. Despite this, Krogstad has valid motivations for his desperation. He wants to build up his reputation so that he can provide for his family. Unlike most antagonists, he does not act out of egotism; he acts out of love for his family."
Abstract This paper discusses whether Ibsen's "A Doll's House" is still relevant today. The writer explains how Henrik Ibsen wrote "A Doll's House" to reflect his views on society and demonstrates through every action of his characters in the story the ill-effects of Nora's world. Ibsen shows the unjust society a woman was faced with during these times, and the writer here believes women are no longer forced to consult with their fathers and husbands.
From the Paper "While audiences in the 19th Century would have sympathized with him and scorned Nora, Ibsen demonstrates the unjust society a woman was faced with during these times. Nora was merely "transplanted" from her father's will and desire to her husband?s, and for this reason she feels she must leave and go find herself. These are actions that most certainly would have made her a social outcast, but Nora is willing to take these steps in exerting her independence and individuality."
Tags: women, feminism, mother, father, husband, wife, sexuality, gender, society
Abstract This paper examines how Arthur Miller's play and book, "Death of a Salesman", is somewhat hard to follow in spots where it becomes difficult to separate Willy Loman's fantasy world from his reality. It discusses why it is one of the greatest plays available to watch or to read and how Miller's genius really comes through in the characters and what they go through during the story. It also utilizes five different sources to analyze the story and to show how different parts of the story are looked at in different ways.
From the Paper "Much of what Death of a Salesman deals with is the morals that society has embedded in it and how they sometimes fail, even though the best of intentions remain. Loman is torn between running for the money and simply running away from everything, and it is taking its toll on his body and spirit (Shurley, 2003). Loman has had several opportunities in his life to have great adventures and make a lot of money, but he has declined the offers each time, not realizing what they could have done for him. Now he regrets that, but it is too late for him to go back and change things (Shurley, 2003). That is why he puts the pressure on his sons to succeed, but they fail as well, and Loman feels that he cannot even succeed as a father to them any more than he can succeed at being a salesman."
Abstract This paper analyzes Plato's "Euthyphro", one of the first works devoted to the relationship between ethics and religion. In this work, Plato's search for what is ethical assumed the form of a debate between Socrates and Euthyphro, who discuss the nature of piety and what it is that all of the gods truly love. The paper reviews "Euthyphro" in order to identify the relationship between religion and ethics.
From the Paper "Plato believed that true knowledge did not consist in knowing particular things but rather in knowing something general that is common to all the particular cases and framed many of his allegories in a literary form called the dialogue, which is simply a conversation between two or more people. The characters in Plato's dialogues discuss a variety of philosophical problems and frequently argue the opposing sides of an issue. In his dialogue, "Euthyphro" Plato stages the debate immediately before the trial of Socrates with a view to elaborating and expanding on the meaning and the virtue of ?piety,? or the proper attitude that men should take toward the gods. Here, Socrates and Euthyphro first discuss the nature of piety and what it is that all of the gods are supposed to truly love based on some examples provided by Euthyphro."
Abstract This paper illustrates how the illusions held firmly by Willy Loman eventually lead to his inevitable downfall and death. It also discusses his realization of the despair in his life and the ways in which he chooses to cope with it.
From the Paper "In Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman"(DoS), Willy Loman, a traveling salesman, is an example of the average blue-collar citizen who feels betrayed because he can't achieve the financial goals his society has conditioned him to strive for. He places financial success and personal image above all else. He believes that by maintaining a respectable image and good business relationships, or being "well liked", as Willy says, you can achieve any amount of success. But when he abruptly and brutally realizes that things do not necessarily work that way in society, all hopes and dreams cherished by him fade, and he suddenly realizes the truly despaired nature of his life. When he fails as a salesman, no other measure of success: the love of his family, his talent as a carpenter, and so on, can comfort him. He believes that a person who fails in business has no right to live. Because he doesn't want to face his failure, for years Willy has been lying to himself and to others, fantasizing and deluding himself into a false vision of his own popularity. This fallacious view of himself, or "false pride," as his boss calls it, gets in the way of Willy's relationships. When it gets to the point where it seems as though all else has failed, death becomes the only means of salvation. His delusions of success and accomplishment fall to shambles and he sees nothing else left to rely on in life. Savage 2 Willy demonstrates his obsession with being well liked by referring to those who are well liked as icons of achievement. Willy modeled himself after a fellow salesman whom he greatly revered, Dave Singleman. Willy tells the story of his decision to become a salesman through the inspiration of Dave Singleman. Willy credits his employment choice to Singleman and goes on to explain how Dave is a skillful salesman. Willy exclaims, ?And he was eighty-four years old, and he'd drummed merchandise in thirty-one states. And old Dave, he'd go up to his room, y'understand, put on his green velvet slippers-I'll never forget-and pick up his phone and call the buyers, and without ever leaving his room, at the age of eighty-four he made his living. And when I saw that, I realized that selling was the greatest career a man could want.?(DoS 1580) Willy says, "I always felt that if a man was impressive, and well liked, that nothing could stand in his way.? One critic, Stephen Lawrence, states that during his life ?Willy forms the opinion that in order to thrive in society, one must be "well liked". Willy maintains a notion that somehow there can be a link between love and success.?(Lawrence 548). But Willy's views on what made a man successful were dictated mainly by what was depicted by the popular and prominently wealthy people of his time period. He had no other leading examples to attain the type of life he desired and didn?t realize how improbable it was that he would actually achieve such goals. One critic, Choudhuri, states that Willy "failed as millions do in a competitive commercialized society" ( Bloom 69)."
Abstract This paper takes an analytical look at the themes in Tennessee Williams's play, "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof", where lies, deception, and the unrelenting search for the truth take its readers on a psychological journey. The paper also provides extensive background research on the writer himself.
From the Paper "Big Daddy's fight to overcome cancer is a tough one, and he deals with it by trying to regain his life back (The Dramatic World of Tennessee Williams 73). Brick blames his wife for Skipper's suicide and responds to his death by becoming an alcoholic. He is full of disdain towards his wife, but Margaret is relentless to keep their marriage alive, even though she feels "all the time like a cat on a hot tin roof" (Tennessee Williams 104-105). Tennessee's couples cease to sufficiently love each other, because he believes that a vicious society keeps lovers apart."
Abstract This paper argues that people make choices ignorant of the consequences. It examines the characters of Harold Pinter's "Betrayal" as manifestations of the Freudian psyche: the id, ego. and superego. Using this model, the author dissects their actions and the overall actions of the play. The paper includes two specific, in-depth analyses of scenes.
From the Paper "Betrayal is one act, broken into nine formal scenes, suggesting the integral continuity of life, as well as its episodic nature. Close inspection of any one of these scenes reveals a careful representation of human dialogue when nearly all the action is based upon deceit. In particular, scenes four and five illustrate Pinter's dramatic and thematic structure."
Abstract This paper looks at Arthur Miller's American masterpiece, "Death of a Salesman", which was first presented on the stage in New York City in 1949. The writer shows how the play is a successful literary attempt at blending the themes of social and personal tragedy within the same dramatic framework. By contrast, the writer focuses on the character of Willy Loman, which shows false values sustained by almost every publicity agency in the national life of the U.S.
From the Paper "The character of Willy Loman, the themes of social and personal tragedy, and the overall commonality found within Miller's play are prime territories for further exploration through the use of psychological criticism and literary deconstruction. In the realm of psychology, Willy Loman's accomplishments and sources of pleasure appear to be simple and straight-forward, yet they do provide an excellent psychological foundation on his life, due to leading a very average existence as a traveling salesman which he believes will enable himself and his family to attain wealth and comfort."
Abstract This paper explains how the chorus in the plays, "Medea" and "Agamemnon", enhance the audience's experience as they watch the plays and contemplate their opinions of the actual character and the character as reflected by the chorus.
From the Paper "Euripides play, Medea, has created astonishing results since the time it was written, 2400 years back and was first performed in 431 BC. The play originates from the ancient myths of Jason and Medea, while it, "investigates the psychology of revenge and betrayal".( Euripides? Medea "ICFI", reviewed by: Stephen Griffiths http://www.wsws.org/arts/1998/aug1998/med-a04.shtml ). Euripide, though a male writer has been able to view a females? mind emerging with power and great intensity. He was the first Athenian to use the chorus as a commentator, in order to interpret human sufferings without the wisdoms of the gods. Parallel to Medea, Aeschylus? Agamemnon narrates a similar myth of Agamemnon and his queen, Clytemnestra in a play, which was written in Greek in the fifth century B.C. Aeschylus was known to be the first playwright and the father of Western Drama."
Abstract This paper briefly looks at the history of American musical theater traced back to the 18th century. It looks at various types of musical theatre pieces, such as rock musicals, revivals, classics, and others.
From the Paper "In the 1790?s, theaters in New York City offered much more musical entertainments than mainstream theater drama. During this time, musical performances were flourishing in many other cities and commonly took place in the theater. This gave way to a the beginnings of a variety of entertainment including puppet shows, ballad operas, circuses, dances, all of which had some type of musical involvement."
Tags: ballad, opera, dance, show, talen, rock, revival, classic
Abstract This paper examines how the Elizabethan dramatists Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare were contemporaries and how, for the latter part of Marlowe's dramatic career, they were rivals as well. It looks at how Marlowe's career as a playwright was cruelly cut short after the author was murdered in a tavern brawl, probably the result of his political intrigues. The paper shows that regardless of the reasons for Marlowe's untimely demise, the difference between the older Marlowe and the young Shakespeare had already become manifest in the characterization of the main protagonists of the two men's plays. It explores how Marlowe clearly influenced Shakespeare's early writings and how, while Marlowe used broad character brushstrokes to create a vivid narrative and caricature of human character and morality, Shakespeare created a new way of dramatically rendering the human character in shades of gray. In particular, it examines how both men used similar themes, such as the presence of "Jewish" values in a money-grubbing 'Christian' society.
From the Paper "All of Marlowe's protagonists are larger than life, from Barabas to Faustus and lastly to Tamburlaine, in the scope of their desires. They are both sustained and destroyed by their respective evils. Barabas? poisoning reflects the Jewish dietary laws that Shylock merely tacitly refers to, ?I will not eat with you,? in Act I of ?The Merchant of Venice.? Faustus is destroyed by his love of knowledge and power, just as Tamburlaine is destroyed by his desire to conquer the world.? All of these men stand outside of their societies, and reflect what is wrong with their societies?an over emphasis on money, scholasticism, and power respectively."
Abstract This paper examines how, through symbolism, allusions, and dialogue, Shakespeare reveals his attitudes concerning love, marriage, and gender roles in 16th-century society in his play, "The Taming of the Shrew".
From the Paper "One of William Shakespeare's best-loved comedies, The Taming of the Shrew takes audiences on a rather comprehensive journey through Renaissance social culture. Though the courtship between main characters Petruchio and Katherina is far from typical, it does offer insight into not only the customs and attitudes of Europeans in general but those of Shakespeare himself. Shakespeare seems to hold the same opinions as those of most men of the late 1500s?that love is generally very superficial and based on physical attraction; that marriage closely resembles a business proposition; and that women are nothing without their husbands or fathers to whom they must submit. Through literary devices ranging from witty dialogues and impassioned speeches to plentiful allusions and creative symbolism, Shakespeare reveals his attitudes concerning love, marriage, and gender roles in sixteenth-century society."
