A ship is “bleed and calm’d” when the wind is taken out of it’s sails, and this reflects how Iago feels at being passed over promotion by Othello. Furthermore, reiterating the point that Iago displays utter contempt for Othello, Iago states that he has to continue with being his “Moorship ancient.” Iago here has used a pun on the respectful word “worship”. His pun mocks both Othello’s race and character. Possibly the only point throughout the play, where Roderigo is perceptive, is where he
The Fools songs, riddles and jokes are a source of comic relief, used to break up the intensity of scenes. The Fool appears to have a deceptively simple part in the play when in actual fact his role is of key significance. The Fool and Lear have a fascinating relationship throughout the play. Lear seems to depend on his Fool increasingly to be his voice of reason or his conscience, because he reminds Lear of all his mistakes and manipulates his feelings into realising them. This is a great irony as the King who is supposed to be wise is in-fact a fool, yet the Fool himself is full of
How far do you agree that ‘The play King Lear presents us with a bleak and cruel world and offers us no comfort at the end?’ Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ falls under Aristotle’s definition of tragedy, with the fact that the characters are royal, and therefore have an enormous amount to lose. Moreover, the destructive downfall of not only King Lear but most of the characters in the play is due to the fatal flaw of pride in the king. The embellished language in the play is mainly in verse, and coupled with the unusual language forms of The Fool and Edgar as ‘Poor Tom’, this further links the play with the traditional definition of tragedy. ‘This fellow has banished two on’s daughters and did the third a blessing against his will.’ Untangling the meaning on The Fool’s words can be difficult, but it is clear he is the voice of reason and wisdom whispering in Lear’s ear throughout the play. Despite all this negativity, it would be a great over-simplification to assume that the overall play ‘presents us with a bleak and cruel world and offers no comfort at the end’, though this is an easy assumption to make given the obvious bleakness that infects the play throughout.
Claudio and Hero share a conventionality, and compliant behaviour which contrasts sharply with Benedick's/Beatrice’s independent spirit, jaded opinions about the opposite sex, and their shared eccentric wit. Standard comedic pieces are utilised to address rigid social conventions and present often taboo concepts, that otherwise wouldn’t have been tolerated but within this instance are accepted as a form of social release as they make light of aspects of the society they inhabit. Within this comedic instance Benedick/Beatrice reprise the role of ‘Jesters’(with their self-proclaimed abstinence to marriage “I would not marry”) characters allowed to override social convention and converse with liberty despite their lack of nobility or title as their words are masked by comic delivery. ‘Jester’ is reference to the source of amusement within the king’s court and often the unlikely source of guidance and counsel as he unlike any other can speak freely without trepidation of persecution as because of his station he is not taken seriously. Such as the case with Benedick/Beatrice as their obscene outbursts and not only tolerate but applauded as the audience can because of the context of the piece easily
In the play ‘Educating Rita’ cruelty and cynicism feature a great deal. One of the main characters, Frank, is cynical. Frank’s personality portrays him as a miserable old man who cannot see the good in anybody, including Rita. For example, Frank thinks that Rita is only trying to change herself because it will look good to others when they meet her rather than seeing that she is really trying to change her life for the better, not for selfish reasons. When Frank is on the phone to Julia he refers to Rita as “some silly woman” and this portrays him to be cynical because even though he has never met Rita he is already making assumptions about her in a negative manner.
Wilde: Flaunting Societal Flaws with Literary Device The Importance of Being Earnest is a product of the “sober and dutiful earnestness” that (Tosh 12) commanded the times coupled with the author's palpable disdain for the same. Like his main characters Jack/Ernest Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, Oscar Wilde relies heavily on a purposeful duality; as an effective mechanism of humor, he stands the societal mores of the day on end, while the subtext beneath the comedy, fluff and wit, fingers the despicable hypocrisy of Victorian Society that ultimately brought Wilde to personal ruin (Grill 7). Wilde's writing reflects his own philosophies, namely his devotion to art above truth, and his highly prized individualism (Gale 1201). He himself has described The Importance of Being Earnest as "about characters who trivialize serious matters and solemnize trivial matters,” the very epitome of Victorian manners (Mitchell 262). Along this vein, Wilde calls on an arsenal of literary devices with which he reproaches a puerile Victorian society for holding ideals absent of sincerity, it's use of marriage as the currency of social status, and for maintaining the class divide.
A close critical analysis of Twelfth Night can reveal how Shakespeare manipulates the form, structure, and language to contribute to the meaning of his plays. Form Through the form of dialogue Shakespeare conveys the relationship between characters. For example, the friendship and understanding between Olivia, and her servant Feste, the clown, is shown in their dialogue in Act 1, Scene 5. In this scene Shakespeare shows that both characters are intellectuals by constructing their colloquy in prose. Characterising Feste, Shakespeare gives him the aphorism, Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.
When Hamlet explains,“ this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul…”, the “why” adds a tone of confusion, hinting that not even Hamlet can explain as to why he feels this way about the air. The sentences that follow continue the pattern of being an antithesis, with Hamlet describing man with great admiration, but then contradicts what he just said with, “Man delights not me”. Hamlet’s usage of antithesis reflects how he repeatedly contradicts his own thoughts throughout the play. Because of his father’s recent death, Hamlet’s mentality is confused, uncertain, and pessimistic. His disinterest in the world he knows is beautiful confirms the depressed state he is in.
Jaques is the opposite of everything that Rosalind stands for, wallowing in an overtly cynical nature as Jaques’s character is remarkable for his melancholy and introspection. Although we cannot deny that he is the perfect embodiment of the quintessential melancholy man who took centre stage in the time of Shakespeare- extract enjoyment from, we see that he adds a fitting contrast to the theme of pastoral romance the corrections of which Shakespeare was greatly satirising through this character. In Jaques we find, Shakespeare representing the typical courtier, distinguished from those of the utopian forest. Jaques’s major function is to act as a commentator on society as well as introducing a comedic aspect to the play. A key theme within the play is country versus court and Jaques successfully identifies this theme through his remarks on the Lords and Duke Senior.
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.