The works of William Shakespeare, most specifically his plays, are cornerstones of western literature. Pieces that were merely intended for public entertainment are now considered timeless, and are still being researched, adapted, and enjoyed hundreds of years later. One of the reasons for this is the strong thematic nature of his stories. The Taming of the Shrew is a play...
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Narratives which lampoon chauvinistic and misogynistic behaviour whilst simultaneously reaffirming their social validity, ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ and ‘Vinegar Girl’ blur the distinction between parody and ideals. Constructed upon the backdrop of a strict renaissance gender hegemony and its leftovers of a similarly gender-driven hierarchy, William Shakespeare and Anne Tyler critique the perception of “Shrewishness” as a product of...
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Coursework English literature Miller constructs protagonists who are destroyed by their obsessive need to defend their masculine self-image. How far do you agree this applies to both Willy Loman and Eddie Carbone? The 1950s, in the USA, was a period of radical change for men in the workplace, as academic attributes became increasingly appreciated and the white collar and corporate...
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Both North and South (1854-55) and A Dolls House (1879) present women as systemically restricted by an 1800’s patriarchal society, which elicits a response of sympathetic relatability within a typical female Victorian reader. Both of these novels are defined by the controversy of binary conflicts, which, if left unresolved, tear apart Gaskell’s Nora and Torvald, but consequently draw Ibsen’s Margaret...
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Shakespeare’s immense impact on the world of literature and language is still present today, over 400 years later. The themes, ideas, and messages across his works, still being relevant today, suggest he was not of an age, but in fact, for all time. Shakespeare transformed nouns into verbs, verbs to adjectives, and suffixes and prefixes were added to adjust the...
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Introduction William Shakespeare's "Coriolanus" delves into the intricate dynamics of class struggle between the poor and noble Romans. This complex tragedy highlights the tensions inherent in a society divided by wealth, privilege, and political power. The narrative is not merely a tale of personal downfall but a reflection on the societal structures that govern human interactions. In "Coriolanus," the plebeians...
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Throughout the play Bennett has made Dakin to appear the most confident and self- assured out of the boys but the audience later find out that this is just an act to cover up his vulnerability. An underlying theme in the history boys is sexuality and throughout the play the audience see that Posner is the only boy that is...
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In both texts, gender and sexuality are presented by the authors as something which is supposed to aid the students in their learning and is a natural component of their education. Miss Brodie, for example, continuously emphasises how important being in her ‘prime’ is to her girls as it is the height of her beauty and allure as a woman....
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Cleopatra is described as someone with infinite variety. ‘age can not wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety’. The way in which Antonys own friend describes Cleopatra this way implies the idea that even though she is incredibly beautiful; which firstly attracted Antony she is in fact hard to work out and determine, due to her constant changing moods...
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As seen in the first few sentences Shakespeare displays how shocked and confused Cleopatra is that the love of her life and the warrior and protector of so many has been defeated. It could be said that she feels that for this to happen the world must be changed, and for the worst as ‘young boys and girls are equal...
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Two of Shakespeare’s plays which focus heavily on the theme of gender are The Taming of the Shrew and Twelfth Night. In both plays, Shakespeare simultaneously supports and poses challenges to early-modern understandings of gender. In The Taming of the Shrew, the misogynistic treatment of Kate reflects the patriarchal values which were standard of the period, whilst subtle mocking and...
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What do you think will happen when you are hated by your family and everyone you care for? Even when you try to protect them? In A View from the bridge, Arthur Miller paints a picture of a family in the 1950s, in Red Hook of when two illegal immigrants come into this family’s house and change their lives forever....
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According to the OED, the etymology of the word ‘grave’ illuminates that it originates from Germanic dissent and can be traced back to the Old English word ‘graef’, the Dutch word ‘graf’, and the German word ‘grab’. Adding on, grave also comes from the Old English root, ‘grafan’, which means to dig, or to engrave. Similarly, the Old High German...
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Where Duffy uses revisionism to re-evaluate alternative representations of femininity in history throughout ‘The World’s Wife’, Bennett encourages the reader to re-evaluate the nature of history through Irwin’s revisionist versions of it, so introducing the idea of historiography, whereby historical accounts are dependent upon personal experiences or cultural context. Duffy deliberately distances her characters from sentimentalised idealism regarding the role...
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In his play A View from the Bridge, Arthur Miller tells the story of the life of italian immigrants living in new york city in the 1950s. Eddie's obsession with Catherine and his paranoia turns out to be his fatal flaw, and leads to his downfall. Eddie goes from being a kind, loving father figure to Catherine, to a mean,...
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Immediately after the release of Anjan Dutt’s film Srijit Mujhkerjee’s Zulfiqar came out in October 2016 and the audience witnessed a combination of Julius Caesar and Anthony and Cleopatra [Figure 29]. The first half of the film adapts Julius Caesar, while the latter half adapts the plot of Anthony and Cleopatra and the two halves are skillfully linked instead of...
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Therefore, she is the true tragic figure and deserves to die in the fifth act. L. T. Fitz complains about the sexist attitudes of critics: In analysis of Shakespeare’s plays critics often employ comparisons of characters from different plays; for example, Hamlet has a more complicated state of mind, is more pensive and more calculating than Othello; or, while King...
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If there’s a more indigestible lump of bouncy 1970s pop schmaltz than Paul McCartney’s “Silly Love Songs,” right now it escapes me. It’s one of a handful of intrusive music choices that director Kenny Leon makes in the dreary Broadway revival of Children of a Lesser God, a once-groundbreaking 1979 play by Mark Medoff that today needs no help showing...
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Dr. Faust portrays the spirit of the Renaissance in various ways. First, the author of Dr. Faustus Christopher Marlowe was himself a hallmark of the Renaissance period. He was inundated with the essence of the Renaissance through his immense thirst for vast knowledge, his desire for sensual enjoyment of natural life, his extreme determination and his ultimate desire for supremacy...
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The play, Children Of A Lesser God, written by Mark Medoff, was the winner Tony Award winner for Best Play in 1980, and also won the Laurence Olivier Award and the Drama Desk Award. In essence, the play is about a deaf girl named Sarah and her relationship with a hearing man named James. The play is told from the...
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As in other plays, reflecting a specific culture, “Death and the King’s Horseman” has kept close to religious and traditional issues, but it has shaped culture into a great tragedy. Aristotle defines tragedy in his book poetics as: A tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself; in appropriate and...
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In many ways, Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida and Measure for Measure are examples of his 'problem plays' that are concerned with self-division and lack of self-knowledge. The former play deals with the duality of the characters and it is in the knowledge or lack of knowledge in this duality between the characters which makes it a problem play. Self-division is...
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The Death and the King’s Horseman play is based on a real incident that took place in Nigeria when it was under the British colonial rule, where a Horseman of a Yoruba King was prevented from committing ritual suicide by the colonial authorities. In growth to the British interference, Soyinka calls the Horseman’s own fervour toward suicide into enquiry, posing...
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An individual’s self-perception varies based on what they believe is an illusion and what they believe is reality. In today’s society, this same idea is present when people interact with one another, as they may retain a different perception of what others think of them compared to what the blunt truth is. As a matter of fact, humans possess the...
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Death And The King’s Horseman by Wole Soyinka tells the story of the importance of tradition in African culture. The play follows the life of Elesin Oba, who had the career title of “The King’s Horseman”, and his obligation to follow an African tradition of a ritualistic suicide following the death of their king. As the play goes on, Soyinka...
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Life is full of things that humans wish to forget. Using blindness as a buffer from reality is a natural response to dangerous stimuli. The types of blindness are easily classified into many categories. These classifications make understanding stories and characters much better. The characters in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams are easily classified...
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Oedipus Rex is a sad tragedy in which Sophocles clearly demonstrates the metaphor of sight and insight, which shows that for one to see the truth and/or reality, one does not need physical sight. Oedipus was ignorant of his reality regardless of his vision. Teiresias, then again, could simply see the truth. Oedipus's mental blindness left him beaten and obliterated...
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In order to answer this question, it is necessary to study the character of the Duke and how he is developed in Act 3. The Duke acts principally as an observer, watching Isabella and Claudio argue before sweeping in to resolve the situation. He is also, however, involved with the characters despite his assumption of religious real authority echoing his...
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Oedipus the King begins with Oedipus, the king of Thebes. He was crowned King several years earlier after solving the Sphinx's' unsolvable riddle. He is conversing with the priest over the plague that has been on the city of Thebes. Oedipus says he will do whatever it takes to catch the murder of King Laius. In the end, we see...
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‘Different audiences respond to Isabella in different ways.’ Show how Shakespeare’s presentation of Isabella could lead to a wide range of responses. The mere mention of Isabella’s name appears to strike indignant fear into the heart of the literary critic. Her character divides them into factions of warring interpretations, just as her moral dilemma divides an audience. In the words...
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