Abstract This paper explores how music and the theatre have always worked together for as long as humanity has engaged in staging productions. It shows that music has played a part, sometimes minor, sometimes major, in many theatrical productions; however, since the late nineteenth century with the birth of the modern musical theater it has continued to gain importance and social relevance. The writer shows that as they gained in popularity, musicals became an entertaining forum for discussing relevant social issues, depicting the plights and victories of modern Western society.
From the Paper "The first musical comedies began to emerge in the 1880?s, thanks to a pair called Harrigan and Hart. They were the owners of the Theatre Comique on lower Broadway. Unlike the Extravaganzas of the previous decade, Harrigan and Hart's musical comedies began to stir up some social awareness. Many of the comedies that were staged on Broadway took place in the dishevelled streets of Manhattan, with characters reflecting the lives of those who lived and worked there. While the productions certainly took a comical viewpoint, the audience was very aware of the reality of the situation."
Abstract A look at the character of Hamlet and how Shakespeare uses the literary tool of a soliloquy to help the reader better understand this character. A comparison of a narrator and the use of soliloquies in getting an insider's view into the mind and background of the play.
From the Paper "Hamlet, in the play of the same name by William Shakespeare, uses soliloquies to talk through his problems in an attempt to ultimately avenge his father's death and avoid ruin. There is a general pattern his soliloquies follow. When experiencing periods of self-doubt and depression, he contends with his difficulties by rationalizing his thoughts aloud, which as a result, arouse his emotions. This leads to a resurgence of self-confidence and self-motivation to complete his plan, and often a vow to take action follows. By contrasting with his outward behavior, Hamlet's soliloquies reassure the reader that he his not truly mad by offering a window to his inner workings."
Tags: hamlet, shakespeare, soliloquies, soliloquy, talk, play, character, drama
Abstract This paper uses outside critical sources to point out areas within "Hamlet" that liken the main character, Hamlet, to Sophocles' Oedipus. This comparison is made by exploring his relationship to his mother. Also, throughout the paper not only is Hamlet's Oedipus Complex being explored but so are the effects of its presence in Shakespeare's play.
From the Paper "Hamlet a play written by William Shakespeare is the tragic story of a prince from Denmark by the same name. Hamlet as a young adult has had to deal with the sudden death of his father at the hands of his uncle Claudius, unbeknownst to everyone but himself, and his mother's swift marriage to the same uncle. One can easily see how either one of these events can cause distress in a young man's life. However, in Hamlet's case, "distress" does not even begin to describe how he feels. Not only is Hamlet coming to terms with his father's murder and mother's remarriage he is seemingly madly in love with Ophelia and also dealing with strong sexual feelings for his mother which have been repressed. Many critics have likened Hamlet to Sophocles' Oedipus in this respect and claim that it is this, as Freud calls it "oedipal complex" that feeds into Hamlet's ravenous hunger for revenge towards his uncle and causes him to feign madness and even turn on Ophelia, causing her own emotional breakdown and suicide."
Abstract A paper which presents a discussion about what the character Willy, in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman", is looking for in life. The writer of this paper answers the question, "What does Willy want?" The other characters in the play and their ideas of what makes them happy, are also examined.
From the Paper "There are several others in the play who present varied ideas of what happiness is about. It is interesting to note where they are in life and correlate that with their happiness ideas. Ben, the ghost figure of Willys brother, has discovered that happiness comes from within and has nothing to do with the outside world. It is ironic that he is the only one in the play who seems to understand this and he tries in several ways to tell his brother and save Willy years of heartache."
Abstract The author of the paper shows Shakespeare's skillful use of imagery in developing the character of Macbeth in the play. The paper shows that although imagery is used throughout the play, it is most dominant in appearances with clothing, light and darkness imagery, and blood imagery.
From the Paper "Using clothing imagery, Shakespeare develops Macbeth's character. This is evident, as, imagery of clothing shows us Macbeth's ambition, and the consequences thereof. We see this ambition, through Banquo, when he says, "New honors come upon him, / Like our strange garments, cleave not to the / mould" (144-146), meaning that new clothes do not fit our bodies, until we are accustomed to them. Throughout the entire play, Macbeth is constantly wearing new clothes, that are not his, and do not fit. "
Abstract This paper examines the ? fool?s? role in "King Lear". According to the author the "fool" holds three very important purposes in the play ? he represents the inner-conscience, provides advice and basic reasoning for the King, and also entertains the King with his witty and sometimes foolish banter.
From the Paper ?While these roles are clear, the Fool has little impact on the outcome of the play, and could very easily be removed from the story all together. In doing so, much of the lighthearted side of this tragedy would disappear, which may have been Shakespeare's main purpose in ever including the Fool as a character. Time and time again, the Fool tries to tell King Lear what a grave mistake he has made by selecting Regan and Goneril as his heirs. Shakespeare uses such unusual methods of oration through the Fool. The Fool is not ignorant, nor is he the one who is behaving foolishly, but he uses humor instead of sternness to point out his King's mistakes.?
Abstract The paper shows how "King Lear" by William Shakespeare, is an unforgettably disturbing story of unbearable injustice and cruelty as well as of unseen loyalty and love. The paper explores how, from beginning to end, it is a tale of deception, and not just any kind, but filial deception as well as fraternal deception and deception in relationships by affinity. The author uses quotes from the original text to show how the theme of disloyalty is seen throughout the play.
From the Paper "Birds of a treacherous feather flock together and dupe one another too. The sisters Goneril and Regan now both want Edmund, who rather than choose, takes both of them for convenience and in order to avoid the displeasure of both:"To both these sisters have I sworn my love; each jeaolus of the other, as the stung are of the adder. Which of them shall I take? Both? One? Or neither?" (Act 5 Scene 1 lines 64-67)
"We know how the sisters try to outdo each other till the end, but with Goneril finally poisoning Regan and eliminating her from the competition, Goneril being the original and more wicked of the two. But Goneril meets her own end when her husband Albany gets hold of her secret letter to Edmund and Albany confronts her. In smoldering embarrassment and guilt, she takes her own life."
Abstract The paper discusses "Tartuffe" and other comedies by Moliere and the greatness of this French writer in his ability to turn everyday events into masterpieces. The paper shows that Moliere's work reminds us that there is little that is new under the sun, but that this hardly matters in art. Indeed, some of the most profound pleasures that we take from art are based on the fact that artists have the ability to make what is old and tired into something that is simultaneously both fresh and familiar. The paper also compares the comedy of the 17th century to today's humor.
From the Paper "Much of the appeal of these stock characters to Moliere must also have been based in his fundamental understanding ? as an actor as well as a playwright ? to the way in which humor itself works. To understand how humor works, it is important to understand that humor is almost always at someone's expense. The most harmless kinds of humor are those jokes that come at our own expense: If the only person made to look foolish by a joke is the person telling it, then it has indeed done little if any harm."
Abstract This paper is an analysis of Macbeth, one of the most famous Shakespearean Tragedies, and contains the characters Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth, who is the first influential woman figure in literature. This paper analyses the play and discusses in detail the complete role reversal that occurs between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
Tags: macbeth, shakespere, blood, evil, characters, macduff, king
Abstract The paper examines the claim that Othello's own weakness of character is responsible for his downfall. It uses Othello's feelings of jealousy and his low self-image as examples of this claim. It traces the way Othello's personality changes through the play in response to Iago's plot. The paper also looks at the animal imagery used in the play to describe the characters.
From the Paper "Othello is an accomplished military leader who has the trust and admiration of the duke and the senate, as well as that of Desdemona and her father, Brabantio. But his greatest battle and tragic failure takes place within him, his weakness of character, especially his response to the temptations of jealousy by the vile promptings of Iago, his ensign. Othello is prepared for the most difficult fights with strong opponents, but not when his opponent is his own reaction.
Despite his high rank in the military and the Venetian society, Othello remains insecure within himself and suddenly realizes his small self-regard when Iago dubiously suggests that fresh, young and beautiful Desdemona and his newly-stalled lieutenant Cassio are having a secret love affair. Othello becomes conscious of his perceived liabilities, namely his being a black man with "thick lips" and his being older than Desdemona, which perhaps make him not that attractive to her:"
Abstract A paper which discusses the hero/antihero motif used in literature. The writer uses the Shakespearean play, "Hamlet", as a backdrop to discuss the various aspects of the motif and to dissect its components. The term "hero" is defined and shows that the heroism depicted in America today is different since the September 11 terror attacks.
From the Paper "The use of the hero motif in the play is a key factor to its success. The entire plot of the story is based in Hamlet's courage and handling of the death of his father and the revenge that he seeks. However, the revenge is a while in coming because of Hamlet's very real human traits that cause him to hesitate when it comes to the murder of his uncle. The process of hero motif action is played out in this work and it is the foundational basis of the story itself. If one were to remove all elements of the hero and the anti-hero the story would have no plot and would never have been considered complete. "
Abstract This essay studies William Shakespeare's play, "Julius Caesar". It approaches the antagonism of both Caesar and the conspirators and the motivations of the conspirators. The themes of political achievement and popular responsibility are also discussed.
From the Paper "Caesar was popular on the streets. His popularity was his source of power. Manipulation is a vice of politicians; on the converse side, influence is a political virtue. These are characteristics of Caesar. Because of his popularity, he can do anything he wants, as the Plebes rule Rome indirectly. This sets the stage for the political statement of the play. As there is an order set, this pure democracy of Rome is one of a kind. The people cast no votes as a whole, but only the elite. However, the approval of the Plebes is the primary concern of all politicians in Rome. This power of the people, however, is flexible in an uneducated society, as is most of Rome. Those who ran the politicians could easily be persuaded by those they ran (i.e. the politicians), who offered supremacy to Caesar."
Abstract A paper which presents a detailed discussion about the role of women in "Richard III" by William Shakespeare. The writer of this paper brings forth the roles played by females as well as a discussion about the impact they bring to the work both in emotional as well as movement areas of their life. The paper shows how the women in the real life of Richard III were strong and intelligent but Shakespeare chose to portray them with personality traits he needed for the play.
From the Paper "In the real life of Queen Margaret she played a marginal role in the life of Richard III but in the play she was a key and central figure to the Kings rise to power and fame. She was a presenter of truths through her visions. Instead of being the strong and capable woman that she was in real life Shakespeare had her a constantly crying woman because she felt her cause was lost. One of the reasons he may have placed her in the position that he did was because it allowed him to write some things he wanted the audience to understand without having to create entire scenes for them and hire more actors to carry out the scenes(Rackin pg 47). "
Tags: Yorkist, partisan, Elizabeth, Queen, Margaret
Abstract This paper presents a look at Tennessee William's famed drama "The Glass Menagerie". The writer of this paper expresses the belief that the character Jim is a young version of Amanda and Tom is a young version of his father.
From the Paper " Literary characters often represent real life and the Glass Menagerie is no exception. The characters of the story are younger versions of others and this is true in real life as well. Often times we grow up promising ourselves that we will not turn out like our parents. Then when we reach adulthood we are shocked to see how like our parents we are. It is a wonder that more literary works do not develop this angle of life. "The Glass Menagerie" is a work that presents the characters in a fashion that is close to real life. Jim and Tom are both trying to carve out their own identities and they are working to prevent being compared to the elders but they are not going to be able to stop it from happening no matter how hard they try."
Tags: tom, jim, amanda, play, drama, american, father, relationships
Abstract The soliloquy of William Shakespeare's "Henry V," gives an insight into the thoughts of King Henry after he has overheard his troops the night before the epic battle. This paper breaks down his speech and examines how it represents Henry not only as a great leader but also as a human being.
From the Paper "The importance of the soliloquy is that it is a form of dialogue in which a character delivers a brief speech to the audience ? or into "space" as a mode of reflective discourse (Martin and Jacobus 229-230). Though many do not immediately think of Henry V as being a production with a soliloquy, as they would Hamlet and other productions, the soliloquy given by King Henry is very moving and expresses his feelings the night before the final battle."
