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Reasons why we should study Shakespeare
The impact of the Renaissance on Shakespeare
Reasons why we should study Shakespeare
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Shakespeare, intending for his plays to be performed as well as published, included the idea of trial by combat in many of his works. During his time, men valued their honor. Based on their friendships and alliances, English men upheld that honor through combat. Because audiences enjoyed the action of one character fighting another, the writer included several duels in his literary works. Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing reflects the history, philosophy, and offenses marked with a duel; his characters’ conflicts mirror the dueling that was common during the Renaissance in Europe.
The art of dueling began when a treaty between France and Spain broke down in 1526. Once the sport spread from Spain and France into England and the rest of Europe, it became a popular form of protection from attackers. Dueling centered around three types: state, judicial, and a duel of honor (Davis). All dealt with military soldiers and men of stature, for women were not considered worthy of facing an enemy. In fact, women were rarely the cause of the private disagreements (Mehaffey). Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is one of the few duels that were caused by a women “… Thou hast killed my child. If thou kill’st me, boy, thou shalt kill a man” Leonato was trying to make Claudio feel worse by saying that he should kill him in this duel so that he can say he killed a man and a child (Shakespeare 5.1.88-89). Furthermore, the sport was taught in special schools where teachers called “Masters of Arms” trained citizens and actors to develop the proper techniques. In these schools, the men learned that their sword was part of their clothing and defined him as a man (Davis). Claudio in the Elizabethan age went to one of the schools that taught ...
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Renaissance. (1997). Online. JSTOR. April 8. 2014.
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Mehaffey, Karen. “Dueling” Dictionary of American History. (2003). Online. Gale Student
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Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks,
1995. Print.
Wilson, William. "Philosophy of the Duel." Philosophy of the Duel. N.p., 2007. Web. 10 Apr.
2014.
Much Ado About Nothing. The Riverside Shakespeare, 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1997. 366-398.
William Shakespeare is known for his use of dramatic irony and complicated story lines. In Much Ado About Nothing, he also adds in the element of disguise to what the characters know, or what they think they know. There are multiple characters trying to ensnare others in different facades, whether it be for better or for worse. The deception and illusion in the play can either assist the characters or completely shatter the situation, but in both cases, Shakespeare advises us to infer about what we hear or see before we jump to conclusions.
It is man’s natural instinct to protect himself. Therefore, that person would do anything in his power to be safe, especially if they committed a criminal act; but that does not make them innocent. In the palace of the Denmark Royal family, there was a criminal act that was carried out by the beloved Lord Hamlet. He not only had slain the King’s advisor, Polonius, but also his own friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as well. In his defence, Lord Hamlet’s attorney pleads the insanity defence. However, after reviewing the case and analysing different events that had taken place, the crown is convinced that Lord Hamlet’s insanity is just a mask that he puts on to escape from the responsibility of his bloody deeds. The many points that were considered that brought the crown to this conclusion include: how he had initially disclosed his plan to act mad in order to avenge his father’s death, as well as, on several occasions; Hamlet himself reveals to certain people that he is sane. Lastly, his acts of insanity are only present in front of certain people and not around others. All these points prove that Hamlet is only pretending to be mad and should be punished for his actions.
Everyone knows the twenty passes, turn, and fire. This is a classic image of a duel. Before, however, duels were fought with the long sharp blades of a rapier. Some professionally fought with a call to fight, but some fought on the brink of the moment. A duel was meant to defend one’s honor. It was better to die than to live in shame. This was shown in Shakespeare's Richard II, Henry IV, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and many others. Shakespeare brilliantly preserved the practice of dueling throughout history in his plays.
In William Shakespeare’s play ‘Much Ado about Nothing’, there are many instances of trickery and deception, which seem to surround the whole of the play.
One of the most striking classical references in Hamlet is to the fall of Troy and the death of its king, Priam. Hamlet wishes the player to recite a speech he .".cheifly loved..." and recites the first thirteen lines for him. Within the first five lines of this speech the audience is bombarded with images of darkness, ."..sable...black...night...ominous...dread...black...dismal..." . Hamlet describes .".Hellish Pyrrhus..." raging through Troy looking for the King. Pyrrhus is a symbol of brutal revenge. He has become a by word for gratuitous violence and savage vengeance.
is far from insane, but rather, "playing mad" for a purpose of his own. Madness
In William Shakespeare's Othello violence can be found in several different ways. Violence can be expressed physically, mentally, and verbally. This tragic play shows how jealousy and envy can overpower a person's mind and lead them to wreak havoc on others. Not only does this story give many different examples of violence, it displays how mental violence can promote physical violence, and continues on in that cycle. Mental promotes physical which ultimately leads back to mental.
Hatred, in Shakespeare’s Othello, destroyed the lives of so many innocent people, creating an atmosphere of fear and mayhem. Jealousy turned into a deep hatred, and liberated the "beast in man" (Bloom's major dramatists).This mayhem caused a substantial amount of destruction and led to the demise of many.
Act V, scene ii of William Shakespeare's Hamlet contains perhaps the most famous sword fight in the history of literature, and certainly one of the most debated. The famous 'sword switch' which results in Laertes' death with his own poisoned weapon has been fought over for centuries as to its accuracy, believability and execution, yet it has seldom been performed correctly on stage. There is one way that Shakespeare intended this maneuver to be performed, however, in a way that both facilitates the switch with the weapons of Shakespeare's own time, and gives clarity to Hamlet's character and his actions.
Macbeth by William Shakespeare, is a play that exhibits fighting and bloodshed. Regardless of social views, there are instances where violence is considered an honorable deed. However, some characters in the play blur the lines between right and wrong and their actions make blood shedding a point of discussion. Through the course of the play violence is the most prominent theme.
The poem is not said to of been set in a particular place but I
Arguably the greatest playwright of his time, perhaps in all of history, William Shakespeare's literary works have had a tremendous impact (see Appendix 2). Reaching into the pop culture of the modern world through movies and quotes used in everyday conversation, Shakespeare's influence is astounding (see Appendix 1). One rarely stops to think, however, about events that had an impact on Shakespeare's life, particularly his writing. The outbreak of the plague, social disparity, political unrest, just a few of the historical happenings that impacted Shakespeare's plays, including Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and Henry IV
William Shakespere 's tragedy of Hamlet is a story of revenge and distress involving Hamlet Jr, the prince of Denmark. The plot of the play focuses on Hamlet 's quest to avenge his father 's death. Hamlet learns that his father did not die accidentally, as the public believed, and that his Uncle Claudius is the one who murdered his father. Claudius then hastily married Hamlet 's mother and became king. Hamlet is an archetypical example of a tragic hero. He starts out as a noble and virtuous character and then confronts challenges that expose his tragic flaws which lead to his downfall. Hamlet 's tragic flaws are making rash decisions as well as being overly contemplative.
William Shakespeare and Henrik Ibsen are two great authors of their time and are still read by many today. William Shakespeare wrote many plays; one that is more well known is Hamlet. Henrik Ibsen is a not so well known author but wrote a great rival play named A Doll’s House. These two plays were extraordinary for their time and there has been much controversy and debates on which play made the greatest impact to culture and society. These two plays, written in very different time periods, show alternative views on society and how it should be.