The world contains thousands of stories and when a person experiences these stories something is taken from them and kept locked in the mind. It becomes easier to review and to understand a text after it has been read the first few times, these stories leave their impact by connecting with the reader or viewer through the characters the tale portrays. The audience will become more familiar and begin using the imagination to help the plot grow and expand in their own way. These stories are often carried by their protagonists, the characters the stories will revolve around. It is the protagonist’s experiences and life events that each reader has the opportunity to share with them and this fact is what will develop a bond between the reader and that character. “The protagonists in many stories are not shown to be flawless. They generally undergo some change that causes the turn of events, which makes a story interesting and helps deliver a message.”(Bavota) It is in William Shakespeare’s writing that Bavota’s observation is clearly shown. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the protagonist is the play’s namesake. He will struggle with his mental and moral self and fall from a respected man and subject, to a king living in fear. Quite opposite from the tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare’s Tempest will be a comedy set on a magical island with spirits and creatures which cannot, in the real world, exist. The protagonist of this play will rise from the betrayed magician to the position he held in his earlier life. Each protagonist will be faced with challenges, whether apparent and addressed in the plays or previous to the story’s beginning, it is the reaction to events that will bring about the endings that occur.
The protagonist in Macbeth is Ma...
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French, Charles W. “Themes in Macbeth.” Shakespeare Oline. N.p., 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. . Second.
Heiner, Stephen. “Sound and Fury, Signifying Something.” Stephen Heiner. N.p., 22 May 2008. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. . Fifth.
Mabillard, Amanda. “Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.” Shakespeare Online. N.p., 5 Dec. 2010. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. . Fourth.
O’Connor, Evangeline Maria. “Shakespeare’s Characters: Prospero (The Tempest).” The Works of William Shakespeare. Vol. 16. N.p.: J.D. Morris and Co., n.d. Shakespeare Online. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. . Third.
The theme of Macbeth by William Shakespeare is that the main character, Macbeth, feels as though life is meaningless if there is no loyalty. The literary motif clothing is shown throughout loyalty between each character.
Lizhi, Ye. “The Equivocation Theme in Macbeth/Equivocation Du Theme Dans Macbeth.” Vol.2 No.4. Canadian Research & Development Center of Sciences and Cultures. Montreal, 2006.
William Shakespeare was a Stratford Grammar School boy, who was a member of the Church of England, similar to just about everyone else in Stratford. However, due to some events that occurred in the Shakespeare family home, there is some evidence that could prove that the family may have had some Roman Catholic connections. When William Shakespeare was 10 years old, legal issues and debt took a toll on his family’s life. Shakespeare’s father’s stopped attending alderman meetings which resulted in the removal of his name to become an alderman, and he was also forced to sell his beautiful home. The cause of this crisis is unknown, however the records can be used to throw together the idea that there were peculiar religious events going on (Fox). Due to these mishaps, William Shakespeare’s religion is a bit of a mystery. The play, Hamlet, was written by William Shakespeare during the Elizabethan era, which happened to be a time when religious conflicts were a big deal (Alsaif). The protagonist in the story, Hamlet, is a character who seems to make his choices through his religious beliefs. Hamlet is a very indecisive person, but his thoughts on religion tend to persuade him. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses the character of Hamlet to show the flaws in all religions. Hamlet does his best to follow the rules of Christianity, but he often questions the morality involved. Although Shakespeare belonged to the Church of England, he didn’t find any particular religion to be perfect.
Everyone has lied at one point or another in their life. Whether it is a small white lie about an outfit’s mishaps or something that ruined a relationship, lying or hiding the truth is a universal theme that everyone could relate to. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses the theme of deception to develop characters and cause their ultimate downfall in the play. Deception is not only woven in the plot but also portrays through the characters’ action and personality, such as Claudius, Polonius, and Hamlet.
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the repercussions of Macbeth murdering his King are very numerous. Through themes that include, imagery, soliloquies, atmosphere, and supernatural beings, Shakespeare enforces the magnitude of Macbeth’s crime. Most of these factors are linked together.
What is the appropriate time of mourning for a lost loved one? In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlets mother, Gertrude, mourned the passing of her husband for less than two months. She then decided to marry King Hamlet's brother, Claudius. Hamlets mother's new marriage is what bothers him the most. Hamlet believes Claudius will never live up to the legacy left by his father as the King of Denmark. The social context that is being revealed to the reader through Hamlets soliloquy describes three character traits he possesses: suicidal thoughts, concern for the well-being of his country, confusion towards his father's ghost and whether or not it’s in the countries best interest for him to get revenge. This also portrays how Queen Gertrude’s hasty nuptials after not having a proper time of mourning, goes against society in this era. Furthermore, this foreshadows the vast effect this will have on Hamlet.
When in the course of human events, something’s are made self-evident, like having to read Hamlet and write about three soliloquies. These soliloquies tend to be very lengthy and have very sub surface meanings to them that require some enabled humanoids to use the frontal cortex of their neurological brains in order to understand these meanings. In other words, they are hard to understand, especially with them being written in the Shakespearean era of influence in the island Kingdoms that are Untied. However, they offer meanings unimaginable and crucial to the outcome of the play Hamlet. As I have just explained, the three soliloquies of Act I, II, III, of the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare have very deep important meanings and messages to them.
One of the main arguments surrounding the famous play, Hamlet, written by Shakespeare, is focused on whether the main character Hamlet was actually insane, or just pretending to be. Shakespeare does not directly state Hamlet’s madness but rather he hints at it throughout the play and this lets the reader decide on their own interpretation. Hamlet’s insanity can be seen in his reckless decisions, extreme mood swings, and daring manner in which he speaks to the king. However it can be judged reasonable because being mad temporarily satisfies his conscience, gives him some protection from Claudius, and it buys some time for Hamlet to prove Claudius’s guilt. In the play as a whole, Hamlet’s choice to be mad characterizes him as intelligent and reveals the inner turmoil surrounding his mission to avenge his father’s death.
Hamlet’s soliloquy is surely one of the great dramatic monologues in world literature. It is as well known as any in the Shakespearean canon and a favorite selection for memorization. The Prince’s meditation transcends the personal. Much of what he says is applicable to all mankind. The speech, coming as it does at the midpoint of the entire action, poses many critical problems. In view of the widely contrasting interpretations of this speech, it would be naïve to ignore the difficulties of interpretation.
Solomon, Andrew. "A Reading of the Tempest." In Shakespeare's Late Plays. Ed. Richard C. Tobias and Paul G. Zolbrod. Athens: Ohio UP, 1974. 232.
In the comedic, yet thrilling play, The Tempest, William Shakespeare uses characters such as Caliban, Alonso, and Ariel to show Prospero’s immense cruelness and pure monstrosity. Moreover, these Shakespearean characters are also used to highlight Prospero’s change in character into a kinder and more forgiving person. Prospero starts the play out as a vengeful monster, after an illuminating moment however, his persona transforms into his true identity of a compassionate man.
The complexity and effect of father-son relationships seems to be a theme that Shakespeare loved to explore in his writings. In Hamlet, the subject is used as a mechanism to identify the similarities between three very different characters: Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet. They have each lost their fathers to violent deaths, which leads them to seek vengeance. As different as they may seem, they all share the common desire to avenge their father’s deaths. The method they each approach this is what differentiates each of their characters, and allows the audience to discern their individual characteristics. Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet’s intense loyalty to their fathers drives them to individual extreme measures of revenge, exemplifying Shakespeare’s masterful use of describing the human psyche during Elizabethan times.
Shakespeare's Use of Language, Imagery and Setting to Illuminate Prospero's Journey from Revenge to Reconciliation
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Elements of Literature, Sixth Course. Ed. Kristine E. Marshall, 1997. 300-312. Print.
Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Second Revised Ed. United States of America: First Signet Classics Print, 1998. 1-87. Print.