Importance of Thinking in Troilus and Criseyde and Hamlet
Troilus and Hamlet have much in common. Both have represented the quintessential tragic heroes of two literary periods. Both lovers, Troilus and Hamlet lose what they love despite their earth-shaking groans. Both are surrounded by traitors and are traitorous in kind. Both are embattled and--this is no secret--both die. But somewhere on that mortal coil on which they are both strung, they confront a similar question, a question which divides them in no sense less than the waters divide England and Denmark--the question of action. This essay pretends to do little more than probe the circumstances of that question in relation to a speech that appears prominently in Shakespeare’s Hamlet and tangentially as a “Proem”to Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde. I will delve into the specific and larger textual contexts for both of these instances, seeking to show that the manner in which the speech is reworded shows in miniature the gulf that separates Troilus and Hamlet.
Hamlet opens famously with sickness. Francisco, a simple soldier, who has thus far endured an uneventful watch, describes himself as “sick at heart”(1.1.9-10). We find our ubiquitous cliche soon afterwards inserted in a conversation on the prison-like nature of Denmark: “for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so: to me it is a prison”(2.2.255-257). With this epistemology in mind, it is not difficult to see how a cloud ) may be weasel-like, and “very like a whale”in the next instant. Such is our power to determine truth: we name it so, and so it is. Hamlet’s remark is that of one who has suddenly been bathed in the reality of life. He is confronting directly, perhaps for the first time,...
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...ism is finally indeterminate. If Krapp me Gant to draw a direct parallel between the two works, it was a matter of vanity: “I do not find you [Chaucer] full of mysteries./ The world is much the same from day to day?(30-31). Though a comparison between Hamlet and Troilus and Criseyde is possible, we must finally discover how different they are from one another. The chasm that separates the two is one of depth and attitude: it is the difference between recognition and non-recognition, the difference between a self-created future and the pandering of one’s will to a human leech.
Works Cited
Benson, Larry D., gen. ed. The Riverside Chaucer. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987.
Evans, G. Blakemore, ed. The Riverside Shakespeare. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1974.
Krapp, George Philip. Troilus and Criseyde: A Love Poem in Five Books. New York: Random House, 1932.
Franz Kafka’s clear isolation of Gregor underlines the families’ separation from society. In The Metamorphosis, Kafka emphasizes Gregor’s seclusion from his family. However, Gregor’s separation is involuntary unlike the family who isolates themselves by the choices they make. Each family member has characteristics separating them from society. These characteristics become more unraveling than Gregor, displaying the true isolation contained in The Metamorphosis.
The enduring longevity of Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ owes its legacy to the universal themes of the human condition transcending through multiple epochs. The text set during the Elizabethan era is highly influenced by Senecan and Greek Tragedy. Elements of the classic Senecan Tragedy including obsessions with crimes, mention of the supernatural, torture, mutilation and incestuous acts. Pathos, Ethos and Logos elements of Greek Tragedy, in which are traced in Hamlet’s, character during his soliloquies in particular his fourth soliloquy. Hamlet allows the audience to feel a sense of compassion as he puts on an antic disposition. “Sea of trouble” the metaphor and reference to the sea indicated the enormity of his problems, gaining sympathy.
Manning, John. "Symbola and Emblemata in Hamlet." New Essays on Hamlet. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett and John Manning. New York: AMS Press, 1994. 11-18.
Much of the dramatic action of Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet is within the head of the main character, Hamlet. His wordplay represents the amazing, contradictory, unsettled, mocking, nature of his mind, as it is torn by disappointment and positive love, as Hamlet seeks both acceptance and punishment, action and stillness, and wishes for consummation and annihilation. He can be abruptly silent or vicious; he is capable of wild laughter and tears, and also polite badinage.
In this paper I will be analyzing and discussing how these four soliloquies reflect changes in Hamlet’s mental state; his
As illustrated in Metamorphosis, Kafka demonstrates the isolation of Gregor, the protagonist through the medium of his room. The “room” symbolizes how Gregor lacks relationship with his surroundings, his family and others. Kafka describes it as being “ A regular human room …” with “the four familiar walls”(3). This is society’s standards. It is portrayed as being full of ones basic essentials; with the regular old furniture. However, as the novel continues, Gregor’s life continues to change. His room is transformed to his new life and essentials. He begins to lose all his furniture, that “he had been use to [for] so long”(33). As a result there is a sense of emptiness and hollowness which is reflective of his surroundings and within himself. ...
Why now? Why are we focusing on transformational leadership? Healthcare costs are continuing to rise. Some of the critical problems and active debates prevalent in many hospital organizations include the rapidly intensifying healthcare costs, funding and reimbursement cutbacks, and concern regarding the overall quality and safety of health care. “Healthcare systems have come under pressure to improve performance and manage productivity” (Botting, 2011). To be successful in the 21st century, there is a demand on healthcare systems to have a vision and executive and clinical leadership to inspire the change process and make the difference between success and failure in change.
“In the never-ending search for energy sources, the invention of the steam engine changed the face of the earth.” (Siegel, Preface) The steam engine was the principal power source during the British Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. The steam engine opened a whole new world to everyone. The steam engine maximized production, efficiency, reliability, minimized time, the amount of labor, and the usage of animals. The steam engine in all revolutionized the Eastern Hemisphere, mainly European society. What does revolutionize actually mean? It means that something such as the steam engine brought about a radical change in something, and this something is the European Society. The steam engine specifically brought about a radical change in work, transportation of goods, and travel. The invention of the steam engine revolutionized European society by enabling tasks to be done quicker, cheaper, and more dependably.
Manning, John. "Symbola and Emblemata in Hamlet." New Essays on Hamlet. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett and John Manning. New York: AMS Press, 1994. 11-18.
Neurotransmitters are chemicals made by neurons and used by them to transmit signals to the other neurons or non-neuronal cells (e.g., skeletal muscle; myocardium, pineal glandular cells) that they innervate. The neurotransmitters produce their effects by being released into synapses when their neuron of origin fires (i.e., becomes depolarized) and then attaching to receptors in the membrane of the post-synaptic cells. This causes changes in the fluxes of particular ions across that membrane, making cells more likely to become depolarized, if the neurotransmitter happens to be excitatory, or less likely if it is inhibitory.
Allport defines personality as ‘the dynamic organisation within the individual of those psychological systems that determine his unique adjustment to his environment’ (Allport, 1937). An individual’s unique personality traits and attributes are a powerful indicator of how he/she will interact with the work environment. The difference between average and outstanding employees can often be solely personality related. As the employee is the most valuable asset to the company, ‘selecting the right employee during the process is critical’ (Carbery and Cross, 2013, pp. 41-53)
Setting is an important part of any novel. It uses the surrounding of the world to move the plot forward by setting the boundaries by which the world lives. In The Metamorphosis, Kafka uses the setting to create a world that mirrors the perspective of Gregor’s new found form. By using this perspective to establish the boundaries of the world, Kafka sets up the world in which Gregor lives as one that is completely enveloped in Gregor’s transformation. To do this effectively, Kafka shrinks the world of Gregor from one in which he travels to one in which his entire world is a single apartment. This shrinking allows Kafka to make a microcosm of surreal reality. In creating the microcosm, Kafka uses the newfound smallness of Gregor’s world to create a claustrophobic and almost boring setting. This type of setting helps to express Gregor’s new self.
The U.S. Department of Labor (2011) reported the national average of unemployment for 2008 was 5.8 percent. The rate dramatically increased in 2009 with an average of 9.3 percent and 9.6 percent for 2010. While unemployment rates have increased, the FBI’s preliminary reports for 2010 show that law enforcement agencies across the U.S. have reported a decrease of 6.2 percent in the number of violent crimes for the first 6 months of 2010 when compared to figures reported for the same time in 2009. The violent crime category includes rape, murder, robbery, and aggravated result. The number of property crimes also decreased 2.8 percent when compared to the same time last year. Property crimes include burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. Arson decreased 14.6 percent when compared to the same time periods of 2009 (FBI, 2011).
The perfection of Hamlet’s character has been called in question - perhaps by those who do not understand it. The character of Hamlet stands by itself. It is not a character marked by strength of will or even of passion, but by refinement of thought and sentiment. Hamlet is as little of the hero as a man can be. He is a young and princely novice, full of high enthusiasm and quick sensibility - the sport of circumstances, questioning with fortune and refining on his own feelings, and forced from his natural disposition by the strangeness of his situation.
Champion, D 2011, ‘White-collar crimes and organizational offending: An integral approach’, International Journal of Business, Humanities, and Technology, vol. 1 no. 3, pp. 34-35.