Abstract This is an argumentative paper about the characterization of Shylock in the "Merchant of Venice" and whether Shakespeare should be viewed as a racist for his portrayal of Shylock. The author argues that Shakespeare is not an anti-Semite and merely reflects popular prejudice in his characterization of Shylock.
From the Paper 'Shakespeare is not an anti-Semite. He does not portray Jews with intentional slander but instead utilizes contemporary bias and prejudice to create controversy and commentary delivering social medicine to the public through the very same conduit of their prejudice. Shylock, in the "Merchant of Venice," is a target and conduit for popular prejudice. By first laughing at the realization of social beliefs the audience is then stunned when Shylock forces the realization of his equality. Regarding "The Merchant of Venice," and Shylock, there are two schools of thought. While many call Shakespeare a racist, anti-Semite, bigot and worse, for his many portrayals of minority groups, the portrayal of Shylock has a unique aspect, which necessarily separates it from any other instance of racism within Shakespeare's work."
Abstract This paper is an analysis of Shakespeare's play "Macbeth." "Macbeth" is the study of an honorable man and the savior of his country, falling through the turmoil of evil and corruption and ultimately becoming an unnatural man, isolated from his kinsmen, and meeting his inevitable demise. It deals with the effects of evil in "Macbeth" on four different levels of destruction: that of the fallen man, that of his family, that of the state and that of the physical universe.
From the Paper "Often in literature, the forces of evil play a major part in the downfall of the protagonist. As Lennox expresses to Macbeth: "The night has been unruly: where we lay,/ Our chimneys were blown down, and, as they say,/ Lamentings heard i"th"air", strange screams of death,/ And prophesying with accents terrible/ Of dire combustion and confused events/ New hatched to th? woeful time.? (Shakespeare 2.3 54-59) Ironically, he was telling of the horrors from the night before, when King Duncan was slain in his bed, while in actuality Macbeth had done the slaying. Shakespeare's play Macbeth is a ?complex study of evil and its corrupting influence on humanity.? (Richards, 236) It is also the study of an honorable man and the savior of his country, falling through the turmoil of evil and corruption and ultimately becoming an unnatural man, isolated from his kinsmen, and meeting his inevitable demise. The evil unleashed by Macbeth expands into even more evils that effect humanity on all four different levels of creation: that of the fallen man, that of his family, his state, and of the physical universe."
Abstract This paper reviews William Shakespeare's tragic play, "Othello" through character analysis and descriptions of the play. The paper is a lively summary of the play, spiced with quotes from the theatrical play.
From the Paper "William Shakespeare's tragic play, Othello, pits an outsider ? Othello, a Muslim, black, war hero ? against a villainous, cunning European, Iago. The play opens in Venice, a city of law, order and high culture, with the recent marriage of Othello to Desdemona, a beautiful, white, European woman. Their marriage has stirred controversy in Venetian society, for it was both uncommon and somewhat scandalous for a white woman to marry a black man. Iago, the antagonist of the tragedy, jarred by the recent advancement of Cassio to lieutenant, a position that he believed rightfully belonged to himself, determines to destroy Othello's marriage and wreak havoc on his life. However, the setting transforms quickly to the island of Cyprus where Othello is newly stationed, placing him out of his secure environment and aligning him for Iago's successful manipulation of his marriage. "
Tags: othello, william, shakespeare, character, analysis, theatre, english, tragic, literature
Abstract This paper compares two versions of the tragic story of Electra by Sophocles and Euripides. It shows how the ancient Greek playwrights used her story to illustrate a number of themes about the nature of courage, honor and loyalty. The author also notes the important ways in which these plays are similar to each other as well as the key ways that they diverge from each other.
From the Paper ?The fundamental elements of the story are this: Electra was the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra and the sister of Orestes (Aeschylus would write about Electra in his Orestia trilogy). Clytemnestra kills Agamemnon (with the help of her lover, Aegisthus) in part to gain greater power but in large measure because she has never forgiven her husband for the sacrifice of another one of their daughters, Iphigenia, whom Agamemnon has killed as an offering to the gods in order to win favorable winds for his ships in his war against Troy.?
Abstract This paper examines Hamlet, the main character in William Shakespeare's play, "Hamlet." The paper explores the thesis that revenge is anti-ethical to Hamlet's character. It looks at the ways in which Hamlet ? both the play and its eponymous prince ? are both psychologically more complex and yet also, in some important dramaturgical ways, less satisfying than are other Shakespearean plays that are centered on revenge such as "Romeo and Juliet," and "King Lear."
From the Paper "But the world of Denmark as seen in Hamlet's court is so corrupted that it cannot be cleansed even by the degree of death that takes place in the play. The fact that this is so should be an indication that the corruption goes to the very heart of not only the state but of Hamlet, who serves as a sort of mythical kingly figure in this context. It is not so much that something is rotten in the state of Denmark, but that something is weakened beyond the possibility of being fixed. Given the cultural standards for manliness common in both the medieval world in which the play is set as well as the Renaissance world in which Shakespeare was writing ? as well as, of course, our own ? it is not surprising that Hamlet should interpret weakness as corruption. Princes, by the standards of his time, should be warriors rather than philosophers."
Abstract This paper is a detailed look at the villain Iago from William Shakespeare's play, "Othello". The author discusses how Iago had no motive for acting in such an evil manner, or what his intentions truly were. The paper speculates that Iago was villainous purely for the pleasure of being evil.
From the Paper "One of the most important questions for any of us to try to understand in our lives is what makes some people good and others evil. We look to our own experiences for guidance, to the standards of any religion that we might follow, to our cultural and political leaders ? and to the realm of art. For surely one of the marks of the great artist is that he or she is able to encapsulate and articulate the important elements about the debate over what makes some people take the path of moral conduct while others become evil. William Shakespeare is one of those artists who has for four centuries helped us to clarify the nature of good and evil by presenting us with complex characters that allow us to understand human motivation."
A discussion of the interrelations among men and women with reference to Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby", Ibsen's "A Doll's House" and Shakespeare's "Othello".
Abstract This paper explores the domination of women by men. In Shakespeare's "Othello", Ibsen's "A Doll's House" and F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby", we see examples of this phenomena quite clearly, with our modern eyes. The paper examines the different ways in which ideas of domination have changed shape from Elizabethan times to that of the turn of the century.
From the Paper ?Shakespeare's "Othello" is a play written by an Englishman, set in Venice. From the beginning, we see women warned by both men and women to beware of the scheming of men. ?an old black ram/is tupping your white ewe,? shouts Iago to Desdemona's father when he is warning him of The Moor's abduction of her. (1.1.89 Norton Anthology 2102) When Othello defends his marriage to Desdemona, he is accused of practicing witchcraft upon her. (1.2.64-64) Yet when he explains, we are assured both by the beauty of his words, by Desdemona, and by the reaction of the men listening to him that it was only the beauty of his stories that charmed her, not any sinister power he might have.?
Tags: mysterious, exception, Iago, greatest, objection, characters, Othello, blackness, Emilia, general, evils, men
Abstract This paper explores Freud's interpretation of the play according to his analysis of the working of the human mind which involved discoveries of unconscious mind, the conscious mind, infantile sexuality, and what he called the Oedipus Complex, the nature of dreams, the etiology of the neuroses, and the origin and meaning of religion, morality, etc., among others. Aristotle's interpretation involves examining the incidents in the tragedy as arousing feelings of pity and fear which should lead to a catharsis.
From the Paper ?In the play by Sophocles, Oedipus the King, Oedipus killed his father and married his mother. The second point was that he had a clear preference for his daughters over his sons, though the reason that he gives for this is quite logical: ?. . . for my sons, be not concerned for them: they can, being men, fend for themselves, wherever they may be: But my unhappy daughters, my two girls,? whose chairs were always set beside my own at table - they who shared in every dish That was prepared for me - oh Creon! these Do I commend to you. And grant me this: To take them in my arms, and weep for them. My lord! most noble Creon! could I now But hold them in my arms, then I should think I had them as I had when I could see them. Ah! what is this? Ah Heaven! do I not hear my dear ones, sobbing? Has Creon, in his pity, sent to me My darling children? Has he? Is it true??
Abstract This essay puts forth the argument that Shakespeare's views on Elizabethan society, which seemed to represent the majority view of early modern Europeans, are set forth in his play "The Tempest". The author provides a brief synopsis and analysis of the play and puts it into historical context with Shakespeare's time.
From the Paper "The Elizabethan period was considered to be the enlightenment period where the artists and scholars were given opportunities to explore their art and culture. She even gave leeway to explore laws and order. Women and their position I the society prospered. This was against all that the people of the United Kingdom believed. Though historians would consider this period as most enlightening because it contains records of the medieval society the people at the time thinks otherwise. Perhaps this was the reason that the many plays of Shakespeare presented the views of the common people."
Abstract This research paper discusses method acting and how this style has given rise to Robert DeNiro's stardom. The author looks at how DeNiro became famous for immersing himself in the characters he plays. According to this style of acting he follows, DeNiro feels like his characters and rather than exposing his private life, becomes like the character he is playing, often through changing his physical characteristics to achieve this goal.
From the Paper "Method Acting can be defined as ?an acting technique that involves intense analysis and identification with the character.? American Method Acting originated in Russia with Konstantin Stanislavski, who opened the Moscow Art Theatre in 1898; this theatre is primarily associated with the productions of the plays of Anton Chekhov and the beginning of Russian dramatic realism. By observing himself as an actor, as well as the other actors with whom he worked, and more especially by studying the great dramatic artists in Russia and abroad, Stanislavski developed an approach to the teaching of acting that became known as the ?Stanislavski system."
Abstract The following paper explores Shakespeare's genius at communicating how people relate to one another. It examines how his enduring reputation and literary achievements are based on the strength and popular appeal of his stories as well on the clarity and elegance of his language. This paper reveals how he had the ability to describe the essence of human experience and understood the continuum of human emotion and through his writings brought life to states of mind and feelings.
From the Paper "The story opens with a family feud between the Montagues and the Capulets. That night Romeo Montague attends a party at the Capulet home in search of Rosalind, the woman he loves. He is distraught because his love for her is not reciprocated. Meanwhile, Juliet Capulet has been informed by her mother that Count Paris, a nobleman, will be at the party and has asked for her hand in marriage. When Romeo and Juliet see each other they fall in love.
"Later, Juliet speaks to herself on the balcony, unaware that Romeo is listening below, "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo" Deny thy father and refuse thy name...? (2, iii, 37). They profess their love for each other and she tells him to arrange their marriage for the next day. Romeo then asks Friar Laurence, a monk, to marry them. The Friar thinks their marriage may help to end the feud. Juliet's nurse helps the young couple to elope and the Friar secretly marries them."
Abstract This paper shows the evolution of magic through history, and gives examples of some famous magicians and their tricks. Magicians discussed are Houdin, Houdini and Copperfield among others.
From the Paper "Magic has enticed and amazed people since ancient times. Many magicians have come forward to distinguish themselves as masters, with original stunts and tricks that have revolutionized the craft. My purpose in this research paper is to show the evolution of magic through history, and to give examples of some famous magicians and their tricks."
Abstract This essay is about the theme of magic in the Shakesparean play, "The Tempest". The writer provides a short summary of the play and quotes lines which show how the power of magic influenced developments in the plot.
From the Paper "Prospero was the legal duke of Milan. His brother, Antonio, stole his title and banished him and his daughter, Miranda, from Milan. While in exile, on an isolated island, he harnessed powers of magic for he was a great lover of arts and in particular, magic. Prospero was a very powerful man and by using his spell books, he was able to summon mighty magic. The most powerful creature he controls is Ariel who aids him in executing some of his magic spells."
Abstract This paper discusses the classic traits of a tragic hero in the character Oedipus in Sophocles' "Oedipus the King". The author provides a brief synopsis of the Greek play, and specifically looks at the main character's tragic flaw: pride, also known as hubris.
From the Paper "While Oedipus made the very grave mistake of aspiring to circumvent the Fates that had fallen upon him, and while he made the additional mistake of inviting further wrath due to rather horrifying displays of hubris, it was, in the end, his character traits of justice, honesty and loyalty to his oaths that caused him to bring about his own self-destruction. His act of self-destruction was very telling about his inner convictions. He was a King who demanded justice, even if it meant bringing it about upon himself."
Abstract This paper looks briefly at the background of a fool/court jester in history and gives a brief history of King Lear. It looks closely at the Fool's character and his interactions with the other characters of the play, especially his relationship with Lear. The paper discusses the fool's function of comic relief, his function as the teller of Truth, and as Lear's conscience and reason.
From the Paper "The Fool in King Lear is often a misunderstood presence. In the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, shortened versions of the play omitted the character altogether. In Elizabethan times, the role of a fool, or court jester, was to professionally entertain others, specifically the king. Many of the fool's quips and riddles were made at the expense of the king, and this is depicted in King Lear. In Act 1, Scene 4 Goneril refers to the Fool as ""all-licensed fool""(1.4.191), highlighting the fact that because fools hold a special license they are allowed to say things to their superiors that anybody else would be punished for. When the Fool tells Lear what he thinks of him, Lear threatens him with the whip if he goes too far: The Fool in King Lear is often a misunderstood presence. In the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, shortened versions of the play omitted the character altogether. In Elizabethan times, the role of a fool, or court jester, was to professionally entertain others, specifically the king. Many of the fool's quips and riddles were made at the expense of the king, and this is depicted in King Lear. In Act 1, Scene 4 Goneril refers to the Fool as ""all-licensed fool""(1.4.191), highlighting the fact that because fools hold a special license they are allowed to say things to their superiors that anybody else would be punished for. When the Fool tells Lear what he thinks of him, Lear threatens him with the whip if he goes too far."
