... him to be. The audience is further introduced to Hal once Poins and Falstaff leave the room. He allows the audience to see what is going on in his head with the events of the past and future. Hal monologues: So when this loose behavior I throw off And pay the debt I never promised, By how much better ... than my word am I, By so much shall I falsify men's hopes, And like bright metal on a sullen ground, My reformation, glitt'ring ... , Redeeming time when men think least I will. (2.2, lines 208-217) In this monologue, Hal gives the audience a taste of what is to come once he becomes Ki...

• Word Count: 1747
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• Grade Level: High School

... being in range of his voice. A king who expects to be obeyed cannot go around proclaiming: "I am old and foolish" (4.7.84). We may admire Lear for this frank admission of his weakness, but we must also recognize its consequences for his ability to rule in the future as anything other than a figurehead. The ... even say the mediocrity "of the characters left standing at the end of the play is the truest measure of the greatness of King Lear and the tragic nature of his story. No ending of a Shakespeare play captures more perfectly the fundamental contrast at work in tragedy between the ...

• Word Count: 8939
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• Grade Level: High School

... daughters' lies of their affection towards him. In addition, he was unable to see the reality of Cordelia's true love for him and as a result, King Lear banished Cordelia by saying that "for we Have no such daughter, nor shall ever see That face of her again. ... let their blindness lose their power. Doubling is an element used to create either parallels or oppositions in a play, and this element is pervasive and obvious in the King Lear play. Gloucester is another example of a character who suffered from an awful case of blindness. Gloucester's unclear thinking ... he was the son that...

• Word Count: 1503
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• Grade Level: High School

... title character goes against his moralities and betrays his country, his king, and his loyal friend Banquo. Shakespeare uses symbolism, soliloquies, and dramatic irony to get this overlying theme of betrayal. In the beginning of Macbeth, three witches portray Macbeth's future by telling him he will become Thane of Cawdor, and then King of Scotland. When Macbeth becomes ... betrayal. In Macbeth's soliloquy regarding the dagger in Act 2 Scene 1, the reader understands that Macbeth does feel guilty about his plans to murder King Duncan. He cannot reveal this sense of guilt to Lady Macbeth be...

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• Grade Level: High School

... moral duty that they should be performing under any circumstances. The attainment of power by Goneril and Regan makes them forget about all of the gifts and treasures bestowed on them by Lear and they feel as if he has no future use to them now. Goneril and Regan are two direct examples of people performing false duty. False duty is best exemplified by none ... other than Edmund. The conniving and scheming ways of Edmund are evil. These actions originate from his father ... best of his ability. Due to the fact that he is utterly compelled to serve the King, Kent disguises himself as Ca...

• Word Count: 882
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... him a hypocrite, or is he just planning for his future? This is also evident in Henry V, as he somewhat turns his back on his drinking and womanising pals as he tried to escape being "guilty by association" and display the behaviour typical of a King of England. He allows the hanging of Bardolph, a ... battlefield representing England, but can also refer to being amongst the people he serves. This statement seems to suggest the role of king is somewhat unwanted and he still yearns for the fun of his past. When his father, Henry IV, usurped the throne from Richard II, Henry ... to the bat...

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

... so he strips her of her dowry. He also tells Kent to "avoid my sight!" when Kent tries to defend Cordelia, once again demonstrating Lear's inability to see those who really care about him. Oppositely, Cordelia can see very well what is happening in the court ... the turning point for Gloucester, signaling a shift in the way he perceives the world around him. Gloucester remains loyal to Lear, against the will of Goneril and Regan, and when they discover his "treachery" they decide to punish him by putting out his eyes. There is an echo of Lear's line in 1.4 ("Old ... scene also heavily i...

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• Grade Level: High School

... of the evil or more unusual scenes in Macbeth, for example the murders, Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking scene, and the appearances of the witches, all occur when it is dark outside. Lady Macbeth's sleep walking scene is the perfect example of the light and dark symbol. She once wanted darkness to hide herself, but she carried a candle so she contradicted herself. The line, "She ... in the play. It is most evident in the scene where Macbeth visits the witches to seek their insight and his fortune for the future. He is shown three apparitions, one of which is a bloody child that commands him ...

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... eating "strange flesh which some did die to look on." He is repeatedly associated with Mars the god of war, a potent symbol of absolute masculinity. He has "goodly eyes" that once glowed like plated Mars;" "his "captains heart" could "burst the buckles of his breast." It is the Soothsayer who insists "thy spirit is noble, courageous, high ... where the Gods ruled supreme, its challenges to morality can still be accessible to Elizabethan and modern audiences. Religion and particularly Puritanism was a huge influence in the moral, social structure of the Elizabethan world (the scale of so...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... consults his wife before he does anything. This show what domance she has over her hasband. In the beginning of the play, when the witches tell Macbeth of his promising future, Lady Macbeth is the first person he writes to. Upon hearing the witch's prophecy, Lady Macbeth wishes it to be true with hopes that she will become queen. Immediately, the ... crowned just as much as Macbeth, if not more, but she lacks the heart to stab the King and turns to macbeth to carry out the murder. Once the King arrives at Macbeth's castle, Lady Macbeth tells her husband what to do. She spurs on macbeth ...

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... which is not apart of the plan. Lady Macbeth faints and the story get rapidly frantic. The King's son's flee, because they were announce to be his successors and they were afraid to be accused of his murder. Macbeth was announced King and the King's sons were suspected in the murder. Macbeth's greed and want of power grew. Once suspicions of his involvement in Duncan's death arouse he ... the plot. Dunsinane surrenders, but this does not mean the end of the war. Macduff is determined to avenge his family. Macbeth and Duncan meet, resulting in the death of Macbeth and the fall of the onc...

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... named Macbeth, who three witches predict will become king. Indeed Macbeth does become king but at the cost of killing to get what he wanted. He killed Duncan, who was the king at the time and he also hired murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance. Banquo and Fleance were two men that Macbeth feared because ... says "As by the strength of their illusion Shall draw him on to his confusion. He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear His hopes "bove wisdom, grace, and fear; And you all know security Is mortals" chiefest enemy". I interpret this to mean the witches are going to confuse Macbeth. H...

• Word Count: 398
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• Grade Level: High School

... righteousness. [S] Initially, Macbeth is far from evil within: "Chance may crown me, without my stir," preferring to let fate lead his future. Macbeth's "vaulting ambition" leads to him killing King Duncan to secure his own destiny. Macbeth fears his own temptations and the retribution of his own soul, as he mentions "So foul a fair a day I have not seen," (upon his first interaction with ... do well. Macbeth is suited to this role. He is willing to be swayed by his wife, but also has the force of character to follow difficult actions - like killing King Duncan - once he has been convin...

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... reader begin to understand his devious nature. Hal is just using his friends to make him look better in the future: "And like bright metal on a sullen ground,/ My reformation, glitt"ring o"er my fault,/ Shall show more goodly and attract more eyes" (1.3.190-192). Hal may look like he is a disgrace to his father, but when Hal transforms he will shine brighter ... rivalry ended. Hal redeemed himself as a great warrior to his father and once again, Hal's true "self" emerged as a noble character. Prince Hal's representation of "self" in Part I Henry IV is deceiving to the reader. Hal is por...

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... the atrocities created by greed, on of the plays many themes. His tragic decision stems from the influence of a tragic flaw. Once he has made the decision, it is irreversible and produces his downfall. Aristotle defined the tragic hero as the following: " The tragic hero must be neither villain nor a virtuous ... confront Macbeth. They tell him he will become Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and last but not least king of Scotland. These prophecies arouse Macbeth's curiosity to rise to power. Once the witches give him the prophecy of becoming king, he immediately thinks about how he can...

• Word Count: 633
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... turns to dark much faster that day as the Scottish people lose someone dear to their hearts. Macduff is the one who discovers the king, and "When the dead king is discovered in the morning in Macbeth's castle where he had been a guest, the loyal thanes, ultimately suspecting the murder, unite in horror ... miles a minute while his wife, Lady Macbeth, feeds plans of what she believes will make them prosperous as a whole. Not only did Lady Macbeth convince Macbeth to kill King Duncan, but the lady vocalizes her doubts " Yet I do fear thy nature,? I is too full o'th' milk of human kindness/ ...

• Word Count: 1978
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... without realizing that they were speaking of him. The weird sisters affected Macbeth in the worst way. They tempted him by addressing him as Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis and future king, without ordering him to do anything to obtain these positions. All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail ... to reveal that the witches do have the power to see the future, but their riddles serve only to confuse MacBeth into making his fatal mistakes. Although MacBeth needs to be wary, the witches' objective is to trick MacBeth into...

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... soliloquy in which he sets the stage for his future growth. Yet herein will I imitate the Sun, Who doth permit the base contagious clouds To smother-up his beauty from the world, That, when he please again to be himself, Being wanted, he may be more wonder'd at, By breaking through the foul and ugly mists Of vapours that did seem to ... maturity, for he is not seeking instant gratification like Falstaff, or Hotspur for that matter. Hal has calculated a plan for progress. He sees the obstacles that confront him in the future, a facet of character that is vital for any successful leader. ...

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• Grade Level: High School

... done anything to keep peaceful relations with her. When his mother was beheaded in 1587, he merely made a formal protest and let the incident blow over ("James I, King of England"1). In 1589, James was married with Anne of Denmark, the daughter of Fredrick II of Denmark. They had ... the Gunpowder Plot was discovered. Someone planted several barrels of gunpowder under the Parliament. If their plan would have worked, King James, his family, and all of the Lords and Commons would have been killed. Shakespeare was thought to have based his play Macbeth on those events (Rowse 379). In Shake...

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• Grade Level: High School

... quality in Shakespeare's writing that never fails to astound me is his ability at capturing the essence of human passion and feeling. My goal for this paper is to convince you, reader, that William Shakespeare had the greatest affect on the future of modern literature. Wish me luck. Before I begin to verify my thesis, I shall give you little history of the Shakespeare ... an absentee on the civic council. Finally, he was forced to mortgage his wife's estate; and was even fined for missing church. John Shakespeare's business ventures would affect William's future. John began as a leather...

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... that name." Macbeth's tragic flaws are the cause of why he followed through with his plot to commit regicide against Duncan, the king. Once he has killed the king he begins to lose control and is overwhelmed with the immense amount of guilt he feels. "I"ll go no more: I am afraid to think what I have ... . It cannot be call"d our mother; but our grave; where nothing, but who knows nothing, is once seen to smile; where sighs and groans and shrieks that rent the air are made, not mark"d and good men's lives expire before the flowers in their caps dying or ere they sicken." Another theory ...

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... and author once said, "Courage is never to let your actions be influenced by your fears. " This quote would prove true in the story of Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare. Macbeth is one of the leaders in King Duncan's army, and is known as a fierce warrior with a lot of ambition. Three witches tell Macbeth that he will one day be king ... and it was smiling at her; than break such a promise as Macbeth has made to her. Obviously Lady Macbeth had a large influence on Macbeth, but she was not the only person who negatively influenced Macbeth. The Apparitions, although only present in on...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... out of the room terrified holding the daggers he used to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth becomes frustrated at the cowardice Macbeth is showing and takes the daggers herself and plants them on the groomsmen. Macbeth, still in shock, is horrified because of the blood on his hands. In response, Lady ... (Davidson). She begins to realize that having the crown wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. She is not content and regrets murdering the great, loving king. Lady Macbeth's continual change into an unstable, despairing person is shown in the conclusion of the banquet scene. When Macbeth sees ...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Fool is no longer dramatically useful. As long as Lear was suffering from his madness the Fool was there to remind him of his foolishness and absurdness and to plead with him to alter his course. Once the King reached the bottom of his suffering, the fool can do nothing for him. He no longer needs to be reminded of past actions. There are ... it are the same thing, and he is hurried by passion into immediate and dreadful revenge. We also must take in account that Lear's love for Cordelia was terribly wounded by her failure, but this feeling was mixed and soon overwhelmed by rage that hi...

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... IV Part 1. By Act V, Prince Hal has reformed himself. He no longer basks in the tavern life of irresponsibility and novelty. Rather, the prince has moved away from his former mentor, Falstaff, and has become an honorable leader like his father, King Henry. In addition, Hal seems to have adopted the language of the court, speaking mostly in blank verse similar to ... Falstaff's inclusion in the play is necessary to distinguish the newfound disparity in moral values once shared by the old companions. This inconsistency becomes important, as Hal must choose between the carefree, yet irresp...

• Word Count: 922
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