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Is Iago Gay in Othello

3 Pages 1555 Words
Reviewed double_ok
Villainy is often born from jealousy, insecurity, and paranoia. Iago from Shakespeare’s Othello, though dubbed as motiveless, is no exception; what starts as an optimistic heterosexual romance ends as a tragedy brought about by homoerotic envy, competition, and fear of emasculation. The play is centered around a military environment, which puts emphasis on traditional indications of masculinity such as physical...

Othello: Iago’s Truth of Dis-Honor

2 Pages 1105 Words
Most other Shakespearean characters do terrible things to accomplish a specific objective. As a rule, the guilty party is aspiration, as in Macbeth, or retribution, as in Hamlet. The thing about Iago is that one never truly knows for certain why it is that Iago needs to pulverize Othello. All through the play, Iago gives different and inconsistent thought of...

Fantasy and Real World in Death of a Salesman

2 Pages 1012 Words
In “Death of a Salesman,” Arthur Miller presents a wide range of themes throughout its story. Themes such as the “American Dream” are shown in various ways through the lens of the characters such as Willy Loman that reveal the problems of trying too hard to achieve this dream only to be frustrated by failures that come along the way....

Themes and Ideas in Fences, Sweat, and Death of a Salesman

3 Pages 1433 Words
In this paper, I will be discussing the similarities and differences between the themes of the three plays. The three plays I will be discussing are Fences, Sweat, and Death of a Salesman. Throughout each of these plays, different themes are presented to the audience, but the themes have similarities to one another. I will compare each theme from the...

Othello: The Motivation of Iago to Cause Harm

5 Pages 2140 Words
The majority of the characters in Shakespeare’s Othello, view Iago, the play’s antagonist, as “most honest” (II, ii, 7) and laudable; however, as readers, we perceive him in a completely different way. There is a clear dichotomy between two perceptions of the same character. In the reader's perspective, Iago is an extremely powerful manipulator who feasts on being in a...

The Meaning and Role of Death in Hamlet

2 Pages 791 Words
In Shakespeare's play, 'Hamlet,' death identifies himself as an uninvited guest who never cares to leave the opening scene with the ghost to the bloodshed in the final scene. However, the appearance of the tortured spirit of Old King Hamlet and the deaths of all the notable characters in the play are more evident demonstrations of death in its simplest...

Oedipus the King: Fate or Free Will?

1 Page 541 Words
Oedipus the King, assembled by Sophocles, indicates an underlying association between fate and free will. In today's society, we let our lives be led by a distinct force that we believe in. Yet, a widespread controversy that still rages today is whether we, as a species, have free will or if some divine source, some call it fate, governs our...

The Integrity Of Oedipus: Innocent Or Guilty

4 Pages 1690 Words
Oedipus Tyrannus is very fascinating and controversial. The stronger subjects in this nstory such as murder not only cause controversy between readers with different viewpoints, but they also open the readers minds to new ways of thinking. For years there have been debates over whether or not Oedipus should be deemed guilty or innocent for his actions on the crossroads....

The Similarities And Differences In Oedipus Rex And Things Fall Apart

4 Pages 1625 Words
The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe has been influenced by Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. The protagonists of both these works are similar because Okonkwo and Oedipus are both successful, they both have a flawed character, and they both experience a demise. ​Things Fall Apart’s protagonist Okonkwo and Oedipus Rex’s Oedipus are similar in that they are both successful....

Hamlet Madness An An Identity Crisis

3 Pages 1546 Words
Throughout William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the writer displays the protagonist as someone who thinks of himself inferior to others, yet he rationalizes the choices he makes in his life. On these two occasions you either can contemplate whether or not he is even mad or is he just putting it off as an act to prove a point. Hamlet undergoes...

Hamlet as a True Character Revealed

6 Pages 2693 Words
One of Shakespeare’s most popular characters from one of his most timeless works of literature, Hamlet, is the center of some controversial discussion of whether the main character deserves to be remembered as a tragic hero or not. It can be concluded from further character analysis that Hamlet deserves to be viewed as more of a villain than a tragic...

The Revealed Human Nature in Hamlet

5 Pages 2257 Words
The human nature, a through an interweaving of good and evil, a mingling of kind and cruel, a bundle of two very dissimilar ways of thinking and acting, it has it all. The sophistication of the human mind, the way how of its working system, the questions of morality mutating with its very nature, never ceases to amaze indeed. And...

Love and Hate in Othello

2 Pages 720 Words
Love and hate are two very contrary terms. However, even the most powerful emotion, love, can ironically turn into hate, the emotion that can lead to the most vulnerability. In William Shakespeare’s play, Othello, Jealousy is the bridge that connects love and hate. The play takes place in Venice during the Turks invasion of Cyprus. Othello and Desdemona, two of...

Anti-heroic Traits In Oedipus Rex, Winter’s Tale And Everyman

4 Pages 1674 Words
Oedipus Rex is a play about Oedipus, who has just become king of Thebes, and now has to save Thebes by discovering who murdered their previous king, Laius. Oedipus is a hero, someone the people of the city look up to. He is intelligent and intuitive, and uses his interrogation skills to uncover this mystery. Oedipus meets with a blind...

The Peculiarities of Iago as a Character in Othello

2 Pages 948 Words
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Envy is the tax which all distinction must pay”. Iago was a mere individual who had been revoked high position in favor of Cassio. The reason why this makes the whole play compelling is that this rejection led to a well-planned tragedy all the ways towards its ending. Although Iago is clever, his intelligence synergizes...

Hamlet: Ophelia’s Freedom in a Patriarchal Society

2 Pages 882 Words
Insanity during the Elizabethan Era was viewed as possession by an otherworldly creature. Shakespeare, one of the most famous playwrights of the time, delved into madness and insanity in many of his plays, including Hamlet. Several characters within Hamlet could be considered as mad, most notably Hamlet and Ophelia. While Hamlet’s every move is documented within the play, Ophelia is...

Jealousy as Humankind's Kryptonite in Othello

3 Pages 1328 Words
Jealousy, commonly described as “the green-eyed monster” is a consistent theme throughout Shakespeare’s literature. It is, more often than not, the fuel that drives the plot, the tragic hero’s flaw and the main motivation for the story’s antagonist. It is the universal theme of jealousy that set the mood for most of Shakspeare’s plays, including Othello. The obvious antagonist of...

Who, If Either, Showed Greater Resilience: Oedipus Or Hamlet?

2 Pages 999 Words
As Confucious points out, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall” ('Confucius Quotes'). Both Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Sophocles’ Oedipus are tragic heroes and, therefore, are designed to have low resilience. A resilient character would have traits such as optimism, control over their emotions and less dependence on fate. Even though Hamlet seems...

Character Development in Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

2 Pages 723 Words
Hamlet written by Williams Shakespeare is a significant work in British literature. Its setting is in Denmark, it starts when the old king Hamlet died and in the first Act the Ghost of the old king, Hamlet's father appears. He wants to speak to Hamlet because of his murder, and Claudius took his throne. He wants Hamlet to take revenge...

Sophocles' Oedipus Rex And Nathanial Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

2 Pages 800 Words
The title characters of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and Nathanial Hawthorne's 'Young Goodman Brown' share common traits -- those of arrogance, righteousness and a belief that they could raise themselves to the level of the gods. Both sought to define the wicked, though only Oedipus truly succeeded because he determined to discover the truth even if it meant his own destruction...

Twelfth Night: Gender Roles in Elizabethan Society

3 Pages 1207 Words
Throughout William Shakespeare’s time during the Elizabethan Era in the late 1500s, societal standards and gender roles were not like how they are in most of the world today. Women in the Elizabethan Era were raised to believe that they were inferior to men. The Church enforced this, quoting from the bible to ensure that this principle was widely followed....

Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex And Plato’s Apology: Common Themes And Ideas

3 Pages 1393 Words
Both Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and Plato’s Apology explore the limits of human wisdom. Socrates spends times trying to understand the nature of wisdom and whether the people who claim to possess it actually do. This investigation stems from the oracle, who proclaimed that Socrates was the wisest man in Athens. Through this quest, Socrates develops a negative reputation, and...

Essential Topics and Issues in Hamlet

2 Pages 731 Words
Throughout the play “Hamlet”, written by William Shakespeare, there are various important themes that are developed among the characters within their respective traits and personalities. However, in the midst of all the chaos and tragedy in the story line, there is one major theme that tends to always stand out in Hamlet’s life; death. Over the course of the play,...

What is Hamlets Tragic Flaw?

2 Pages 1098 Words
Reviewed double_ok
It is a valid argument that evil is something that we all possess in one way or another. It is also true that evil draws its power from indecision, this can be examined through Hamlet's behaviour in the play. Hamlet the protagonist has revealed the tendency to overthink and procrastinate upon situations. Life-changing decisions can be made if one is...

Gender Roles In A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Helena & Demetrius

2 Pages 828 Words
Throughout A Midsummer Night’s Dream, gender stereotypes prevail as a main source of comedy. As the audience, we notice this common theme between character relationships in certain scenes and events that occur within the play and the many film adaptations. It ultimately provides this idea of men having more control and greater power over women. More specifically, the relationship between...

Othello: the Issues Iago Represents

2 Pages 678 Words
Since the beginning of mankind, humans have craved power and the benefits that come with having it. Throughout history, social classes have been used to categorize how much power and influence people have. Generally, the three most common social classes have been upper class, middle class, and lower class. One’s social class was of great significance during the Elizabethan Era,...

Oedipus Rex: Human Condition Reversed by Gods

3 Pages 1541 Words
Since the universe has been created, there are certain patterns of life that the whole world is following. People born, they grow upon, face certain challenges of the life and devout their live towards the will of the God. So basically, all the events of life are written and organized by the God. However the conflict and problems of the...

The Struggles From A Cynical View Of Truth In Oedipus Rex

1 Page 597 Words
W.E.B Dubois said, “Education among all kinds of men always has had, and always will have, an element of danger and revolution, of dissatisfaction and discontent. Nevertheless, men strive to know.” From this, we see the search for truth calls danger and bewilderment. The status quo dictates we accept the knowledge we are given, and skepticism is essential yet often...

The Role Of Destiny In Oedipus Rex

5 Pages 2171 Words
ABSTRACT In Greek society there is a great influence of myths on the literature and traditions. People believe that gods have a great role in the making of their fate. People and significant heroes try to escape from destiny but they are generally surrounded by the fate, in order to make them tragic This can be seen in many Greek...

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