People have been reading Shakespeare for a very long time, why stop now? Michael Mack presented a speech to college freshmen explaining how reading Shakespeare is important. Reading Shakespeare can provide insight to the real world, preparing you for what is bound to happen. Mack developed an effective argument that clarifies the purpose of reading Shakespeare and how it helps us through his use of rhetorical devices, and evidence. Shakespeare uses many analogies to real life in his plays, which provides readers with an understanding. It may be hard to read at first but once you have read it multiple times you'll feel enlightened. One technique that Mack uses to advance his argument is his use of rhetorical devices. (Line 68-72) "When you …show more content…
(Lines 30-34) “This phenomenon of people having difficulty understanding Shakespeare is hardly new. It predates by centuries our truncated attention spans and our preference for the fast cuts of modern video. It is a problem that the editors of the First Folio addressed in 1623, just seven years after the death of Shakespeare.” Using this piece of evidence Mack proves that even people from Shakespeare’s time admitted it was difficult to grasp Shakespeare’s way of writing. They knew well that it took multiple reads to understand the meanings behind Shakespeare’s words in his plays. (Lines 85-91) “In the case of Macbeth, we have a supreme reflection of ambition. But what makes the play terrifying is not that Macbeth looks like a fascist dictator-a popular staging these days-but because he looks like us. If you don’t see your own overreaching in the phantasmagoric restless ecstasy of Macbeth, you need to read again. Either you don’t understand the true nature of Macbeth’s ambition or you don’t know yourself. Or quite, possibly, both.” Not only does Mack make an allusion to Shakespeare’s play Macbeth but it helps explain his claim. Once again making a mirror connection from the play to real life. Shakespeare, in a way, wrote our stories for us by using real life situations and characters in a way that provides us insight to the possible events that could happen in our
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Show MoreIn lines 3-5 Michael Mack uses a claim. He states this claim from the freshmen point of view. This shows he has an understanding of Shakespeare himself and how the people who read it think. In lines 65-66 he claims Shakespeare is like a lens to the real world. Through this claim he uses logic and compares
In regard to his flaw argument, it say, “Shakespeare offers us a lens on the real world in which we live”(Mack,3).
“Why Read Shakespeare?” On line 129 When he answers this question he is trying to persuade his readers to keep listening, and thinking! On line 14 he also address “there also is music that you don't particularly like
Macbeth was an honorable and loyal soldier to King Duncan. As he stumbled upon the three witches and hearing their predictions. He began to question his future when King Duncan had given a higher rank to his son Malcolm. As if Malcolm was to become king Macbeth’s second prophecy of him becoming king wouldn’t come true or at least it would take a longer time for him to be king. His ambitions toward the crown grew and it slowly but surely began to corrupt his mind.
Throughout the Play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is a man who goes through different characteristical shifts. With the clear use of different analytical techniques in the play macbeth, It makes it easier for us, the readers to deeply follow along from beginning to end. The two techniques that set this play apart from its close competitors are the use of irony and vampirism. These two techniques thoughtfully mentioned in the play macbeth are also related to the Book How To Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. After reading chapter 26 “It’s he serious?
The works of William Shakespeare are often considered timeless pieces of art. There are many factors as to why this is true, some of them being that his story lines are relatable to many generations or the way readers get fully immersed into his writing and screenplay. This immersion can be attributed to different causes. Three different ways that Shakespeare kept his audience engaged during his play Macbeth was through symbolism of food to help give insight on the mood of a scene, intense language and peculiar imagery, and the symbolism of hands. Symbolism, by usage of food, is not only used in Shakespeare’s writings but in many works of art throughout time.
Macbeth’s ambition is one of the most prominent things that drive Macbeth in the play and truly becomes evident when he hears of the Witches prophecies. When the witches stop talking, he demands to know more. “Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more” (I, III, 73-74). This portrays his excessive curiosity on the subject as well as his craving for more desirable prophecies. This ambitious nature and craving for power is also demonstrated only moments after hearing the witches, when he starts formulating a plan to kill Duncan in order to make the third prophecy come true.
Whereas in the text of Macbeth, the setting is first presented as evil, stated by Macbeth “no foul and fair a day I have not seen“. On the contrary Macbeth is presented as ‘brave’ and ‘courageous’, ‘the savior of the day’, this implies that the writers chose the great difference in setting and character for the reader to
Macbeth experiences visions and hallucinations that make him regret the things he did. One vision he has is,
Dramatic irony grabs the attention of the audience by adding more suspense. Soliloquies let the audience know the feelings and thoughts of a character, making them more attentive. Allusions give the audience something to think about and this makes them feel more involved. Overall, William Shakespeare’s marvelous job of the use of literary devices in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet will add to his legacy, not to forget, the title of greatest English-playwright does him
The development and new aspects of each character leads to Shakespeare’s motive.
Lady Macbeth plays a key part in driving Macbeth’s motivations and encourages Macbeth to overcome his strong sense of guilt and take action on the prophecies. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that he is “green” (I.VII.40) and “a coward” (I.VII.46) and that he resembles the proverbial “poor cat”. (I.VII.48) The willingness of Lady Macbeth to reach the epitome of betrayal is displaced that heightens the understanding of the overpowering and strong nature of Lady Macbeth as well as the deep and murderous motivations she wishes to impose on her husband. Shakespeare exposes to the audience to the persuasive and emotive techniques Lady Macbeth uses to manipulate and drive Macbeth's motivations. This
Shakespeare work it appears, was prophetic as he tried, to prepare all for the times to come. The Elizabethan ideology itself became a vehicle that Shakespeare rode on to safety and security convey this message of self-redemption. This itself reveals a man of Shakespeare, deep thought and top-notch
“William Shakespeare’s Impact on Theater” says that “Theater, in particular, has experienced many changes due to his influence,” and without any major influence like Shakespeare to guide the changes of theater, it would be extremely different (Octane 1). Shakespeare introduced many new elements to theater because of how his writing was unique in his time period. Despite this, his writing appealed to many different audiences. For instance, Octane says that “The way in which Shakespeare’s plots move forward has helped define modern play-writing. Similarly, Shakespeare’s complex characterizations have brought forth a new type of storytelling in which characters’ choices drive plots forward” and “His plays were often imbued with universal truths of human existence, rather than acting as mirrors of the privileged life.
Despite being written a long time ago, readers in this day and age can still relate to the themes and characters. Each reader can find something that appeals to them. Shakespeare’s and Jonson’s works are evidence that there is no one definition of great literature. Even though they didn’t have the same approach or use the same techniques, they are both perfect and their works are jewels that need to be cherished in years to