Abstract This paper is a look at how various animal images in the play "Macbeth" such as the owl, serpent, falcon, raven, rhinoceros, etc. contribute to the powerful impression the Bard leaves on his audiences. The author uses quotes from the play to back-up the explanations.
From the Paper " In William Shakespeare's play MacBeth, Shakespeare uses imagery to help convey the words his characters speak in their dialogs. Throughout this play, animals are used to describe situations for characters. These characters include Lady MacBeth, MacBeth, Lady MacDuff, Ross, and an old man speaking with Ross. Animal imagery is used to illustrate evil, deceit and fearlessness made by characters who are indeed fearful, and paranoid with unnatural events occurring throughout the course of the play."
Abstract This is a paper comparing and contrasting the two major speeches of Marcus Brutus and Antony in William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar". The author makes several interesting points and discusses how Antony 's method of toying with the audience's emotions prevailed over Brutus? attempt to use the audience's pride and patriotism.
From the Paper "Great speakers are remembered throughout history for making speeches that touch the audience, or get the audience to believe something that before seemed like nonsense. People like Martin Luther King Junior and Abraham Lincoln changed history, and are remembered to this day for their historic speeches. In William Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, two such speeches were made. In the play, both Marcus Brutus and Antony made speeches that moved the crowd, but they used different techniques to accomplish their goals. Brutus? and Antony 's speeches differed vastly in their emphasis, content, and writing style."
Tags: audience, caesar, julius, play, renaissance, shakespeare, speaking, patriotism, william
This paper is an analysis of William Shakespeare's "Hamlet,", and goes into detail about Hamlet's elaborate plan to expose the king as the murderer of his father.
1,185 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 0 sources, 2002, $ 40.95
Abstract This is an analysis of the play "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare. Special attention is paid to the scene where the real murderer of the king is divulged. The author explains how this is a pivotal scene as it solves the mystery that has been building up until that point.
From the paper:
"Act III, Scene II is important for a number of reasons. Essentially, it is the start of the second half of the play. It could be argued that the first half of the play is when Hamlet sets up his strategy to avenge his father's death. Naturally, the second half would then be Hamlet taking the vengeance he so baldy wants. Unfortunately for nearly all parties involved, it does not happen how he planned. In Act III Scene II, Claudius? guilt as well as his moral values had been exposed for all to see. Hamlet's underhanded slyness was also revealed by his non-confrontational means of proving the king's role in the murder of his father. Lastly, the reader also discovers the queen's apparent innocence."
Abstract This paper looks at Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night's Dream," as an example of how Cupid's arrow can make people defy convention and reason. Through an examination of the characters and their roles, the author supports the thesis that love causes a person to become irrational and can often cause them to lose touch with reality.
From the Paper "The fighting continues between the four. Helena gets more and more upset, particularly at Hermia, who was once her dearest, closest friend, and whom she now suspects is being cruel to her. Hermia herself is very confused, at both the fact that Lysander no longer wants anything to do with her, and the fact that Helena seems to not trust her. Once the argument ceases and the four go off into the forest, so Demetrius and Lysander can duke it out over Helena, Puck catches up to set things "right". Oberon's wish is that the original lovers Lysander and Hermia are reunited, and that Demetrius will stay in love with Helena, and she will believe his love to be true."
Abstract This paper briefly compares the characters of Hamlet and King Lear, the main characters in two of Shakespeare's plays. It shows how both are very powerful characters yet use their power in very different ways.
From the Paper "In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, the title character is a young, brooding man in his early twenties who is faced with the murder of his father by his Uncle, who becomes his stepfather. Despite being well aware of the terrible actions of his mother and his stepfather, Hamlet takes quite a lot of time deciding what measures need to be taken. On the contrary, King Lear (of Shakespeare's play titled King Lear) begins the play in the exact opposite mindset. His reign as king is drawing near, and his vision regarding the circumstances of those around him is quite clear. However, King Lear almost immediately begins his downfall into madness, while Hamlet's journey to clarity begins."
Abstract An in-depth analysis of four main characters in two of Shakespeare's plays. This essay details Anthony and his inner conflict between his longing to rule the Roman Empire and his strong love for Cleopatra. It also details the very fickle and dramatic character of Cleopatra and the many versatile parts she can play. It includes a brief discussion of the overwhelming love between Romeo and Juliet as well as their families' feud. Finally, it compares the plays and their characters.
From the Paper "Antony is a man in conflict throughout this play. He struggles between his need to rule the Roman Empire, and his great love for Cleopatra. When he with Cleopatra, she is the only thing that matters. He says in the first act, "Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch / Of the ranged empire fall" (Cohen, Howard, and Greenblatt I.i.35?36). In just a few moments however, he worries that his love will cause him to "lose [him]self in dotage" (Cohen, Howard, and Greenblatt I.ii.106) and then he is afraid that his wife had died because of him, and that this is just one ill befalling because of his ?idleness.? He has a hard time deciding whether to follow his passion, and stay with Cleopatra, or follow his duty, and return to Rome."
Abstract The writer of this paper counters feminists claims that Shakespeare was in agreement through the unfolding of his stories with the prevalent patriarchal culture. The writer shows that Shakespeare portrayed women as society would have understood them during that time period. By exploring the character, Ophelia, in "Hamlet", the paper shows that in fact Shakespeare holds a mirror to human experience in the play and exposes the virtues and the vices of the times.
From the Paper "One of the most important issues often addressed in studying the portrayal of women in Hamlet is the Oedipus complex theory of Sigmund Freud. He claimed that individuals had a repressed desire for sexual involvement with the parent of the opposite sex. He went on to claim that there was rivalry with the parent of the same sex. Most critical readers admit that Hamlet indeed suffered from Oedipus complex. In fact, Hamlet is preoccupied with his mother's sexual life. This is part of what is driving him made."
Abstract This paper examines how Hamlet's own indecisiveness and unwillingness to act in the end of the play cause a great deal of harm in the world. The writer contends that Hamlet presents himself as someone who has no choices, someone whom the fates have trapped, however it is of the opinion of this writer that fate is never absolute and thus this essential flaw of Hamlet's character, this inability to take his life into his hands, makes him all the more compelling.
From the Paper "Hamlet's habitual indecisiveness even as he seeks revenge leads to a climax in which there is in fact no clear resolution to the play's action, no clear sense that the something that is rotten in the state has been plucked out. There is no sense of justice having overcome evil, for 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. By the end of the action Elsinore has been transformed into a garden of the dead, with the corpses of both the innocent and the culpable planted in the ground like terrible seeds that will bring forth another generation of the damned. There is not the sense of renewal at the end in Hamlet that one finds in other tragedies such as Othello."
Abstract This paper examines the Shakespearean character "Puck" in the play ? A Midsummer Night's Dream.? It describes him as the head fairy and protagonist in the play and the reason this play is so magical. The paper describes the use of language in order to set apart the fairies from the "mortals".
From the Paper "'Spirits and fairies cannot be represented, they cannot even be painted, -- they can only be believed'" (Bloom 87). This could be the opening line of Shakespeare's ?A Midsummer Night's Dream,? for as we watch the play unfold, we are taken out of the world of today, and into a magical world full of romance, magic, and farce, and Puck is a major player in the story that unfolds."
Abstract The paper presents a discussion of the male characters in both plays and then constructs a comparison between the two plays in terms of the father/son relationships therein.
From the Paper "Polonius and Laertes, on the other hand, are portrayed as opposites in character. Although the play sees more of their relationship in the play, the viewers/readers cannot conclude that a happy relationship exists between the two of them. Laertes is a good and trusting son, who obeys his father unconditionally. Polonius, meanwhile, is a suspicious character that perceives his son as an alcoholic and womanizer. Polonius? distrust in his son was seen at Act Two, Scene One, when he ordered his servant Reynaldo to spy on his son Laertes at France. He even went to the extent of making Reynaldo tell a lie by telling the Danes (Denmark people) that Laertes has full of vices to affirm if Polonius? suspicion is true. Laertes, a man who left in good faith that his father bids him well, is unknowingly "stabbed at his back" by his own father because of Polonius? suspicious nature. Although Polonius? has not been a good example for his children, Laertes showed unconditional love for his father when he returned to Denmark to avenge his father's death wherein Hamlet was the murderer. In the end, both Hamlet and Laertes died, two men who sacrificed their lives to give justice to the death of their fathers."
Abstract This paper reviews "Hamlet" by Shakespeare, focusing on the concept of madness. It investigates what the nature of madness is and whether madness can even be defined in a "mad world". It then strives to espouse what a person can learn about his/herself by studying Hamlet's interaction with the concept of madness.
From the Paper "Sometimes there's a fine line between madness and sanity. Sometimes there's a fine line between pretense and reality. Pretending madness for too long, could send one over the brink, especially if one has a propensity to brilliance, instability and overanalysis. Shakespeare asks his audience to look deeply into the themes he incorporates into his dramas, offering them an opportunity to explore how his ideas might apply to their own lives. In Hamlet Shakespeare weaves madness into a complex thematic tapestry. He is not asking us to decide if Hamlet is really mad, rather he is asking us to consider several questions: What is the nature of madness? Can madness even be defined in a mad world? What can I learn about myself by studying Hamlet's interaction with the concept of madness?"
Abstract This paper discusses Shakespeare's use of Macbeth to illustrate the universal theme that a lack of strength of character will lead to one's downfall. Macbeth's actions and the motivations behind them are demonstrated with examples from the story and text.
From the Paper "Many a great man has fallen prey to greed, ambition and power. Macbeth is no exception. His ambition to control the power of the thrown confuses his judgement. He succumbs first to the prophecies of the three witches and then later, murderously, to his wife's bidding.
Shakespeare uses Macbeth to show the terrible effects that ambition and guilt can have on a man who lacks strength of character. Although the play was written in 1600 England, its theme is universal and cares not about time. It is Macbeth's lack of character strength that is his demise.
The reader is introduced to Macbeth by way of description. A "bleeding sergeant" meets the good King Duncan and his son, Malcolm. The sergeant tells a tale of the recent battle in which "brave Macbeth" fought bravely (I.ii.19). At first introduction, Macbeth seems to be the perfect soldier, "carving out his passage" (I.ii.22). Between meeting the witches and his wife's immoral determination, we are left wondering if Macbeth ever really stood a chance against fate. Perhaps had he not started his crime wave, he might not have ended so horribly and would not have become the "tyrannt" everyone calls him by the end of the play."
Abstract This paper attempts to understand the final speech by Othello within the content of the play by understanding Shakespeare's overall writing style and his development of the main character, Othello. He finds that Othello's final speech redeems him even after he murders his wife and is duped by Iago. Through the use of imagery and metaphors, Shakespeare is able to generate a considerable impact on the audience positioning them for the full extent of the tragic outcome.
From the Paper "Othello is considered by some to be a poem and like most poems, it achieves its impact largely through imagery--language that appeals to the senses. The richness and quantity of Shakespeare's imagery make it impossible to translate the language of his day into modern English. Let's examine consider the way Shakespeare uses the imagery to define character in Othello. The use of imagery in this case is what makes each character's voice so recognizable, and rarely did Shakespeare use it more brilliantly when he did in creating Othello."
Compares styles, plot emphases, characterizations, atmosphere, design, the setting of the 1948 Laurence Olivier, the 1990 Franco Zeffirelli and the 1996 Kenneth Branagh versions.
2,700 words (approx. 10.8 pages), 7 sources, 1999, $ 95.95
From the Paper "Film critics point out from time to time how much the director brings to a film and that if two directors were given the same script to shoot, the results would be very different. Filmmakers are almost never given the same script to shoot, but an exception can be found in plays based on Shakespeare where the same essential script is indeed used and where decisions regarding such elements as costume and set design along with visual style can produce works with very different attitudes based on the same initial material. This can be seen in three versions of Hamlet, the Laurence Olivier version from 1948, the Franco Zeffirelli version from 1990, and the Kenneth Branagh version from 1996. The films have very different "looks" as well as giving emphasis to different aspects of the plot, the characterizations, and other elements, and watching the three ..."
Abstract Aristotle describes the characteristics of the tragic hero in "Poetics." Three of these characteristics are: that the character is mainly admirable; that the character exercises free choice in bringing about their own downfall; and that the character has one fatal flaw that leads to their demise. This paper analyzes the character Hamlet and shows that Hamlet meets these three characteristics of the tragic hero.
From the Paper "The first of Aristotle's characteristics is that that character is mainly admirable. Hamlet achieves this by having many good traits including intelligence, sensitivity and humility. However, the best evidence of Hamlet as an admirable character is his unwillingness to commit murder, even when given a reason that would justify the act. This shows that Hamlet is basically a good man. In the play, the ghost of Hamlet's father orders him to take action and "revenge his foul and most unnatural murder" (I,iv). Despite being given what at the time, can be seen as an acceptable reason to take action, Hamlet hesitates and procrastinates. It is Hamlet's good nature and his rejection of committing murder that causes this hesitation. This represents the good qualities of Hamlet, his intelligence, his ability to be rational and the inherent goodness of his character. This also shows that Hamlet is a man who does what he believes in despite outside pressure to do otherwise. This shows that Hamlet is an admirable character in many ways."
