Abstract
The parallel stories of Lear's and Gloucester's sufferings at the hands of their own children reflect anxieties that would have been close to home for Shakespeare's audience. This paper explains that many of William Shakespeare's plays feature a clown of some sort, and "King Lear" arguably has two such clowns: the Fool himself and Edgar in his later disguise as Tom O'Bedlam. This essay focuses on the character of the Fool in the play, and how he can be compared to Cordelia. The author of the paper considers the contribution he makes to the play and his importance to the play as a whole in terms of the influence he has over events and other characters. The paper concludes that "King Lear" would not be the same without the character of Fool.

From the Paper
"The word 'pined' again makes the Fool sound like a dog or puppy and suggests that there is some sort of connection between Cordelia and the Fool. They are linked in the text emotionally not only because the Fool is clearly upset when Cordelia is banished, but also because they are closest to Lear and loved most by him. It is noticeable that Cordelia and the Fool do not appear on stage at the same time at any point in the play."

Tags:Elizabethan, Kent, Oswald, Goneril

Abstract
This paper analyzes the theme of death and old age in William Shakespeare's play "King Lear", explaining that it is an important theme because it educates us about life and serves as a catalyst for King Lear's transformation. The paper further explains that King Lear would not have become the man he was at his death had he not experienced the turmoil, pain and suffering that old age and death had introduced into his life.

From the Paper
"This passage reveals something significant in King Lear's character--a complete turnaround. What he once thought was important, including the trappings of royalty, is not. What we see in this scene is a man resigned to happily spend the rest of his days in prison as long as he has the love of his daughter. Their reconciliation proves that peace can be discovered in the worst of circumstances. Because of their experiences, King Lear and Cordelia are changed throughout the course of the play. Of course, this is more prevalent with King Lear, who seems to find utter contentment in catastrophe."

Tags:older, significance, younger, experiencing, sorrow, awareness, purification, edmund, gloucester, goneril, regan, cornwall, oswald

Abstract
This paper discusses that Hamlet's delay in acting questions whether Hamlet was a coward or a man worthy of admiration despite his flaws. The author points out that some critics believe that the complexity of Hamlet's character indicates that he is aware of his own indecision resulting from his inner turmoil. The paper concludes that Hamlet was suffering from "information overload"; his delay is not a crime, and Hamlet should still be viewed as the tragic hero of Denmark.

From the Paper
"Margreta Grazia notes the importance of this struggle. She also points out that in modern drama, "character is destiny" noting, "Action thus issues from character and is expressive of the agent's subjectivity." She believes that "Hamlet is held back by reservations bears witness to his compulsion to move forward." This conflict leads to Hamlet's glory and doom, according to Grazia. The doom is present from the beginning of the play when Hamlet realizes the world is "weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable." Grazia claims that Hamlet's infinite spirit is mired in materiality through the entire play. He becomes the victim of his own "spirit's war with itself," which prevents him from making a step in any direction. This point cannot be argued. We begin to question Hamlet's character and it appears obvious that his struggle begins within his mind."

Tags:delay, turmoil, flaw, overload, hero

Abstract
This paper explains that Nahum Tate's idea was to adapt Shakespeare to suit the taste of 18th century restoration theatergoers; thus, Lear no longer dies, Cordelia marries Edgar, the monarchy is restored and order once again reigns. The author points out Lear's suffering, which in Shakespeare's original play denotes the nature of humanity and the tragedy and misunderstanding that often accompany human life is completely lost in Tate's rewritten version, especially in terms of the ending. The paper reveals that the use of language by Tate and by Shakespeare also differs significantly; whereas Shakespeare believes in the reductive power of language in its simplest form, Tate's philosophy leans more towards the elevated forms of language hence the greater effect of Cordelia's simple statement in the Shakespeare play.

From the Paper
"Other significant differences between the two versions include the roles of the specific characters. Edgar, for example, takes the role of Cordelia's suitor from the beginning of Tate's play, whereas in Shakespeare he never pursues the girl, but does become king at the end of the tragedy. His role in both Shakespeare's and Tate's plays is to restore justice, but in different ways. In Shakespeare's play, his role is tragic. Because of the betrayal by his brother, Edmund, who attempted to dishonor him in his father's eyes, Edgar is obliged to disguise himself. He thus pretends to be a demonic madman in order to escape his father's men. As such he also serves as a parallel for King Lear's madness, and gives him somebody to identify with during this difficulty. Edgar thus has a redemptive function here. In Tate's play, his redemptive function is mainly focused upon Cordelia and eventually the kingdom."

Tags:restoration, comedy, tragedy, ending, language

Abstract
This essay discusses the concept of a tragic hero, as found in the plays by William Shakespeare. The essay particularly focuses on the character of Macbeth and describes the ways in which the character of Macbeth becomes a tragic hero. The essay uses passages and quotes to demonstrate the tragic suffering that Macbeth endures throughout the play.

From the Paper
"A tragic story involves someone who begins as a good person and then endures tragic suffering to the point where this good person is destroyed. In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, the character of Macbeth is unarguably a tragic hero. It is a story about a man's fall from grace. The audience is able to sympathize with Macbeth despite his horrifying acts because he suffers tragically. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is portrayed as a loyal, brave, and respected man. By the end, Macbeth has become an evil person, and is completely alone. It is appropriate to say his suffering is tragic because his destruction is caused by love and desire. Macbeth's desire to become king is so powerful that it outweighs reason and logic. His ambition takes controls of his thoughts; Macbeth is even aware that what he is doing is horrifying, but he is too weak to control himself."

Tags:macbeth, shakespeare, tragedy, grace

Abstract
This paper identifies one characteristic of comedy and two characteristics of tragedy and demonstrates their application to scenes from four plays considered some of the greatest tragedies ever penned, Shakespeare's "Oedipus Rex," "Macbeth," "Romeo and Juliet," and "Hamlet;" and from two films, the comedy, "Pretty Woman," and tragedy, "The Path to War." The author explains that one characteristic of comedy is the exaggerated or wry manner in which human folly or foolishness is underscored, and two characteristics of tragedy are the struggles or suffering of the protagonist over moral issues and the raising of questions about the meaning of human existence. The paper states that the "Path to War" and "Oedipus Rex" are pure tragedy based on circumstances and errors in judgment; whereas, "Pretty Woman" is a film that is a comedy because its light-heartedness and innocence completely overshadow its tragic characteristics.

From the Paper
"Perhaps the most appropriate starting point for demonstrating that a comedy and tragedy are not necessarily mutually exclusive, though they have long been considered the main divisions of drama is "Romeo and Juliet". Indeed, although "Romeo and Juliet" is hailed as one of the greatest love tragedies ever written, it, almost deceptively, appears to be a comedy for the most part. In fact, had Shakespeare not used the prologue to announce that the play was about star-crossed lovers; the audience may well have been completely deceived in expecting or hoping for a happy ending, particularly since the opening scene itself is a witty one that mocks human foolishness through a dialogue between Sampson and Gregory from the house of Capulets."

Tags:romeo, macbeth, foolishness, suffering, existence

Abstract
The paper reviews the play "King Lear" by William Shakespeare, a tragedy about the downfall of a powerful king and how his flawed judgment affected society at large. It shows how the subplot of Gloucester and Edmund is crucial to the play as Shakespeare has interwoven it as such that the main-plot can't survive on its own. It examines how Edgar appears throughout Lear's suffering and how the way that Edmund orders Lear and Cordelia's death emphasizes how the two stories are inter-connected. The sub-plot intensifies the tragedy and highlights the important issues of the play such as natural order, filial ingratitude and self-knowledge.

From the Paper
"Filial ingratitude is one of the themes in the play and both Lear and Gloucester suffer from it. This occurs because they trust their manipulative children and drive their loyal children away. Cordelia is banished to France when she claims that she cannot, " heave my heart into my mouth" and Edgar assumes the identity of Tom O' Bedlam after he is made a fugitive. Edmund, Goneril and Regan are surrounded with lies, greed and lust. However, Edmund is a bastard son and could be expected to be of a "base nature". He embraces his illegitimacy," Thou Nature art my goddess Now Gods stand up for bastards". On the other hand, Goneril and Regan are both Lear's legitimate daughters and their evil actions are not in their nature, they grow in evil as a result of Lear's flawed judgment and claims that," the best of his time hath been but rash". This contrast in their children highlights the fact that Lear is a victim of his own nature whereas Gloucester is a victim of Edmund's machinations."

Tags:blindness, cordelia, elizabethan, madness, natural, order, subplot, suffering

Abstract
This essay discusses William Shakespeare's play, "Romeo and Juliet". The essay particularly focuses on the characters of Romeo and Juliet and their fate. It argues that Romeo and Juliet suffer as victims of fate and not their own choices. It includes examples and quotes from the play to demonstrate this point.

From the Paper
"In most tragedies there is a villainous antagonist or supernatural agent that deliberately creates obstacles and difficult circumstances in an attempt to destroy or conquer the protagonist. Sometimes, as in Shakespeare's tragedies Macbeth and Hamlet, it is the protagonist's own tragic flaw that causes their demise. However, in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet there is no obvious villainous character or personal tragic flaw that leads to the untimely deaths of the two protagonists, rather fate is the opposing force in this tragedy."

Tags:fate, juliet, romeo, shakespeare, love

Abstract
This paper examines how William Shakespeare uses comic and tragic plots to explore the various means of human survival in his two plays "Cymbeline" and "The Merry Wives of Windsor". It looks at how comedy and tragedy are defined by each other and how the juxtaposition of emotions, pathos, close character work, comparisons and suffering and reconciliation are just a few of the topics covered.

From the Paper
"Innogen and Posthumus only have two scenes together, the first and the last, and the time between dramatizes both of their maturations. However although Posthumus undergoes harsh experience, not to the same extent as his wife, it is innogen who shifts the play towards a comic ending. Posthumus' soliloquy in Act two may arouse deep feeling and a hint of mental turmoil but does not touch on Pathos. His tone at the beginning of Giacomo's torment os of an unbelievable one: "Render me some corporal sign about her more evident than this." However he does not need a great deal of convincing from the deceitful Giacomo to believe his wife has been unfaithful and moreover has offered her "chaste" and "virtues' to another man."

Tags:cloten, giacomo, innogen, maturation, natural, order, pathos, posthumus, titus

Abstract
The paper discusses how, in "The Winter's Tale," William Shakespeare presents female characters with both inner and exterior strength. It shows that along with the strength, are the qualities of understanding, forgiveness and patience. It explores the three characters in the play that represent these female characteristics - Hermione, Paulina and Perdita. For all three female characters, they are a part of the action and suffer because of the events in the play. Yet even in suffering they remain gracious and strong and forgiving. The paper discusses how it is these characteristics that make "The Winter's Tale" a play about how strong and solid the female character can be, with the outcome of the play also showing what an impact these qualities can have.

From the Paper
"Hermione is the central female character of the play and also the one who suffers the most. At the same time, she is the character who has the greatest amount of strength. In the play, Hermione is accused of infidelity by her husband, something that must hurt her deeply. And yet even when her husband accuses her, she remains calm. When Leontes first calls Hermione an adulteress she denies it calmly and elegantly saying, "should a villain say so, the most replenished villain in the world, he were as much more villain: you, my Lord, do but mistake" (II,i). For the audience, the calmness that Hermione possesses is emphasized by the contrast with her husband."

Tags:Leontes, base, speech, shepherd