I have found two definitions of the word ‘boisterous’, which can be applied to Shakespeare’s use of the word. The first is ‘rough or coarse in quality’ and the second is ‘rough to the feelings; painfully rough’ as defined in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Rosalind, pretending to be Ganymede, declares that the letter written to her by Phoebe is in a “boisterous and a cruel style” (4.3.30). One definition of boisterous from The Oxford English Dictionary is “rough or coarse in quality”. This description is relevant to Shakespeare’s use of the word in this extract because Phoebe, despite her ability to understand and respond to figurative language, is a shepherdess of a much lower class than Rosalind. Phoebe is unrefined, proud and arrogant and
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Phoebe could be described as rough to the feelings of Silvius when she orders him to take her love/hate letter to Ganymede, knowing that he, Silvius, is in love with her. She also knows that Silvius is unaware that she is in love with Ganymede. She criticises Ganymede for meddling with her affections, to which Ganymede responds that she seems to think him an animal, but she herself is quite punishing in her behaviours towards Silvius and treats him similarly. Furthermore, she is also unkind to Ganymede, who she claims to love. In the same way, Shakespeare used this meaning in Romeo and Juliet, “is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn” (1.4. 25-26), showing how even a positive attribute, such as love, can be thought of as …show more content…
She defies the Elizabethan ideal of a woman, for she reprimands Ganymede and is headstrong and controlling towards Silvius, yet is submissive enough to agree to marry Silvius in order to please Ganymede. She is a shepherdess, yet uses sophisticated language which is unusual for a commoner in Shakespeare’s works; whilst the rest of the passage is in prose, Phoebe writes in rhyming trochaic tetrameter couplets. Shakespeare often used rhyming couplets when his characters spoke of love, the most evident example being the four lovers in “A midsummer night’s dream”. The use of this form in the extract therefore displays how strongly Phoebe feels towards Ganymede. Moreover, Rosalind’s use of prose, in contrast, highlights how Phoebe’s feelings are not reciprocated. Unlike Orlando’s abysmal and schmaltzy poetry in Act 3 Scene 2, Phoebe’s competent and more complex letter shows that she’s not blinded by Ganymede’s charms. She is critical of his behaviour towards her and she successfully uses antithesis to rebuke him, “If the scorn of your bright eyne” (4.3.48), resulting in note that is half love letter and half reprimand. The shepherdess also uses persuasive language, rhetoric, in the line “Would they work in mild aspect”, (4.3.51) to try to persuade Ganymede to return her feelings. Unlike Orlando’s poetry, or Silvius’ behaviour, she is not Petrarchan in her
Through Mercutio’s portrayal of Queen Mab, it depicts the reality of Romeo and Juliet’s delusional love. After Romeo reveals his apprehensive feelings of his dream, Mercutio also begins to unveil his ‘dream’ of the enchanting fairy called Queen Mab. At first, his description of Queen Mab seems to just be an innocent dream of fantasy: “O,then I see Queen Mab hath been with you/... and she comes/ In shape no bigger than an agate stone...Tickling a parson’s nose as he lies asleep” (1.4. 58- 85). Although Mercutio seems to be depicted simply as a witty character who constantly makes comedic puns throughout the play, he is also shown have intellectual insight that Romeo lacks. Little does Romeo know that the dreams Queen Mab bring also refers to the naive, myopic dreams Romeo has about Rosaline (1.1. 226-232), a woman who he perceives to be his everlasting lover. He is reinforcing the naive mindset of Romeo’s visions of love, bu...
Love is a powerful emotion, capable of turning reasonable people into fools. Out of love, ridiculous emotions arise, like jealousy and desperation. Love can shield us from the truth, narrowing a perspective to solely what the lover wants to see. Though beautiful and inspiring when requited, a love unreturned can be devastating and maddening. In his play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare comically explores the flaws and suffering of lovers. Four young Athenians: Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia, and Helena, are confronted by love’s challenge, one that becomes increasingly difficult with the interference of the fairy world. Through specific word choice and word order, a struggle between lovers is revealed throughout the play. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare uses descriptive diction to emphasize the impact love has on reality and one’s own rationality, and how society’s desperate pursuit to find love can turn even strong individuals into fools.
Physical love is portrayed throughout the book as the normal love that everyone needs. For example, on Act 1, Scene 3, lines 65-67 Lady Capulet states "Marry, that “marry” is the very theme I came to talk of. Tell me, daughter Juliet, How stands your disposition to be married?" Even though marriage is supposed to signify emotional connection between two people but in this case, it is a way for families to carry children in their bloodline, which implies physical love. In addition, another example of physical love is in Act 1, Scene 1, lines 199-203 Romeo says about Rosaline. "Well, in that hit you miss. She’ll not be hit With Cupid’s arrow. She hath Dian’s wit. And, in strong proof of chastity well armed from love’s weak childish bow, she lives uncharmed." This quote means that Rosaline has sworn herself to be a virgin for eternity, and Romeo is not happy about that because that is what he was looking for from her. He also claims that he loves her, but in reality he just physically loves her. Finally, a lot of bawdy humour is written throughout the book. For example, in Act 1, Scene 1, lines 18-24 a conversation Sampson and Gregory is heard "'Sampson: Tis all one. I will show myself a tyrant. When I have fought with the men, I will be civil with the maids. I will cut off their ...
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, one of the masterpieces of William Shakespeare, Shakespeare explores various aspects of love and friendship. With the help of the main characters such as Lysander, Demetrious Helena and Hermia, he endeavors that the path of love is full of obstacles, however, if one is committed and faithful, he/she can defy those obstacles leading him/her to success. As Lysander says “The course of true love never did run smooth”, the love stories presented in the play undergo difficult situations but eventually the genuine love is recognized by the triumph of the true loves.
In "A Midsummer Night's Dream," William Shakespeare explains the difficulties of the nature of love. Both false love and true love prevail in the end, leading the reader to come to the conclusion that all types of love can triumph. Hermia and Lysander represent the existence of a "true love", while Helena and Demertrius represent the opposite extreme. Shakespeare presents the idea that love is unpredictable and can cause great confusion. Love is something that cannot be explained, it can only be experienced. Shakespeare challenges us to develop our own idea of what love truly is.
This rhetorical feature is only one of a large arsenal that Shakespeare utilizes to convey his story. Romeo begins his ritualistic display of affection in a grand manner, his language resplendent with beautiful imagery. At the open, there is little dialogue; Romeo must first woo his intended. This being achieved through antithetical couplets to highlight the differences between Juliet and everything inferior around her; 'Juliet is the sun...Kill the envious moon ', 'She speaks yet she says nothing ', are prime examples of this technique. This is also often assisted by; 'godly ' references that of 'heaven ' and that of the 'angel, ' to emphasize his rhetoric. Indeed, the rhyming verse adds a pleasant sound to the ear, to heighten the effect of Romeo 's words, a technique very much commonplace in that era of
In order to accurately describe the role of women in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, one must first explore the female characters in the text. Shakespeare's works had few females because women were not allowed to act in London in the late 1500s and early 1600s. Disregarding the standards imposed on women of his time, Shakespeare created many female characters that were strong-willed, intelligent, and daring. Hermia of A Midsummer Night's Dream is one such character. She disobeys her father, her king, and the Athenian law so that she might marry the love of her life. She discards all the luxuries of her familiar and comfortable existence for the uncertainties of a distant land in exchange for the freedom to love Lysander. The only complaint against Hermia by feminist critics stems from her willingness to defy one set of confinements derived and maintained by men-her father, the king, and the male authors of Athenian law-to become the subordinate of yet another man. However, even though she rebels away from the limitations she ultimately runs towards, she is much more indep...
Throughout the events which unfold in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare delivers several messages on love. Through this play, one of the significant ideas he suggests is that love is blind, often defying logic and overriding other emotions and priorities. Helena loves Demetrius unconditionally and pursues him despite knowing that he loathes her; conflict arises between Helena and Hermia, childhood best friends, over Demetrius and Lysander; and because she is in love, Queen Titania is able to see beauty and virtue in the ass-headed Nick Bottom.
When he writes "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she, belied with false compare." (lines 13-14) in the final couplet, one responds with an enlightened appreciation, making them understand Shakespeare's message that true love consists of something deeper than physical beauty. Shakespeare expresses his ideas in a wonderful fashion. Not only does he express himself through direct interpretation of his sonnet, but also through the levels at which he styled and produced it. One cannot help but appreciate his message of true love over lust, along with his creative criticism of Petrarchan sonnets.
The hilarious play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare, tells the twisted love story of four Athenians who are caught between love and lust. The main characters: Hermia, Helena, Lysander, and Demetrius are in a ‘love square’. Hermia and Lysander are true love enthusiasts, and love each other greatly. Demetrius is in love with Hermia, and Helena, Hermia’s best friend, is deeply and madly in love with Demetrius. Hermia and Lysander try to elope in the woods because Egeus, Hermia’s father, disapproves of Lysander. Helena, hearing about their plans, tells Demetrius, and all four of them end up in the woods where Lysander’s quotation, “The course of true love never did run smooth”(28), becomes extremely evident due to several supernatural mix-ups, authority, and jealousy.
Romeo's perception of love as "rough" is generally due to his own response to the events in his life. Mercutio sees love as a "tender thing," and therefore offers this advice:
William Shakespeare’s writings are famous for containing timeless, universal themes. A particular theme that is explored frequently in his writings is the relationship between men and women. A Midsummer Night’s Dream contains a multitude of couplings, which are often attributed to the fairies in the play. Each of these pairings has positive and negative aspects, however, some relationships are more ideal than others. From A Midsummer Night’s Dream the optimal pairings are Lysander and Hermia, Demetrius and Helena, and Oberon and Titania; while the less desirable pairings are Theseus and Hippolyta, Hermia and Demetrius, Lysander and Helena, and Titania and Bottom. Throughout A Midsummer
Even for the briefest moment, Rosalind regretted to dress up like a man. But luckily, using her quick-wit, in Act 3 Scene 3, she cunningly persuaded Orlando into love-counselling by letting him pretend to woo her. She states that love is merely madness and deserves to be whipped. Then she intelligently said about the marks of a love which Orlando did not have.
The Shakespearian comedy, As You Like It, parodies many of the typical conventions in literature dealing with love. In poetry, a large variety of poetry and literature portray love as a deadly disease that can only bring suffering and torment to the lover, the lover only experiences short term bliss before submerging into lifelong misery, or the usual assumption that the male is dominated by the female. These ideas have built the foundation of the courtly traditions of love, which had a tremendous influence on European literature for hundreds of years prior to Shakespeare’s time. In As You Like It, the majority of the characters lament over the suffering caused by their unrequited and unsuccessful love, but these laments are all ridiculous, unconvincing, and absolutely hilarious. While Orlando’s incompetent poems conform to the cliché that he should “live and die slave,” his sentiments are completely ridiculed (III.ii.142). Even Silvius, the shepherd, assumes the overemphasized role of the overly tortured lover, asking his beloved Phoebe to notice “the wounds invisible” (III.v.31). In general, As You Like It breaks away from the traditional love storyline by presenting love as a force intended to search for happiness and fulfillment and mocks those who wallow in their own suffering. The play itself completely revolves around love. Not only does Shakespeare place an emphasis on the romantic aspect of love, but he also makes it a point to reveal the importance of love between friends and family. Rosalind, the heroine of the play, and her cousin, Celia, share a love so strong that it might as well be the subject of the entire play. Celia speaks to the powers of love in her introductory scene with Rosalind, in which she begs her cousi...
This poem speaks of a love that is truer than denoting a woman's physical perfection or her "angelic voice." As those traits are all ones that will fade with time, Shakespeare exclaims his true love by revealing her personality traits that caused his love. Shakespeare suggests that the eyes of the woman he loves are not twinkling like the sun: "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" (1). Her hair is compared to a wire: "If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head" (3). These negative comparisons may sound almost unloving, however, Shakespeare proves that the mistress outdistances any goddess. This shows that the poet appreciates her human beauties unlike a Petrarchan sonnet that stresses a woman's cheek as red a rose or her face white as snow. Straying away from the dazzling rhetoric, this Shakespearean poem projects a humane and friendly impression and elicits laughter while expressing a truer love. A Petrarchan sonnet states that love must never change; this poem offers a more genuine expression of love by describing a natural woman.