The “to be or not to be” soliloquy in Act 3 Scene 1 is significant in showing Hamlet’s tragic flaw; his inability to decide and inability to take action. The main purpose of this soliloquy is to establish Hamlet as a characteristically reflective, analytic and moral character which leads on to his tragic fall. In…
Shakespeare presents corruption as the cause of Denmark’s decay. Claudius’ corruption acts as the poison that leads to Denmark’s decay of stability and security. Likewise, Hamlet corrupting his own morals causes his own mental decay as well as the decomposition of the State of Denmark as his insistence of following his revenge is in the…
In Shakespeare’s Henry V, Shakespeare gave Henry the role of a war hero while in history Henry was a great king. Shakespeare gives amazing qualities to his characters; he gave Henry, an ordinary king, the quality of a responsible leader. He also made the king deeply religious hero. With all the qualities given to Henry…
During 1591 and 1595, William Shakespeare wrote the play “Romeo and Juliet” set in thirteenth century Verona. As one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays out of thirty-eight, it tells of the tragedy of two star-crossed lovers who meet and fall in love. However, as pure as their love is, in the end everything goes wrong…
In Shakespeare’s Elizabethan era play, Macbeth, the paradox of “fair is foul, and foul is fair” (Shakespeare, 1.1.12) is a recurring theme that eventually leads to the down fall of the protagonist, Macbeth. He, who is the thane of Glamis, is faced with a difficult choice; killing Duncan in order to become king or, let…
Titles influenced by Shakespeare. There are a number of books, novels and collections whose titles were directly taken from some of Shakespeare’s lines from his plays or poems. Islam (2010), a Bangladeshi author, wrote an article about works titles by being influenced by Shakespeare. He has identified some writers like Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Somerset…
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is a tragedy that sets forth in Rome around 44 B.C. As all Shakespearean tragedies, Julius Caesar includes a tragic hero whose predetermined fate and hamartia bring about his downfall and in doing so, bring catharsis and poetic justice to the reader. In this tragedy, the tragic hero is Marcus…
As most Shakespearean tragedies, “Macbeth” is the story about a tragic hero whose desires bring about dismal self-destruction as well as recognition from the reader’s part. For the most part, “Macbeth” can be considered about ambition and how power corrupts all, yet looking more in detail, the play is about heinous actions and the guilt…
In this sonnet, Shakespeare describes the cruel effect that time has on our human condition. The poem follows the pattern of three quatrains, each with an alternating rhyming scheme, followed by a rhyming couplet that is typical of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Each quatrain presents a self-contained metaphorical description of time’s passage in human life, but the…
The play Hamlet is a Shakespearean tragedy that dates back to the 1600s. It follows young Prince Hamlet as he struggles to cope with the loss of his father, his mother’s hasty remarriage to his uncle, and the truth behind the King’s death: His new stepfather was the one who murdered his father. Shakespeare presents…
Scene One The Elsinore castle is a very symbolic setting, introducing dark imagery suggesting that the castle is a virtual prison where death and strife are inescapable and past human control. The cold, gloomy setting further heralds the tragic events to occur later. The North Star or “pole” star’s repeated appearance with the ghost of…
Shakespeare’s plays, Hamlet (1603) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1600), explore the theme of conflict and its repercussions, each play highlighting different aspects of the theme due to differences in genre and subject. Conflict, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is “a serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one”, and would therefore seem to…
Ambition is the motivation that strongly drives one to achieve what they desire. Macbeth has great ambition. It can be said that Macbeth’s strong ambition is what leads him to his misery. In the beginning of Macbeth, Macbeth’s ambition drove him to beat the king of Norway. He single-handedly took on the enemy forces. The…
Italicize the titles of plays: Richard III or Othello. Cite line and page numbers up to 101 like this: 34-37; above 100, you repeat only the last two figures: 211-12 (but of course, 397-405 and 96-109). Use arabic numerals rather than roman numerals for citations of acts, scenes, and line numbers: Twelfth Night (1.5.268-76). Always…
Iago is Othello’s ensign; also he is the villain of the play. He betrays almost everyone. The fundamental reason is Othello’s promotion of Cassio to the post of lieutenant, who with no experience had been leading men in battle. Therefore, Iago makes a terrible plan and he is going to take revenge on everyone-Othello, Desdemona,…
When Lady Macbeth first appears in the play, she is learning of the witches prophesies from a letter sent to her by Macbeth. Almost immediately after reading this letter, she starts to think of a way to assure that Macbeth becomes king. She wants to kill King Duncan. “Yet I do fear thy nature. It…
In life, heroes will arise when ever they are called for. It may be the everyday heroes that are seen rescuing a cat from a tree or helping an old lady cross the street. It may also be the heroes that are see in movies and books rescuing the princess from the dragon or leading…
What is fate? Fate is a power beyond anyone’s control. While reading Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Fate has been brought up many times. Fate is the definitive trouble causing factor in the play Romeo and Juliet. Many characters, even the pair of lovers themselves have acknowledged Fate’s cruel ploy. There was plenty of evidence of…
“The tragedy of Richard III lies in the progressive isolation of its protagonist”. Discuss. From the very opening of the play when Richard III enters “solus”, the protagonist’s isolation is made clear. Richard’s isolation progresses as he separates himself from the other characters and breaks the natural bonds between Man and nature through his efforts…
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,…
