In his soliloquy in Act 2 Scene 2 Line 380 he’s especially brutal towards Desdemona in his plans showing no shame what so ever. Othello exhibits a part of humans that is able to be tempted and deceived. While a good man at the start, Shakespeare uses this as a template to bring out the green-eyed monster of jealousy in Othello, as an attempt to highlight that quality in each of us. The dream speech in Act 3 Scene 3 Line 466 is where we see Iago makes this happen. As Iago ends Act 1 with his soliloquy, we become sure that dishonesty is one of his most revered qualities.
‘Men were deceivers ever.’ To what extent can it be argued that Shakespeare’s presentation of men’s attitudes to women in ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ allows for comedy? In Much Ado about Nothing, it can be equally argued that men’s attitudes towards women are actually used for comedy purposes, and it can be argued that their attitudes aren’t. For this argument, the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick at the start of the play can be seen as comical to the audience, as they both claim to dislike each other and take pleasure in making rude remarks to one another. On the other hand, the relationship between Hero and Claudio could be seen as quite dark to the audience, as there are accusations and trust issues between the two. The quote ‘men were deceivers ever’ comes from Act 2 Scene 3 of the play, from the song that Balthasar sings.
Symbolizing Sight: Knowledge vs Ignorance in Oedipus the King Oedipus, the character of focus within Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King, is subject to the greatest of ironies due to the play’s motif of sight: through metaphorical sightlessness, which is a case of ignorance, he condemns himself and uses literal blindness as his own punishment. Having been characterized within the literary work as possessing both knowledge and ignorance of his upbringing, metaphorical and literal elements of sight are constantly used to shed light on Oedipus’s experiences throughout the duration of the play. Mostly metaphorical in its usage within the literary work, the characters regularly utilize the terms of “sight” and “blindness” in order to address levels of knowledge or lack thereof as they gradually unravel the story’s underlying truth. The character of Oedipus is a man considered to have great insight and intelligence due to his success in protecting the city of Thebes from the threat of the sphinx by solving its riddle. This makes the situation even more ironic when the audience learns that Oedipus has been ignorant of the true reasons for his placement as king.
However this sense of wickedness contributed an exciting role to society and the values of the characters as well. An excellent example of the characters’ values shows when Lord Darlington informs the Duchess of Berwick that people say many things behind his back all through his life, and this also shows how the Duchess concerns herself with the faults of everyone else, and judges those persons accordingly. Lord Darlington throughout this except of Lady Windermere’s Fan stood as a view of a “wicked” person, because of his personality. The Duchess of Berwick and the lord himself look upon the lord as a “complete failure” and “dreadful” allowing readers to see his insincere actions towards society and basically symbolizing someone of nothingness. The Duchess of Berwick, along with Lady Windermere, also critic other by their judgment of drinking of tea; depending on whoever supplied the tea, the ladies attend that party.
Iago feels that the best way to do so is by manipulating Othello telling him that his wife is cheating on him with Cassio, who Iago coincidently hates as well. Iago reveals, “That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, and will as tenderly be led by the nose as asses are. I have ‘t. it is sengender’d. Hell and night must bring this monstrous birth to the worlds light” (Shakespeare 1.
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 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
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.
The scene begins with him explaining his theory to Valentine, Chloë and Gus. Bernard appears arrogant whilst discussing his theory using language such as “undoubtedly” to support his weak claim. Stage directions present him as domineering and almost aggressive, he’s described as “(…pacing around…)”, an animalistic description. This adds a comical effect to the play because due to the time shifts in previous scenes, we know Bernard is setting himself up for failure and embarrassment. Stoppard further explores the idea of there being a universal pursuit for knowledge in scene 7 when studious characters Hannah and Septimus are on stage at the same time, by this it’s possible Stoppard is trying to express that those who are constantly seeking an answer miss out - Septimus is the hermit Hannah spent so much time looking for.
Iago, who is known as the Machiavellian villain perpetuates the tragedy by bringing forward a hamartia or a fatal flaw from Othello. As soon as the play begins, Shakespeare used dramatic irony to illustrate Othello’s view of Iago as an honest and trustworthy man through his repeated description of “honest Iago” and “a man of exceeding honesty” to the audience. Of course that is not the case, the audience views Iago to be “Janus-faced” and deceptive through his constant declaration of “I am not what I am” and how he “hates the moor”. This juxtaposition is created so that the audience can empathise with Othello. I know I can definitely empathise with him.