Characters in William Shakespeare's Plays It might be deduced from listening to Leonato in ‘Much Ado About
Nothing’ that the world of the play is a Patriarchal Place where women
who speak their mind are ‘too curst’. It is to a modern audience that
Hero’s passive silence may seem to be the curse
Although Shakespeare wrote his numerous plays to entertain the
Elizabethan audience, his characters, aside from any comical or
storytelling value can also be seen as representatives of significant
social issues of the time. The theatre acted as a voice of Elizabethan
Society and Shakespeare was fond of exploring the social issues of the
time, as emphasised by Phyland in his An introduction to Shakespeare –
life and times. Shakespeare was particularly interested in the
interaction of the genders, which he examines in many of his tragedies
and comedies. Examples of this would be such as Portia and Bassanio in
Merchant of Venice and Katherina and Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew.
‘Much Ado About Nothing’ is another good example of this with numerous
gender interactions such as Beatrice and Benedick and even Hero and
Claudio. The, or at least one of the key issues in ‘Much Ado About
Nothing’ is that of the position of women within the household. To a
modern audience this can also be construed as the position of women
within the whole of Elizabethan Society. ‘Much Ado About Nothing’
could be seen as a male dominated play. This is due to the fact that
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...d accepts her
ways, her ‘submission’ may therefore be more aptly conceived as luck
and happiness to come within an understanding and intelligently
balanced relationship. Hero has also appropriately taught Claudio a
lesson on trust and loyalty but has maturely forgiven him and her
‘submission’ is also one into a happy marriage, now blessed with the
gift of trust owing to their experience. She has also taught Claudio
to appreciate her, having momentarily lost her and mutual appreciation
is valuable present in both relationships. The important fact that
'Much Ado About Nothing' portrays is the difference between people,
how they react and also present themselves and the happy ending is the
understanding and acceptance of this and if each women’s ‘curse’ be
such then despite the cliché they may all live happily ever after.
A daughter’s first love is usually her father, an observation Shakespeare heavily relied on as he wrote many of his plays. He successfully mastered the art of explaining the traditional Elizabethan marriage ritual as well as the importance of father-daughter relationships. Although, as Lynda E. Boose author of “The Father and the Bride in Shakespeare” explains, Shakespeare’s creation of many father-daughter relationships and wedding rituals in his plays were not always successful and some tended to distort or make fun of the expectations held by Elizabethan society, especially in the case of Romeo and Juliet where her wedding scene to Romeo violates all aspects of the traditional marriage ceremony.
...With its unforgettable characters and witty charm, this Much Ado entertains the masses and at the same time reveals the troubles and adversity of love and mistrust. Kenneth Branagh creates his own individualistic adaptation of this classic through the use of visual imagery, characterization, and setting. Branagh cut many lines and speeches from the text to better support his interpretation of a more open and informal society of warm-hearted, affectionate characters. Though Shakespeare's mood is more formal, Branagh remains true to the essence of the play as all of the same characters and most of the dialogue are justly included in the film. Although distinct differences can be made between Branagh’s film and Shakespeare’s written work, they both share a common denominator of good old-fashioned entertainment; and in the world of theater, nothing else really matters.
names - ""and I'll no longer be a Capulet" - to be together. Giving up
William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare, tells the story of too unfortunate lovers caught up in their family’s hatred which in the end leads to the tragic deaths of both lovers. Classical Greek tragedy influenced Renaissance writers greatly Shakespeare was no exception. According to the dictionary, fate is ‘the supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines event.’ Which means that it is out of our hands.
William Shakespeare’s intellectual use of the English language is what brought him prosperity throughout his lifetime, and what brings us to tears and laughter in the modern world. The life of Shakespeare is of great importance to English literature because of his many contributions including poetry, stories, and plays. However, many people do not know that he also owned a business. “William Shakespeare was a professional actor, a businessman, and a playwright. Today, nearly four hundred years after his death his plays are still performed” (Greenhill and Wignall 4).
There is no master view of a text; widely differing perspectives of texts are created as our values shift over time, reflecting particular ideologies and enriching the understanding of responders. This is especially true for the Shakespearean play, Othello, whose reception has been heavily influenced by shifting values since the Elizabethan-Jacobean period when it was written. The conception of structuralism and feminism has created widely differing critical interpretations of texts that challenge affirmatory interpretations of traditional criticism, providing insights into varying ideological practices and social relationships of the past and present for contemporary responders.
The well known and greatly respected, William Shakespeare has written an abundant amount of controversial, thought provoking, and needless to say, captivating plays within his time. His plays were centralized around love, the idea of being in love, and the consequences that may follow. With this being said, many of his plays were easily relatable and at various times his audience saw a mirror image of themselves on stage, which made the experience interactive and psychologically stimulating. In the majority of his plays, the woman in power was never blinded by love, instead, she always seemed to have men at her feet and used them to her advantage. On the contrary, women who were foolishly in love happened to be docile and had little to no power or control of their lives. Is this pattern a coincidence? One can say that Shakespeare was nothing but a mere example of an individual whose writing was influenced by his time. In his era he witnessed the reign of Queen Elizabeth who was the head of state and the most powerful person in England during the 16th century. Along with Mary Tudor and Mary Stuart who were strong, independent, and feared by their people. Additionally, Shakespeare never failed to include women who were viewed as sexual creatures. Therefore, the concept of femininity can be debated. His readers might have wondered what exactly made a feminine woman feminine and how was Shakespeare able to determine this? Also, was Shakespeare influenced by the women in the Elizabethan Age and if so, did he foreshadow the rise of women? Shakespeare incorporated and focused on women who fit the traditional gender role in society and women who opposed their role in a patriarchal society.
William Shakespeare’s plays have shown some of the most intriguing and insightful acting practices from past to present. The performances of his plays have influenced many actors and companies to abide by the guidelines that were put in place so many years ago. Shakespearean plays are in a sense in a category of their own as they have evolved with the changing times, while staying in similar forms.
England's most talented and well know poet and dramatist was born on April 23, 1564, at Stratford-upon-Avon, located in the cetre of England. His father, John, was a glove-maker and wool dealer involved with money lending. His mother Mary Arden was the daughter of a Farmer. William was the third out of eight children whom all died young. His father became Mayor in 1568, after serving on the town council for many years.
the law he brought back for the sake of lust. Angelo is an immoral and
William Shakespeare, poet and playwright, utilized humor and irony as he developed specific language for his plays, thereby influencing literature forever. “Shakespeare became popular in the eighteenth century” (Epstein 8). He was the best all around. “Shakespeare was a classic” (8). William Shakespeare is a very known and popular man that has many works, techniques and ways. Shakespeare is the writer of many famous works of literature. His comedies include humor while his plays and poems include irony. Shakespeare sets himself apart by using his own language and word choice. Shakespeare uses certain types of allusions that people always remember, as in the phrase from Romeo and Juliet, “star-crossed lovers”.
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
Throughout the United States and the entire world people are aware of Shakespeare; however, many people wonder why society wants their citizens to continue to read William Shakespeare’s plays and poems. Shakespeare continues to influence today’s environment and brings people together by speaking of a common author that most people know. All across the world, students must read at least one of Shakespeare’s works; which often develop those children who read his works into better writers. During the Elizabethan Era, William Shakespeare experienced an uneventful childhood and had a basic education; however, his life still seems to be shrouded with mystery and raises the argument that he was not only the most successful, but also the most mysterious playwright, actor, and poet from that time period.
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.
William Shakespeare’s life has brought much curiosity to many. This is natural as he is considered to be the greatest figure of English Literature. William Shakespeare, in terms of his life and work, is the most written-about author in the history of Western civilization. His works include 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 epic narrative poems, the First of which was published after his death in 1623 by two of Shakespeare's acting companions, John Heminges and Henry Condell. Since then, the works of Shakespeare have been studied, analyzed, and enjoyed as some of the finest work of art in the English language.