William Shakespeare, a playwright from the 16th century, was the mastermind behind brilliant, captivating plays that conveyed a number of inspirational themes. The theme that a character’s misfortune is a result of his own errors is present in various works written by William Shakespeare, and in a movie based on his life. This can be supported through the following characters that cause their own suffering: Viola from the film Shakespeare in Love directed by John Madden, Romeo from the play Romeo and Juliet, as well as Brutus from the play Julius Caesar, both written by William Shakespeare.
To begin, Viola from the film Shakespeare in Love shows how characters are the cause of their own unhappiness. Viola’s dream has always been to perform on stage, since she has a strong passion for theatre. She knows that as a woman, she is prohibited from acting, yet she disobeys the law and disguises herself as a man named Thomas Kent to play a character from the upcoming performance, Romeo and Juliet. However, some of the Queen’s officials discover Thomas Kent’s true identity, a woman, and orders for the production to be shut down. Viola then becomes devastated that the theatre was closed down, since she will no longer be able to pursue her dream of performing. Even though she knew all along that she was not supposed to be on stage in the first place, she made the mistake of violating the law, which leads to the shattering of her dreams. Viola also makes the mistake of being romantically involved with Shakespeare. She is aware that her fate is to marry Lord Wessex, and that her family would never approve of her love with a man with no title. However, she continues to be with William Shakespeare, a man only known as a playwright, which streng...
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In conclusion, the idea that a character can only blame himself for his misery or death is portrayed by Viola in Shakespeare in Love for her attempts to pursue dreams she could never fulfill, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet for his impulsive behaviour, and Brutus in Julius Caesar for his naivety. Cassius once tells Brutus, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves” (Julius Caesar, 1, 2, 139–140), explaining how people should not blame others for their own problems. A person can only live once, therefore they must be very careful in their choices in order to make the most out of their life.
Works Cited
Shakespeare In Love. Dir. John Madden. Perf. Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes. Alliance Atlantis, 1998.
Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1979. Print.
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1982. Print.
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings (1.2.139-141).” Through careful and strategic planning is Cassius able to persuade Brutus, a man who “for his virtue and valiantness, was well-beloved of the people (“Sources” 120),” into conspiring and acting upon the death of Caesar. Caesar also believes that men control their own fate by stating, in response to the omens and portents, “Danger knows full well / That Caesar is more dangerous than he (2.2.44-45).” Through this quote, Caesar presents his belief that he has the ability to overcome a superstitious fate. Therefore, he ignores all the signs and omens and thus determines his fate through an action that would seal his death.
Romantic love stories are often ended with a tragedy, because of loss of passion or a loved one. These tragedies are often the result of one person’s actions that ended someone’s life or love. In the Romeo and Juliet play written by William Shakespeare, two citizens of Verona come together and fall deeply in love. Unfortunately their love comes to an end, along with their lives, because of a misunderstanding and a persistent feud between their families. Although there are many characters in this play that have contributed to Romeo and Juliet’s death, Friar Laurence is the person most to blame.
Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Perf. Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, John McEnery, Etc. Twentieth Century Fox, 1996. Film.
In William Shakespeare’s play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ the main characters are responsible for their own deaths because they refuse to accept responsibility for their own actions. Romeo acts irresponsibly throughout the play making inappropriate decisions. Juliet is persuaded out of her apprehensions by Romeo and is blinded by her unrealistic love for Romeo. However, the two lovers cannot be blamed entirely for their own deaths as other characters and the two lovers’ feuding families hold responsibility.
First, let us examine the story of Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, one of the most influential writers of all time. As we know, in this famous play, two young people instantaneously fall in love in the midst of a long and bitter feud between their families. After all is said and done, Juliet's plan to fake her death is ruined and both she and Romeo end up killing themselves. The feud between the Montagues and Capulets had ended when both sides realized the pain that it had cost. The movie Shakespeare in Love was about the life of Will Shakespeare during the time that Romeo and Juliet was written. In the movie, Will is writing a play that is supposed to be a comedy. Along the way, Will encounters a woman, Viola. Will becomes enchanted with Viola and they begin to pursue a passionate love affair. Viola is an upper class, aristocratic woman with whom a marriage as already been arranged. As this affair continues, Will writes more of the play which is now turning out to be a love story that illustrates the actual events taking place in Will's life. Romeo and Juliet had become the fictional counterparts of Will and Viola. Eventually, the play is written with great success. However, Will loses Viola to her “pre-arranged” husband, but he always carries a special place in is heart for her as exemplified in his writings.
William Shakespeare once told us, "All the World’s a Stage" —and now his quote can be applied to his own life as it is portrayed in the recent film, Shakespeare In Love. This 1998 motion picture prospered with the creative scripting of Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman and direction of John Madden. The combined effort of these men, on top of many other elements, produced a film that can equally be enjoyed by the Shakespeare lover for its literary brilliance, or for the romantic viewer who wants to experience a passionate love story.
A timeless topic--fate and free will--still captivates society today. Fortune cookies, physics, and horoscopes all contribute to the obsession people have with this controversial debate over who manipulates life; fate or free will. No one is sure who really pulls the strings, but everyone has an opinion on the matter. Many famous plays center on this topic, and one such play that features characters’ views on fate and free will is Romeo and Juliet. This legendary play, written by William Shakespeare, has been beloved by people for centuries, as they contemplate who is the guiding force in life? The play discusses just this, while depicting the lives of Romeo and Juliet: two desperate teenagers each trapped in their own worlds, seeking love and freedom. The two “star-crossed lovers” are from feuding households, and each has their own distinct problems. Romeo jumps from girl to girl, never finding anyone to reciprocate his feelings until he meets Juliet. She is hidden from the world, and with every decision being made for her, she wants to control her own life, which she does with marrying Romeo. Although fate and free will are both undeniably found in the lives of Juliet and Romeo, it is ultimately fate and the way it manipulates the events, time, and the characters that brings about the untimely death of the two iconic teen lovers.
In tragedy plays, there is a character who suffers from a tragic flaw in his or her personality may it be excessive pride, poor judgement, or both which eventually leads to the hero’s downfall and makes the character the tragic hero. In Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Marcus Brutus is the tragic hero of the play due to his tragic flaw which is his naïve and over-trusting personality, which he eventually realizes too late but still aims to prevent his loss of dignity.
In conclusion, Brutus’ mistakes and flaws are overshadowed by his honorable intentions and genuine motives. In a society littered with dishonorable, deceitful people like Antony, Brutus, with his sense of honor and integrity, contrast them all. Brutus’ greatest weakness is his tendency to believe people who script words to purposely lie or misguide him. Due to his actions, he ends up dying an honorable death of a self-suicide. Having genuine compassion and sympathy towards others is not a bad thing. However, decisions should not be so heavily influenced by the opinions of others. The significance of planning things out before doing them is clearly illustrated, as it is a way to foresee possible complications or problems that may arise. Ironically, the conspirators’ cause is for naught as Antony becomes the tyrant that they fear Caesar would have become.
The movie “Shakespeare in Love” shows the business process of theater, along with Shakespeare’s struggles in his career and love life. Shakespeare in Love is a fictional account of the life that inspired the play Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the movie there are scenes, which you can relate to modern times comical irony devious behavior manipulation and how everything does not matter in the case of love. The story is perfect and ties together all the parts of the actual play and what may have really happened to the life of Shakespeare. The writers produced an imaginative romantic comedy in the style of Shakespeare that is very believable. They bring the viewer along for a fictitious account of what may have motivated Shakespeare to write one of the greatest plays of all times. This film captures the coarseness and bawdiness of the period as well as its soaring poetry. It places Shakespeare’s world in a modern context and makes it accessible, without diminishing the impact of his words.
In Shakespearean drama, a dynamic and explosive fusion of jealousy, pride, anger and ambition is characteristic for heroes’ behaviour. The tragedy was caused by the excessive flaw in character - self-respect and dignity combined with the feelings of hate and revenge. A disaster usually occurred to lead to destruction of the protagonist. Due to divine justice, punishment is inevitable and therefore no happy ending is possible. Therefore, time is the hero’s main enemy, mercilessly working against him. The mystery of tragedy is that once the protagonist has learnt a lesson of how to renew the order in himself, death is the only outcome /no memento mori, however/.
Transcending the Societal Role of Women: The Revolution of Natural Love in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
Emotions are among the most potent forces humanity has ever faced, and, as William Shakespeare emphasizes, love is one of the most influential emotions an individual can experience. Throughout Twelfth Night, Shakespeare focuses on one main characteristic about love that helps to solidify the strength of this emotion on the characters. He wants to reader to understand that love is one of the few forces that can instantaneously incapacitate and cripple human beings, yet it simultaneously wields the capacity to bestow the highest level of satisfaction within an individual.
...most famous love story in Western history. The adults in this Shakespeare play fell short in their responsibilities, however many readers consider that Friar Laurence is the most to blame for the disastrous deaths of the main characters, Romeo and Juliet. For his willingness to marry the two in secret, his inconsideration of the possibilities or consequences his actions could ensue, and his assistance Juliet in faking her death, which ultimately lead to the death of Romeo too. However, he has a kind nature about him, and honestly tries to help Romeo and Juliet in whatever way he possibly is able to. Friar Laurence may not be completely to blame for Romeo’s death, but he left Juliet alone in the tomb where she killed herself, and he easily could’ve saved her. When Friar Laurence made such inconsiderate decisions, he inevitably doomed Romeo and Juliet to their deaths.
Shakespeare's comedies can be recognized in terms of plot, structure and characters. We can see that Shakespearean comedies follow the same structural pattern, a basic plot on which the play is based. For example, a key feature of all comedies is that they depend upon the resolution of their plots. However, Shakespeare's comedies are distinguishable, as some are classed as comic dramas and others as romantic comedies. In comic drama, there is usually a motif of a place where reality and the unreal merge, the roles of characters are reversed and identities are mistaken or lost. This place may take on the form of a feast or celebration, or it may be presented as a place segregated from the normal society, such as the wood in A Midsummer Night's Dream. When scenes are set in this place, the ordinary rules of life and society do not apply. There is always an experience of chaos, which must be resolved in order for the play to become a true comedy.