Upon Malvolio’s entrance in Act II Scene V, Sir Toby states “here’s an overweening rogue!” (Act 2, scene 5, line 27) after plotting with Fabian and Maria to punish Malvolio, referring to him as a “little villain” (Act 2, scene 5, line 12). Upon his entrance in the scene, Malvolio states his ambitions for nobility, “To be Count Malvolio!’ (Act 2, scene 5, line 32) to the group. The disdain the other characters have for Malvolio throughout the play is only met with vanity, hubris and patronizing comments on Malvolio’s part, doing very little to conjure any remorse for the character following his downfall later in the play. Malvolio opposes the fun and festivities of the “Twelfth Night” and chastises the characters in the play several times for their celebrations. Malvolio questions their actions in the form of patronizing dialogue by asking “My masters,
BMadness is a state of mind that is often explored in William Shakespeare’s dramas in order to evoke a reaction—often of sympathy or pity—from the audience. While this madness often ends in an undesirable manner, none is more tragic and appealing than Hamlet’s Ophelia. While her lines are set in Shakespeare’s original script, her actions must be directed to achieve the appropriate response from the audience; in the 1996 version of Hamlet, directed by Kenneth Branagh, Ophelia’s deranged state of mind is portrayed in such a way that entices the audience and brings them to tears. The slightly modern nineteenth century setting acts as a common ground between Shakespeare’s Elizabethan era and today’s modern world. Branagh’s decision to leave the script exactly as Shakespeare wrote it highlights to complexity of the story and adds to the appeal.
Question: Select a scene or passage from Shakespeare’s play Macbeth that you find to be BEAUTIFUL or MOVING. Then discuss the nature of the beauty or force that you find in your selection. One could comment on the power of image created and its effect, the impact that the language (diction) has on the scene and/or audience, the creation of mood, the development and enhancement of motif, the development and enhancement of them, the interconnectedness and reinforcement of the scene to the rest of the play, or perhaps the inherent truth that your selection reveals about the human condition. MACBETH, [aside] Time, thou anticipat’st my dread exploits. The flighty purpose never is o’ertook Unless the deed go with it.
It can be suggested that Shakespeare presents this character in a negative light throughout the play in order to have the audience view his choices and actions negatively too. However, in Great Expectations, it may be argued that Dickens aims to make his audience more sympathetic to Pip and his situation, and therefore allows us to see Pip’s choices in a more positive light. 2. Main – prove my argument * Macbeth – presented negatively – uncontrollable, easily led, power driven, fear vs. bravery, treason What choice did he make? What influences did he have?
Of course MAAN follows Shakespeare’s traditional comedy structure but modern critics have their own agenda that a comedy, being such a complex genre, should conform to. Since the time of the ancient Greeks critics have struggled to define it, Plato described it as a series of events you would ‘blush to practice yourself’. Susan Snyder who writes for the Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare Company, states that - ‘Comedy involves men of middling estate, its perils are small scale, its outcomes peaceful’. This is an excellent summary for the majority of Shakespeare’s plays; however it is not necessarily accurate in relation to MAAN. It is true to say that a comedy involves ‘men of a middling estate’, in MAAN the protagonists share the company of the Prince Don Pedro, and are socially superior to the watchmen such as Dogberry and Verges.
This use of dramatic irony creates humour for the audience as Benedick is unable to defend himself without giving away his identity. The audience also can’t help but wonder if Beatrice does truly know its Benedick that she is talking to. While this is obviously a very comical and light-hearted scene, it contrasts greatly against the character of Don John and the scenes he’s involved in. Don John is the ‘villain’ behind the breakup of Claudio and Hero’s love, by falsely accusing the ‘pure’ Hero of being unfaithful. This shows the darker side of this Shakespeare comedy as Don John is a ‘plain dealing villain’ who ‘cannot hide who he is’.
The characters IL Capitano and Tartuffe both display similar characteristics in terms of them both being pretenious, cowardly liars that are very hypocritical. Certaintly they manipulate people in order to gain a higher social hierarchy and talk themselves up to make them seem more superior to others, when in reality they are obviously not. The themes of a performance are used to express emotions and essence of life, they dramatically influence the audience. Through the main themes of love, lucre, lust and laughter it is clearly evident that Molieres Tartuffe is influenced by Commedia Dell'arte. Furthermore, through this evidence it
Throughout the play Sophocles introduces situations in which the audience and readers understand what is going to happen to Oedipus. One of the most interesting acts of dramatic irony is the scene where Oedipus is insulting Tiresias the prophet about how blind he is. “You can’t hurt me, you night hatched thing! Me or any man who live in light” (Roche, 22). Oedipus intents do insult Tiresias’s blindness, through these statements.
everyone seems to lie; good characters as well as evil ones engage in deceit as they attempt to conceal their feelings: beatrice and benedick mask their feelings for one another with bitter insults; don john spies on claudio and hero; don pedro and his 'crew' deceive benedick and beatrice. who hides and what is hidden? how does deceit function in the world of the play, and how does it help the play comment on life in
Othello Victim or Villain? Ask a literature student to name the most morally reprehensible character they know of, and almost without fail, the name Iago from William Shakespeare's play, Othello, the Moor of Venice will come up. In fact, most would agree that Iago is, without a doubt, the villain of this dramatic tragedy; but is he really? Clarity of mind and a willingness to transcend normal reasoning is necessary for one to discover the true villain in this memorable tragedy. Most readers make a superficial assessment of two of the central characters: Iago and Othello.