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critical reading on claudius in hamlet
critical reading on claudius in hamlet
critical reading on claudius in hamlet
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Robert Graves’ I, Claudius - Capturing a Strange Moment in History
Tiberius' reign over the Roman Empire stretched the longest of any emperor during Claudius' lifetime. This may be a good reason why Robert Graves, in his historical novel published in 1934, “I, Claudius” devoted more than a third of it to the reign of Tiberius. “I, Claudius”, told through the eyes of the "half-wit" Claudius, records the history of the first Imperial family at Rome, including the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, and even Claudius himself. Livia, Augustus' wife and Tiberius' mother, played a crucial role throughout the reign of Augustus and Tiberius by eliminating all possible heirs other than her son to the throne of the emperor. By the use of poison and banishment, she was very successful in her aspirations and even manages to arrange for Caligula to succeed Tiberius, although she died several years before Tiberius. Tiberius also played a key role during this story, undergoing a change from a private army general to a mentally-sick Roman emperor.
Early in Tiberius' life, he had already become unpopular in Roman society. However, although he was sometimes accused of being over-cautious, he led the Roman army to several victories over the Germans, and became a national figure. But, as it was common with the Claudian family, Tiberius turned out to be one of the bad Claudians. Although being a celebrated general worked wonders for his political career, Claudius states that, on a personal basis, he was "morose, reserved and cruel." An excellent general, he won the respect of his soldiers by living as they did on a campaign. He seldom slept in a tent, and he ate and drank often no better than the rest of his troops. ...
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...lthough the author's point-of-view, synonymous with Claudius, often makes the reader forget that it is not Claudius himself writing this, but Robert Graves almost 2000 years later. His writing is exquisite, and although some sections of the novel become static, his elegance and grace with his wording carries the reader through these sections without difficulty. Although it is fiction, to anyone who wants to get "up close" to the family of Augustus, I would recommend this novel. Why? The story of the Augustan age is, in the words of Tacitus, "a story that was the subject of every variety of misrepresentation, not only by those who then lived but likewise in succeeding times: so true is it that all transactions of preeminent importance are wrapt in doubt and obscurity" (iix).
Works Cited
Graves, Robert. “I, Claudius”. New York: The Modern Library, 1934.
Beowulf. Sullivan, Alan, and Timothy Murphy, trans. Longman Anthology of British Literature. Gen. Ed. David Damrosch. 2nd compact ed. Vol. A. New York: Pearson, 2004. 32-91.
Gaius Gracchus’s political career began before he received his office as a tribune. He was born to a powerful family under his parents, Tiberius Gracchus major and Cornelia Africana. Tiberius gained fame during his successful suppressions of the rebellions in Hispania as a praetor. Once returning to Rome with a triumph, he adopted to the leadership position of consul in 177 and again in 163. This social background formed many ideas for Gaius at an early age, which he would act upon later. Scipio Africanus, whom defeated Hannibal in the Second Punic War, bore the child to Cornelia Africana. Even though she was of the elite class of families, the Gracchi family was plebian (Boatwright, Gargola, Lenski, and Talbert 2013: 86). These influential bloodlines created a stepping stone for Gaius when he sought out the tribune position. However, if it were not for his brother, Tiberius, his political career and many of h...
Gaius Gracchus was born in Rome in 154BCE into an influential family. His mother was the daughter of Scipio Africanus, a successful military leader, and his father was a powerful Politian. His older brother, Tiberus, also pursued a political career as a roman tribune; however, when Gaius was 21, Tiberus was viciously slain by the republics senate. At this Gaius seemed to aspire to a quiet life, wanting nothing to do with those responsible for his brother’s death (Plutarch 75ACE: 1). Although his quiet attitude would soon change, it is clear that his family lineage and brother’s murder would come to play a large part in Gaius’s life.
Oglivy, J.D.A., and Donald C. Baker. "Beowulf's Heroic Death." Readings on Beowulf. San Diego: David L. Bender, 1998. 69-73.
Author Edith Hamilton was born on August 12, 1867 in Dresden, Germany while her mother was visiting relatives. Hamilton started to study Latin at the age of seven, memorized passages from the Bible and could also recite poetry. Even as a young girl, she was a "natural storyteller. " She was determined to get a good education. After receiving her B.A. and M.A. from Bryn Mawr College in 1894 she studied the classics in Germany.
“Beowulf.” Trans. Suzanne Akbari. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. B. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 112-82. Print.
"Beowulf." U*X*L Encyclopedia of World Mythology. Vol. 1. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 177-182. Gale World History In Context. Web. 27 Sep. 2011.
Author unknown “Beowulf.” The Norton Anthology Of Poetry. shorter fifth edition. Ferguson, Margaret W. , Mary Jo Salter, and Jon Stallworthy. New York, New York: W W Norton , 2005. 2-9. Print.
Beowulf. Elements of Literature, Sixth Course: Literature of Britain. Ed. Kristine E. Marshall, 1997. 21-46. Print.
Tolkien, J.R.R.. “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics.” In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
"High School Student Dropouts." High School Student Dropouts RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2014. .
Abrams, M.H., ed. Beowulf: The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2001.
In conclusion I believe Claudius did what he thought was necessary to protect his country and wasn’t a power hungry man that on the surface could be made out to be. I believe his character goes much deeper than that.
Teens today face a lot of pressure. Many students deal with difficult life situations that hinder them from focusing on their futures. This can lead to a loss of interest in school and school events, such as a sports, clubs, or after school programs. Teens start to prioritize other things over their education. Every year, over 1.2 million students will leave school without earning a high school diploma in the United States alone (“11”). That’s a student every 26 seconds – or 7,000 a day (“11”). The United States, which used to have the highest graduation rates of any country, now ranks 22nd out of 27 developed countries (“11”). Students may not realize that by dropping out of high school they are more likely to commit crimes, become parents at a young age, use and abuse alcohol and drugs, and live in poverty (“Drop”). Dropouts make up the majority of those
Personality is the expression of a person’s traits according to ones feelings, mentality and behavior. It involves understanding individuals’ traits such as withdrawal and willpower and how various parts of an individual link together to form personality. Personality expresses itself from within an individual and is comparatively regular throughout in an individual’s life. Different people have different personalities dependent on factors such as environment and genetic composition. Our personality is dependent on the success or failure of our development in the eight stages of life. This is proposed by Erik Erikson. Success in the development stages lead to virtues while the failure leads to malignancies.