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Women in ancient literature
Contribution of women in literature
Contribution of women in literature
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Maria possesses individuality, and self-confidence as she tells Sir Toby she is capable of making a wise plan. This tells all young women to believe in themselves, and know that they can accomplish anything. William Shakespeare lets the audience know that Maria does not like others controlling her, and is aware of what she does. By referring to wit, Maria means that women are intelligent. Maria breaks the myth of women not being able to do what a man can do. Hence, not only does Maria portray individuality, but she also conveys important messages that the world can learn from.
In Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, Brutus and Cassius are both considered honorable men by the public. But, like all traits, honor is in the eye of the beholder. Honor is defined as evidence or symbols of distinction. Those who are placed in power are often chosen because of their traits, which include being honorable. If those in power have any faults, it could diminish their position in the eyes of the public.
A Question of Loyalty in Julius Caesar Loyalty defined means faithfulness to one's friends, country, ideals, etc. What should one do when these loyalties conflict with one another? One would have to choose. A choice that can make or break a man, which I believe broke many men in the play Julius Caesar. One did not know who was friend or foe.
The Tragedy of Mariam focuses on Elizabeth's Cary's desire to develop a platform from which women can speak, thereby offering a fuller understanding of women as individuals. By examining issues of public and private language, Cary shows her interest in female voices. As an early-17th-century female playwright, Cary was described by the Earl of Clarendon as `a lady of a most masculine understanding, allayed with the passions and infirmities of her own sex'. This description could be interpreted as a complement to Cary, although the Earl adheres to the patriarchal boundaries placed upon both men and women. The connection that he makes between Cary and masculinity reinforces the stereotype of male authority. This essay will examine Cary's exploration of gender, language and silence in The Tragedy of Mariam. The play's expression of these themes is sometimes open, and at other times covert. By concentrating on the issues of public and private speech, this essay will determine the effects that crossing patriarchal boundaries had on women in early modern England.
In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare illuminates the themes of human motivation and manipulation. He examines the relationship between actions and motivations, cause and effect, and word and deed, using the symbols of hands and hearts. Throughout the play, the characters Brutus and Marc Antony express their different understandings of this relationship rhetorically. In his 1953 film interpretation, Joseph L. Mankiewicz demonstrates these characters’ understanding through both the play’s original dialogue and his own interpolated action. It is interesting to see the different effects of spoken rhetoric, as we experience it in the play, and the visual rhetoric of the film. The play itself complicates matters of motivation and therefore does not answer the question of blame. When reading one character, the audience feels connected with their point of view, and when reading the other, they are made to feel unsure about their initial opinion. In the end, it is nearly impossible to discover the characters’ inner motives, and it is therefore difficult to place blame on one or the other. However, Mankiewicz visually presents the complex relationship between these two symbols and in doing so, he creates a more sympathetic persona for Brutus than the one in the play. He focuses on the hands as a symbol of unity, love, and friendship, and where characters use hands for evil acts, he is quick to juxtapose the actions of hands from the motivations of the heart. While Shakespeare uses this juxtaposition to merely complicate the matter without solving it, Mankiewicz uses it to simplify the question. For Mankiewicz, Brutus’ involvement in the murder of Caesar, does not wholly reflect his character, and the audience is made to see a more human, vulne...
Two powerful leaders, one power hungry whose ambitious ideas lead to his downfall, the other mindful of people who deserve their higher positions. A true leader is someone who has a vision, a drive and commitment to achieve what's best. In the play written by William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Brutus and Caesar are one of the main characters. They demonstrate leadership qualities that are still relevant to today. They are both very ambitious characters; however, they do so for different reasons and differ in their openness to others. There are many similarities and differences that lie between them. Both are noble and great men with loyal followers and neither man questions the rightness of his own path. Both made crucial mistakes that resulted in their death. However, Caesar acts out of love for for himself, his country, and to retain his power as ruler of Rome. Brutus on the other hand acts out of love for freedom of Rome. This essay will discuss and compare their qualities as leaders as well as their styles and how they are effective/ineffective in the play.
The play Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare takes place in 44 BC during the time of the Roman Republic. The plot of Shakespeare’s play includes the planning leading up to the assassination of Caesar as well as a war that followed shortly after. Of the themes found in Julius Caesar, the one I would like to focus on is “Public Image versus Private Identity.” Most of the play focuses on the disregard of each character's personal feelings in order to “please” the common public. In the play, the audience is able to see both the private and public sides of Caesar and Brutus. Brutus is strong and refuses to show weakness when in public, whether it be speaking to the plebeians or leading an army into battle. However, we see through his intimate conversations, that Brutus is often unsure and greatly pained. Similarly, Caesar is a powerful confident man who leads great armies and effectively rules the Roman Empire, yet he is not without weakness. He is highly superstitious, suffers from epilepsy, and ultimately proves to be human when murdered by his closest friends. The theme of “public image versus private identity” is being explored in the text through examples from the characters’ private and public lives.
Roman citizens agreed with the assassination of Julius Caesar because he became defiant towards Roman political structure as well as values and possessed a threat to Romans freedom.
required of a great leader. He spoke to others in a way which he believed
...rfectly able to do anything a man can. In addition to that, the serving-woman Maria proves herself perfectly capable of tricking Malvolio, enough so to make everyone in town to think he has gone completely mad. Both of these women are headstrong and sure of themselves and just itching to prove to the men in the play that none of them are better than the women.
Think if all of the sudden someone that you followed and respected died. It would be a tragedy for you. Now think if this was a well respected ruler of an empire. The book Julius Caesar shows an occurrence like this. Caesar is killed and it leads to two important speeches in the book. I’m talking about Brutus and Antony’s speeches. They both try to sway the crowd by using characteristics like Ethos, Pathos, or Logos in their speeches. Here are ways that Brutus and Antony try to sway the crowd.
In Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, one of the main themes is the idea of public self and private self. When it comes to that theme, Caesar himself has some of the most varied personality traits as they appear existentially between the two concepts of self. His public self was that of a symbol and a savior, while his private self was a humble and meek man. In public, he was ambitious, but in private, he was an honorable man.
In this play as any other, Shakespeare proves to be a visionary. Petruchio achieves his goal through witty persuasion rather than resorting to beating his wife like many a man before him has done. Though Shakespeare does not go as far as some feminists would like him to, Shakespeare does much for the fight of equality of the sexes. Katherine’s as strong, or stronger than any woman in Shakespeare’s plays. The amazing thing is that she achieves this without ulterior motives such as lady Macbeth. She is an honest, bright independent woman. She is not underscored by her subservience to petruchio in public, for "the sun breaks through the darkest cloud" and so do Katherine’s assets break though the public visage of subordination to her husband.
A wide array of differing perspectives reveals the influence of ideology on the interpretation. of events, personalities and situations. These individual perspectives manifest into different behavior, this is evident within William Shakespeare’s drama ‘Julius Caesar’. Within the drama. Many of the political interests are represented by the characters of Brutus and Antony.
Julius Caesar is a play with various roles, but what often is missed is the character who led the plot of the story. Cassius led the plot, and set the conflict and climax for the antagonist(Brutus), and brought the play to its conclusion . In the beginning of Julius Caesar Cassius attempts to persuade Brutus, a much-admired leader, to join him in carrying out the overthrowing of Caesar. He subsequently gained support from the patrician’s as well. By assembling the conspirators meeting in Brutus’ home, It is apparent that Cassius was the one who lead the plot against Caesar. At the end of the play, in the battle of Philippi, it is seen that Julius Caesar comes to its denouement due to Cassius’s various dreadful actions. Cassius was the mastermind of Caesar 's assassination as well as the story plot. Looking closely at William Shakespeare’s use of Cassius, it is seen that if
Suggestive comedies along with historical and romantic tragedies have been Shakespeare’s trademark genres among his various world-renowned writings. One such piece, Julius Caesar, concentrates upon the fall of the Roman emperor Caesar and the events following his demise at the hands of his trusted politicians and friends. The play itself does not simply explore the downfall of Caesar, but also of his comrades in light of their actions. As the Ides of March hang above Caesar’s head in a perfect foreshadow, so too do other actions allude to the inevitable death of those who seek Caesar’s fall. The foreshadowing that Shakespeare includes in his work resemble melancholy poetry as it illustrates not only the action to arise, but the character who will face the unfortunate outcome. Along with its’ elements of foreshadowing, the story, in accordance with its’ historical context of the ancient Roman government, depicts the consequences of the envious and the benevolent individuals whose stars were fated to serve as an example.