Written by William Shakespeare in 1605 Macbeth is a man who overthrows the rightful King of Scotland Shakespeare wrote Macbeth at the beginning of King James I reign Before James succeeded Elizabeth I he was king of Scotland Placing the play in James’ homeland probably pleased him Will the real Macbeth please stand up? Macbeth…
We don’t know whether there was a historical Oedipus. “Oedipus” means “swollen feet”. The Greeks pronounced it “oy-DEEP-us”. Oed- is the same root as “oedema / edema” (tissue swelling; the British preserve the initial “o”), while “-pus” is feet (hence “octopus”, the eight-footed animal.) Laius and Jocasta were king and queen of Thebes, a town…
George Orwell immediately begins the essay by first claiming his perspective on British Imperialism. He claims that it is evil and he is fully against the oppressors, the British. Though he is a British officer himself at the time in Burma, he feels a certain hatred and guilt towards himself, his empire, and the “evil-spirited…
Context The Tempest was probably written in 1610–1611 and was first performed by the King’s Men in the fall of 1611. The Tempest is most likely the last play written entirely by Shakespeare, and it is remarkable for being one of only two plays by Shakespeare whose plot is entirely original. Because of its theme…
Religion The major two religions in Elizabethan England were Catholic and Protestant religions, Choosing the “wrong” religion brought risks to personal wealth, freedom, and life Schools taught these “favored” religions; if you did not practices these religions then it would lead to great danger: Imprisonment, Torture. Execution Catholics believed that the pope or the priest…
The Black Death – victims die in 2 to 4 days -rats fleas carried the disease -once the rats died out humans became new victims Symptoms of the Black Death Include – painful swelling – mental disorientation – vomiting – bleeding – high fever – desire to sleep (if they did, it was fatal) Began…
Biography Niccolo Machiavelli is one of the major political philosophers of our times. He was an Essayist, dramatist historian, sketch writer, biographer, dialogist, writer of novellas and a poet. Machiavelli was born on May 3rd,1496, in a family of a Doctor of Law, in Florence Italy. In 1498 he helped to dispose of Giroiamo Savonarola…
Definition and Explanation Concept: “everything in the world has its own place” No matter what you do, you cannot make your way up in the chain You are all that you are born with, for the rest of your life, no matter what you do to try and change it The English society depended on…
Evil and Justice The division among 20th Century critics in their interpretations suggests that Shakespeare may have left it to his audiences to provide the answer to the problem of good and evil. It is possible to isolate passages, each of which seems to provide an answer. Kent, placed in the stocks at the order…
The Three Types of Learning There is more than one type of learning. A committee of colleges, led by Benjamin Bloom (1956), identified three domains of educational activities: Cognitive: mental skills (Knowledge) Affective: growth in feelings or emotional areas (Attitude) Psychomotor: manual or physical skills (Skills) Since the work was produced by higher education, the…
An archetype is an original model which something is patterned or based on. This term is often used in literature, architecture and the arts to refer to something that goes back to the fundamentals of the art. Psychologist Carl Jung described several archetypes that are based on the observation of differing but repeating patterns of…
Setting In Hamlet, there are numerous references made to other countries which include France, Germany, Norway, Poland, and England. Despite these locations, the majority of the play occurs in and around Elsinore Castle, located in Denmark. Elisnore is better known as Helsingoer to the Danish population and to Shakespeare enthusiasts and the English, it is…
Poison Poison plays a big role in Hamlet. It is a symbol of betrayal, corruption, deceit, revenge and death. In Act 1 Scene 5, Hamlet follows the ghost of his father, King Hamlet and learns the entire story of how Claudius kills him. King Hamlet says, “…Upon my secure hour thy uncle stoleWith juice of…
Definition: The act or process of achieving understanding or knowledge of oneself; or becoming aware of one’s true potential, character, motives, etc. Throughout the play, Hamlet’s complicated path to self-discovery is demonstrated though: His soliloquies His attitude toward other characters Hamlet is known to continuously question himself through his soliloquies, which shows he has lost…
The secondary plot of the story refers to the events that are taking place in Denmark in addition to those of the main plot. At times the secondary plot supplements the main plot of the story by providing a sense of urgency and becomes the subject of Dialogue in parts of the play. The secondary…
How sanity affects Hamlet, its characters and plot: Sanity Hamlet faking his insanity Horatio’s continuous support seems to keep Hamlet from falling off the brink Ophelia’s death brings an end to Hamlet’s facade, and he confronts Claudius and Laertes Laertes learned to think clearly during his fight with Hamlet Insanity Ophelia driven crazy by father’s…
Role: Father of Leartes and Ophelia Courtier to late King Hamlet and present King Claudius He plans for Ophelia and Hamlet to meet in the hall, so he can find out the reason behind Hamlet’s madness. Sends Reynaldo to spy on his son Leartes, in Paris. Plans with King Claudius to hide and spy on…
Claudius poisons many of the characters in Hamlet both literally and metaphorically: Almost all of the poisoning is Claudius’ fault Literally: Poison is used in Claudius and Laertes’ plot to kill Hamlet Laertes’ sword has poison on it, and Hamlet’s drink is also poisoned in case Laertes can’t kill him “I’ll have prepar’d him A…
Significance/ Role Noblewomen of Denmark Daughter of Polonius Sister of Laertes Hamlet’s love Character Traits and General Facts Ophelia demonstrates purity, the innocence and virtue of women She is childlike and naïve in nature She is unaware of the harsh realities of life Although she truly loves Hamlet, she is very loyal and obedient to…
In Hamlet, by Shakespeare, the theme of madness is a prevalent theme that is portrayed through several characters in the play. The initial point at which madness is evident is when Hamlet is left to seek revenge upon the murderer of his father. Hamlet initiates his scheme to attain revenge in order to gain a…