... so. In "Hamlet", Shakespeare actively rejects this expected plot line and focuses instead on Hamlet's delay and struggle to take action, as opposed to the actual act of vengeance. The character of Hamlet does not conform to the usual blood-thirsty protagonist who will stop at nothing until his desperate need for revenge is satisfied, as is expected by the audience ... he goes about avenging Polonius's death. The speed and resolution with which Laertes acts only works to highlight Hamlets unusual postponing of action, and his obvious separation from the expected template of a revenge trage...

• Word Count: 1503
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... the "something for everyone" aspect of "The Merchant of Venice", which makes it so universal and popular. The different characters and the way they are represented is where most sociological difference comes when compared to today. In the 16th century setting, non-Christian religious groups such as the Jews were looked down upon. For this reason, the character of Shylock was able to be added ... as a villain with the adverse characteristics of a stereotypical Jew without Shakespeare having to worry about "political correctness" as ... ; another time You called me a dog" This said, the o...

• Word Count: 809
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... in battle is a woman. 
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Titania rules and governs the fairies, sometimes in complete independence. In The Feminist Subtext of Shakespeare's Leading Ladies, Emily Squyer states that Oberon's success in gaining the boy is so that he can grow to be a prince who can ... dominance is stronger than his regard for Titania. Furthermore, his skirting around the situation at hand, with magic, humour and other nonsense, instead of engaging in a stimulating and fair discussion on balancing control and power with his wife, goes to show his ineptitude in serious matters...

• Word Count: 2000
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... petty and inane characters. Well enough with the author I"d say it is now time to actually critic the acts of honor and betrayal in this pitifully simplistic excuse for a play. First of all the first act of betrayal comes in the beginning when the classically blonde character of Desdemona betrays her father to marry Othello, after all "if thou hast eyes to see. She deceived her ... father." 1.3, 95 This is one of those things that really just makes me angry, Shakespeare tries to use the tool of foreshadowing but misses the mark pitifully ... . At any rate this frankly shows one of the ....

• Word Count: 659
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... more than merely a homily for Elizabethan wives in her famous speech: She wins her husband's wager but the speech bespeaks a generosity of spirit beyond the call of two hundred crowns "(Nevo, Shakespeare for Students, 358). This leads to the idea that Katharina could have been a kind, gentle, ... For Katharina to be fully "tamed", she would have had to undergo a complete change in character in a very short amount of time. If, as readers, we simply rely on our own knowledge of human experience, Katharina's quick transformation seems false and unlikely. A common theme found throughout the ...

• Word Count: 1637
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... give them wisdom that have it; and those that are fools, let them use their talents." (Scene V act 1). My personal favorite line of the story also comes from the clown in this scene, "Better a witty fool than a foolish wit." Not only does the clown have great comedic and witty ... lines but he also has the uniqueness of expressing himself in song, which ultimately leads to the foreshadowing of the events to come with the characters matching up at the end, not to mention the seasonal feel of the story. One of ... very secure in the fact that he has no companion, or this is just a facade t...

• Word Count: 600
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... behavior and stereotypes more so than natural or biological forces. Gender roles depend on the culture and society of a specific time. This theory often carries over to literature, depending on the society and time period of which an author lives, which can determine the behavior a character of a specific sex, is set to portray. Between Shakespeare's play, "The Tempest and Marie de Frances', "Guigemar " both ... as his female opposite and threat no matter how small. She is a threat and that helps her be able to have the potential to grow into a more prominent and important character in ...

• Word Count: 1221
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... from ancient Greece. These classic plays followed a strict and consistent structure, almost universally occurring in one location over the course of one day, and revolving around one major plot. These Greek dramas almost universally portrayed the downfall of a hero or character of legend and high stature. Aristotle defined the classic tragedy as a story centered about the hero's noble and moral struggle ... and Desdemona, an underlying atmosphere of prejudice towards the seemingly misplaced Moor in Venetian society, as well as the jealousy and distrust that comes to distance Othello from...

• Word Count: 3419
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... own abilities. However, despite the initial contradictions to their associated stereotypes, they all gradually regress into the social moulds and assumptions of the dominant social system of the time, making the play all the more tragic. In Othello, the main character after whom the play is named is presented as an honest, kind and respected black man, in service to the Venetian state ... up until her death, where she immediately becomes passive and obedient to Othello as he tries to suffocate her. Towards the end of Act IV she becomes quite nave and the audience is positioned to view h...

• Word Count: 1558
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... them to understand him. This second argument makes even more sense in reference to Henry V, when Hal, now King Henry V, does worry about that lack of access to the people, which is the by-product of the reformation in his character and because he is king by divine right and, by definition, must be separate from the people. The chorus at the beginning ... thinks he will eventually be victorious. This shows his patriotism and faith in God as well as his possible arrogance and an indication of how the Church has corrupted his view. Later in the play Henry's scheming political nature comes ...

• Word Count: 3298
• Approx Pages: 13
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... male/female conflict. As the first act closes, Nora is attempting to control Torvald in order to protect Krogstad and thus maintain her own secrets. The most important moment of the play comes later, however, when the mail is delivered - and Nora knows that the damning letter from Krogstad will soon be opened. It is at that moment that Nora must most ... era, both Shakespeare and Moliere were uniquely original and explicit in their portrayal of women. Shakespeare's "Hamlet- is one of the most startling pieces of English literature in its rather dubious portrayal of the feminine sex, and...

• Word Count: 2278
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... serious issues regarding society, which is love, leading to a stable basis for society. Another example of plot in the play is when the character Hymen is introduced to the audience. Hymen is the Roman god of marriage, who comes to oversee the marriages at the end of the play. This example supports how the play conforms to a typical Shakespearean comedy through the dramatic ... technique of plot because, Shakespearean comedies often contain elements of the improbable, the fantastic or the supernatural. In ... the play, the Roman god of marriage Hymen, is a supernatural character, which...

• Word Count: 862
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... overhead shots and tracking to show the physical action of this scene, and combined this with eye level medium shots and close ups of Regan, Edmond and Edgar to show the emotion and reactions of each character. Through this sequence of close-ups Elliott also establishes Regan's evil nature, by ... his loyal subjects have made for such an ungrateful old fool. Sir Laurence Olivier has taken his character straight out of the original play and drawn a direct connection between Shakespeare's portrayal of Lear and his own interpretations. Sir Laurence enters the final scene screeching and wal...

• Word Count: 1073
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... freedom excitement the washing line represents. When we are bought to the presence we learn the washing line has become warped with sagging wires' reflecting the self change of the central character who's hands have become etched with scars and wrinkles 'mirroring her life experiences and responsibilities. The women's tone becomes colder and instead ... Othello we witness the destruction of the central character Othello, as he cannot cope with the changes that begin to occur in his life. As a result of this we observe a bold hero transform into an irrational uncontrollable murderer. The ...

• Word Count: 2540
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... Antony and Cleopatra would have been accessible to any audience through time, but they would not necessarily have the ability to relate to them as superhuman. Cleopatra is a tempestuous character of infinite variety but also "no more but e"en a woman." This is a play in which human figures are elevated in keeping with classical literary traditions and mythology. Yet ... her own fate by "delicious poison." Shakespeare's suggestion of the fate of Cleopatra is subtle, not giving way to predictability, while Anthony's fate is more predictable. The fate of the relationship between Anthony an...

• Word Count: 1463
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... helpless depression and angry frustration to convey to the audience a tone of despair and misery in the young Prince of Denmark. At several different points in the soliloquy, Shakespeare underscores Hamlet's feelings of depression and helplessness to communicate to readers the overlying sense of dismay felt by the play's titular character. Opening with the words, "O, that this too, too sullied flesh would ... melt...that the Everlasting had not fixed/ His canon "gainst self-slaughter!", Shakespeare introduces a dejected individual wishing to end his own life. With these lines, he create...

• Word Count: 548
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... eloquence and offers a passionate appeal that the arts can be used as a healing tool to overcome the emotional ravages of loneliness. From reading Smiths book, one comes to understand that loneliness is many things, but learns that above all it is a feeling of despair that one is isolated and all alone in the world. This mistaken perspective is destructive, for it instills a ... what it means in Hamlets Dresser when Smith begins to hear, " . . . the language of my incredible loneliness," (Smith 143) it becomes evident that he discovers that he can ease his alienation and loneliness by i...

• Word Count: 1135
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... on key scenes and it also appeals to the visual learners in the class. Even if pupils use the same setting and style that Luhrmann uses for his 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet, when it comes to pupils considering their own adaptation they must be guided to justify their own decisions. The justification process shows pupils' understanding ... of the play and by applying a level of consideration of how the play should be set, what emotions the characters are feeling displaying keeps them related to the play and once again they have a sense of ownership and are engaged ... cement a high-...

• Word Count: 3914
• Approx Pages: 16
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate