Hamlet Shakespeare's play Hamlet is essentially a character study of one man's slow descent into insanity. The play opens with the Danish prince presented rather innocently, as his father recently died and it is understandable that he might be caugh Continue Reading...
William Shakespeare's play Hamlet puts across a series of concepts related to treachery, honor, and impulsiveness. In spite of the fact that they initially appear to be very different in nature, Hamlet (the central character), and Laertes are more si Continue Reading...
strong women of Shakespeare's plays, "The Merchant of Venice" and "The Taming the Shrew." Shakespeare's Women For a man who became the most quoted author in literature and left volumes of work for the world to read, William Shakespeare's early yea Continue Reading...
Characterization of Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, the character of Ophelia is perhaps the most tragic, as her wishes and desires are constantly sublimated in favor of the scheming characters around her. Essent Continue Reading...
Though Hamlet can, and does, clearly make a difference in the situation on the physical plane, he may or may not have achieved any change in the world beyond the grave. Hamlet's death at the end of the play ensures that, though Hamlet will inevitabl Continue Reading...
Hamlet's enigmatic behavior so upsets Ophelia that she drowns herself, making Laertes even more set on revenge. Eventually these two deaths lead to a duel (provoked by Claudius) between Hamlet and Laertes, No one wins. Laertes kills Hamlet with a p Continue Reading...
Homosexuality in Shakespeare's Tragedies Elements of sexuality and lust are very openly present in the works of Shakespeare's tragedies. No matter if one is reading Othello, Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet, one can't deny the frequent allusions to concep Continue Reading...
Tom Stoppard's play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and the play it was based on, Shakespeare's Hamlet, acting is a major theme and motif. Especially in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, acting signifies the falsity, absurdity, and superf Continue Reading...
Yet despite the fact that the play's title is nothing but his name, Othello is arguably not really the central figure of the story. Iago is far more instrumental in moving the plot forward; it is his (not fully explained) hatred of Othello that the Continue Reading...
Hamlet The play "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare contains a rich diversity of issues and relationships, some of the greatest of which concern those between father and son. These relationships, most notably those between Hamlet and the late King Hamle Continue Reading...
Shakespeare and Insanity An Analysis of Insanity in Four Plays by Shakespeare Shakespeare lived at a time when the old medieval Catholic world was splitting apart and giving rise to the new modern Protestant world. In the midst of this real conflic Continue Reading...
Hamlet's Insanity Hamlet's sanity has been questioned by critics of the play for centuries: is the Dane merely acting in order to fool the spies following him around the castle? -- or does he actually lose his mind? Part of the difficulty is Continue Reading...
We actually feel that we are there, one of the spectators, experiencing the story along with Procne and Philomela. Titus lacks these specificities and cultural details. Similarities, however, may be found in other elements. The imagery in both narr Continue Reading...
" This madness likely leads to Ophelia's suicide but, consistent with the entire theme of this play, the exact nature of Ophelia's demise is left to speculation. The fascination with Hamlet is uncanny. What provides this fascination is the fact that Continue Reading...
Hamlet's Ghost has presented a problem for critics and readers since it first appeared on stage some four hundred years ago. Serving as the pivot upon which the action of the play is established -- Hamlet's father's ghost delivers him important infor Continue Reading...
Hamlet's attitude towards the other female characters in the play, such as Ophelia is shaped by the distrust of women that is engendered by the mother's actions. Many critics have noted the strange and extreme attitude that Hamlet has towards women Continue Reading...
Greenblatt also provides us with some thought into what be hidden in Shakespeare's strange epitaph. Perspective is also gleaned on many of Shakespeare's works, including the Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, Othello, and King Lear IV. He also goes into h Continue Reading...
Of course, the studious scholar might point out that nearly every document produced since the time of Shakespeare must have been influenced by the writer because of the sheer number of vocabulary words he created, but the focus of this essay is lite Continue Reading...
Midsummer and Elizabeth A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedic drama that centers on marriage. Indeed, it is traditionally held that Shakespeare penned the play for a friend's wedding; therefore, it should be no surprise to find that the theme of ma Continue Reading...
trace development Hamlet's Identity play. If choose option, define "identity" clear ways extent Destroying Hamlet's Identity The titular character in William Shakespeare's well noted play Hamlet has fascinated audiences and literary critics for qu Continue Reading...
'Both periods' she says 'are caught up the exhilaration and fearfulness of living inside a gap in history, whenthe paradigms that structured the past seem facile and new paradigms uncertain'. The alignment of the Renaissance reality with the existen Continue Reading...
Ophelia's burial and funeral. At the beginning of the scene, two clowns (gravediggers) make jokes about death and also wonder whether Ophelia was a good Christian woman and worthy of burial in a Christian cemetery. Finally, the two gravediggers make Continue Reading...
Hamlet out of Love When Hamlet arrives home from school, he finds his father dead and his mother remarried to his uncle. Hamlet caustically remarks that “the funeral baked meats / Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables” (1.2.87-88) Continue Reading...
This sudden tragedy occurs, no less, just as Ophelia is to happily crown the hanging boughs of the tree, which symbolically represents the happy instance that must have occurred just prior to the play's opening -- Hamlet's engagement to Ophelia. As Continue Reading...
Crucible and What I Have Learned Arthur Miller's The Crucible is a dramatic, engaging work that challenges the reader/viewer to see beneath the "black and white" dichotomy by which the world is simplistically characterized via such "venerable" inst Continue Reading...
Hamlet does not just put practice his deception on those he views in an adversarial manner, however, but also on his former friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. When they attempt to question him as to what is wrong with him, he seems to be giving Continue Reading...
Polonius: A Literature Review As chief counselor to the king of Denmark, Polonius plays an important and nefarious role in Shakespeare’s Hamlet—yet his words are often quoted out of context and it is Polonius, the spying, lying, manipulat Continue Reading...
One of the best examples in the play is that of the name of Ernest, with which both Gwendolyn and Cecily seem to fall in love in the most superficial manner. Wilde ironically points out that his age is one of ideals, but to this Gwendolyn gives her Continue Reading...
Irony in "Soldier's Home" -- Irony is a device used by writers to let the audience know something that the characters in the story do not know. There is usually a descrepancyt between how things appear and the reality of the situation. Often the char Continue Reading...
Introduction William Shakespeare and Robert Burns are both iconic figures in the UK. Also known as the Bard of Avon, Shakespeare is often regarded as England’s national poet. Shakespeare is also considered the world’s greatest English wr Continue Reading...
room in the castle. Enter OTHELLO, LODOVICO, DESDEMONA, EMILIA and Attendants LODOVICO I do beseech you, sir, trouble yourself no further. OTHELLO O, pardon me: 'twill do me good to walk. LODOVICO Madam, good night; I humbly thank your ladysh Continue Reading...
Abstract This paper examines the death penalty as a deterrent and argues that states have not only the right but the duty to apply the death penalty to criminal cases because it is incumbent upon states to back the law with force. The death penalty Continue Reading...
Hawking, Stephen William. The Universe in a Nutshell. New York: Bantam, 2001. The respected physicist Stephen W. Hawking attempts to introduce the average layperson to the physical principles of the material universe in his book entitled The Univers Continue Reading...
"So Wieland wrought a goodly store of rings alike to that his Swan-wife gave him, and strung them on a hempen cord against his wall: amongst them all she should not recognize her own" (Wagner 102). A king named Neiding (Envy)takes Wieland captive, b Continue Reading...
Tragedy & Comedy One popular method of distinguishing between a comedy and a tragedy has always been by virtue of whether a play or film has a happy or tragic ending. Today, however, it is largely considered that a tragedy can be comic in parts, Continue Reading...
When Hamlet hands the kingdom over to Fortinbras at the end of the play, we see the importance of Fortinbras' character. The masculine and the feminine are at odds in Hamlet. Gertrude represents a side of the female that is questionable at best. Wh Continue Reading...
This final dinner scene and the ensuing bloodbath wrings ever last possible ounce of gory drama out of the script; the talking ceases for a time while the camera observes the members of the dinner party all enjoying the pies that contain the blood a Continue Reading...
Analysis of Michael Almereyda's interpretation of the Ghost in Hamlet 2000: The Micheal Almereyda version of Hamlet, released in the year 2000, has a contemporary setting. The story takes place in New York City with a modern and corporate twist. H Continue Reading...
Simultaneously, he forces a man long upheld as honest in the highest Venetian circles into scheming and manipulations; these are roles which Iago takes on too readily, suggesting a certain familiarity, but it must be preserved that no earlier instan Continue Reading...
Weave of Hatred in Othello The first sign of hatred in Othello is made by Roderigo who says to Iago of the Moor, "Thou toldst me thou didst hold him in thy hate" (1.1.7), though there is never a substantial reason given -- merely excuses (he was pa Continue Reading...
