The All Powerful Force “Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.” Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor 161-180 A.D. Many people believe in destiny, and that everyone was meant for something. Shakespeare based his play Romeo and Juliet off of the concept of fate and destiny. In his play, the main characters are guided by an all powerful and inescapable force, called fate. In Romeo and Juliet the theme of fate has brought the two main characters together in the most unintentional way.
Preceded by Lear shouting “Hysterica Passio! Down thou climbing sorrow!” we are given an insight into how close Lear is to a breakdown. This further accentuates the duel suffering he must endure. This engaging narrative is incredibly memorable due to Shakespeare’s implantation of this ingenious symbolism. It engages the audience and aids them in relating to the thematic context of the play, highlighting Shakespeare’s
For some people, it may be difficult to speak about death, scary even. The questions that it leaves unanswered, and they loved ones that it has the ability to snatch from us at any time. No matter, the author felt it was of important subject matter. In Literature and Spirituality, Schmidt and Adu-Gyamfi said, “Like other morality plays, from the late Medieval period, it [Everyman] is meant to communicate a simple moral lesson to both educated and illiterate audiences.” (265) In this play, the main character is named Everyman. People in our society and in all the ones before can relate to death and Everyman is a perfect name because he represents us.
Branagh v. Zeffirelli Considered among the most powerful and complicated play of Shakespeare’s works, Hamlet has made a lasting impression on its audience. Multiple renditions have been produced and broadcasted, each having their own style and scenarios. However, two particular interpretations of the play have been noted as the most passionate and distinguished leaders within Shakespearean films. These films were directed by distinguished individuals, Kenneth Branagh and Franco Zeffirelli, each having distinct convictions about Hamlet. Known for producing one of the most renowned and successful depictions of Hamlet, director Kenneth Branagh has transformed the world of Shakespearean films.
The characters that have self-centered ambitions and create violence are some of the more memorable characters in the play. Ordinarily, Macbeth or his wife, Lady Macbeth might come to your mind right away. Although, there is a fair amount of characters that have honorable ambitions as well, such as Macduff. Shakespeare explores all the different angles of ambition through almost a microscopic lens not missing anything. Really showing you what is too much ambition and what the consequences are.
“Life ... is a tale, Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”― William Shakespeare, Macbeth. Shakespeare wrote numerous plays in which he gave great life lessons. In one of his most known work, Macbeth- a tragedy story that follows Macbeth on his path to power, in which Shakespeare dramatizes this and shows the audience the effect on people who seek power for its own sake. In this play there are many soliloquies, Looking into 3 main soliloquies: Lady Macbeth (1.5.44-60), Macbeth (2.1.42-73) and Macbeth (5.5 .19-30). Based on the understanding and the outstanding life lessons it has in it, the best one is Macbeth (5.5 .19-30).
“She is the consummate seductress; the witchcraft hysteria in the play originates in her carnal lust for Proctor” (Schissel 3). Abigail is the core of “The Crucible”, everything originates in her desire for Proctor, and the way she achieves her goals. “Abigail is the most complex of the girls in the town who cry out against their elders. Both clever and cunning, her intense cynicism toward the so called respectability of the town is partly supported in the way that we see them act” (Abbotson 1). She has so many layers to her character that we as readers can explore.
In literature, conflicts are needed. Conflicts move the plot forward, and without conflicts, stories are completely dull. Antigone, a very famous play written by Sophocles, is a Greek tragedy. Antigone is about a young brave woman named Antigone standing up against the king of ancient Thebes, Creon, defying his laws, and dying with honor. The conflicts of Individual Vs. Authority, Male Vs.
S.T Coleridge refers to Shakespeare’s swan song, The Tempest, as a play “for all ages,” and this quote rings true in the light of the fascinating study of the presentation of Prospero, the play’s protagonist. Prospero’s complexity stands out against the binary archetypes of Jacobean drama, and this great wizard not only teaches the audience about accepting humanity, but embracing it. He reveals a reflection of the Bard himself, as well as that of our very being. To quote Gooder, Prospero “could give God a good fight.” The audience instantly gets a sense of the extent of Prospero’s power through the tempest that he casts in Act 1 Scene 1. Ferdinand’s cry of “Hell is empty and all the devils are here” clearly illustrates the psychological destruction that Propsero’s art can carry.
In this context, Clement Scott, the influential critic of the Daily Telegraph, observes that Wilde “has fascinated us with a savage.” (79) Another illustration of Wilde’s toleration is depicted in the acutely narcissistic personality of Mrs Cheveley of the play An Ideal Husband. Mrs Cheveley is presented as a vagrant woman who indulges in frivolous activities such as stealing brooches and disturbing the conjugal harmony of others in pursuit of her personal gains. Yet Wilde holds no contempt for her. In the end of the play, he simply obliterates Mrs Cheveley from the scene “unredeemed but unpunished.”