Imagery is one of the most provocative and pervasive forms of literary techniques available and is often used to develop themes and characters. As such, it is no surprise that it is prevalent throughout Shakespeare's plays and regularly employed to develop overarching themes. In his tragic play Othello, Shakespeare uses demonic imagery as a point of contrast between a character’s true nature and the impressions held by others in order to develop the theme of how people’s impressions of others can be deceptive. Shakespeare does this three separate times: first in the false impression of Othello as demonic, then in Othello’s false impression of Desdemona as demonic, and once again in contrasting the honest impression and devilish nature of Iago.
Shakespeare’s ability to illustrate the battle between good and evil is arguably one of his best skills as a writer. Incorporating the art of the morality play, he shows the battle of these two forces for a man’s soul. But the beauty of his writing comes to light in how he shows this process. In both Macbeth and Othello, Shakespeare portrays evil as corrupting, while the source of evil differs. The religious preferences and philosophy of the English Renaissance affected Shakespeare’s writing.
Hamlet himself portrays many different acts of violence in this work such as murder and physical harassment. Violence is a major theme in Hamlet because without it, there would never be an end to the story because no one could ever get the revenge and justice they felt needed. Starting out the play with violence sets a mood for the play, because readers realize that now things can only get worse. Since this play is a tragedy, most readers would expect it to end in the worst way, just like in Romeo and Juliet. Known for setting up major themes in this play such as revenge and betrayal, violence also keeps readers interested and helps
The play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a story of an honorable and loyal soldier, Macbeth, who plummets from grace and ultimately becomes a murderous tyrant. It is human nature that the more power someone desires, the more they will do to obtain it. Throughout the play we see Macbeth’s burning ambitions disclose his extensive desire for this power. In an age where the power of kings directly comes from God, Macbeth’s desire to become king threatens the values and morals of his society. Although Macbeth is manipulated and motivated by his questionably more ambitious wife, Macbeth never completely loses the capacity to make his own choices.
William Shakespeare has created many fascinating characters and the most fascinating being the villains. They comprise of the worst of human vice yet their motives are surprisingly real and easy to relate to with jealousy hatred heartbreak and bitterness. There are a number of villains present in Shakespearean plays like Shylock from The Merchant of Venice, Don John from Much Ado About Nothing, Claudius from Hamlet, Richard iii, Iago from Othello. William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Richard the Third is a masterpiece in the depiction of evil and the study of the psychology of the anti-hero, the villain we love to hate to the point that we almost hope they succeed. Yet we may have been deceived by Shakespeare’s play because he may not have meant us to see King Richard III in it.
Literature is a wonderful thing; it explores the relationships between humans and their nature, historical events, and can be used to express one’s creativity. It can also be used to give moral guidance; this was Arthur Miller’s reasoning behind writing The Crucible. In this dramatic retelling of the Salem trials, Miller ensnares his reader with stories of adultery, betrayal, and material greed. His intention, however, is not to entertain with operatic drama. This play is a cautionary tale about finger pointing and its potentially fatal consequences.
The witches acted as a catalyst in order to speed up Macbeth’s natural ambition (Kemp 94). This idea is reinforced with their own chant of. “Fair is Foul, and Foul is Fair” (1.1.1). Though they seem to be evil, they are in reality not capable of committing such vile crimes themselves, so instead, plant the idea in Macbeth’s head. The witches naturally have a relationship with evil, which Shakespeare portrays throughout the
Though Richard III can also be compared with Macbeth and Claudius, Shakespeare’s presentation of that character projects more of his villainous nature than of his heroic qualities because he is cruel from nature. But Macbeth and Claudius become villains because of the accidental circumstances (Homchaudhuri 240). Macbeth’s epileptic nature, fear of death and also the fear of exposure of his dark silence of the actions reduces his heroic greatness. On the other hand, Claudius is cool and composed though he also bears in his heart, a dark silence. Both of them have their ladylove and they act as direct or indirect boosting power behind their deeds.
In William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, there were several acts of impetuosity shown through several characters. The definition of impetuous according to the website merriam-webster.com is: marked by impulsive vehemence or passion. Romeo, Juliet, and the friar all act on impulse. The three of them believe they are doing what is best for their situations, but in reality they are adding to the plot of the demise of the two lovers. In the play, the three characters Romeo, Juliet, and Friar Lawrence act on impetuosity, which leads to the final tragedy of the play.
Here Johnson emphasis the necessity of poetic justice at the ending. The deficiency of justice and need for a better ending is felt from this perspective to such an extent that the critic questions that how justice could diminish or effect the impact of the play. He states that every rational person likes justice to be done; hence it seems out of question that justice could affect the quality of the play. On the other hand, discussing the same tragic ending of the play “king Lear” the critic fully acknowledges its powerful impact on his mind. He was so shocked by the death of Cordelia in the last scene that he is not sure about being able to read the last scene of the play again.