Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Preface to shakespeare analysis
Analysis of William Shakespeare
Analysis of William Shakespeare
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Dividing the quote may highlight a particular nuance of the quote’s meaning. In the first example, the division calls attention to the two parts of Hamlet’s claim. The first phrase states that nothing is inherently good or bad; the second phrase suggests that our perspective causes things to become good or bad. In the second example, the isolation of “Death thou shalt die” at the end of the sentence draws a reader’s attention to that phrase in particular. As you decide whether or not you want to break up a quote, you should consider the shift in emphasis that the division might
create.
In "The Ultimate Punishment: A Defense", why does the author believe maldistribution of punishment in itself does not make the death penalty unjust?
During class we have reviewed many versions of the play Hamlet. The two movie versions that I chose to compare on the play Hamlet are the David Tennant version and the Kenneth Branagh version. I chose these two versions because these were the two that most interested me. I believe that some scenes from each movie were better than the other, but overall I liked these two versions just as equally. The three main scenes that stood out to me that I will be comparing are ‘Ophelia’s Mad Scene’, the ‘Hamlet Kills Polonius’ scene, and Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be’ scene.
“How do people come up with a date and time to take life from another man? Who made them God?” – Grant (Page 157)
Author and Indian Activist, Vine Deloria makes compelling statements in chapters one and five of his Indiana Manifesto, “Custer Died for Your Sins.” Although published in 1969 this work lays important historic ground work for understanding the plight of the Indian in the United States. Written during the turbulent civil rights movement, Deloria makes interesting comparisons to the Black struggle for equal rights in the United States. He condemns the contemporary views toward Indians widely help by Whites and argues that Indians are wrongly seen through the historic lens of a pipe smoking, bow and arrow wielding savage. Deloria forcefully views the oppressors and conquerors of the Indian mainly as the United States federal government and Christian missionaries. The author’s overall thesis is that Whites view Indians the way they want to see them which is not based in reality. The resulting behavior of Whites towards Indians shows its affects in the false perception in law and culture.
“Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson (2014) really uncovers the devastating truth behind our justice system, from people who provide false testimony on a whim, to biased jurors, to an entire court system that does not, chooses not, to recognize its own errors. The book focuses on the Walter McMillan case, and is interwoven with chapters of how Stevenson came to study law, with different cases he’s worked on braided in with accurate and relevant facts throughout. The story, from a perspective as a person that is relatively against the death penalty, and certainly is against youth being punished to “die in prison” (a term used by Stevenson that is much more factual) is heartbreaking to read.
“So shall you hear of carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts, of accidental judgements, casual slaughters, of deaths put on by cunning and forced cause”, (Hamlet, Act V, Scene 2, Lines 381-384). Horatio, best friend of Prince Hamlet, says this in the final lines of the play. He says this after Gertrude, Queen of Denmark, Hamlet, Claudius, King of Denmark, and Laertes, son of Polonius all die in the battle between Hamlet and Laertes. Hamlet, King of Denmark, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, former friends of Hamlet, Polonius, councillor to the King, and Ophelia, daughter of Polonius are also dead. Death is a very important theme in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
In the article “The Penalty of Death”, written by H. L. Mencken, utilitarian principles are used to cover up for a system that wants results. All of the reasons that Mencken gives as justifications do not give concrete evidence of why the death penalty should continue as a means of punishment. The article states, “Any lesser penalty leaves them feeling that the criminal has got the better of society...” This statement alone demonstrates how he believes the death penalty brings justice and satisfaction to the people. Mencken creates the points he makes in his article in order to give society a way to make the death penalty seem less intrusive on moral principles and more of a necessary act.
John Mason wrote in his book, You’re an Original Don’t Die a Copy, a quote from Rev. Hawes, “Aim at the sun, and you may not reach it; but your arrow will fly far higher than if aimed at an object on a level with yourself”. Rev. Hawe meant that when you create and decide to take on a goal, it should not be too easy; even though there’s a chance you might not succeed. In the quote, the arrow is you and the sun is your goal. When we set a difficult goal, we will go higher and farther (closer to the sun) than if we aimed for something simple.
The death penalty or also known as capital punishment has been around for thousands of years, yet in today 's society, it is not very common to hear that a prisoner has been executed. There are hundreds of people that have been sentenced for death, but how many have actually had their sentence carried out? There are people who have been on death row for ten, twenty, and even thirty plus years still waiting for their execution. Which leads to the question of, how effective is capital punishment if prisoners are waiting for decades before procedure are even carried out. In his piece The Death of the Death Penalty, David Von Drehle talks about the possible end of capital punishment due to
Shakespeare shows the ideology of death internalizing within Hamlet first with Hamlet’s emotions following the death of Old Hamlet. In the scene in which Hamlet is introduced, Hamlet is portrayed as an embodiment of death, dressed in “suits of a solemn black”(1.2.81) and has “dejected havior of the visage”(1.2.84). Hamlet’s physical representation as death signifies his lack of desire to continue living himself, being detached and discontent with the world around him. Hamlet, in his first soliloquy, opens by stating, “Sullied flesh would melt/Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,/ Or that the Everlasting had not fixed/His canon ‘gainst Self Slaughter!”(1.2.133-135). This is significant, as it shows Hamlet’s full willingness to commit suicide and end Hamlet’s internal pain, if not for suicide being a sin under religion. The reason for Hamlet’s desire for death and his dis...
Keys to Interpretation of Hamlet & nbsp; William Shakespeare's Hamlet is, at heart, a play about suicide. Though it is surrounded by a fairly standard revenge plot, the play's core is an intense psychodrama about a prince gone mad from the pressures of his station and his unrequited love for Ophelia. He longs for the ultimate release of killing himself - but why? In this respect, Hamlet is equivocal - he gives several different motives depending on the situation. But we learn to trust his soliloquies - his thoughts - more than his actions.
Hamlets first soliloquy, which takes place in act one scene two, shows readers how deeply Hamlet cared for his father, and how grief stricken he has been since his fathers death. Part of the reason for his emotional state in this soliloquy is the fact that his mother has remarried after such a short period after his fathers death. Hamlet says “Why, she would hang on him… Within a month… She married.” (Shakespeare 1.2. 142-156). Hamlet is very angry with the actions of his mother. He does not feel that she mourned the death of his father long enough, and married again so soon, to his uncle none the less. This soliloquy shows the angry state of mind that becomes Hamlets driving force throughout the play. Hamlets second soliloquy comes shortly after the ghost of his father reveals how he was murdered. It shows the dark and angry state of mind Hamlet has entered. In this soliloquy, Hamlet vows to remember his father, and seek revenge on his murder.
People view the statement “God is dead” as an aesthetic statement. They do not journey into the underlying or more obvious meanings of the quote. Even though Fredrick Nietzsche may have been an atheist, I do not believe he meant “God is dead” in a literal or aesthetic way. Nietzsche was pointing out that in society the cultural expansion of other religions and introduction of nihilism have changed Western society morally.
Hamlet begins his soliloquy in Act I, Scene V with passionate diction by shouting to heaven, hell and earth. He compares his life to hell, and the beginning of the soliloquy continues to portray him as a man who is disgusted with life and humanity. He use the phrase “O, fie” which all serves to show Hamlet’s frustration and anger after having heard what the ghost, his father, has told him. He’s enraged because of the deception of his uncle and mother and knows he must get revenge. He tells his muscles to “grow not instant old” because he knows he will need the energy to get revenge. He continues to speak indirectly to the ghost by saying that he’ll “remember thee” and he continues to sound very passionate; but even he may realize that he is overestimating himself as he knows he is confused and tends to overthink as he speaks of his “distracted globe”. But he is very determined as he says he’ll “wipe away” all thoughts and memory, the “baser matter” and only think of his father’s “commandment”. This demonstrates how important it is to Hamlet in this act to get revenge, and in hindsight shows his overestimation for his ability to take action. The Hamlet in this scene is seemingly more passionate and less rational; but the use of his scholarly metaphors such as compar...
“To be or not to be” (3.1.56) the famous lines known far and wide from William Shakespeare's Hamlet. The play, Hamlet, is about how King Hamlet of Denmark has died and his son Prince Hamlet returns for his funeral only to hear that the guards have seen the ghost of his father. This mysterious appearance intrigues the young Hamlet and so he goes to see the ghost and when he does, the ghost tells him that he is the spirit of his late father and that he did not die naturally. Continuing on the ghost tells Hamlet that he was actually murdered by his brother and Hamlet’s Uncle Claudius. Vowing to avenge his father’s death Hamlet sets out upon elaborate schemes to confirm that Claudius did indeed kill his father. As the play progresses Hamlet slowly seems to become insane, during one of his rampages while he was with his mother, he stabbed Polonius through a curtain killing him. Polonius’ death set Laertes, Polonius’ son, on revenge on the murderer and in doing so Claudius and Laertes joined in arms to make Hamlet disappear from the world. To ensure Hamlet would die Laertes poisoned his fencing sword and Claudius poisoned a chalice. In the end they all died from poisoning from the sword or from the chalice. Shakespeare provided dimension upon dimension for Hamlet, he created a character as real as could be. His character was an educated witty, indecisive, suicidal, and insane gentleman.