English Essay:-Common Assessment 1 How does Shakespeare present Caliban to the audience in the first two Acts of “The Tempest”? I will be writing an essay in which I will mention points Caliban. The points will include how Shakespeare presented Caliban to the audience. I will explore how he is shown as a character and how this influences the audience. One of the main points about Caliban that influences the audience is about Caliban’s appearance, he has often been described as less than human and more of a monster, as a character a lot of his appearance influences how you may think about him, some examples of quotes from the text are “a thing most brutish” or “Not honoured with a human shape:- Here Prospero’s point of view is expressed and the audience is made aware that in Prospero’s eyes Caliban is not that important and a completely different person that doesn’t need to be respected, he treats him badly and insults him so you may think that Prospero needs to treat Caliban better, and not just go on his looks or on the other hand you may think that prospero’s point of view is right and that if he looks hideous he must have a hideous personality aswell.
They would play practical jokes on the travelers, and this is what Hal encounters in his play. Many of these connections between all of the characters and Edwards life is a big part of the authorship debate, and it is what Oxfordians like to use when they are arguing over who wrote the works. Because the authorship debate between Edward de Vere, the 17th earl of Oxford, and William Shakespeare has gone on for many years, many arguments have started, and much has been proven. The way Edwards education was far superior to shakespeares, how he had connections to Queen elizabethan, and how his personal life connected to many characters from many plays are all very strong and valid proof that Edward de Vere is is the true author of the works from shakespeare, and not the man who just took credit for unbelievable stories, plays, and many
‘The Tragedy of King Richard the 3rd’ was a revolutionary play of its time due to its appeal of all classes ranging from the noblest Queen to the street pheasant. King Richard also explores the concept of what it means to be evil; Pacino’s film reflects this giving an insight on the faces, motives and free will of Richard. Shakespeare’s integrity lies in his accessibility to an audience and his ability to explore values within his plays. King Richard is a man who presents copious ideological characteristics and also throws into confusion many traditional values set into the mindsets of the Elizabethan and post-Elizabethan peoples. The opening lines of the play have Richard speak directly to the audience in the form of a soliloquy ‘Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious by this son of York,’ this metaphor is a direct link to the character of Richard, a man who is discontent.
One of Fo’s most known works is “Can’t pay won’t pay!” in which he uses Farce and other dramatic conventions to influence and motivate the audience about contemporary issues. As Fo’s work gained popularity he became not only a source of entertainment for people but a spokesperson in which he brought up matters that affected the society around him. Fo uses Farce as a dramatic weapon which influences and motivates the audience while educating them about contemporary matters. This is seen in the famous play “can’t pay won’t pay!” in which farce is used to expose the corruption of the government and how the working-class families are being unrightfully ripped off by the higher authorities. This is mainly presented through the character of Giovanni who symbolises the common people and is used by Fo to relate to the audience and make them reflect upon themselves.
In Shakespeare’s The Taming of The Shrew, role reversals and identity changes of the characters cover up an important part and lead the plot till the end. These role reversals, starting with Christopher Sly, generally contribute to the comedic extent of the play by creating paradoxical situations and conflicts between the characters. However Shakespeare also implies several social messages and underlines deeper issues through the role reversal theme. Pointing out the reversal of characters, socially or characteristically, Shakespeare reveals social hierarchies being imposed over people and the dilemma between the public and real personalities, arising from pure conformation to the society. In addition, he reflects his opinion over certain God-given attributes of people which will always remain unchanged no matter how much masked in front of the society.
Although both texts vary in context, they still posses the resemblance in relation towards the messages and themes conveyed. Shakespeare and Junger both examine the principles of social hierarchy through different contexts and mediums in ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ and ‘10 Things I Hate About You’. Shakespeare’s Elizabethan play ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ highlights the crucial convention of social hierarchy which is dependent on nobility and economic stability in order to determine the social roles and social orders for each individual in the Elizabethan context. Shakespeare verifies social roles and social order through the use of dramatic irony as Lucentio disguises himself as a middle class tutor stating ‘...let me be a slave, to achieve that maid...’, so that he is able to woo Bianca, although later he conforms to his original upper class rank in order to ultimate his marriage with her. Shakespeare draws attention to the confining rigidity of social roles in
“What is the Historical Significance Behind Hamlet?” Hamlet is a play written by the great William Shakespeare. The main character, Hamlet, was a Danish prince whose father had just been killed under mysterious circumstances. To make matters worse, his uncle Claudius, had taken the throne and married Hamlet’s mother Gertrude. The play deals with tragedy, madness, love, and sorrow which makes it one of the greatest plays that Shakespeare has ever written. When reading this play, a fascinating question that comes to mind is the question of whether or not this play is based on historical events.
Campbell in the novel was a playwright, so he was used to manipulating whatever he needed in order to achieve a more suitable end, as a writer manipulates his story for a better end. The irony of the situation was that Campbell himself is manipulated throughout the book just like the characters in his stories are; first by the Nazi, then the Americans, and then again by the Russians. As in most of Vonnegut’s works, a common idea that can be found is the concept of free will (or the absence of it). Some of the major characters in Vonnegut’s stories struggle with their own choices and the dilemma of accepting fate,
By gaining knowledge and understanding about the social situations that existed in the times of Shakespeare and that of the real Macbeth, you are providing yourself with an advantage, which entitles you to a deeper understanding of the metaphors and meanings in the play. “Macbeth” is often considered a cautionary tale; a once innocent and honourable man driven to kill his own king for the sake of power and greed then pushed to madness after his guilt overcomes him. By researching and taking into account the social realities of those times, we realise that an underlying message of the play is that the need to gain power through violence is not necessary but is a hard thing to stop once started. By understanding the philosophical situations and beliefs that existed in the times of Shakespeare and of Macbeth we know that the play itself is a metaphor; that choices have consequences and that its not always easy to live with those consequences. ‘The Great Chain of Being’ plays a powerful part in the story and having an understanding about the chain, where everyone has a specific rank, which God bestows upon him or her, and to try and change your position was considered a crime against God.
Many elements can be looked at in Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. Whether examining character motivation, the use of symbols, or comparing two speeches, like Antony’s and Brutus’s speeches to the plebeians about the complex characters and plot structure of this play shows Shakespeare’s amazing play writing ability. Trust and Friendship and the manipulation of it by the characters to accomplish their goals is a major theme through out Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. Without this element, many critical actions would not take place, and the play would not work, such as Caesar going to the senate house, and Brutus joining the conspirators. With the planning of Caesars downfall, those plotting against him knew that first they must gain his trust; else their plot would be easily foiled.