This is, in a way, a type of situational irony, however it occurs on a scale that implies fate is involved; the ironic incident is caused by an "act of god" not by something the character set into motion. The author of a piece of literature may dist Continue Reading...
Romeo and Juliet: Act II Close Reading of one of Juliet's speeches from "The Balcony Scene," Act II, Scene II -- the theme of 'star crossed' (i.e. doomed) love
JULIET
Well, do not swear: although I joy in thee,
I have no joy of this contract to ni Continue Reading...
Romeo and Juliet to the entire play
The play Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare is an engaging play on love and the circles of love relationships mainly between two central characters who also form the title of the play, Romeo and the Continue Reading...
The friar puts on an act pretending he does not know what is actually happening. Therefore we have make believe within the play. The irony can be found once again, this time in the fact that Juliet will go to church just like she was supposed to on 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...
Irony is often defined as saying one thing, yet doing or meaning something else. The use of irony can be seen in Sonnet 57 when the poet says: "Nor dare I question with my jealous thought / Where you may be, or your affairs suppose." Clearly, altho Continue Reading...
Short story -- A brief story where the plot drives the narrative, substantially shorter than a novel. Example: "Hills like White Elephants," by Ernest Hemingway.
Allusion -- A casual reference in one literary work to a person, place, event, or ano Continue Reading...
Per cio che, secondo che egli le mostrava, niun d' era che non-solamente una festa ma molte non-ne fossero, a reverenza delle quali per diverse cagioni mostrava l'uomo e la donna doversi abstenere da cos' fatti congiugnimenti, sopra questi aggiugnen Continue Reading...
Mark Twain's realism in fully discovered in the novel The adventures of Huckleberry Finn, book which is known to most of readers since high school, but which has a deeper moral and educational meaning than a simple teenage adventure story. The simpli Continue Reading...
“One is not born but rather becomes a woman.” This famous statement by the French existential feminist Simone de Beauvoir highlights the fact that gender, as opposed to physical sex, is something into which someone is socialized, not whic Continue Reading...
Elizabethan Theater
Elizabethan theatre is a general concept embodying the plays written and performed openly in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I from 1558 to 1603. The term can be applied more generally to also incorporate theatre of E Continue Reading...
Great Gatsby: A World of Illusion
The 1920s were a time of change for America. The war was over and America was ready for some fun. The poor lived in a world of little opportunity and destitution, while the rich threw lavish parties in exquisite ga Continue Reading...
Rob Reiner's 1987 film The Princess Bride enjoyed only moderate box office revenues, but developed popular underground appeal and has become a cult classic. The enduring respect for Reiner's quirky romantic comedy is immediately apparent: it is far f Continue Reading...
(Shakespeare V.ii.201-4)
In these scenes, the Chorus adds something significant to the play.
The Chorus encourages us to use our "imaginary forces" and create the "might monarchies./Whose high upreared and abutting fronts/the perilous narrow ocean Continue Reading...
Shakespeare's Play "All's Well that ends well" -- a Critique
Conflict between generations is a theme prevalent in many of Shakespeare's tragedies, histories, and comedies. Romeo and Juliet struggle against their parents' feud and values. Hamlet batt Continue Reading...
Fly by Traffic
This phenomenon is found everywhere. It exists in every major metropolitan city, and somehow is able to make its way to residential communities, suburban areas, and even to rural locations from time to time, especially when it may be Continue Reading...