The Perfect Women of As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing Rosalind and Beatrice, the principal female characters of Shakespeare's As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing respectively, are the epitome of Shakespeare's ideal woman. From these two characters, we can see personality traits and characteristics of what Shakespeare might have considered the perfect woman. Rosalind and Beatrice are characterized by their beauty, integrity, strength of character, intelligence, gaiety, seriousness, and warmth. Shakespeare used Rosalind and Beatrice to portray his belief that the ideal woman is a woman of beauty. In the play As You Like It, poems were written to Rosalind by her lover Orlando praising her beauty and fairness. "All the pictures fairest lined are but black to Rosalind. Let no face be kept in mind but the fair of Rosalind."1 Phebe, another female character in this play, had a crush on Rosalind when she was disguised as Ganymede, a young boy in the forest. Obviously, this love was merely physical; Phebe was just attracted to Rosalind's good looks. Beatrice is also a fair lady. Men were attracted to her, including Don Pedro, the prince of Arragon, who asked for her hand in marriage. Benedick, whom she married in the last scene, must have been attracted to Beatrice's beauty as well, because he swore to himself that the woman he would choose would have to be fair (II, iii, 29-33). Shakespeare's ideal woman was one of integrity and strength of character as seen in Rosalind and Beatrice. Rosalind is virtuous. According to Monsieur Le Beau, a noble of the court in As You Like It, "... the people praise her for her virtues ... " (III, 284). Rosalind is described by Stanley Wells as "the full... ... middle of paper ... ...terary Characters. New York: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1963. Magill, Frank N., ed. "Much Ado About Nothing." Masterplots Vol. VII. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Salem Press, 1949. O'Connor, Evangeline M. Who's Who and What's What in Shakespeare. New York: Evangel Books, 1978. Schoenbaum, S. As You Like It--An Outline-Guide to the Play. New York: Barnes and Noble, Inc., 1965. Scott, Mark W., ed. "As You Like It." Shakespeare Criticism. Vol. V. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Co., 1987. Scott, Mark W., ed. "Much Ado About Nothing." Shakespeare Criticism. Vol. VIII. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Co., 1989. Shakespeare, William. The First Folio of Shakespeare: The Norton Facsimile. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1968. Wells, Stanley. "William Shakespeare." British Writers, Vol. I. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1979.
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Show MoreOne main cause for Gregor being trapped is his obligation to his family. His financial obligation alone is enough to put a great amount of pressure on him. His job and his secret plan to put his sister through school also place a demand on him. Gregor is solely responsible for repaying his parents’ old debts. The weight this puts on him is demonstrated when he says, Well, I haven’t given up hope completely; once I’ve gotten the money together to pay off my parents’ debt to him-that will probably take another five or six years-I’m going to do it without fail(Kafka 4). Even after discovering he has turned into a bug he still feels his obligation to his family.
Many people often meet different characters in literature and in life that they admire or despise. They conclude if those characters are good or evil and at the same time they reflect on the choices and responsibilities that those characters have. From The Chocolate War I admire Roland Goubert or The Goober based on his actions. I despise Archie Costello (The Assigner of The Vigils) because of the choices that he made and also because of his actions.
In Kate Chopin’s “The Storm”, sin happens to make a bond stronger than before. The story illustrates a couple who seems to be similar to the nature surrounding them. Both Calixta and Bobinôt happen to be going through a stormy period in their marriage. Although they are going through this turbulent period, Bobinôt’s actions display his imperfect but unconditional love for his wife. Bobinôt may not be the husband Calixta dreams of but throughout the story he illustrates that it does not matter what happens, the storm will pass and he will love her no matter what.
The idea that “Humankind is disconnected from reality,” is set in stone by Kafka when he writes about the transformation of Gregor’s families’ lives, and his own. The Samsa’s treated Gregor simply as a means to get out of debt, although the reader comes to realize later that the family was not as bad off as Gregor had believed. Also, the father returns back to work after Gregor cannot, which proves that his disability not nearly as severe as he had Gregor believed. Although Gregor is the family member that turns into a bug, he remains the only one of them to retain humanity. The family cannot grasp that the bug in the bedroom is Gregor, their son and brother. They disconnect themselves from him, forgetting that they have known him his entire life, and once perhaps loved him. After his metamorphosis, Gregor became the member of the family in need, yet instead of helping him, as he helped them, Gregor became a burden to the family. The family, especially the father and mother do not make an attempt...
Shakespeare, William. As You Like It. The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton Company, 1997.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, the author uses three scaffold scenes to mark the development of Hester Prynne. The image of Hester atop the scaffolding is a metaphor for her forced solitude; for her banishment from society; and for the futility of her punishment. In the first scene, Hawthorne uses the scaffold to explain how Hester can not believe that the “A'; and the baby are real. In the second scaffold scene, Hawthorne tries to convey to the reader that Hester has fully repented for her sin, however this is not true. In the final scaffold scene, Hester does not yet fully repent for her sin because her love for Dimmesdale is still strong. Through Hester, Hawthorne is trying to communicate to the reader that it difficult for Hester to repent the sin of adultery.
Beatrice is an extremely crucial character in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. She is one of the reasons that many plans and schemes fall into place to provide us with the outcome that the play finally reaches. Shakespeare depicts Beatrice as a very strong character who knows what she wants and how she wants to achieve it. Her characteristics of sharp wit and her ability to be acutely opinionated allow her to be a notable contrast from the other women in the play, whether this be in a positive or a negative way.
Shakespeare, William, Stephen Greenblatt, Walter Cohen, Jean E. Howard, Katharine Eisaman Maus, and Andrew Gurr. The Norton Shakespeare. Second ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997. Print.
Shakespeare’s plays are a treasure to literature and humankind in general. Most of his plays are about human interactions. Through his plays, Shakespeare somehow pictures how was life during his time and the gender role in society. There are three pairs that are really interesting examples such as Hero and Claudio, Beatrice and Benedick from “Much Ado About Nothing” and Katherine and Petruchio from The Taming of the Shrew.”
The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of Arthur Conan Doyle 's most famous works. The novel is the prime example of a Gothic Detective Story. Written during the first year of the 20th Century, the novel is a reflection of the concerns and issues that were prevalent at the time. The novel incorporates beliefs that were widely popular, including atavism and criminality. Although the novel is viewed as just another addition to the Sherlock Holmes canon, there are deeper philosophical conflicts that reflect the time period in which the novel was written.
As You Like It, one of Shakespeare’s comedies, follows a strong female lead as she adventures through the Forest of Arden. Rosalind, the play’s heroine, has been falsely charged with treason by her uncle, Duke Frederick. She decides to seek shelter from the court in the forest, where her previously exiled father, Duke Senior, has fled. Rosalind is intelligent and strong, and decides to disguise herself as a man by the name of Ganymede to ensure her safety. Celia, Rosalind’s good friend and the daughter of Duke Frederick, decides to join Rosalind and disguise herself as a shepherdess named Aliena. Meanwhile, Rosalind’s love interest, Orlando, is struggling after his father’s death. Orlando’s brother Oliver refuses to provide him with necessary
Clark, W. G. and Wright, W. Aldis , ed. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Vol. 1. New York: Nelson-Doubleday
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is a frightening and entertaining short story about the severe consequences that result from persistent mockery and an unforgiving heart. Poe’s excellent use of Gothicism within the story sets the perfect tone for a dark and sinister plot of murder to unfold. “The Cask of Amontillado” simply overflows with various themes and other literary elements that result from Poe’s Gothic style of writing. Of these various themes, one that tends to dominant the story as a whole is the theme of revenge, which Poe supports with his sophisticated use of direct and indirect factors, irony, and symbolism.