Entire Play Essays

  • Nora's Symbolism in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House

    984 Words  | 2 Pages

    In every society power is the bringer of fortune and influence. In his play A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen portrays, through the character of Nora, the power women are gaining in patriarchal societies. Nora, who symbolizes all women, exercises her power throughout the entire play. She cleverly manipulates the men around her while, to them, she seems to be staying in her subordinate role. In all three acts of the play Nora controls many situations and yields the most power. Act I, along with

  • Hamlet

    828 Words  | 2 Pages

    deception throughout the entire play. However this lack of honesty was not lonesome for insightful comedy and a visible foreshadowing of upcoming events accompanied it. Meaning that the play was cleverly written with humor and provided us with an obvious chain of facts that would lead up to us unraveling the end of the play. This play critiques the need to lie or exaggerate the truth, in order to “fit in” the norm of English society during the 1890’s. The unique characters in this play portray a nonchalant

  • Hamlets Revenge

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Revenge of Hamlet Hamlet’s sixth soliloquy is full of irony, philosophy, and with the familiar subject of revenge. It reflects themes of the entire play, and it helped further my understanding of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Hamlet. The main character, in his second-to-last monologue reflects Claudius’ regret which is an obstacle to revenge. This barrier creates frustration for Hamlet, but also is a reason for further procrastination, which is usually Hamlet’s way out of a situation. The subject

  • This above all, to thine own self be true: Being True to Yourself

    696 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the most important line is: “This above all, to thine own self be true, / And it must follow, as the night the day, / Thou canst not then be false to any man” (1.3, 78-80). Spoken by Polonius, this advice is present throughout the entire play, together with the motifs of truth and lying. The characters desire to be true to themselves; however, some of them are not true to others. The main character, Hamlet, is a character that is not true to others, nor to himself. When the Ghost

  • Othello

    645 Words  | 2 Pages

    smooth speech until its roots spread and cannot be uprooted. The only way to appropriately illustrate this point is through an in depth analysis of specific text from the play. Othello’s speech that begins on line 178 of act III Scene iii is absolutely central to the meaning of the scene as well as to the meaning of the entire play. Beginning with out right denial, Othello’s speech ends up working its way through all possible outcomes until he is left with only confusion and doubt regarding Desdimona’s

  • Hamlet

    743 Words  | 2 Pages

    “To Be or Not To Be” The “To Be or Not To Be” speech in the play, “Hamlet,” portrays Hamlet as a very confused man. He is very unsure of himself and often wavers between two extremes. In the monologue, he contemplates death; over whether he should commit suicide or seek revenge for his father’s death. The play also shows how Hamlet thinks over things too much. From the analysis over life and death he comes to the conclusion that he would rather live and seek revenge for father’s death than die

  • Much Ado About Nothing Essay: Beatrice, Benedick, and Love

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    thirteenth century Italy.  The plot of the play can be categorized as comedy or tragicomedy .    Villainy and scheming combine with humor and sparkling wordplay in Shakespeare's comedy of manners. Claudio is deceived into believing that Hero, is unfaithful. Meanwhile, Benedick and Beatrice have "a kind of merry war" between them, matching wits in repartee.  This paper will attempt to present the fact that Beatrice and Benedick are in love during the entire play despite their witty rivalries.  Their friends'

  • Macbeth Character Analysis

    573 Words  | 2 Pages

    Character Analysis In the tragedy Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, many character traits are portrayed through the various characters throughout the play. Macbeth was one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. It was completed in 1606 and was most likely first performed before King James I and his royal family at Hampton Court. King James I is believed to be a direct descendent of the character Banquo. Probably the most potent character trait expressed in Macbeth would be integrity or

  • Our Town Critique

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through December 5th through the 7th, I performed in Thornton Wilder’s play of Our Town. The only sets or props that the actors or actresses used where folding chairs for us to sit in, umbrellas to hide Emily (Julie Dumbler), and flats on both sides of the stage to hide the people behind them. The reason for the lack of set is so the audience can use there imagination of what the town of Grover’s Corner, New Hampshire looks like. All the rest of the props that the actors had to use were pan mimed

  • Fate in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    and some do not care one way or the other. However, in many instances, such as in William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, far too many coincidences occur to be strictly coincidental. Fate creates a powerful effect throughout the entire play, starting in the prologue, continuing as Romeo and Juliet meet and fall in love, and tragically ending in the lovers’ deaths. In the prologue, Shakespeare makes it undoubtedly clear that Romeo and Juliet are subject to fate. The audience is first

  • Antigone "Son"

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    In one of the three plays of Sophocles, “The Antigone” we come across a character who is trying to change the mind of a king who is his own father. In the middle of the play the character Haemon comes and tells Creon, “ I beg you, do not be unchangeable: Do not believe that you alone can be right. The man who thinks that, The man who maintains that only he has the power to reason correctly, the gifts to speak, the soul – a man like that, when you know him, turns out empty. It is not reason never

  • Medea

    1747 Words  | 4 Pages

    age of 25. At most drama competitions, however his plays came in last place until he was about 45 or 50 years old. In his entire life, he wrote 92 plays of which only five received first place awards at competition. Euripides despised women. He had been married twice to unfaithful women and had three sons. This hate of women is shown in his work of Medea. Author's unique style: Euripides' characterization of women is considered unique in the play Medea because the tragic Hero/ine - in this case Jason

  • Mother Courage: The Hole In The Cheese

    682 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mother Courage contains a quote that pulls the entire play together so innocuously; it's hard to believe that Brecht originally intended it to be so symbolic. Yet, there it is, in scene six, the chaplain rhetorically asks, "What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?" This line operates on the three essential layers of the play: the level of the character, of the playwright (plot), and of the audience. On "face" value, this line is said about peace. The chaplain believes that the image of peace

  • The Role of Minor Characters in Shakespeare's Hamlet

    655 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hamlet Minor characters play a very crucial role in Shakespear's Hamlet. They serve as narrators for events that occurred outside the immediate play: the Dane's ghost. Distinct contrasts are created through the usage of the play's minor characters. The reader gains new perspective on Hamlet's character when he is compared with Laertes. The presence of these minor characters can also have a direct effect on the action of the play. The actors in the play within the play are used to expose the guilt

  • Love and Hate Depicted in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice

    1042 Words  | 3 Pages

    and Hate Depicted in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice The Merchant of Venice is a play both about love and hate. Shakespeare illustrates the theme of hate most prominently through the prejudices of both Christians and Jews and their behaviour towards one another. The theme of love is shown amongst the Christians, in the love of friendship and marital love. The themes are emphasised in the settings of the play, Belmont symbolising love and Venice symbolising hate. As well as this the immorality

  • Medea And Othello

    1557 Words  | 4 Pages

    difference between these two play is how Medea shows unities (time, place and action) whilst Othello has none. It’s clearly shown in the first scene, as soon as the characters come out, that in the Medea, it’s a set place, and there would be no movement. The staging is nice and clear and throughout the whole story, the characters are in one place, and there is a unity between the time, place and action; this it to say that the characters are in one place, throughout the entire play. Whereas in Othello, it’s

  • Entangled and Entraped in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot

    827 Words  | 2 Pages

    and interchangeable set of relations. Early in the play Beckett introduces the tether as a central metaphor in order to explore the moral, social, and existential implications of this complex web of relations. Pozzo and Lucky are literally tied to one another. Though less tangible, Vladimir and Estragon are joined by an equally powerful emotional bond. Ultimately, even the relationship which defines the motion (or lack thereof) of the entire play, the connection between Godot and Vladimir and Estragon

  • Hysteria, Reputation, and Hypocrisy in The Crucible by Arthur Miller

    1014 Words  | 3 Pages

    running through the trees.” The play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller had very many themes in it. Some of these themes stood out more then others. These themes would be hysteria, reputation, and hypocrisy. These themes were present throughout the entire play, from the beginning till the end. When you think of a Puritan religion you may think of a very good, morally perfect society. This wasn’t the case in Salem, Massachusetts. It was actually the opposite in the play, there was lying, cheating, stealing

  • Fate in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    existence, not even two entire decades long. Imagine being controlled by an invisible, yet limitless puppet string conducted by “the stars”. When fate is your enemy and time reveals each unraveling tragedy to your dismay, you understand how it feels to be the protagonist’s of Shakespeare’s most famous love story, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Tradition, heredity, and ancestry symbolize the celestial psychology that is the stars. Controlling every miniscule detail of the play from human behavior to

  • Macbeth's "Tomorrow, Tomorrow" Speech Vs. Robert Frost's "Out, Out - "

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    writes of a young, innocent boy whose life ends suddenly and unexpectedly. His poem is dry and lacks emotion from anyone except the young boy. Whereas the demise of Shakespeare’s character, Macbeth, an evil man, has been anticipated throughout the entire play. Through these writings, we are able gather a little more insight as to how these poets perhaps felt about dying and life itself. Frost drains every bit of feeling he possibly can out of his poem. He makes the death of a little boy, whose candle