The History Boys – Coursework titles 1. It has been suggested that in The History Boys “Women in the play are side-lined just as they are in society and education as a whole.” How does Bennett employ comedy devices to present his female characters and their views? 2. “Women’s roles are often stereotypes in dramatic comedy.” To what extent do you believe this to be the case in relation to The History Boys? 3.
Malvolio is used in Twelfth Night to personify the notion of Lent and order in the text and is the butt of the comedy in the sub-plot. The conspirators Sir Toby, Mary, Sir Andrew, Feste, and to an extent Fabien, are the characters who are the creators of the gulling of Malvolio. Whether or not the joke is thought to go too far is, in my opinion, dependent on the audience. For example, an Elizabethan audience could potentially find the play more humorous than a modern 21st Century audience. In the late 1600s, individuals to be considered 'mad' were thought to have been possessed by the devil or some other evil spirit, and so were mocked and considered dangerous and unapproachable (as suggested by Sir Toby in Act 3 Scene 4 “defy the devil”).
In effect this makes a true friend, however some believe it was the Fool's constant remarks that drove Lear to madness. Some critics argue that The Fool actually is Cordelia or a representative of her. Others consider him to be an aspect of Lear's alter ego. Technically Shakespeare seems to use the Fool as a vehicle for pity or as a dramatic chorus. The Fools songs, riddles and jokes are a source of comic relief, used to break up the intensity of scenes.
There were two incidents of ad hominem that I found in the speech. Kane refered to Gettys as “the evil domination” and “the downright villiany.” Rhetorical devices try to draw an emotional response from the reader or listener. The rhetorical devices I found in this speech included: Alliteration, hyperbole, and euphemism. Alliteration is described as the same consonant sound repeated in a number of words in a sentence. One instance that this was used is occurs when Kane stated “the working man and the slum child know they can expect my best efforts in their interests.
'Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.' Shakespeare's plays were written to be performed to an audience from different social classes and of varying levels of intellect. Thus they contain down-to-earth characters who appeal to the working classes, side-by-side with complexities of plot which would satisfy the appetites of the aristocrats among the audience. His contemporary status is different, and Shakespeare's plays have become a symbol of culture and education, being widely used as a subject for academic study and literary criticism. 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.
But it raises an interesting question: what kind of doctor is Dr. Heidegger? What are the different kinds of foolishness we see in "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment"? What distinguishes each of the four guests from the others? Chew on This Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate. In illustrating the foolishness of his characters, Hawthorne condemns his readers as fools as well.
Is it the way Shakespeare portrays relationships between characters? Or is it how he uses trickery and deceit throughout the whole of the play? These are subjective questions, but there are three elements that are apparent throughout Much Ado about Nothing. The three elements that function in the play are conversation, overhearing, and gossip (which can act as a platform for miscommunication). First of all, how does conversation function in Much Ado about Nothing?
The reader may feel his or her sympathies for Tom shifting back and forth, and the conclusion of the play may not resolve the ambivalence that the reader feels for this important character. Write an essay in which you articulate your feelings towards Tom, both as a character and as the narrator. Consider how your feelings about him—namely, whether he is a sympathetic character—influence your reading of the play and, possibly, influence your feelings about other characters. Conclude with an observation about the significance of Williams’ choosing Tom as the narrator, as opposed to another character or an omniscient narrator. Thesis Statement / Essay Topic #3: Helpless Women in The Glass Menagerie?
Since the play would be generally watched by the upper classes, Wilde implicitly mocked them through the use of excellent wits and epigrams. Paradoxes are also utilised in the play in many ways. Simon Bubb believes paradoxes are ‘self-contradictory and mischievously nonsensical. but provides a
Waiting for Godot, unlike many plays follows no specific plot, a concept in which most conventional plays ought to have in order to rope in an audience member to the contents and morals of the play. Waiting for Godot uses the absence of a plot to convey the plays meaning, which is something out of the ordinary for plays of this time. By creating a circular and symmetrical structure in the play, Beckett implies that if one does not break the mold of the human condition, then nothing will get accomplished in the persons life.