From the Paper "According to Aristotle, the tragic hero shares some of the magnificent traits of the gods, but in order to experience his inevitable fall from grace and cause the audience to identify with him, he must also exhibit human frailties, and especially his specific tragic flaw. These mixed qualities are found in both Macbeth and King Lear, heroes in two of Shakespeare's most tragic plays. This study will examine the characters of Lear and Macbeth in order to delineate both their god-like qualities which qualify them as heroic and the human flaws which bring about their downfall and qualify them as tragic.
Both characters are, indeed, sterling examples of the tragic hero as defined by Aristotle. Both are strong and brave men full of admirable qualities which reflect the best qualities of the gods, but both are marked blatantly by fatal and tragic flaws."
From the Paper "This study will discuss how Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew reflects the values and concerns of the Renaissance period and culture of which it is a part. The study will focus on the contrast between the Renaissance view that women are inferior to men, and the attitude and behavior of Kate which fly in the face of that view.
The Renaissance social structure was in part based on a philosophy of male superiority: "The tripartite ideal of women's chastity, silence, and obedience was proclaimed far and wide in early modern England" (229). Kate utterly shuns such ideals. She refuses to submit, believing herself to be equal or superior to any man. Her behavior puts her in disfavor with men, who call her a "devil," indicating the severity of her unorthodox ways.
The play establishes the Renaissance conviction with respect..."
From the Paper "This study will provide an analysis of Shakespeare's The Tempest, focusing on the elements of comedy in the play. The study will primarily discuss ways in which the play fits into the comedic theory of Northrop Frye as expressed in his work Anatomy of Criticism, but will also very briefly consider ways in which the play does not fit into that theory of comedy. Where romance and comedy come together in The Tempest, Frye's theory is most applicable and rewarding. This conjunction occurs in terms of the generally positive and happy outlook on life which the play describes and clearly endorses. The essence of both romance and comedy (as opposed to tragedy), or romantic comedy, is that all ends well, with love fulfilled and past sins forgiven, and evil ways of behavior cast off forever.
This play is open to many interpretations, and there are ... "
From the Paper "William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy motivated by the forces of faith, accident, and character, and the reason the play is a tragedy is that these motivations are all bound with the overriding force of fate. The motivations noted here operate on the human level, but on a higher level the characters are doomed from the beginning because of forces greater than themselves. These forces include the long-running feud between the Montagues and the Capulets, something from which these lovers cannot escape no matter how hard they try. The inevitable downfall of the hero in a tragedy derives as a rule from some character flaw over which the individual has no control. For Romeo and Juliet, the "flaw" is their love for one another, a love which is not allowed given the antagonisms that exist between their families. They are living out their ... "
Abstract This paper discusses that, unlike the Rossini version of the same story, Verdi and Boito's opera "Otello" keeps the plot of the original Shakespeare story intact. This paper presents the opera in detail and denotes that the music and operatic forms are in keeping with the nature of each character. The author believes that the music and the drama are perfectly balanced in "Otello" because Verdi uses the music to further the drama and to create tones for each shift in dramatic emphasis.
From the Paper "Act II begins with an orchestral introduction that mirrors Iago's energy. Iago delivers his famous soliloquy "Credo in un Dio crudel" and expresses his credo of evil. Continuing to find ways to express Iago's shifting energy, Verdi orchestrates the credo in a way that hovers between arioso and aria, "its devious harmonic and formal twists continuing to the last." When Otello arrives, the two sing a duet that continues to the end of the act, lining the action and words of the entire act around this specific confrontation and the way Iago manipulates Otello during it."
Abstract The paper shows that the play "Taming of the Shrew" is a classic Shakespearean comedy in every sense in that it is not only funny and amusing for the audience, but also it contains themes they can connect with such as love and beauty. It shows that in Shakespearean Comedy, a shallow, often narcissistic type of love at the start is not only grounded too heavily in "beauty" of the conventional sort, but also leads to a mistaken notion of what beauty really is.
From the Paper "Love of course is a central theme in the play, but from the first, Shakespeare shows this is not your "typical" love match. "At times Petruchio behaves like a bully and a brute, and his tactics with Katherine can be read as gratuitously severe and prolonged tormenting of her" (Brown, 1995, p. 286). Kate does not want to marry, and Petruchio seems to be more interested in the lands he will acquire than specifically in Kate's hand. Yet, he sets out to tame her, and is taming her, he falls in love with her."
Abstract This paper reviews William Shakespeare's play "Othello". It examines how the theme of "other-ness" and "outsider-ness" that is evidenced by the ability of appearances to lie, rather than tell the truth, runs through the play, though it is most clearly embodied in the character of Othello himself. Othello is a Black man, a Moor, who is fundamentally "other" or perceived as alien by the society in which he dwells. It discusses how Shakespeare represents alienation as not just being evil in terms of blackness, but alienation in "Othello" also means that a character is existing in a constant state of tension with his or her environment.
From the Paper "The idea that one can become a stranger to one's self permeates even to the lesser characters of the play (2.3) Othello is deeply disappointed when he sees Cassio, the man he promoted, brawling in the street. Cassio blames himself and wine for his loss of a position, for the wine making him a stranger to himself. Of course, it is Iago who has skillfully manipulated Cassio to drink to much wine. Iago tells his wife Emilia that he wants the handkerchief that Othello gave Desdemona, which she promised him she would never lose. Emilia obeys him, becoming duplicitous in her actions if not in her thoughts to the mistress she loves. "
Abstract This paper discusses two plays by William Shakespeare, "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet". Specifically, it provides an analysis of the theme of revenge in both plays, and compares how revenge harms the characters in both the plays. The paper portrays revenge to be the undoing of the main characters in both plays, and illustrates how deadly the need to avenge can become.
From the Paper "Revenge may be sweet, but in "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet," Shakespeare shows the ugly side of revenge, the side that harms everyone it touches. Revenge is an ugly word that indicates evil and violence, and these two plays illustrate the tragic side of revenge. All the lives lost in both plays could have been spared if vengeance had not been such an issue for all the families, and that is the real and abiding tragedy of these works."
Abstract This paper is a discussion of Shakespeare's portrayal of women in his many different works. The author discusses how the female characters are portrayed in several of Shakespeares plays. In "Henry VI," the woman's placed is portrayed as being in the home, while in "Macbeth," Lady Macbeth's influence declines to the point where she becomes a nervous wreck. In "The Tempest," the heroine Miranda takes all of her cues from the male character, in "Hamlet" a women's involvement in political matters is suggested to be dangerous and in "The Taming of the Shrew," women who were beaten or treated badly by their husband were powerless to speak out against this abuse. The author uses many different sources to support their thesis that Shakespeare did not intentionally portray women in a negative light, but his works should be viewed as being a reflection of the world around him.
From the Paper "In ?The Tempest,? Tarqfrler writes that the heroine, Miranda, again is portrayed as a "conventional woman" (Tarqfrler pg). Although Shakespeare give her a "bright and cheerful nature" filled with kindness and compassion, "she is also oppressed by the male society"a woman who has none of the exaggerated affectations of social rules and timid conventions? (Tarqfrler pg). Shakespeare's male representative, Prospero, trains her in the essential of life, such as "speech, dress, obedience, gentleness and modesty" (Tarqfrler pg). Miranda is na?ve of the world's social structure, the protocol of aristocracy, moreover, she had no clue as to her place in the scheme of things (Tarqfrler pg). So although, her character is praised for its naivete and beauty, "she lacks profound intellectual and moral content" (Tarqfrler pg). Tarqfrler cites the critic Mrs. Jameson, saying, ?She says that beautified nonsense existing in a charming manner does not constitute life. And for this reason Miranda disappoints us considerably. Miranda is a puppet and she lacks the quality and capability of her father. She is guided by Prospero, especially, in her "love affair"? (Tarqfrler pg)."
Abstract The paper shows how Shakespeare links romantic love with power, greed and politics. It starts with an analysis of "Twelfth Night", discussing how the entire plot focuses on the love interests of the characters. It looks at Shakespeare's suggestion that love - only if politically feasible ? is permitted. It looks at the character of Viola and the power issues raised by the fact that she is disguised as a man. The economic compatibility in the final twist of the plot is explored, as are Sebastian's unromantic motivations for marriage. The paper concludes by looking briefly at the theme of love motivated by politics in "Henry V".
From the Paper "Ah love. It appears to be a rather simple emotion ? at first glance. You find someone you are attracted to physically, then the attraction grows into affection, and the affection grows into love. The two of you marry, and live happily ever after. Right? It would seem that dear Shakespeare couldn?t quite grasp the simpler aspects of love, and marriage, for most of his plays dealing with love are littered with unromantic things like politics, and economic gain. One obvious play is "Twelfth Night", and one less obvious play is "Henry V"; however both show Shakespeare's tendency to link romantic love with less romantic power, politics and greed."
Abstract "Othello" is one of the four great tragedies written during Shakespeare's period of despair when the bard seemed to be concerned with the struggle of good over evil. The paper shows that Iago, the villain in "Othello", is perhaps the most sadistic and consummately evil character in all English literature and his eventual downfall illustrates the triumph of love over hate, a key theme in many of Shakespeare's plays. The paper traces the play act by act in order to analyze the character of Iago.
From the Paper "In Act Two, Iago's villainous nature is increased when Cassio, Othello's chief of staff, is seen by Iago holding the hand of Desdemona which sets into motion another scheme highlighted by the line "With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio" (2.1.163). Like Roderigo, Cassio submits to Iago's every whim while under the assumption that Iago is only attempting to assist him; but in reality, it is Cassio's downfall that attracts Iago. In addition, since Iago is a very intelligent man, he quickly realizes the advantages that come with trust which he considers as a means to further his goals. As a symbol of his true arrogance, Iago says of himself "I am an honest man" (2.3.245) which is quickly deemed to be a false statement when he has Cassio terminated as Othello's chief of staff."
Abstract This paper reviews the William Shakespeare's "King Lear' and in particular examines the impact of the character of Gloucester on the play. It analyzes the play's sub-plot which focuses on the fortunes of Gloucester, who like Lear, is a father suffering from "filial ingratitude" and from his false judgment of the characters of his children. It shows how this subplot is introduced in the opening scenes, in quite some detail, as if it were of as much importance as the main plot and how looks at how skilfully Shakespeare has managed to intertwine the two stories.
From the Paper "Both tragic heroes gain insight through their suffering. Neither Lear nor Gloucester realizes he has committed an error until he has suffered. Lear's suffering is so intense that it drives him mad; it is on the desolate health that he fully realizes that he made a grave mistake in giving the kingdom to his two savage daughters and disowning the one daughter who loved him. It is not until Gloucester has been blinded that he learns the truth about his two sons. These two characters learn to endure their suffering."
Abstract This paper discusses William Shakespeare's play "Macbeth", about the tyranny of an ambitious nobleman who is informed of his future. It analyzes how Macbeth is the definate protagonist of this play by the percentage of the dialogue of the major characters. It examines the three witches' influence on Macbeth's actions and Lady Macbeth's avarice that drills the Scottish Lord into treason and kinghood. It evaluates the role of fate in the tragedy, as well as the state of Macbeth's conscience and possibilites in Shakespeare's ambiguity.
From the Paper "Because the "weird sisters" (Macbeth, I, iii, 32) ambiguously inform Macbeth of his future, they give him a disadvantage. Alas, he no longer has a clean bias for his major decisions, therefore making him less responsible for his decisions. Indeed, he shares responsibility with the fact that he knows his future. Nevertheless he ultimately has to recompense for his atrocious judgments regarding others? lives. Macbeth learns of his future from the witches. He knows that he shall become the Thane of Cawdor: one step above his present status in Scottish hierarchy."
Abstract This paper examines the theme of truth in Shakespeare's tragedy, "Othello". Each of the characters in this literary work are described. The essay outlines when and how the main characters of "Othello" have a moment of revelation or truth. Excerpts from the play are provided as examples of these moments of truth. The role played by the theme of truth throughout "Othello" is discussed.
From the Paper "Samuel Clemens once said, ?Truth is more of a stranger than fiction.? The author of this quote could verify this in name alone, for Clemens is in fact the great American writer Mark Twain. This concept of hidden truths can be seen in William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello, a tale of lies and deceit in which the truth becomes evident only after stringent measures are taken. A number of characters experience revelations important to the drama in which the facts are uncovered and the real tragedy of the play turns apparent."
Abstract This paper examines how the community in "Much Ado About Nothing" proves to be a microcosm of the way men looked upon women in Shakespeare's era. The gender conflict in this play is strongly present throughout, controlling much of the action and the dialogue. This paper discusses in particular the relationship of Claudio and Benedict.
From the Paper "In Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing", the community proves to be a microcosm of the way men looked upon women in Shakespeare's era. The gender conflict in this play is strongly present throughout, controlling much of the action and the dialogue. It seems to me that the center point of conversation among the men of Messina was nine times out of ten about the inferiority of women and the superiority of men. When Berger names the women of Messina as spoils of war and commodities, he is hitting the nail on the head. Hero, for example, has lived a wholesome and impeccable life but when she stands accused of adultery, the men need no trial or investigation. The men of Messina made up their minds in about a half of a second about the guilt of a young lady who was looked upon highly in the community. Hero's father Leonato wasted no time either in chastising and defaming his only daughter."
