Abstract
This paper discusses Ben Jonson's famous play, "Epicoene or The Silent Woman." The paper analyzes the plot and the characters of the play. It discusses the style in which "Epicoene or The Silent Woman" is written and its structure of an overlapping array of plots that essentially subsume one another throughout the course of the play. The paper looks at Jonson's purpose in the play and its success.

From the Paper
"There is also the sexual sub-plot, which is skillfully woven into the play. Truewit and Clerimont assert halfway through that the play seems to be a mere repetition of previous dramatic forms. But Dauphine, at the end of the play, reveals that he is one step further than the rest of the characters when he reveals Epicoene's true gender. Thus, Dauphine comes closest at this point to the role that the author, Jonson, has been playing throughout - as the author is always one step ahead of the audience. Again, Elizabethan conventions of dramatic form are exposed, ridiculed, and discarded in favor of a more open-ended, modern approach to the question of gender. An Elizabethan audience would not have questioned the fact that Epicoene was being played by a boy, as this was a norm during the Elizabethan period. But by exposing Epicoene as a transvestite at the end of the play, Dauphine - and Jonson, by extension - effectively disrupts this norm - the very sort of norm that would be upheld by Morose, who is the ultimate victim of this deception."

Tags:structure, audience, satire

Abstract
This paper examines Aristotle's definition of comedy using two classical cinema comedies - "Sherlock, Jr." and "Bringing up Baby" - to illustrate this definition. The paper explains that Aristotle believed that comedy shows people engaged in ridiculous activities, but this ridiculousness is not painful or destructive and the comic action must be without bad intent. The paper looks at how in each movie the lead character is ridiculous, but always portrayed without malice. The paper points out that in "Bringing up Baby", a longer film than "Sherlock Jr.", and one in which sound allows for the speedy development of more characters, the subordinate characters draw heavily on classical models such as Shakespearean figures like Dogberry and Verges in "Much Ado About Nothing". The paper notes that these characters too are ridiculous although not malicious, and clearly inferior in the nonsense they act out, but saved in the end through the resolution of the plot. In conclusion that paper shows that Aristotle's definition is general, even imprecise, but it is clearly a definition which is well illustrated in these two films.

From the Paper
"These people act without malice. Keaton wants to be a detective, but is outdone by the "sheik," who gets him blamed for the theft of a gold watch, and by his girlfriend, who shows his innocence. In his dream, he is a great, if bumbling detective. Grant tries mainly to avoid Hepburn, but cannot extricate himself from her. Hepburn means well, repeatedly offering to help him get the funding for his museum which is his main hope. Sherlock Jr. begins with scenes of Keaton sweeping the theatre, beset by people who claim to have lost money in his trash pile. The scenes are funny: they show an inferior person, an inept sweeper, being ridiculous. They do little, however, to advance the main plot."

Tags:ridiculous, characters, Hepburn, Cary, Grant, silent, movies

Abstract
The paper examines both the structure and poetic symbols in Dante's epic poem "The Divine Comedy." The paper explains how he utilizes both in expressing the poem's themes.

From the Paper
"Dante's masterpiece, "The Divine Comedy" is an epic poem which traces man's quest to reach God and discover a true world order. Indeed as Dante travels through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven he undergoes a spiritual transformation as a result of his journey and finds answers to the moral questions that have nagged him. The poem functions as an allegory as it allows Dante to express both his political and religious views while teaching his readers a lesson in spiritual and moral matters."

Tags:dante, divine comedy, symbolism, structure, rhyme scheme, allegory, heaven, hell, purgatory, virgil, beatrice

Abstract
In this paper, the dream sequence in Canto IX of Dante's Divine Comedy is explained as a visionary prefiguring of the upward aspiration of a soul seeking salvation.

From the Paper
"Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy" is considered the greatest epic poem in Italian literature. This Christian allegory about the soul's journey through the afterlife bridges the late Middle Ages and the early Renaissance and has had a profound influence on both Western literature and Christian dogma. Dante's Inferno: Dante describes his journey through the land of the dead in a first person narrative written in terza rima lines of eleven..."

Tags:Dante, Divine Comedy, Purgatorio, salvation

Abstract
This paper examines the role of women in Restoration comedy and what it expresses about the relations between men and women of the era and in modern society.

Tags:gender, patriarchy, sexuality, repression, control, power relations, marriage, feminism, comedy, Restoration

Abstract
This paper is written about comedy found in Christopher Durang works. In an effort to explore these three thematic elements within this playwright's work, two of his plays will be looked at very thoroughly. Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You, a play first produced in 1979, will provide a look at these motifs in his early work; and Betty's Summer Vacation, a play that premiered in 1999, will balance this out with a look at his later work. However, examples from work throughout Mr. Durang's career will also be presented within the context of this paper.

Tags:disturbing comedy, durang

Abstract
This paper takes a look at the increasing debate regarding character education and diversity. The paper attempts to define the word 'character' by supplying definitions from various related sources. The paper then goes on to discuss how building character in the nation's next generation of leaders, is an obsession of politicians, who have used tax dollars to fund character education in the schools. The paper concludes by saying that character and diversity education in the school or workforce is an evolving art, not an exact science.

From the Paper
"In one nursing home, when "complaints arising simply from miscommunication among races or situations that resulted because of cultural misunderstanding," became frequent, the human resources department decided to take proactive steps to integrate diversity training and character building exercises into the workplace environment. They deemed this especially critical, given that the healthcare field is becoming increasingly populated by younger African-American, Hispanic, and Cambodian persons, who are now working side-by-side older, Caucasion employees that have been employed in the field all of their lives. (Hoban, 2005, p.1) "

Tags:upbringing, personal, character, traits, dialogue, challenges, moral, culture

Abstract
This paper addresses Lilia's character in the short story "When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine" by Jhumpa Lahiri. This story illustrates an environment in which a young and inexperienced girl - the character of Lilia - is suddenly confronted with a host of information about the conditions of life beyond her sheltered suburban environment. Through examining the events of the story, it can be seen that Lilia's character is not truly changed in some fundamental way through her encounter with Mr. Pirzada.

Tags:LITERATURE / AMERICAN LITERATURE, examining the character

Abstract
This paper reviews Charlie Chaplin's 1918 film entitled "Shoulder Arms." It describes the plot and style of the film and discusses the reasons why Chaplin's war comedy was so commercially and critically acclaimed. The paper discusses Chaplin's depictions in the film and how they were used to create a political satire that was revolutionary for the time period.

From the Paper
"In conclusion, it can be said that the reason Chaplin's revolutionary war comedy was so commercially and critically acclaimed was that it successfully used comedy to convey a political message. The film said two things at the same time. On the one hand, it was a funny movie that people could laugh at as a deadly war began to wind down. On the other hand, it was a film that spoke of the ridiculousness of war and the idea that heroes are found in war. The result is that Chaplin created a film that spoke loudly, especially when one considers the fact that it was a silent film."

Tags:comedy silent character, motion picture

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that Charlie Chaplin was one of the most successful performers of the silent era of film. The writer discusses that two of Chaplin's most famous film comedies show that wealth does not always equal success. The writer notes that even when his famous character, The Little Tramp was poor, he still had great compassion for others, and a sense of humor that enabled him to survive against all odds. The writer concludes that both of Chaplin's films show that when people are poor, cold, and hungry, they are always thinking about becoming wealthy, comfortable, and well-fed, but that does not mean that money and success are as necessary as love. The writer maintains that the films demonstrate that without love, happiness is impossible.

From the Paper
"Amongst the discarded trash that no one else wants except poor people like the Tramp, Chaplin finds a treasure--a baby. The baby has been thrown in the alley by thieves, who value an expensive car more than a human life. The baby's wealthy but unwed mother left the child in her car with a note pleading to take care of the child. She went off to commit suicide, but could not bear to do it. When she returned to where she left her baby, the child was gone. The image of Chaplin's character finding the baby in the alley shows that the Tramp has found real, human riches that have been discarded like garbage because he is always able to spot treasure amongst trash, like good cast-off gloves. Afterwards, everyone mistakes the baby for the Tramp's child, and the boy and the Tramp become inseparable."

Tags:Tramp, wealth, riches, treasure