English Essays

Clear Vision in King Lear
Clear Vision in King Lear In Shakespeare's classic tragedy, King Lear, the issue of sight and its relevance to clear vision is a recurring theme. Shakespeare's principal means of portraying this theme is through the characters of Lear and Gloucester. Although Lear can physically see, he is blind in the sense that he lacks insight, understanding, and direction. In contrast, Gloucester becomes physically blind but gains the type of vision that Lear lacks. It is evident from ...

Hamlet - The "Real" Tragedy
Hamlet - The "Real" Tragedy In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the death of a character becomes a frequent event. Although many people lose their lives as a result of their own self-centered wrong-doing, there are others whose death are a result of manipulation from the royalty. This is the case of Polonius� family. The real tragedy of Hamlet is not that of Hamlet or his family but of Polonius� family because their deaths were not the consequence of sinful actions of their...

King Lear - Theme of Blindness
King Lear - Theme of Blindness In Shakespearean terms, blinds means a whole different thing. Blindness can normally be defined as the inability of the eye to see, but according to Shakespeare, blindness is not a physical quality, but a mental flaw some people possess. Shakespeare�s most dominant theme in his play King Lear is that of blindness. King Lear, Gloucester, and Albany are three prime examples Shakespeare incorporates this theme into. Each of these character�s...

Supernatural in Shakespeare's Plays
Supernatural in Shakespeare's Plays In the time of William Shakespeare there was a strong belief in the existence of the supernatural. Thus, the supernatural is a recurring aspect in many of Mr. Shakespeare�s plays. In two such plays, Hamlet and Macbeth, the supernatural is an integral part of the structure of the plot. It provides a catalyst for action, an insight into character, and augments the impact of many key scenes. The supernatural appears to the audience in many ...

Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet, is a story of two young lovers, whose love was destined for destruction. They did not imagine that their love would lead to the tragedies that it did. These two young people did nothing wrong except fall in love. Three aspects of their destruction included the feud between the two families, the nurse and her betrayal of Juliet and the most important aspect of all is fate. The feud between the two families was one factor that ...

George Orwell
George Orwell George Orwell's Animal Farm is a political satire of a totalitarian society ruled by a mighty dictatorship, in all probability an allegory for the events surrounding the Russian Revolution of 1917. The animals of "Manor Farm" overthrow their human master after a long history of mistreatment. Led by the pigs, the farm animals continue to do their work, only with more pride, knowing that they are working for themselves, as opposed to working for humans. Lit...

Supernatural Forces in Macbeth
Supernatural Forces in Macbeth In the play "Macbeth," there were many interesting sections which could be concentrated on due to the suspense and the involvement of the supernatural. The use of the supernatural in the witches, the visions, the ghost, and the apparitions is a key element in making the concept of the play work and in making the play interesting. Looking through each Act and Scene of the play, it is noticed that the supernatural is definitely a major facto...

Twelfth Night - Analysis of Fools
Twelfth Night - Analysis of Fools A fool can be defined in many meanings according to the Oxford English Dictionary On Historical Principles. The word could mean "a silly person", or "one who professionally counterfeits folly for the entertainment of others, a jester, clown" or "one who has little or no reason or intellect" or "one who is made to appear to be a fool" (word originated from North Frisian). In english literature, the two main ways which the fool could enter imaginat...

MacBeth - Character Changes
MacBeth - Character Changes "This dead butcher and his fiend like queen", is the way in which Malcolm describes Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Describe the way in which these two characters changed during the course of the play. At the beginning of the play Macbeth is seen as a courageous soldier who is loyal to the King but is corrupted from the witches prophecies and by his and Lady Macbeth�s ambition. This is because of the weakness of Macbeth�s character and the strong p...

Billy Budd
Billy Budd There is much to be said about innocence. If one is with innocence than one can do no wrong. But that is not all to be said. Innocence is not always a good thing. It could make one naive or blind to certain evils. Like in the case of Billy Budd. Billy was innocent from evil and therefore could not see the evil of John Claggart approaching him, out to destroy him. It is known Billy's innocence was his down fall by hiding the true evil from his eyes. But why was John ...

The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo Theme: The Count of Monte Cristo is a very powerful book. So powerful in fact, that was controversial when it was first released. The Catholic church in France condemned it because of its powerful message it presented the reader. This theme was one of revenge and vengeance. Monte Cristo had two goals- to reward those who were kind to him and his aging father, and to punish those responsible for his imprisonment and suffering. For the latter, h...

Death of a Salesman and The Price
Death of a Salesman and The Price When people accept an ideal to live by it can be a glorious and noble thing unless they become so obsessed with the the ideal that it becomes a yolk and they are unable to realize their dream. This is especially true for two characters in Arthur Miller's plays Death of a Salesman and The Price. In these two plays Miller portays two lower-middle class men , Willie Loman and Victor Franz, respectivelly, who each live by an ideal that ultimately...

Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman Short Plot In the beginning of the play, the main character, Willy Lowman, has just returned home after finding himself unable to concentrate on driving. His wife, Linda, suggests that he ask for a job in New York so that he won't have to drive so much. Willy insists, however, that it is vital to his company that he work in New England. Willy asks Linda about his son, Biff, who has just come home after being away for several years. He can't understand w...

Death of a Salesman- Willy's Escape
Death of a Salesman- Willy's Escape No one has a perfect life. Everyone has conflicts that they must face sooner or later. The ways in which people deal with these personal conflicts can differ as much as the people themselves. Some insist on ignoring the problem as long as possible, while some attack the problem to get it out of the way. Willy Lowman's technique in Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, leads to very severe consequences. Willy never really does anything to...

Oedipus Rex
Oedipus Rex Sophocles' "Oedipus the King" is a tragic play which discusses the tragic discovery of Oedipus that he has killed his father and married his mother. The story of Oedipus was well known to the athenian's. Oedipus is the embodiement of the perfect Athenian. He is self-confident, intelligent, and strong willed. Ironically these are the very traits which bring about his tragic discovery. Oedipus gained the rule of Thebes by answering the riddle of Sphinx. Sophocles use...

The Crucible- Struggles in the Play
The Crucible- Struggles in the Play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a story that contains many struggles. These struggles come about as a result of the strict Puritan society in which the story takes place. There are two main struggles in the book. The first never actually takes place in the story, but is described many times throughout the first act and is the basis for the trials. It is Abigail's and all the other girls' need to be free and act like teenagers. The second...

The Crucible
The Crucible The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is a play that takes place in the sixteen nineties during the famous but tragic witch trials. The entire community is in pandemonium yet certain characters are also fighting internal conflicts of their own. Miller uses three characters who manifest this internal battle ever so clearly. Such as Mary Warren who whole personality turns upside down, John Proctor who contemplates between the importance of his family and his own na...

The Crucible - Witch Trials
The Crucible - Witch Trials In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the madness of the Salem witch trials is explored in great detail. There are many theories as to why the witch trials came about, the most popular of which is the girls' suppressed childhoods. However, there were other factors as well, such as Abigail Williams' affair with John Proctor, the secret grudges that neighbors held against each other, and the physical and economic differences between the citizens of Salem...

The Emperor Jones
The Emperor Jones In Eugene O'Neil's play, The Emperor Jones, he presents a crucial lesson to mankind: one should not pretend to be someone who he is not. Multiple repercussions may occur to someone who denies their background and race. For example, in The Emperor Jones, the character, Brutus Jones, dissembles as a free white man (Jones was really black and was supposed to be in slavery during that time). Because of Jones' denial, he encounters numerous illusions in the fores...

Hippolytus - Role of Greek Gods
Hippolytus - Role of Greek Gods The play Hippolytus by the Greek playwright Euripides is one which explores classical Greek religion. Throughout the play, the influence of the gods on the actions of the characters is evident, especially when Aphrodite affects the actions of Phaedra. Also central to the plot is the god-god interactions between Artemis and Aphrodite. In this essay, I hope to provide answers to how the actions of Hippolytus and Phaedra relate to the gods, whether...

The Wild Duck
The Wild Duck In the Wild Duck, Henrik Ibsen begins his play by emphasizing the value of color and light. He uses the theme of light to contrast Old Werle, a stingy rich man, with Old Ekdal, a poor helpless man. Ibsen connects the color green with the loss of eyesight of Old Werle. A possible affair between Old Werle and Gina, Hedvig's mother, may suggest the cause of Hedvig's loss of sight. By using sun and moon, Ibsen establishes the atmosphere of the scene. The story line ...

S. E. Hilton
S. E. Hilton Introduction In this book analysis, about the book �The Outsiders� by S. E. Hinton I will discuss character and plot development, as well as the setting, the author�s style and my opinions about the book. In this part of the analysis I will give some information about the subjects of the book, and about the author. The author wrote the story when she was just 16 years old, in the 1950s. The book was successful, and it was sold, and still being sold, in many co...

A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream In Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" the mortal teenage characters fall in love foolishly, and the character Bottom states, "O what fools these mortals be". They are foolish because they act like children. Although Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena appear grown-up, when they are in love they act foolishly. The four teenage lovers are fools. Demetrius is a fool because he is unaware that his love changes through out the play. At ...

Anne Stevenson
Anne Stevenson " I thought you were my victory /though you cut me like a knife" (Stevenson 1-2) The opening lines of Anne Stevenson's poem The Victory set a tone of conflict. This poem, at its surface, expresses a mother's thoughts on giving birth to a son. Stevenson describes the mixed feelings many mothers have upon the delivery of their first born. The final release from pregnancy and birthing pains, coupled with the excitement of bringing a live creature into this worl...

Cry. the Beloved Country
Cry. the Beloved Country "Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that is the inheritor of it all. Let him not love the earth to deeply. Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing, nor give to much of his heart to a mountain or a valley. For fear will rob him of all if he lives too much. Yes cry, cry, the beloved country" "Cry The Beloved Country" by Alan Paton. "Cry The Beloved Country" was a magnificent work of art and my words alone would do it a...