Mistaken Identity Essays

  • Mistaken Identities in The Taming of the Shrew

    912 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mistaken Identities in The Taming of the Shrew Throughout the play "The Taming of the Shrew," William Shakespeare has utilized several ingenious techniques resulting in an effective piece of work.  One of the more unique and creative methods is the use of mistaken identity.  With the use of mistaken identity, Shakespeare has successfully given the play an element of humor from the beginning to the end. The mistaken identity within the two induction scenes must have been

  • Mistaken Identity

    1461 Words  | 3 Pages

    autograph to this day. Mistaken identity can happen anywhere. But when it is in a story or a play, the characters have no control over who they are. The characters with mistaken identity in plays such as “Oedipus the King” and “The Brothers Menaechmus” had very different outcomes. In the following I am first going to define what mistaken identity is, show how mistaken identity helps the reader see that characters have no control over their fate, and show that through mistaken identity characters lives

  • Free Essays on Taming of the Shrew: Mistaken Identity

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Taming of the Shrew:  Mistaken Identity In Shakespeare's comedy, The Taming of the Shrew, one of the main ways that the theme is shown is by mistaken identity.  The main theme of this play is that what a person is really like is more important than how they appear to be.  This is shown by Petruchio's relationship with Katherine; the changing roles of Tranio, Lucentio, and Hortensio; and the true characters of Bianca and Katherine.  All three of these situations help to enrich the theme. The

  • Comparing Mistaken Identity in Merchant of Venice, Comedy Errors, Twelfth Night and As You Like It

    1103 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mistaken Identity in Merchant of Venice, Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night and As You Like It The ploy of mistaken identity as a plot device in writing comedies dates back at least to the times of the Greeks and Romans in the writings of Menander and Plautus. Shakespeare borrowed the device they introduced and developed it into a fine art as a means of expressing theme as well as furthering comic relief in his works. Shakespeare's artistic development is clearly shown in the four comedies The

  • Farce and Satire in Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors Essays

    1157 Words  | 3 Pages

    comedy in which twins are mistaken for each other. Shakespeare's addition of twin servants is borrowed from Amphitruo, another play by Plautus. Like its classical predecessors, The Comedy of Errors mixes farce and satire and (to a degree) presents us with stock characters. Besides being based on classical models, is it really fair to call The Comedy of Errors a serious play?  I'm not sure it is. Three-quarters of the play is a fast-paced comedy based on mistaken identity and wordplay, and often

  • Much Ado About Nothing: Beatrice, Portia and Marriage

    525 Words  | 2 Pages

    books and marriage manuals, a docile young woman. It is important to note that Claudio is more concerned with advancement in Don Pedro's army than he is with love. Therefore, Shakespeare illustrates to the reader through the near tragedy of mistaken identity that Claudio must learn that marriage is more than a business arrangement and become worthy of Hero's love and affection. Source: Ranald, Margaret Loftus. "As Marriage Binds, and Blood Breaks: English Marriage and Shakespeare". Shakespeare Quarterly

  • Hitchcocks North By Northwest: The Birth of the Modern Action Film

    1745 Words  | 4 Pages

    1959 was that of the modern action film whose entrance as a genre was inaugurated with the release of Hitchcock’s psychopolitical thriller North by Northwest, starring Cary Grant. North by Northwest is your basic espionage thriller involving mistaken identity and a government conspiracy. Cary Grant plays advertising executive Roger Thornhill, who, one evening at his usual club calls over the page boy when his is paging a Mr. George Kaplan. Two mysterious men observing Grant get the idea that Mr. Thornhill

  • Madness and Insanity in Shakespeare's Hamlet

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    later admits that Hamlet may be mad. After their conversation, Hamlet enters and has his own conversation with Polonius. During this conversation, Hamlet falsely labels Plonius as a fishmonger. Hamlet knows that Polonius will tell others of the mistaken identity; specifically, he knows Polonius will report it to the King. Polonius believes Hamlet's insanity is related to sex; therefore, he is concerned with Hamlet's relationship with his daughter, Ophelia. Hamlet's relationship and actions

  • Sensationalism - Sensation Novels of the Nineteenth Century

    894 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sensationalism - Sensation Novels of the Nineteenth Century The "sensation novels" began to appear during the mid-to-late 1800's.  The term first used by W. M. Thackeray, in his own Cornhill Magazine, was in reference to "a particular literary or dramatic phenomenon."   Courtroom scenes, corpses, secrets, adultery, insanity and prostitution were all staples of the novel's plot that would offer the many unexpected twists and turns of the story.  The author's goal was to have the reader feel basic

  • Characteristics Of A Comedy

    1204 Words  | 3 Pages

    Characteristics of Comedy There are many characteristics that make up a comedy. Characteristics such as mistaken identity, battle of the sexes, and jumping to conclusions are what set the comedic story apart from the tragedy. Within a comedy, no matter how much fault, and dismay may appear within the story, there always seems to be the classic ending of “…and they all lived happily ever after…” Comedies capture the viewer with a sense of compassion and love for the characters in the story. Each

  • Comparing Merchant of Venice, Taming of the Shrew, and Much Ado About Nothing

    2214 Words  | 5 Pages

    comic elements to effect similar outcomes in his works.  Many of his plays utilize trickery and disguise to accomplish similar endings. Trickery plays a major role in The Merchant of Venice and drives most of the action, while mistaken identity, specifically Portia's disguise as the "learned attorney's" representative, plays a major role in the resolution of the play.  The first instance of trickery in the play is Bassanio's plan to present himself as a financially sound

  • Appearance Vs. Reality

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    they are interested in commissioning a portrait; in fact, the Monarchs are seeking work as sitters. The case of mistaken identity is further compounded by the artist who pretends to be a “great painter of portraits” but who is actually an illustrator whose depictions of nobility constitute his main source of income – his “pot-boilers.” James’s introductory interplay of character identity with appearance and reality serves as a clever backdrop for the story where reality conflicts with appearance.

  • Compare and Contrast Comedy and Tragedy

    902 Words  | 2 Pages

    marriage scene at the end of Midsummer's Night Dream. William Hazlitt tells us that one can also expect incongruities, misunderstandings, and contradictions. I am reminded of the play The Importance of Being Ernest and the humor by way of mistaken identity. Sigmund Freud tells us to expect excess and exaggeration in comedy. Chekhov's Marriage Proposal displays this excess both in language and in movements. Charles Darwin insists that in a comedy "circumstances must not be of a momentous nature;"

  • A Comparison of the Monsters of Frankenstein, Bladerunner, and Star Trek The Next Generation

    1543 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the long history of the existence of fantasy literature, writers represent monsters as something opposite to the human being. The prior conflict of this genre is usually "man Vs monster." Several examples of science fiction seemingly portray antagonistic creatures yet they are depicted as being similar to humanity: the replicants in the film Bladerunner; the monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; and the Borg in Star Trek. In each of these examples, the aforementioned "monster(s)" posses

  • Laertes and Polonius as Foils to Hamlet

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    have in common is they both are seeking revenge for their father's deaths. Both of their fathers were unnecessarily killed. Hamlet's father was killed by his father's brother for the crown and his wife, and Hamlet killed Laertes' father over mistaken identity. It was the revenge of these two that made up the plot of the story. Because of Laertes, the two could finally fulfill their revenge in the battle at the end that killed both Hamlet and the new king. If Laertes had not challenged Hamlet, the

  • Absurdity and Satire in The Importance of Being Earnest

    1685 Words  | 4 Pages

    excuse to escape to the country as and when he pleases. Both Jack and Algernon are admired by two young ladies who erroneously believe the men's names to be Ernest, and who adore the men for this very reason. In relating the story of mix-ups and mistaken identities, the ideals and manners of the Victorian society are satirized in a comedy where the characters "treat all the trivial things of life seriously and all the serious things of life with sincere and studied triviality" (Wilde back cover), in the

  • Shark Attacks In Australia

    4150 Words  | 9 Pages

    serious attacks are mainly by four species. The Bull shark. the Tiger, the Great White and the Oceanic Whitetip shark. The Grey Nurse (Sand Tiger) and the Bronze Whaler have for many years been blamed for many attacks but it seems nearly all were mistaken identity. The Grey Nurse is now protected in most States in Australia. The Great White is the largest and has a high percentage of fatal attacks. The Bull shark is responsible for a lot of attacks on swimmers and people in shallow water. From reports

  • Mistaken Identity Case Study

    1589 Words  | 4 Pages

    Introduction To what extent is mistaken identity protected by our law. In the sections following, I will address whether someone who mistakenly kills a human being, thinking that it was an animal can escape liability of murder or culpable homicide by incorporating legal principles as well as case law. The legal question therefore is, can X, a hunter, be held liable for murder or culpable homicide if X mistakenly took Y to be an animal in the field? Definition of a crime A crime is conduct that society

  • Disguises and Mistaken Identity in Twelfth Night

    1368 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mistaken identity and disguise are important aspects of comedy in Twelfth Night that stand at the forefront of the play’s comedy. Not only are mistaken identities and disguise evident within the main plot of the play but also in various other situations. Sexual confusion amongst characters, subversion of gender roles and farcical elements through stagecraft all effectively contribute to the dramatic comedy genre. However, it can be suggested that certain elements of Twelfth Night are not interpreted

  • Antonio's Use Of Mistaken Identities In Tothello

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most comedic aspects of the play would Shakespeare’s use of mistaken identities. We see Portia and Nerissa disguised as a judges clerk and doctor during Antonio’s trial. In act 4 scene 1 lines 293-298 Bassanio says “Antonio, I am married to a wife which is dear to me as life itself, but life itself, my wife, and all the world are not with me esteemed above thy life. I would lose all, ay, sacrifice them all here to this devil, to deliver you.” Here, Bassanio is telling his closest friend