Abstract This paper compares and contrasts two William Shakespeareplays: "Antony and Cleopatra" and "Romeo and Juliet." It provides biographical details of Shakespeare's life. It also looks at the common themes of political and romantic issues in the two plays, the lyrical poetry of both plays and the different appeal of both plays.
Tags: William Shakespeare, plays, Antony and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet
Abstract This paper analyzes the Shakespeareplay "A Midsummer Night's Dream", one of the English master's love stories. The paper asserts that Shakespeare's romantic comedies were known for their lightheartedness and unassuming plots, but they were also a serious dramatic outlet for the representation of love. The author concludes that "Midsummer" proves that love's paradoxical qualities and its fickle nature play surprisingly well on the funny bone.
From the Paper "The dramatization of Pyramus and Thisbe, though comically performed, tells a tragic story of doomed young love and is perhaps the best example of love's paradoxical quality, both foolish and profound, in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Although performed by a group of ridiculous, lumbering amateur actors whose day jobs included weaving, tailoring and joinery, the play still resonated with intense drama."
Abstract This paper discusses Shakespeare's play; "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and analyzes how it satisfies the functions of literature, raising a heightened sensitivity of the complexities of life. The paper also discusses plot devices.
From the Paper "A Midsummer Night's Dream: One of the functions of literature is to force the reader to question the things he has taken for granted; another is to heighten his sensitivity to the complexities of life and individuals. Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" fulfills both functions masterfully. Shakespeare's play creates an intricate juxtaposition of plot and characters that reduces even the careful reader to a state of confusion."
Tags: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare, literature
Abstract This paper studies Shakespeare's usage of evil in his plays. The essay attempts to reveal the function of this device by analyzing its usage in seven Shakespeareplays: "Macbeth", "Henry VI", "Hamlet", "Julius Caesar", "Richard III", "King Lear" and "Othello". The author includes complete character and plot summaries, and supports his theses with quotes from the texts.
From the Paper "'Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair'. Unfortunately for Steve Bartman and the 2003 Chicago Cubs, this famous phrase does not apply to baseball playoffs. William Shakespeare wrote this line to describe the relationship between good and evil in his play Macbeth. By casual definitions, good is right and evil is wrong. However, Shakespeare operated with larger concepts that go beyond passive terminology. In his works, balance, harmony, justice and righteousness represent good. Evil is represented by disorder, temptation, corruption and immorality. There is inherent tension created when these principles collide."
Abstract This paper examines organized religion through two plays, "Othello" and "The Merchant of Venice." Of particular note is is the shift during the Elizabethan era away from the Catholic Church, as enforced by Elizabeth's father, King Henry VIII. Some of the theological issues of the time are reflected in Shakespeare, who commented on many of the issues of his own day even when writing about characters and situations from a much earlier period of time.
From the Paper "The Elizabethan era was a period of change in terms of religion, brought about primarily by the shift away from the Catholic Church enforced by Elizabeth's father, King Henry VIII. Some of the theological issues of the time are reflected in Shakespeare, who commented on many of the issues of his own day even when writing about characters and situations from a much earlier period of time. Two of the plays containing some critique of religion are Othello and The Merchant of Venice. The Church of England had originally been part of the Catholic Church, but the break was made when the Pope severed relations during the reign of Elizabeth I after centuries of resistance in England to the Papal supremacy. The Reformation was thus not a sudden event, and ecclesiastically it covered the reigns of four English sovereigns, from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I."
Abstract In this article, the writer first looks at the artist William Shakespeare and then studies his work "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The writer discusses the play and notes that while the situations portrayed in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' are hilarious to the point of being absurd, ultimately the play serves a higher purpose - that is, to affirm the value of love and pleasure in an often hostile universe. The writer concludes that whatever way one chooses to interpret 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', the play's goofy characters, outrageous situations, and rich language have ensured the play's status as a classic work of English literature.
Outline:
William Shakespeare the Artist
A Midsummer Night's Dream
From the Paper "A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's most beloved romantic comedies. It consists of three plots that are chaotically interwoven in order to elicit an atmosphere of magic and the absurd, as well as love and the unknown. Throughout the course of the play, people from all different class backgrounds interact, and against the setting of a magical night forest, they come into contact with a band of mischievous fairies whose pranks will temporarily transform some of the characters, while making others' dreams come true.
"At the center of A Midsummer Night's Dream is the wedding of Duke Theseus of Athens to the Amazonian Queen Hippolyta. Egeus has chosen Demetrius to marry his daughter Hermia - and Hermia is unhappy with the decision. To rebel, she runs away from Athens into the magical forests surrounding the city alongside her lover Lysander, with whom she hopes to elope. Hermia tells her best friend Helena of her plans."
Abstract This paper discusses William Shakespeare's use of the technique chiaroscuro, an emphatic juxtaposition of light and dark hues. It examines how both of the plays "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" present images of distinct night and day worlds and how the interrelations between these two worlds are central to the plays? themes. It shows how in both plays, the night worlds symbolize alternate universes in which the characters are free from the physical, legal and social constraints that bind them during the day. It looks at how Shakespeare depicts the night world as simultaneously liberating and trapping those who move within its moonlit realm, thereby strengthening his theme that both personal freedom and social restrictions have the potential to be either constructive or destructive forces, depending upon their applications. It shows how "Romeo and Juliet" concludes with an emphasis upon the destructive forces of the night world, whereas "A Midsummer Night's Dream" presents a more optimistic view of the constructive potential of this alternate universe.
From the Paper "In both Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream, the unstructured and supernatural atmosphere of the night world contrasts sharply with the rigid hierarchies and social constraints of the public world of daylight. The deliberate juxtaposition of these alternate universes serves to heighten this contrast and to strengthen the theme that both totalitarian rule and unmitigated anarchy can produce disastrous consequences when applied to emotional issues. Romeo and Juliet opens with a public display of violence in broad daylight between members of the Capulet and Montague houses; in the very first scene of the play, Shakespeare links the day world to the bitter rancor between the two families and the strict codes of honor that govern their relationships with one another. In an extension of this rigid and violent day world, the sharp divisions of the feuding families and the stringent codes of masculine honor reach their violent culmination in the climactic deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt, which occur under the blistering sunlight of high noon."
Abstract This paper explains that, for his 1999 film, "William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream", Michael Hoffman rewrote the original Shakespeareplay, put it into a more modern context and emphasized artistic visual expression over Shakespeare's expression through the poetry of language. The author points out that Hoffman modernized the gender roles by creating a dialogue for Bottom's wife, thus increasing her importance; wherein, in the original play, her role consisted of a stare. The paper relates that, to appeal to modern cultural standards, the movie has been made more aesthetically pleasing by the fantasy theatrics of the costumes and makeup.
From the Paper "The first and most evident difference between the 1999 film adaptation and the original play by Shakespeare is the setting. Shakespeare's work is set in Greece, while Hoffman's is set in the turn of the 20th century Tuscany. It was also filmed in Tuscany. "Hoffman moves the action forward in time and sets it in late 19th-Century Tuscany" writes Welsh, but it is questioned whether this "new setting makes sense". Thus Hoffman's version has an immediate difference between that of Shakespeare's which took place in the traditional classical setting."
This essay covers a vast amount of information on William Shakespeare and his plays. This paper explores the ways that Shakespeare's drama has evolved and transformed over time.
Abstract This essay is about William Shakespeare and the ways in which his art has changed and evolved with time. This essay covers many of Shakespeare's plays and many modern film adaptations of his plays. The paper discusses much of the history behind Shakespeare's works and the many sources from which his drama was derived. The essay also deals with Shakespeare's language and the aspects of his invented language that have become a part of our everyday vocabulary. It covers the many characters, plots and genres of Shakespeare's works. The main theme of the paper is centered around the ways modern history has invented a Shakespeare of its very own.
From the Paper "Who is Shakespeare? What is Shakespeare? Nearly four hundred years following his death, the Shakespearean debate trudges on. In his lifetime, William Shakespeare wrote a phenomenal cannon of dramatic literature. He managed to create an astounding thirty-seven plays in scarcely the span of twenty-five years. Individually, these plays constitute some of the best art ever written. Collectively, these works secure Shakespeare as the principle literary draftsman of the Elizabethan Age. In his dedication to William Shakespeare in 1623, Ben Johnson wrote: ?He was not of an age, but for all time.? To this day, Shakespeare's creative genius has yet to be exceeded. No writer in any language can rival the eminence and immortal perpetuity that Shakespeare has relished. And no man, in any creative enterprise, has ever impelled a cultural influence as ample or as profound. Shakespeare's language and extensive lexicon of coined phrases are more ubiquitous in trite conversation today than the myriad of cliched aphorisms present in the King James Bible. His hundreds of characters-the very mirrors of human nature-are equally as recognizable. From small amusements like Bottom the Weaver, to such unparalleled manifestations as Falstaff, Shakespeare has enriched civilization by mimicking it."
Abstract Specifically, this paper presents a thesis that magic and imagination drive the events of the story in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" more than in any other Shakespearean play, thus making "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Shakespeare's only play of pure fantasy.
Abstract This paper looks at and compares Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, with Michael Hoffman's 1999 film adaptation. Looking at how specific differences such as language and scenes differ from interpretations, and how if there is any suggestive influence that enables us to better understand the original play.
Abstract This paper discusses the ways in which drama and painting can serve as interpretations or explanations of one another. The paper begins by introducing William Blake (1757 - 1827) and Henry Fuseli (1741 - 1825) as two chief illustrators of William Shakespeare's plays. It then describes some of the scenes from which the artists drew their inspiration using three major themes - the supernatural and the nightmare, the world of dreams and fantasy and the human condition and history.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Supernatural and the World of Nightmare
The Fairy World of Dreams and Fantasy
The Human Condition and History
Conclusion
From the Paper "The painting encapsulates all the drama we can expect from a work by Fuseli. As a matter of fact, the artist did several versions of the scene, including book illustrations and a painting that was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1808. It is worth mentioning that the Cardinal's death was a popular subject for painters: Sir Joshua Reynolds, for instance, illustrated the same scene for the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery, and even Nicolas Poussin was inspired by that very passage. Fuseli introduces agitated figures in a very fluid composition, but there is a clear allusion to an earlier work, especially the way of gathering the figures around a central character, along with the arm pointed upward, paying homage to a drawing by Poussin, whom Fuseli admired a lot. The painting is a good example of the human condition, because it encapsulates various philosophical themes, such as life and death, guilt, suffering, and so forth."
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 This paper looks the theme of duality that is present in most of Shakespeare's early plays. The paper explains how, whether the play is a comedy, a tragedy or even a history, the theme worms its way into the plot of the play either as a dramatic device or a source of comic relief. To help illustrate the duality theme, the paper looks at plays such as "As You Like It", "A Midsummer's Night Dream", "The Merchant of Venice", and "Romeo and Juliet".
From the Paper "There is a theme of duality that runs throughout Shakespeare's repertoire. From his comedies to his tragedies to the histories, Shakespeare exposes the dual nature of human beings at every available opportunity. Whether the character is an attention-starved daughter or a prospective king, having them pretend to be something that they are not is one of Shakespeare's most common plot devices. It is an easy way to manipulate other characters, create dramatic irony, or to set-up a comic situation. "
Abstract Through his comedies, William Shakespeare was able to address many taboo subjects in the name of entertainment. His comedies provided him an avenue to express marginalized voices that were sometimes muffled in Renaissance society. This cannot be truer for the voice of women. This paper shows how, in his plays, "The Taming of the Shrew" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Shakespeare gives voice to strong women who refuse to become victims of society. Kate is what we would call a strong-willed child with a mind of her own, with no fear of expressing her opinions. Despite the mistreatment she endures in the play, she emerges a winner for many reasons. The paper shows how, similarly, Hippolyta and Hermia demonstrate independence uncommon to their female counterparts. These women illustrate that true love is its own reward in any age.
From the Paper "Both sisters are playing a game of sorts. Kate is a shrew and cannot be manhandled while Bianca pretends to be the image of feminine sweetness. Bianca is revealed to be the true manipulator because she does not follow the demands of her husband. In the end, we come to appreciate Kate for her genuine character as opposed to Bianca's fraud. Margaret Ranald believes that "Katharina's liberated spirit remains unbroken, but that she has learned the value of realpolitik not only in marriage, but also in the even wider world of sociopolitics" (Ranald 1994). However, when we observe the entire action of the play, we can only surmise that Shakespeare is supporting the role and voice of the independent woman of his age."
