Shakespeare Essays
Julius Caesar Analysis of Caesar
Julius Caesar - Analysis of Caesar Essay on Caesar In Shakespeare’s play of “Caesar” Brutus is a conspirator who portrays a person who favors a republic for Rome. Brutus is an honorable man. Many characters in the play show there reverence for Brutus. Brutus exemplifies his honor in many ways. Brutus is obsequious when he is needed to abet his fellow romans. Brutus is an honorable man. “Am I entreated to Speak and Strike? O Rome I make thee promise, If th...
Julius Caesar Antony
Julius Caesar - Antony Out of all the main characters in Julius Caesar, I chose Antony to write about simply because he is so interesting. The first personality trait he shows is obedience, as revealed in Act 1 Scene 2. In lines 9-12, Caesar tells Antony, “Forget not, in your speed, Antonius/To touch Calpurnia; for our elders say/The barren, touched in this holy chase/Shake off their sterile curse.” In lines 13-14, Antony replies with, “I shall remember/When Caesar says...
Julius Caesar Brutus vs Antony
Julius Caesar - Brutus vs Antony In Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, two characters speak at Caesar’s funeral. Caesar was just murdered by his best friend Brutus and the Conspirators. Brutus and Antony both speak at the funeral, but each had their own purpose and reason for doing so. Both speeches had their own unique way of addressing the crowd as well as differing styles. Therefore, differing effects on the crowd as a result of their differing styles and techniques. ...
Julus Caesar Analysis of Caesar
Julus Caesar - Analysis of Caesar Essay on Caesar In Shakespeare’s play of “Caesar” Brutus is a conspirator who portrays a person who favors a republic for Rome. Brutus is an honorable man. Many characters in the play show there reverence for Brutus. Brutus exemplifies his honor in many ways. Brutus is obsequious when he is needed to abet his fellow romans. Brutus is an honorable man. “Am I entreated to Speak and Strike? O Rome I make thee promise, If the...
Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra Antony and Cleopatra In Shakespeare’s tragedy/history/Roman play Antony and Cleopatra, we are told the story of two passionate and power-hungry lovers. In the first two Acts of the play we are introduced to some of the problems and dilemmas facing the couple (such as the fact that they are entwined in an adulterous relationship, and that both of them are forced to show their devotion to Caesar). Along with being introduced to Antony and Cleopatra’...
Appearance vs Reality in Hamlet
Appearance vs Reality in Hamlet Hamlet one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays, where the young prince of Denmark must uncover the truth about his fathers death. Hamlet a play that tells the story of a young prince who’s father recently died. Hamlets uncle Claudius marries his mother the queen and takes the throne. As the play is told Hamlet finds out his father was murdered by the recently crowned king. The theme that remains constant throughout the play is appearance v...
Blindness in King Lear
Blindness in King Lear The Theme of Blindness in King Lear In the tragedy King Lear, the term blindness has an entirely different meaning. It is not a physical flaw, but the inability of the characters to use their thoughts and emotions to see a person for whom they truly are. They can only read what is presented to them on the surface. King Lear, Gloucester and Albany are three prime examples characters who suffered most by having this flaw. Lear was by far the blindest ...
Characteristics of Othello
Characteristics of Othello When discussing the characteristics of Othello one finds he has more than one side. Othello is a tragic hero in this drama. Also, he portrays a man with much greatness. Consequently, Othello has many weaknesses. In order to truly understand the character of Othello, one must understand him as a tragic hero with both greatness and weakness. A tragic hero is the main character in a play that takes a downfall or is ruined during the ...
Claudius and Hamlet
Claudius and Hamlet Claudius & Hamlet, would the inhumane and sick character please step forth. Upon reading the sampling of “Hamlet” criticisms in John Jump’s “Hamlet (Selections)” I disagreed with a few of the critics, but my analysis was the most different from Wilson Knight’s interpretation. He labels Hamlet as “a sick, cynical, and inhumane prince” (Jump, 124) who vitiated a Denmark which was “one of healthy and r...
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...
Comedy in Shakespeare
Comedy in Shakespeare Shakespeare wrote many plays during his lifetime. Some of his plays have similar comedic characteristics and then other plays are the exact opposite of comedy. Shakespeare wrote tragedies, romance, history, comedy and problem plays all with great success. During the performance of these plays there was no scenery so great time was taken when developing the characters and the plot so the plays would be entertaining. A Midsummers Night’s Dream and Much ...
Comedy vs Tragedy
Comedy vs. Tragedy Certain parallels can be drawn between William Shakespeare’s plays, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, and “Romeo and Juliet”. These parallels concern themes and prototypical Shakespearian character types. Both plays have a distinct pair of ‘lovers’, Hermia and Lysander, and Romeo and Juliet, respectively. Both plays could have also easily been tragedy or comedy with a few simple changes. A tragic play is a play in which o...
Darkness as a Sign of Chaos in Macbeth
Darkness as a Sign of Chaos in Macbeth Darkness in our society is indicative of evil. For instance, a black cat, a dark night, and a dark place are all symbolic of diablerie. Authors use these symbols to describe an evil character or setting. William Shakespeare employs the imagery of darkness in Act 4 of his play Macbeth to describe the agents of disorder. The witches, Macbeth, and Scotland are all described as dark because they represent the agents of chaos. The witches in t...
Elizabethan Revenge in Hamlet
Elizabethan Revenge in Hamlet Hamlet is a play written by William Shakespeare that very closely follows the dramatic conventions of revenge in Elizabethan theater. All revenge tragedies originally stemmed from the Greeks, who wrote and performed the first plays. After the Greeks came Seneca who was very influential to all Elizabethan tragedy writers. Seneca who was Roman, basically set all of the ideas and the norms for all revenge play writers in the Renaissance era inclu...
Falstaff and King Lear
Falstaff and King Lear Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear is a detailed description of the consequences of one man’s decisions. This fictitious man is Lear, King of England, who’s decisions greatly alter his life and the lives of those around him. As Lear bears the status of King he is, as one expects, a man of great power but sinfully he surrenders all of this power to his daughters as a reward for their demonstration of love towards him. (Cain) This untimely abd...
Gender in As You Like It
Gender in As You Like It Many characters undergo a change in William Shakespeare’s play, As You Like It. Duke Senior goes from being a member of a court to being a member of a forest. Orlando changes from a bitter younger brother to a love-sick young man. But the most obvious transformation undergone, is done by Rosalind. Her change from woman to man, not only alters her mood, candor, and gender, but allows her to be the master of ceremonies. Celia and Rosalind are fairly ha...
Good vs Evil in King Lear
Good vs Evil in King Lear In the King Lear play, Shakespeare creates many conditions in which humans live in the world. The main characters in the play are used to portray Shakespeare’s ideas. One of these ideas which Shakespeare is trying to portray is evil between the characters and in the world which are emphasized throughout the play. The evil, created by humans, is outweighed by good in the world of King Lear. Evil was created by humans who decided to do wrong to ot...
Hamlet 2
Hamlet 2 Great literary works retain their popularity as a result of many different factors. One such factor which can lead to popularity of a work, current or consistent discussion of a work’s merits, can come into play when an author or playwright leaves questions unanswered in his work. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare creates such a situation. As a result of the ambiguity of clues given throughout this play, critics may argue for or against the idea that Prince Hamlet...
Hamlet 3
Hamlet 3 Hamlet identifies with an adolescent of the 1990’s more than he does with the youth of his own time. Hamlet is immature, sarcastic, and takes action during the heat of passion which is very much like the behavior of the youth in the 1990’s. Love, control over action, and the ability to overcome depression are just a few ways to prove maturity. It is obvious Hamlet loves Ophelia in his own way “. . . the celestial and my soul’s idol, the most beautified Ophelia ....
Hamlet Brutal Truth
Hamlet Brutal Truth Disillusionment. Depression. Despair. These are the burning emotions churning in young Hamlet’s soul as he attempts to come to terms with his father’s death and his mother’s incestuous, illicit marriage. While Hamlet tries to pick up the pieces of his shattered idealism, he consciously embarks on a quest to seek the truth hidden in Elsinore; this, in stark contrast to Claudius’ fervent attempts to obscure the truth of murder. Deception...
A Midsummer Nights Dream 2
A Midsummer Nights Dream 2 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 chang...
A Midsummer Nights Dream Foolish Love
A Midsummer Nights Dream - Foolish Love In Shakespeare’s famous comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, love is an important concept. The different characters have different views on love that they express, and throughout the play, Shakespeare portrays a general attitude about it. One character of importance, Helena, is rather cynical about love. Because she has always been turned from, especially by her own love, Dymetrius, she is skeptical when she is loved. Nick Bott...
A Midsummer Nights Dream
A Midsummer Nights 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...
Analysis of King Lear
Analysis of King Lear King Lear, by William Shakespeare, is a tragic tale of filial conflict, personal transformation, and loss. The story revolves around the King who foolishly alienates his only truly devoted daughter and realizes too late the true nature of his other two daughters. A major subplot involves the illegitimate son of Gloucester, Edmund, who plans to discredit his brother Edgar and betray his father. With these and other major characters in the play, Shakespeare c...
Analysis of the Epilogue of the Tempest
Analysis of the Epilogue of the Tempest Bringing it all together The Epilogue of the Tempest by William Shakespeare is an excellent — if not the best — example of Shakespeare’s brilliance. In 20 lines Shakespeare is able to write an excellent ending to his play, while speaking through his characters about Shakespeare’s own life and career. Even more amazingly, he seemlessly ties the two together. In the context of the story Prospero’s monologue ...