Discuss the importance of reputation in Othello Othello was written in a time when society was structured in a certain way, and being able to transcend this hierarchy was no easily done. Although Shakespeare is famous for his stories of love breaking barriers, such as Romeo and Juliet, they are nevertheless present throughout. Reputation, therefore, plays a key role in each character’s position and the characters are aware of this, creating different outcomes. Reputation is very important to Othello, as it is all that saves him from the criticism of the Venetians. Othello is well aware of this, assuring Iago that “my services which I have done the signiory shall out tongue his complaint”.
Furthermore, the traditional image of Brutus as a cruel traitor to his close friend has also been reworked in Shakespeare's play. Although Brutus takes part in the conspiracy to murder Caesar despite his close ties to him, Brutus's actions are based on genuinely noble reasons. Brutus is the true hero of the play because, unlike the other conspirators, his motivation is based on keeping the Roman republic from coming under the rule of an emperor; furthermore, while Caesar and Antony both have virtuous qualities, their flaws are much less forgivable than that of Brutus's. Brutus’s motivation for killing Caesar is more noble than that of the other conspirators, who were driven by envy. In the beginning of the play, as Caesar rakes in adoration from the common people, Cassius reveals his jealousy over Caesar’s popularity and power: “it doth
More than these, I think Lear is motivated by his idea that he is a good man. One thing that supports is when Kent says “I’ll tell thee thou dost evil,” (Act I, Scene I, Line 175) and Shakespeare writes the king as reacting in a frenzy, going so far as to say “This moment is thy death,” (Act I, Scene I, Line 190). By portraying the king in this way, Shakespeare causes us to judge him as unstable and mental. While his actions thus far have been rash, him reacting in this way, and him banishing his daughter saying, “Here I disclaim all my paternal care, Propinquity and property of blood,” (Act I, Scene I, Lines 117-118). From these thing, it is made clear that Lear is not only rash and insecure but also thoughtless and stupid.
Sometimes the question arises of whether one should follow divine law over human law and vice versa. This becomes one of the main conflicts in Sophocles' Antigone. The second choral ode in Antigone suggests that man's greatness lies in striving to overcome death, but it is also his downfall if he disregards justice and divine law and the fear of death present within the rest of the population. Thebes has been able to recover from the battle between Polyneices and Eteocles, leading to the coronation of Creon and become a functioning society. We see that the society attempts to perfect itself as much as possible in the mortal life because we only have one life before we enter the afterlife.
Creon shows hubris because he asks this to Teiresias because he is king and has excessive pride. He believes that because he is king and believes that he can’t be talked to a certain way. Creon is the tragic hero because he displays hubris in the play. Anagnorisis is when the tragic hero realizes his or her mistake. Capturing Antigone and not letting her burry Polynices was a mistake that Creon had made.
This takes away from the playwright because he cannot wow the audience with original ideas. Still, Sophocles is still a very good playwright and it shows all throughout Oedipus Rex. By far the most ironic thing in the book is its name, Oedipus Rex. Oedipus thought he became the king of Thebes because he killed the dreadful Sphinx, which at the time was the only reason he could’ve became king, but as we progress on into the story, we see that he was actually the son of Laius. Laius was the king of Thebes before Oedipus, so Oedipus would have been king because he was the heir to the throne.
He asks Canterbury if England's claim to France is strong enough to go to war over with the strict injunction to tell the truth, because "never two such kingdoms did contend without much fall of blood, whose guiltless drops are every one a woe"(I.ii.24-26). King Henry tells Canterbury that war must only be waged for just and valid reasons since it "makes such waste in brief mortality"(I.ii.28). The King gives the impression of a man who values human life greatly and appreciates the sacrifices that are inescapable in any war. He and his advisors are still talking when a messenger from the Dauphin arrives, holding a gift from France. King Henry is gracious
In the Renaissance, the humility of the Middle Ages was completely thrown out, only to be replaced with people wearing extravagant clothing and consuming themselves in their image. Machiavelli stresses this point in The Prince. He repeatedly describes how a prince does not necessarily have to be a compassionate or loving prince. As long as he can act the part, he will do well, and therefore succeed as a prince. In his book, Machiavelli writes that the politics of the royals were mostly showmanship, and not genuine concern for the title.
When Henry VIII became king of England in 1509, Wolsey became the King's almoner. Due to the nature of the primary counsellors whom Henry VIII inherited from his father, Wolsey quickly rose to power. Richard Foxe and William Warham were cautious and conservative, advising the King to be a careful administrator like his father. A young, ambitious warrior king Henry did not agree with them, therefore he rapidly disposed of them, leaving their positions open to an upcoming Wolsey. Some might say that Wolsey’s rise to power was based solely on luck however the strongest argument suggests that it wasn’t solely based on luck and that Wolsey was a skillful man.
In this he is far more moral than Angelo who rejected Mariana when her dowry was lost; Claudio is, as Lucio remarks (Act I sc ii) ‘ever precise in promise-keeping.' Angelo, and Claudio's death sentence Angelo's insistence to Escalus in Act II sc i that Claudio deserves the death sentence, becomes highly ironic and significant: his words, unknown to himself at the time, pronounce his own death-sentence: When I that censure him do so offend, Let mine own judgement pattern out my death, And nothing come in partial. By judging Claudio so severely, Angelo places himself in peril of equally severe judgement. The ‘measure' he metes out to Claudio will be the measure he himself may receive: see alsoIntroduction. Isabella and Claudio Isabella, too, reveals much of her character through her reaction to Claudio and his actions: • Although Juliet is a friend whom Isabella regards as ‘my cousin Juliet' (Act I sc iv) she nevertheless so disapproves of their behaviour that she cannot bring herself to name their act of