It is often said that people change people, and that quote rings true throughout Bernard Pomerance’s play The Elephant Man. Following the life of John Merrick, The Elephant Man is about a man who suffers from severe physical deformities who is greatly influenced and greatly influences society. A significant figure in Merrick’s life, the one character who is influenced most and goes through the most profound and personal change is Dr. Frederick Treves, an altruistic doctor who opens his hospital doors to serve as Merrick's sanctuary. During Merrick’s stay, Treves’ approach towards him and towards life itself shifts from somewhat Victorian and conformist to individualistic. The dynamic between Treves and Merrick in the earlier stages of their …show more content…
He starts to regret and resent the treatment that Merrick has faced, both at his own hand and society’s. Unfortunately, it takes until Merrick is nearing his death that he reaches this understanding. On the subject of Merrick, Treves tells the Bishop that “He [Merrick] is very excited to do what others do if he thinks it is what others do...we have polished him like a mirror, and shout hallelujah when he reflects us to the inch. I have grown sorry for it” (Pomerance 64). Treves admonishes Merrick’s newfound religious leanings, a stark contrast to his earlier encouragement of Merrick to “[conform] readily to the restrictions which [are] necessary” (Pomerance 70). The juxtaposition in this exchange is further heightened by the historical context of the play’s time period (the play takes place in an era where any person without the religious leanings of Merrick would be looked upon oddly). For Merrick to find comfort or joy in religion is for him to find comfort and joy in conformity as well, something previously promoted by Treves. The idea of Merrick becoming a mirror image of Treves, and society as a whole is recited in the poem by The Pins, addressed to Merrick: “Here is eternity's finest hour/Sleep like others you learn to admire/Be like your mother, be like your sire” (Pomerance 68). Merrick’s final “sleep” is his death and he dies as a mirror image of every notable, admirable person he encountered in his life, especially Treves. His “sire” is not a literal, biological one, but Treves, who has spent the past few years mentoring him and serving as an authority figure. He dies as Treves intended him to live, following the rules of society “for [his] own good”, and “properly [being] like others” (Pomerance
...remained constant regardless of environment. Evidently, the play itself manipulates the audience’s perception of reality as it presents a historical recount designed to solidify the ruling monarch, and condemn Richard. This one-sided portrayal is achieved through animal imagery of a “usurping boar”, as Shakespeare’s pro-monarch propaganda highlights how duplicitous representations of reality may influence a society, regardless of context.
In order to represent that the narrator's pride caused him to act with ill manners towards Doddle, Hurst creates the internal conflict which portrays the narrator’s struggle to choose what is more important, his pride or his brother. As the narrator confessed his past to the reader, he described a memory about how Doodle walked and he announced to the family that the narrator was the one who taught him. The narrator thus responds with: “They did not know that I did it for myself; that pride, whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all their voices; and that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother” (Hurst 419). It is important to note how the author compares the narrator to a “slave” of pride, the word slave connotes that the narrator is imprisoned by pride and creates the appearance that the force is inescapable. Throughout the story pride dictates the narrator, if
Elephants'." Studies in Short Fiction. 17.1 (Winter 1980): 75-77. Rpt. in Literature Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 75-77. Literature Resource Center. Gale.
One single moment or event during the course of an individual’s life can effectively alter their priorities and transform their identity drastically. In The play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare introduces the readers to the protagonist Hamlet who is draped in anger and emotions and has a new-found mission in life. Initially, Hamlet is portrayed as an individual in mourning over his father's death and his mother's haste in remarrying to her brother-in-law and Hamlet's uncle, Claudius. However, Hamlet’s character and personality were drastically altered after meeting the Ghost and discovering the true nature of his Father’s death. Hamlet is now a man with a lust for revenge and a willingness to do anything that will enable him to accomplish this goal. When burdened with the task of killing Claudius, Hamlet chooses to sacrifice all he holds dear by transforming his identity in a noble effort to avenge his father’s death.
In recent years many novels have been published to highlight the hardships and harsh reality of those suffering from mental disorders. While our knowledge on this issue has increased vastly, strong connections can be draw between classic and modern literature in regards to characters who suffer from these disorders. The novel “Compulsion” by Heidi Ayarbe, tells the story of a teenage boy with severe OCD. This novel authenticates the many sickening facets of OCD, and sheds a realistic and much needed light on what it is actually like to suffer from a mental illness. In a similar vein, the tragic play, “Hamlet”, shows how illness can be bred from traumatic events, and how it can lead to pain and loss for not only those suffering from an illness,
changing attitudes toward life and the other characters in the play, particularly the women; and his reflection on the
Oakes, Elizabeth. "Polonius, the Man behind the Arras: A Jungian Study." New Essays on Hamlet. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett and John Manning. NY: AMS Press, 1994. 103-112.
In this speech, Shakespeare targeted his Elizabethan audience through allusions to the Great Chain of Being, which governed their society, with the intent of influencing the themes that his audience interpreted. Targeting the audience with that aspect of their lives had the effect of developing Hamlet’s underlying themes: the frailty of man, appearance versus reality, and the uncertainty of death.
In Hamlet, a famous play written by William Shakespeare, the character Polonius says, “To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” With these words, Shakespeare captures the idea of realizing the true identity in one’s self. Unfortunately, at times, one might allow a disability to hinder him or her from achieving the realization of full genuine truth. Through Carson McCullers’ Great American Novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter the idea of disabilities hindering the truth about a man or woman clearly presents itself. The novel, published in 1940, takes place in a rural mill-town in the south from 1938-1939, just before WWII. In the novel, characters like John Singer, Mick Kelly, Jake Blount, Dr. Copeland and Biff Brannon take the reader on an emotional roller coaster that sends the message of disabilities hindering the achievement of complete truth. When observing The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by McCullers, it becomes clear to the reader that a disability, occasionally, can conceal the genuine truth of a person through John Singer’s inability to hear or speak, Jake Blount’s addiction to alcohol, Dr. Copeland’s insecurity about his race, and Biff Brannon’s androgyny without his wife.
To fully understand this poem, the reader would find it helpful to know what led Coleridge to write it. Coleridge grew up with English essayist Charles Lamb in school and the two were close friends (Merriman.) In their later years, however, the two rarely saw each other as Coleridge lived in the country side and Lamb lived in the city, where he cared for his mentally ill sister (Merriman.) On one of the rare days Lamb went to visit him, Coleridge planed to go on a walk through the scenic area surrounding his house with Lamb and some other friends, but before they left, Coleridge’s wife accidentally dropped boiling milk on his foot and he was unable to participate in the walk (Benzon.) While the others gallivanted across the countryside, Coleridge sat in his garden and wrote this poem.
Leverenz, David. "The Inner Hamlet: An Interpersonal View". Schwartz, Murray M. and Coppelia Kahn, eds. Representing Shakespeare: New Psychoanalytic Essays. Baltimore: John Hopkins U P, 1980.
Humans in the past and present have always strived to blend into their societies and uphold the appearance of normalcy. However, in Act I of his play Equus, Peter Shaffer explores normalcy both the upsides and downsides of normalcy. While Doctor Dysart examines the disturbed child of Alan Strang, Dysart reflects on the detrimental side effects of being normal and his own duties as a doctor. In Dysart’s monologue (Shaffer 62), Shaffer utilizes contrasting diction and antithesis between the good and bad sides of normalcy to emphasize Dysart’s conflict between maintaining mediocrity and maintaining individuality in his patients.
We are able to gather the image of an extremely polished male who is not only a man but a gentleman. Richard is wealthy beyond measure and the people clearly lust for his riches. The metaphor throughout the poem which compares Richard to wealth teaches a strong lesson to the townspeople. The author closes this poem with the lines “And Richard Cory, one calm summer night / went home and put a bullet through his head. (15-16)” If we once again compare Richard to wealth, this phrase indicates that although the townspeople believe they will gain happiness from obtaining wealth, they may actually find that their calm is destroyed by wealth. Without the use of imagery and metaphor acting together throughout this piece of literature, it is my opinion that the reader may not have gained a clear picture of Richard Cory and his relationship of superiority with the people of the
One of the central theme’s throughout Shakespeare’s Hamlet is the question of madness versus sanity. From the first few scenes of the play, one cannot help but question the way that various character’s throughout the play think and behave. In line with Sigmund Freud’s ideas concerning the Id, Ego, and Superego, we see that various characters’ behaviors are clearly defined by these distinct personality structures although not always in the way they are traditionally expected to. Gertrude and Hamlet both find themselves eventually losing control of their lives as they all give way to the Id portion of their personality. It is this downfall that will continually come across as the madness so central and destructive throughout the course of the play.
Michael Almereyda’s movie adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet brings about a new perspective through its performance. The movie adaptation, Hamlet (2000), retells the original play in a modernized setting, bringing out various different elements of characters, which highlights a new reading of these characters as individuals, and a newfangled reading of the play as well. Throughout the movie, Ophelia and Gertrude, the woman-leads, are advanced in a progressive manner compared to the original play. In particular, Gertrude from Hamlet (2000) is noticeably altered from Hamlet, the play. This new interpretation of Gertrude and the play created by the movie adaptation advances the position of Gertrude as a woman, as well as motifs of incest, misogyny,