From the Paper "Psychological realism delves into the mental states of characters and seeks the underlying causes for their actions, causes rooted in their psychology. The style of the play need not be realistic in the usual sense, and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is such a play. The set and the way the action moves from place to place is not realistic but expressionistic, but the psychological picture created for each character and the way characters interact is real and rooted in mental states, and the connection between the two generations is the key issue.
The character of Biff is a reflection of his father and carries on in his own life the same sorts of failures seen in his father. It is Willy's wife who states that attention must be paid to the life of Willy Loman. She understands him and his problems, and she forgives his shortcomings. She is, after all,..."
Abstract "In his play The Last Yankee, Arthur Miller presents two marriages under strain because of differing needs and perceptions by the husbands and wives who once thought they shared everything and who now believe they share less and less all the time.
From the Paper "In his play The Last Yankee, Arthur Miller presents two marriages under strain because of differing needs and perceptions by the husbands and wives who once thought they shared everything and who now believe they share less and less all the time. New feelings have emerged to replace the feelings of love that began these marriages, and these new feelings include anger, resentment, anxiety, self-doubt, and disgust. The couples might survive if each member could learn to forgive his or her spouse, but instead, each person is too taken up with a need for self-justification and self-preservation at the expense of his or her spouse.
The story is set in a state-run mental hospital, and three women are being treated there for clinical depression. Patricia is married to Leroy Hamilton, a carpenter, and she believes he is..."
Abstract An overtly non-realistic portrayal of society is offered in a play by Luigi Pirandello, yet this is also a play with a political analysis at its heart. Appearance versus reality is a theme that infuses Pirandello's play Six Characters in Search of an Author. The technique used by the playwright is extremely theatrical and has a long history--the play-within-a-play was used often by Shakespeare and can be found in the works of other major dramatists.
From the Paper "An overtly non-realistic portrayal of society is offered in a play by Luigi Pirandello, yet this is also a play with a political analysis at its heart. Appearance versus reality is a theme that infuses Pirandello's play Six Characters in Search of an Author. The technique used by the playwright is extremely theatrical and has a long history--the play-within-a-play was used often by Shakespeare and can be found in the works of other major dramatists. The playwright often uses such a device to comment on the process of playwriting itself, showing within a performance of a play the act of creating and presenting some vision of reality in dramatic form. Pirandello's work makes this self-reflective structure the basic substance of the play and uses it to raise questions as to how we can tell when reality ends and illusion begins, or the other way round. The selfhood..."
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to examine the play Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca. The plan of the research will be to set forth the thematic pattern of ideas and meanings contained in the work and then to discuss the means by which these ideas are elaborated, with a view toward evaluating why the full effect of the presentation is one of high tragedy and the existence of a major work of world literature.
The themes of Blood Wedding emerge out of a structure of human consciousness that carries the burden of remembered conflict, remembered injury, remembered grief. Grief and loss, indeed, so dominate the Mother's consciousness that there is a tension in her anticipation of her son's wedding. So simple a gesture as giving him his vineyard knife calls to her mind the murders of her husband, long ago, and her other son, more..."
Abstract An analysis of the different interpretations as to why Antigone chose to kill herself instead of awaiting her natural demise in her ?bridal chamber.? These are discussed as Sophocles didn't spell out Antigone's last thoughts and actions. Interpretations for her suicide from various authors and sources are examined and the author's personal explanation is discussed.
From the Paper "However, on consideration of all the various views, it does seem that Antigone's suicide was necessary for fulfilling the theme of the play, which is one of hubris or arrogance ultimately being humbled by the will of the Gods, the latter being emphasized also by humanity not being able to change the destiny willed on it by the divine."
According to Mary Lefkowitz, the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Wellesley College, Antigone kills herself because of her impulsive and headstrong nature:"
Abstract The paper shows that within the two plays by the ancient Grecian writer, Sophocles we find two very different men encompassed within one character, Creon the Prince who would become King. It shows that the events that unfold to cause such dramatic change in one mans life come at an extreme cost to all involved, but none greater than Creon himself who failed to learn from history and was truly doomed to repeat it.
From the Paper "In the prologue of Act one of Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King) we meet Creon, prince of Thebes and brother to Jocasta. Creon essentially is a man of virtue in high standing within the community, third in line for the throne although he shows no desire to ascend to the seat of power. Creon appears to be a man of high moral and religious character depicted by the fact that Oedipus had commissioned him to go to Apollo to ascertain the cause of the plague that had descended upon the city of Thebes. He showed not only did he have the ability to converse with the god, but he was also a trusted friend to not only the city but to Oedipus as well in word and in deed diligently bringing forth the information needed to purge Thebes of the plague (91 ? 95)."
Abstract This paper discusses that scholars believe that Arthur is a weave of Celtic kings from history and the stories associated with them that began in the Fifth Century and become immortalized through literature by authors such as Geoffrey of Monmouth, Chretien, Malory and Tennyson. The paper reviews many of the characters from the Arthur legend that have been popularized through countless works of literature, plays, poems, books, movies and art created by artists during every era of history.
From the Paper "The quest for the Holy Grail is said to have begun when the Green Knight arrived at Camelot and issued the challenge. According to the code of Camelot, a knight must not refuse a challenge made to him and must follow it through to the end. Arthur's long reign was marred by the illicit love of Guinevere and Lancelot, and his later years were marked by ?conflicts which culminated in the disastrous battle on Salisbury Plain, when Arthur was mortally wounded by his bastard son Mordred.?
Abstract The paper discusses ancient Greek playwright Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" which contains not one but two tragic protagonists. This paper considers the claims of Oedipus and his mother Jocasta to the role of the play's most tragic figure. The paper shows that as a result of their actions, both suffer a drastic downfall from the throne; Oedipus to exile, Jocasta to death. It is therefore equally easy to make a case for either character as being the more tragically fallen, but the paper determines that in the end, Jocasta is the more tragic of the two.
From the Paper "Though Oedipus is one play, its tragedy is twofold. Although there is no argument that the main character of the story "Oedipus Rex" is Oedipus himself, it is a moot point as to whose tragedy is the more pathetic within the framework of the play, Oedipus' or his mother Jocasta's. Oedipus is guilty of incest; but so is Jocasta. He is both father and half brother to his children; Jocasta is both mother and grandmother to these same children. Oedipus murders his father; but in doing so, it is Jocasta he widows. Both suffer blows to their hubris: Oedipus in realizing that although he is the great riddle solver, he is ignorant of his own identity, and Jocasta in failing to thwart the prophecy."
Abstract The paper compares and contrasts the representations of the deadly sins of pride, envy and gluttony made by Edmund Spenser in his poem "The Faerie Queene" and Christopher Marlowe in his play "Dr. Faustus". The paper examines how these sins are reflected through the actions of the protagonists in the texts.
From the Paper "The very different portrayals of the Seven Deadly Sins in Marlowe's Dr. Faustus and Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene arises from the moral concerns of each of the two text in which they are presented. Marlowe, wishing to emphasize how people tend to view sin lightly and fail to realize its consequence, shows how Lucifer deliberately makes the Sins seem attractive and entertaining in order to mislead people. Spenser's concern lies with the way in which sin lures people by tempting them with the seeming reward of material gain. He fulfills these expectations in his personification of the Sins, showing them surrounded by ostentatious riches, but in such a way as to deride the shallowness and emptiness of ill-gotten wealth."
This paper discusses the mental status of the character Hamlet from William Shakespeare's play, "Hamlet", one of the most widely read and debated plays in the world.
720 words (approx. 2.9 pages), 1 source, 2000, $ 25.95
Abstract This paper discusses Hamlet's mental health that fluctuates greatly throughout the play. The author concludes that Hamlet's madness was genuine and was the consequence of a prolonged exposure to an unstable environment. The author believes Hamlet's fall from sanity was the result of his hesitation, indecision, the stress put on him by the constant caution and imitation of madness and by the loss of Ophelia.
From the Paper "Hamlet's uncertainty as to Claudius? guilt in the murder of the King, Hamlet's father, was what originally started Hamlet on the path to madness. He spend a great deal of time hesitating and wondering whether killing Claudius to avenge the King's death was indeed the right thing to do. Hamlet was unsure as to the authenticity of the ghost and the validity of its statements."
Tags: madness, genuine, environment, hesitation, uncertainty, indecision, stress, imitation, loss
Abstract Shows that the character of Hamlet is a very complicated one. The paper looks at his speeches as the main source to examine whether he is faking his madness or not. The writer concludes that Hamlet is sane and very intelligent.
From the Paper "Hamlet, the young Danish prince, is possibly one of the most complicated characters in English Literature. Shakespeare created a three-dimensional and multifaceted individual, whose constant in depth soliloquies ask the most significant questions that have ever been ask. Hamlet has the reader in a constant guessing game trying to decipher whether or not he is truly insane. Why does Hamlet feign madness? Is he really feigning? Was Polonius accurate in saying that there was a "method to his madness"? Hamlet's speech is the doorway to his soul, in which we find the answers to all our questions about him. His dialogue gives us hints as to his intentions and purpose. Shakespeare showed Hamlet's intentions in many of his speeches. "How strange or odd some" or I bear myself that you, at such times seeing me, never shall, with encumbered thus, or this headshake... Or such ambiguous giving out, to note that you know aught of me - this do swear...?"
Abstract This paper introduces, discusses and analyzes the play "The Piano Lesson," by August Wilson, who won a Pulitzer Prize for the work in 1990. Specifically, it addresses the form of the play and analyzes the characters of Boy Willy and Berniece.
From the Paper "Boy Willie is trying desperately to be equal with the white people ? one reason he wants to buy the land. He does not have time for the sentimentality of Berniece, he can only see the land as something concrete that can make him money, and make him a "man." He is also the character who changes the most at the end of the play. Berniece may begin playing the piano again, but Boy Willie gives up the piano, and his dream of owning the land. He has shifted 360 degrees by the end of the play."
Abstract The paper examines the life and work of Arthur Miller with a focus on Miller's most important and controversial work, "Death of a Salesman". It provides a summary of the play and an analysis of the characters. It also looks at the state of mind that Miller was in when writing the play and his personal life during the time. Criticism of the play is also provided.
From the Paper "Death of a Salesman premiered in 1949 and received a plethora of awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, New York Drama Critics Award, Theater Club Award, and the Antoinette Perry Award. The success of the play cast Miller into international celebrity status, allowing him to attend many cultural events. He has since gone on to supervise numerous productions of Death of a Salesman and is ranked one of America's greatest authors. Although highly criticized, Arthur Miller?s, Death of a Salesman, has a unique perspective that touches on many deep-rooted American issues. Miller's personal experiences have allowed for achievement of dramatic realism unmatched in contemporary drama."
Tags: drama, playwright, theatre, criticism, character
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts Virginia Woolf's "To The Lighthouse? with Henrik Ibsen's "The Dollhouse". It focuses on the marital relationships of each work's central protagonists. The paper describes how the women of these couples are subject to male domination. The author states that in both works the marriage relationships are determined by the characters' perceptions of themselves and of their spouses, as well as by the degree to which their needs are fulfilled by their spouses.
From the Paper "In Virginia Woolf's "To The Lighthouse" and Henrik Ibsen's "The Dollhouse" the texts revolve around intrafamilial relationships and focus on the marital relationship of the main characters. Perhaps because of the very different genres to which the two works belong, the marital relationships of the two couples, different types of characterization define the Ramsays and the Helmers. The Ramsays are characterized by their modes of speech, with little characterization through action, whereas the relationship of the Helmers (as characters in a play) is defined largely by their actions towards one another.
Abstract The paper begins with a synopsis of the play's plot, highlighting the themes of family and foreignness. It looks at Medea's husband's betrayal and the implications of her plight following this betrayal. Medea's loss of reputation and status is explored on several levels. The play's commentary on woman's rights and its controversiality are discussed, and the text is analyzed for its references to societal injustices against women.
From the Paper "The Medea relates a story about the power of love, which induces sacrifice as well as jealousy and feelings of revenge aroused by betrayal. Medea, the principal character, is a woman, who is so smitten by her love for Jason that she forsakes her family, country, and people to live in ?"the land of Corinth with her husband and children, where her exile found favour with the citizens to whose land she had come".?
Tags: synopsis, plot, family, foreignness, betrayal, reputation, status
