In response to this the unpopular King invited the most popular man in the country, William Shakespeare, and his theatre company to be titled The King’s Men, under which they produced new works under his patronage; Macbeth and Othello being two very important examples. When Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, he must have had James’ views in mind as some parts of the play were designed to be complimentary to him. Firstly Banquo (not Macduff) was a non-historical figure that James’ family considered being an ancestor of theirs, therefore Banquo is treated as a saint in the play. Secondly James had a great interest in witches and witchcraft- he published a book on the topic- so when Shakespeare wrote the play the
SHAKESPEARE ASSIGNMENT NOTION OF HONOUR IN HENRY IV PART 1 Henry IV part 1 by Shakespeare is one of his history plays. It is set in the rule of King Henry IV (previously known as Henry Bolingbrook, who became king by overthrowing Richard II). He is musing on the current state of affairs in his kingdom and the unrest. King Henry worries that there is a chance for an uprising and hence, he cannot travel to the holy lands. Nathaniel Vincent in his speech addressed to the King defines honour for us.
‘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.
How has the study of the connection between your set texts shaped your understanding of context and values? The exploration of William Shakespeare’s play ‘King Richard III’ and Al Pacino’s 1996 doco-drama film ‘Looking for Richard’ reveals the explicit relationships between each text and their respective audience. The Elizabethan and twentieth century contexts in each of these texts are important as it demonstrates the value of each text and enables the understanding of how the film enriches the ideas presented in the play. Shakespeare’s ‘King Richard III’ portrays a malicious and corrupted Richard to explore the themes of divine justice and the notion of outer appearance versus inner reality in the theocentric context of the Elizabethan society. Four centuries later, Al Pacino’s ‘Looking for Richard’ reflects the director’s quest to come to terms with a Shakespearean text in a contemporary context, providing a personal examination of the same Richard’s behaviour, whist simultaneously reflects the post modern era with the absence of divine order and the change in views of conscience.
Mustafa Al Bassam Mrs. Jacqueline Wipple Walker English 101: Critical Reading and Composition 22 August 2011 Argument for a Shrewd Duke The article Browning’s Shrewd Duke by author Laurence Perrine focuses on a rebuttal to B.R. Jerman’s article The Witless Duke. Each author’s review of “The Last Duchess,” poem written by Robert Browning, is dramatically different. Perrine’s purpose in writing this article is to criticize Jerman’s 20th century perspective of the character the Duke of Ferrara and to point out that the poem is set during the 16th century when the Duke’s behaviors were accepted and respected. Perrine uses evidence from the poem, as well as pieces of Jerman’s work to argue in favor of an intelligent, shrewd Duke of Ferrara.
The significance of ‘Othello’ today is that Shakespeare is a well-known, respected play writer. The film ‘O’ is perceivably understandable because of the modern adaptations of characters, surroundings as well as music and lyrics. In saying this, critics of ‘O’ today interpret the film as a mockery to Shakespeare’s ‘Othello.’ Appropriations and adaptations are imperative, as it has been altered to a modern film from Shakespeare’s play. Although ‘O’ has been adapted and appropriated from the classical text ‘Othello,’ it still carries the value of fidelity. Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ shows morals and values through each character, giving the perception of an allegory.
Pacino’s Looking for Richard (LFR) draws on Shakespeare’s play King Richard III in his ‘docudrama-like-thing’ pursuing the goal of making Shakespeare more accessible for a notoriously uninterested 20th century audience. Through the connections implicit and explicit between the texts my understanding of the idea of legitimacy and language have been enriched through a relationship between the two texts where the appropriation affects the original text as well as the text influencing the appropriation. Despite differing contextual circumstances, the contestable nature of legitimacy and its fabrication of credibility is reflected in both LFR and RIII, whether it be over Shakespeare or monarchy. The reshaping of ideas in RIII has also illustrates
English Question 1 Essay How has a comparative study of texts aided in your understanding of context in shaping values? The exploration of William Shakespeare’s ‘King Richard III’ and Al Pacino’s 1996 film ‘Looking for Richard’ depicts explicit relationships between the text and their respective audiences. The Elizabethan and 20th century context shapes the various values portrayed within the texts and through this a valuable connection is established. Pacino utilises the 20th century context through anachronisms to modernise the thematic value of Shakespeare. Richard III, in Shakespeare’s play, relentlessly pursues power on his quest for kingship in the late 16th century and this shows his lack of humanity compared with the 20th century.
It also targets Elizabethan audience obliquely as it displays Shakespeare as an authentic man who believes in fate. This theme is also brought forward via emphasis on the role of language in manipulation in this
English Essay The essay statement ‘Shakespeare writes about issues that are relevant today,’ I believe that this statement is correct as though societies have developed and evolved since Shakespearian times; the base structure of our emotional desires remain the same. These issues are illustrated within Shakespeare’s literature ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’. Though it was composed in 1606 over 400 years ago. These themes are also displayed with the recent interpretation of the play; ‘Macbeth Retold’ this film was directed by Mark Brozel during the year 2005. The themes that have been illustrated with in both of the texts are Manhood, the next theme to be discussed is The Corrupting Power of Ambition- an ardent desire for rank, fame, or power.