... towards her suitors. In "Henry IV", the King believes that to effectively lead the country one needs to lead by example. According to the King's philosophy the best man is the one who lives a pure life and in doing so, attains respect and honor from other men. To the King's way of thinking Hotspur is more fit to be a king than Prince Hal, a comparison that the King makes several times. In Act I, Scene ... done nothing to prove him worthy of being the heir to the crown and is a disgrace to the honor and legacy of his principality, "...And art almost an alien to the hearts of all the cour...

• Word Count: 666
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... that this offer will also evoke respect and excitement from his soldiers. At the end of his speech, Henry makes his ultimate warning, "Your naked infants spitted upon pikes, Whiles the mad mothers with their howls confused" (3.3.38-39). In his final moment he caters to the fathers of the town, the men who will actually be fighting this battle. Who will see their own ... children's heads upon spikes, whilst hearing their wives howls, which the OED describes as "A loud wail or outcry of pain ... 's cosmic order, at the very base level is the common man. On the eve of the colossal climacti...

• Word Count: 1885
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Cordelia, and his madness slowly fades. His joy at reconciliation with his daughter, even faced with imprisonment, outweighs any other concerns. Shakespeare has transformed Lear from a rash and egotistical old king into a more kindly and sympathetic character. It is not actually a transformation from evil to good, but rather a transformation from blindness into sight. Blindness is one of ... the central themes to the play, however it is not the physical sense of blindness. Blindness in King Lear is the inability to see past deception and see people for the way they truly are. The world ...

• Word Count: 1402
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... rash - he divides up his kingdom quote (1.1.39-41) -- he banishes his favorite daughter nave -- he is fooled by Goneril and Regan's speeches of their love towards him -- Goneril and Regan are plotting against him and he doesn't realize it -- quote (1.1.356-358) arrogant - he divides up his kingdom but still wants to be king -- he is not taking any responsibility and ... putting any thought into it. When he is introduced in the play, he is already deciding to divide up his kingdom amongst his three daughters without thinking it thoroughly. "Know that we have divided/ In three our kingdom...

• Word Count: 705
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the 2 crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty." (Act 1 Scene 5 Line 39-41) Her speech to the demons is both powerful and sinful. "She isn't sure there's enough manhood to go around between ... Shakespeare's Macbeth Page 12) Although she was not the one to actually commit the murder of King Duncan, she held the string that controlled the puppet that did. "Look like th' innocent flower, but be the serpent under't." (Act 1 Scent 5 Line 63-4) Her words were the reason the homicide took place and that act cre...

• Word Count: 2179
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... popular. The person of the Monarch (derived from the Greek "monorchia-, the rule of one), the Crown, was something even the lowest character could understand. The monarchs have many different titles, including king, queens, sultan, emperors, empresses, tsars, and kaisers, depending on the type of governments and the location of the state he or she rules. Oftentimes, the monarch was based on the need for a strong ruler who could gather the countries best men to ... dammed spot! Out I say!... Who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him (5.13.39-45). Within every tr...

• Word Count: 1801
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... battle, "As cannons overcharged with double cracks; so they doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe." Macbeth's men obviously look to him as being a powerful man. Through this performance Macbeth earns the trust and support of Duncan, the king of Scotland. With joyous news of the victory, in Act 1 scene 2, line 63-65, the king orders Ross to greet Macbeth with his new title, "No more that Thane of ... . His weaknesses are more potent than his strengths, which adds to his downfall. The prophecies of the three witches initiate the separation of Macbeth from his morals by showing him what cou...

• Word Count: 763
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... heaven or blasts from hell, / Be thy intents wicked or charitable, / Thou com'st in such a questionable shape / that I will speak to thee. I"ll call thee Hamlet, / King, father, royal Dane. O, answer me!" (I, iv, 39-45) It is quite clear that Hamlet is unable to make a decision. Even though this spirit is right in front of him and has done nothing to ... either Horatio or the other men who have seen him, Hamlet is still unable to automatically assume that this spirit is a good spirit. This sets the precedent of how Hamlet will react to all situations of ... love, Shakespeare has the ab...

• Word Count: 1178
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... time it was believed that the king was selected by God, and that the wrongful killing of the king would separate heaven from earth, thus nature would go into chaos. It would be easy to blame the entire disruption of the balance of good and evil on the supernatural powers of the three witches, but the true cause of the evil comes from the moral decisions of men. Macbeth was not born ... thick my blood. (1.5.39-42) At this moment it appears that Lady Macbeth also succumbs to evil. During Macbeth's hesitation before the murder of Duncan, Lady Macbeth attacks his pride and therefore further ...

• Word Count: 1772
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... or charitable, thou com'st in such a questionable shape that I will speak to thee: I'll call thee Hamlet, King, Father, royal Dane: O, answer me!- (Act I, Scene IV, Line 39-45) In this speech by Hamlet, it is quite clear that he is unable to make a decision. Even though this ... spirit is right in front of him and has done nothing to either Horatio or the other men who have seen him, Hamlet is still ... men made decisions without really thinking about the consequences. They acted on emotions, instead of intelligence. In Laertes case, he ended up being murdered by Hamlet because of his ...

• Word Count: 1494
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... days, many women did not have power or input on situations. They were thought to be non-intelligent, and the men mostly ruled over women and had all the power. Although in the play "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare, it was a different story for Lady Macbeth. She (who was married to Macbeth) had much control and power over her husband, because she was good ... at manipulating him to get what she wanted. This was a deadly situation, because she was mentally unstable. First, in the beginning of the play Lady Macbeth heard that Macbeth must kill the king in order to take his place. After she...

• Word Count: 689
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... set out to read all the books about Hamlet would have time to read nothing else, not even Hamlet." What is the great fascination with Hamlet and the characters contained within. The great intrigue comes from the ambiguity of the play and it's characters. "Hamlet is the tragedy of reflection. The cause of the hero's delay is irresolution; and the cause of this is excess of the reflexive and speculative habit of ... in us unused. (IV.IV.33-39) . Hamlet believes that life is useless if men do not use their great power of reason and intellect. In-fact men become evil, "stale, and flat." The...

• Word Count: 2932
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... me here" (1.5 48) so she can have the courage to kill Duncan. With Duncan dead, Macbeth can sit a-top the throne and be king, fulfilling both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's dreams. Along with many other darkness images, Ross talks how the "dark night strangles the traveling lamp" (2.4 9). This symbolizes that darkness is taking over. Therefore, the reader assumes that since darkness represents death, death and ... states that "Duncan's horses . . ./Turned wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out/ Contending "gainst obedience, as the would/ Make war with mankind" (2.4 17-22) This shows al...

• Word Count: 1305
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School