Abstract This paper discusses Oscar Wilde's writing and its reception by the upper class of his time. The focus of this paper is Wilde's work, ?The Importance of Being Ernest." The author discusses various subjects of Wilde's writing: death and marriage, parenting and social manners.
From the Paper "Oscar Wilde made his reputation off of mocking the Victorian Era. In fact, he lived his life the same way, blatantly ignoring the common rules of society. He loathed the pretentiousness of the wealthy that dominated nearly every aspect of life in England. This was particularly ironic considering his father was a surgeon for Queen Victoria. Even more ironic is the fact that the victims of Wilde's sharp wit and satirical comedy, the well-to-do socialites, were his biggest fans. In "The Importance of Being Ernest", Wilde creates a trivial farce of the aristocracy through the actions and behaviors of both Algernon and Lady Bracknell, with the former as a metaphoric dignitary and the latter as an economic aristocrat.."
A comparison of Japanese kabuki and Shakespeare's plays, addressing the similarities of the works as well as Japanese adaptation of Shakespearean works.
2,500 words (approx. 10 pages), 12 sources, 2000, $ 75.95
Abstract This paper presents an overview of kabuki, including its origins, role in Asian culture, and aspects of performance. Discussion of how Shakespeare's works have been adapted to a kabuki form dominate the paper. Special attention is paid to the woman's role in kabuki theatre.
From the Paper "Drama is an ancient art form, steeped in various world traditions that have many precepts and edicts of rehearsal, production, and performance. The following is a presentation of two viewpoints, and the repercussions of the fusion of the traditions in performance and translation. The Asian world views performance as an attainment of character through repetition and form-study, to learn not just the dialogue and songs of a samurai or handmaiden, but to become that character using extra-ordinary body position (termed "extra-daily technique"), elaborate costumes and makeup, as well as traditional music. There are several styles of performance, but the most flamboyant is kabuki. Presently, there are four hundred plays in the conventional canon, but approximately thirty are performed each year in a seasonal cycle within Japan."
Abstract This paper argues that: in the end, Macbeth allowed himself to fall victim to the temptations of evil through conscious hesitation and a tragic ambition for power, fortifying Shakespeare's purpose and condemning malevolence against the throne.
From the Paper "Macbeth stands as one of Shakespeare's most enduring plays, weaving a mix of stoic courage, false pride, corrupt ambition, and desperate wrath into a work which ends in a symbolic exhibition of the tragic hero's head. Despite this however, Shakespeare directs his audience to recognize the natural order of the denouement, preserving the divine right of kings and ensuring to his Stuart ruler that the monarchy will always prevail over evil. Macbeth reveals his tragic flaw by failing to recognize this fundamental law. Once a valiant and loyal defender of the king, Macbeth is overwhelmed by the tenacity of his wife's lust for the throne as well as the demonic visions of three wicked witches. In the end, however, Macbeth allowed himself to fall victim to the temptations of evil through conscious hesitation and a tragic ambition for power, fortifying Shakespeare's purpose and condemning malevolence against the throne."
Abstract This essay focuses on the characters of the three central personalities in "The Master Builder": Halvard Solness, Aline Solness, and Hilde Wangel. Personal traits and the relationship of individuals to each other as a means of plot development are viewed as well as a discussion of what each character shows us about the human identity and soul.
From the Paper "The character of Hilde Wangel stands as the "wild bird of the forest" or foil to Aline's conservatism. Her appearance breaks the tension that we feel between Kaja the bookkeeper, Halvard, and Mrs. Solness in the first act, and draws attention to the magnificent and culminatory events at Lysanger ten years earlier."
Abstract The essay examines the unusual and unconventional father-daughter relationships that exist in "A Midsummer's Night" Dream and ?"Romeo and Juliet".
From the Paper "Biological fathers in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet are seen as authoritative, ruling figures. Their only apparent role in each is to make decisions for their daughters."
This paper discusses the differences and similarities of two worlds of theater: ancient and modern, with specific references to history and playwrights of each period.
2,370 words (approx. 9.5 pages), 10 sources, 2001, $ 72.95
Abstract This paper looks at the many similarities that exist between modern American theater, and the theater of ancient Greece. The author focuses on elements such as costumes, scenery, properties, music, and choreography, drama festivals. The paper examines numerous playwrights, including Aeschylus, Eugene O'Neill, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, the poet Homer, and their works, respectively. Emphasis is put on Greek and modern tragedy.
From the Paper "Ancient Greek theater and modern theater today have many similarities including way of writing, clothing worn by actors and more, but they also have many differences. In the next few pages, I will explain how these two totally different time periods are really more alike than they seem while showing you their distinct differences too. Theater is a diverse and complex art. It requires collaboration among many artists, craftspeople, and managers in order to create a performance for audiences. Since the time of ancient Greeks, theatrical events have included such production elements as costumes, scenery, properties, music, and choreography. Lighting and sound are additions that are more recent. Each element in today's theater has its own designer, composer, or choreographer who collaborates with the director to focus the audience's attention on the actor in the special environment or seeing place."
Abstract This paper compares the personalities of Sir Thomas More and Henry VIII. The author argues that while More was a man of the Middle Ages, Henry VIII was a renaissance man and both approach, philosophy and politics differently. The author provides a brief analysis of the play "A Man for All Seasons".
From the Paper "One might say that A Man for All Seasons depicts Sir Thomas More as being shaped more by the values and developments of the Renaissance than those of the Middle Ages. This writer will put forth a differing view: that while More had some of the trappings of a Renaissance man, politically and theologically, he was a man of the Middle Ages. It was his conservative theological views that led to his downfall and martyrdom. Henry VIII, on the other hand, was a man of the Renaissance: politically, theologically and intellectually. "
Tags: More, king, a, man, for, all, seasons, politics, intellengence, church, religion
Abstract This paper examines the four characters: Amanda Wingfield, the mother, Laura the daughter, Tom the brother and play narrator and Jim the gentleman caller in the above play by Tennessee Williams.
From the Paper This paper examines the four characters: Amanda Wingfield, the mother, Laura the daughter, Tom the brother and play narrator and Jim the gentleman caller in the above play by Tennessee Williams.
Abstract This essay discusses the main differences between Elizabethan and Greek tragedy by examining Shakespeare's poems and plays. The writer examines the use of violence on stage in Shakespearean tragedy as opposed to Elizabethan's.
From the Paper "There are various differences between Elizabethan tragedy, particularly through the works of Shakespeare, and Greek Tragedy. Some of these include the mixing of prose and Poetry, the linear formula of a character with a suffers from a tragic flaw, which leads to the character's downfall, versus the Elizabethan idea of the Wheel of Fortune. However, one of the largest dramatic differences between Greek tragedy and Shakespearean tragedy has to be the use of violence on stage. And what it boils down to is that the perfect combination of dialogue and action that Shakespeare uses in Othello can be more powerful than just the allusion, emotion, and metaphor that Sophocles uses in Oedipus the King."
Abstract This paper discusses the supernatural aspects in "Macbeth" and compares Shakespeare's play with the times it was written: during the reign of King James I and the Salem witch trials in colonial America. The author examines how witchcraft in Shakespeare's time period influenced his writing dramatically and changed the lives of many people.
From the Paper "William Shakespeare wrote the famous tragedy of Macbeth for King James I. At the time of his reign King James I was very interested in Witches and their magic. In America at this time the Salem witchcraft trials were also going on and people were being charged and even executed for it. Concluding from the information of the Salem witch trials, witches in Shakespeare's time played a key role in much of the evil of the world."
Abstract This paper discusses the relationship between an adult man and his mother. Using the story "Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansbury, the writer of this paper explores the relationship that two characters, Walter and Lena have and how that relationship is handled and affects their lives.
From the Paper "As we mature we take on various roles in our lives. We become spouses, parents and friends as well as co-workers, neighbors and advisors. Our roles change as we become more independent in our lives but the one role we never stop playing is the role of being our parent's child. In Raisin in the Sun we are treated to a look inside a close yet volatile relationship between a man and his elderly mother."
Tags: mother, son, relationship, african, american, poor, family
Abstract This paper provides an in-depth look at the style of clothing worn during the times of Queen Elizabeth I. The author discusses the costumes worn by royalty, the royal court, aristocrats and nobility, from undergarments to gowns. The paper contains numerous portraits to illustrate the fashions.
From the Paper "It is undisputed that the Elizabethans were a very interesting, if not puzzling group. It is apparent that many of the customs, rituals and even colloquial speech that are used today descend directly from their time. One of the most interesting aspects of the Elizabethans is their dress. Clothing played a big role in their society, much like it does in present day. Through someone's dress, a person could tell not only their sex, but their precise social position. An Earl, for example would dress better than a Baron. This was especially important in the theatres of the time. Theaters would seat upwards of 2000 people, so in many of instances the audience would need to see the costume of the actor in order to place him in his proper social position, and therefore where he fit into the narrative of the performance. No person's clothing, however, was more elaborate or telling than that of high standing royalty, such as Queen Elizabeth I and those close to her."
Abstract This paper discusses the psychological stress placed upon the main characters in both Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" and George Ryga's "The Ecstacy of Rita Joe". The author examines the root of their stress: having no true place to call home, and no true sense of belonging.
From the paper:
"Humans need a place where they are comfortable and where they know they belong. The absence of this sanctuary causes severe psychological stress. For Rita and
Oedipus, the tragedy of their lives is this absence. Unable to find their sanctuary, they lead lives beset with confusion. In an attempt to find their home, they searched endlessly for the truth. The real tragedy is that there was no home to find. They were isolated wanderers. Wherever they went, their feet hurt."
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts "To Kill a Mockingbird" with "Waiting for Lefty". They were both set in the 1930's in the United States, but they are addressed from very different points of view - one through the eyes of adults in New York and the other told by children in the deep South. This paper analyzes these different perspectives.
From the paper:
While both Waiting for Lefty and To Kill a Mockingbird are set in the United States during one of the poorest times in American history - the 1930s - both the locations in which the play and the novel are set, as well as the perspectives from which the stories are told are vastly different. The physical setting of Waiting for Lefty, a relatively short but intense play written by Clifford Odets, is New York. His play is told through the eyes of several adults. The setting of Harper Lee's equally intense To Kill a Mockingbird is a rural, deep-south county in Alabama. Her story is told through the very credible eyes of several children. Although one might presume that the adults would fare better during this trying time of the ?have-nots,? it is, instead, the children who seem better able to cope with circumstances. Both play and novel contrast and compare the manner in which the time of the Great Depression affected the lives of not only the poor, but those of all backgrounds. "Atticus said professional people were poor because the farmers were poor"."
"
Tags: poverty, Great, Depression, war, professional, farmers, city, reality, misery, racism
Abstract This paper discusses how throughout Greek history the relationship between human beings and divine figures is a noticeable and predominant one, evident in myth, and especially literature. The author examines such literature of the time, in particular, Homer's Iliad and Herodotus? Histories, to better understand this unique and extraordinary relationship between humans and divine powers in the ancient Greek world.
From the Paper "Throughout Greek history the relationship between human beings and divine figures is a noticeable and predominant one. Evidence of this relationship exists in many forms, such as architecture, art, myth, and especially literature. By examining the literature of the time, we as historians, philosophers and archaeologists, among others, can better understand this unique and extraordinary relationship between humans and divine powers in the ancient Greek world. The "Iliad" of Homer demonstrates many principles of this relationship through the story of the Trojan War. The characters, their actions and the events that take place demonstrate the interaction of humans and gods, the individual relationships, the authority of divine power, and the helplessness of humans. We also see the treachery and deceit of the gods towards humans. We can look at other later literary works such as Herodotus? Histories to examine the human and divine relationship as well."
