Moreover, Shakespeare was once again alluded to when the children started singing ‘’Totally Fucked’’ (74) referring to King Lear, a play in which, one of the main characters, Gloucester misjudges his son and disinherits him because he thinks he has betrayed him. This misjudgment can be transposed in Spring Awakening when Moritz’s father tells his son that he destroyed his father’s reputation because he failed. Also, this failure was only a conspiracy against Moritz, by making him fail, the school systeme would achieve his goal of getting rid of him. Indeed, because he struggles more than the other students at school, the teachers of his school sees him as a waste of time and a bad example for their school. This harsh talk from his father, combined with the fact that his teachers told him that he was a moron, is tragically going to lead Moritz to commit suicide. Once again, the insertion of Shakespeare’s song helps the reader to understand the criticism of the utopic idea of the perfect society in which everyone is perfect and …show more content…
Indeed, by eliminating the weakest, Hitler was trying to produce the perfect society, composed only of the perfects human beings. These perfect humans were called the Aryans, they were idealized as “pure” only if they had some quite strict physical and intellectual characteristics such as blond hairs, blue eyes and an overall good physical fitness. It is clearly this kind of mentality that the school is adopting in Spring Awakening by rejecting categorically Moritz because they thought that he was not good enough for them. This way of thinking, that is too much frequent in occidental society, is clearly denounced by Sater for its non-human
In his account of the situation, the brother first clearly makes a note that these confused and suspicious students comprise not one of his elementary classes, but rather his only non-remedial class. From this he is evidently implying that one would expect a heightened ability to understand and more accurately analyze the power and beauty of great literature on the part of the students. Thus from the beginning, the reader is alerted to the fact that their confusion is not due to the difficulty of the material, but rather is the product of some underlying factor. In this way the students perceive this Shakespearean tragedy as a horror story, the mere thought of it shadowed in their minds by fear. They see the Montagues and Capulets as families driven mad; Verona as a plague-infested country where killing and marriage take place in dark regions alike. They infer from it that young love is dangerous, and by reading of a suicide made possible by a potion that was initially intended to preserve tender love instead of stealing it, their notions that there is evil in everything seem to be confirmed.
Social pressures change as time passes, therefore it is interesting to see how these three texts whom differ by almost four hundred years perceive society and the effect this has on the protagonists; Shakespeare’s King Lear which was first performed in 1606 during the Jacobean era, presents a patriarchal society. Whilst, Arthur Miller uses the characters in ‘Death of a salesman’ to show the failure of the ‘American dream’ during the “golden era” of America in the late 40’s. The ‘American Dream’ was a set of ideals which suggested that anyone in the US could be successful through hard work, and had the potential to live a happy life. The sense of the deterioration in the equality of opportunities links to the fall in power and hierarchy in King Lear. Arudanthi Roy, however, uses her contemporary Indian novel to illustrate, using a proleptic and coalesce structure, the lives of the protagonists living in a post – colonial society. In each of these three texts there are characters who fit the stereotypes that society has instilled in them, but then there are those characters who noticeably differ from the norm; According to 19th century novelist Alfred de Musset “how glorious it is – and how painful – to be an exception.” Hence this statement can be seen as applicable to these characters, because in all three texts these characters do end up losing a lot.
This society, in which Germans would be the conquerors of the world and the leader of every aspect of society, would be a society in which only German Aryans thrived, Hitler told the masses (Noakes). It was essential in order to have a society that was not tainted, to efface those who could poison this wonderful utopia, and thus crush the German dream. The Jews and other inferior races, Hitler told the population, were the ca...
“Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare is a play about two lovers from different families that have an internal feud between them. It ends in both lovers, Romeo and Juliet, committing suicide as they could not openly live with each other. An important idea in this play is that of the impetuosity of youth and the rash decisions that young people may make. This idea is continuously brought up throughout the play and is explored through the concepts of overreacting and being blinded by anger, desperation in forbidden love and taking your life for love.
Although the stage of Henry IV, Part 1 hosts preparations for a rebellion-ending war, William Shakespeare plots a far different story of family and responsibility. The universal themes created throughout the play suggest pertinent questions about the individual, as well as general, paths we take in life. The stage becomes a dinner table, where educative topics, such as freedom versus conformity, are discussed. Shakespeare’s clever use of parallel events connects the highest and lowest classes of society, allowing the reader to visualize different points of views.
Undoubtedly, King Lear is one of Shakespeare’s most revered tragic plays. The complex plot, with its unexpected twists and turns, keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as some of Shakespeare’s most interesting characters, namely Edmund, the illegitimate son of Gloucester and brother of Edgar, are revealed. However, Edmund is truly the unsung hero of the iconic play. Although he is perceived as a Machiavellian vigilante, he is indeed a man whose true intent is simply to correct the injustices and inequalities within society. The fact that he has been brought up in a tormenting environment gives him a justifiable reason to stand up against the immoral society in order to correct the iniquitous
One of the reasons why Shakespeare is so thoroughly read today is because of his ability to portray human nature so accurately through his characters. Shakespeare's play, King Lear shows us that humans are treacherous and selfish. We can also relate to the play because of the family issues that Shakespeare incorporates throughout the work. Lear's family is definitely a dysfunctional one. However, the disrupted family unit is the basis for the play's tragedy. The Contemporary Guide to Literary Terms defines tragedy as "a piece of writing that inspires fear or pity, through which the audience/reader experiences catharsis" (a purging of emotions). Tragic plots should have a clear beginning, middle and end that all involve the protagonist in some way. It is essential in this play for King Lear to have serious family problems in order for him to become a tragic hero. The whole premise of the plot is based on his conniving daughters (with help from Lear's ego). These family problems turn Lear into a tragic hero. Much the same could be said about Gloucester, which will also be examined in this paper.
Love causes the line between reality and fantasy to blur making characters question if it is all just a dream. This situation is clearly depicted in Shakespeare's a Midsummer Night’s Dream when Robin places the four lovers asleep and they wake up wondering if they have experienced a twisted fantasy. With vivid dreams that often feel real it is impossible to determine if one is awake or actually dreaming. Shakespeare's character Robin Goodfellow stretches this even further by playing countless tricks on mortals making them question the reality they live in, “That you have but slumbered here, while these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, No more yielding but a dream.” (V.1.171) Robin believes he has just pulled off his biggest scheme by convincing the mortal lovers that their entire quarrel never happened. He realizes the true cleverness of his scheme by putting the lovers back to sleep and he knows they will question if they were ever truly awake. With no one there to witness these events, there is no proof that they occurred. Robin and the fairies are the main source of confusion regarding reality as they have their own goals leading mortals to easily fall prey as pawns to their games. Bottom the Weaver for example is given an ass’s head thanks to Oberon and Robin. In addition, the potion the fairy queen receives causes her to fall in love with Bottom. However they put him asleep and in a matter of minutes he goes from a fairy king to wondering if it was all just a dream, stating “Man is but an ass if he go about expound this dream. Methought I was-there is no man can tell what.” (IV.1.135) Bottom is hopelessly confused as the fairies play a nasty trick on him, however you can see that Bottom does re...
Absolute in every child’s mind is the belief that they are right, despite all the evidence to the contrary. Until children grow up to raise children own their own, a parent’s disputation only inflates that desire to prove. Part and parcel to this, as one may find out through personal experience or by extension, cruelty towards parents is a reflection of a child’s own inadequacy (whether in large or small scale). In this sense, King Lear is a story of children with a desire to break past their hierarchal status. Whether it is the belief that a woman shall take a husband, and with that guard her inherited land, or what role bastards truly deserves in a society that preemptively condemns them. Cruelty at the hands of children accounts for almost
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is arguably one of the best plays known to English literature. It presents the protagonist, Hamlet, and his increasingly complex path through self discovery. His character is of an abnormally complex nature, the likes of which not often found in plays, and many different theses have been put forward about Hamlet's dynamic disposition. One such thesis is that Hamlet is a young man with an identity crisis living in a world of conflicting values.
King Lear’ falls into the genre of tragedy, depicting the destruction and downfall of the king and his three daughters. The play follows the codes and conventions generally associated with the genre and it is through Lear’s character in combination with the cunning deceit of his two eldest daughters that set in play the themes of conflict, power, family and forgiveness.
the law he brought back for the sake of lust. Angelo is an immoral and
One of the most popular characters in Shakespearean literature, Hamlet endures difficult situations within the castle he lives in. The fatal death of his father, and urge for revenge leads Hamlet into making unreasonable decisions. In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet’s sanity diminishes as the story progresses, impacting the people around him as well as the timing and outcome of his revenge against Claudius.
Hamlet is the best known tragedy in literature today. Here, Shakespeare exposes Hamlet’s flaws as a heroic character. The tragedy in this play is the result of the main character’s unrealistic ideals and his inability to overcome his weakness of indecisiveness. This fatal attribute led to the death of several people which included his mother and the King of Denmark. Although he is described as being a brave and intelligent person, his tendency to procrastinate prevented him from acting on his father’s murder, his mother’s marriage, and his uncle’s ascension to the throne.
The play articulates pressing contemporary concerns about power during the Jacobean era. The Greek philosophical allusion to the saying, “ex nihilo nihil fit”, “nothing will come from nothing”, foreshadows how Lear’s rationality leaves him with nothing. Moreover, the irony in “This is not Lear: Does Lear walk thus? Speak thus? Where are his eyes...” reveals Lear is a shadow of his former self, less without his sovereignty. He has lost a sense of his identity as he is caught up in his crown and not himself. In addition, Lear’s reduction of value is emphasised through the metaphor, “Thou hast pared thy wit o’ both sides and lest nothing I’ th’ middle.” Without his crown and kingdom, Lear is nothing. Furthermore, Shakespeare explores the concept of the storm scene, which serves as a metaphor for the plight of the king and his kingdom and is representative of Lear’s inner rage and state of mind. Lear’s metaphor, likening man to an animal in ‘a poor care, forked animal’ exemplifies how Lear feels after the betrayal of his two daughters; Goneril and Regan. It also comments on the true nature of all individuals and their initial state. Charles Lamb, an English writer, agrees with the ease at which the audience can relate to Lear, “…we see not Lear, but we are Lear, we are in his mind…” The recurring motif of blindness