More handpicked essays just for you.
William Shakespeare comedy of errors as a farce
William Shakespeare comedy of errors as a farce
Similarities between hamlet and comedy of errors
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors and Plautus' Menaechmi and Amphitruo
One of Shakespeare's earliest plays (its first recorded performance in December 1594), The Comedy of Errors has frequently been dismissed as pure farce, unrepresentative of the playwright's later efforts. While Errors may very well contain farcical elements, it is a complex, layered work that draws upon and reinterprets Plautine comedy. Shakespeare combines aspects of these Latin plays with biblical source material, chiefly the Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline Epistle to the Ephesians. While Menaechmi is the most frequently cited classical source for Errors, Plautus' Amphitruo is just as relevant an influence; Shakespeare's treatment of identity and its fragility is derived from this latter work. Of course, there are many other structural and thematic resonances between the three texts: each of the plays, to varying degrees, deal with the issues of identity, violence and slavery, while displaying a keen awareness of aspects of performativity, specifically the figure of the playwright, and the role of the audience.
The structural similarities between Comedy of Errors and Plautus' Menaechmi and Amphitruo are quite clear. In addition to adopting the traditional five-act structure, Shakespeare creates act divisions which comply with the Evanthian and Donatian definitions of comic structure (prologue, epitasis, protasis, catastrophe), and draws upon the classical stock of characters: the senex, servus, parasitus, matrona and meretrix. Of course, this does not mean that Shakespeare is a slavish imitator of all things Plautine. While both of the Roman source plays for Errors begin with a formal prologue, set apart from the first act, Errors instead laun...
... middle of paper ...
...s.): Plautus: Five of his Plays, London: Arthur L. Humphreys, 1914.
Crewe, Jonathan V.: "God or The Good Physician: The Rational Playwright in The Comedy of Errors, in Genre, XV (1/2), 1982, pp. 203-223.
Dorsch, T.S (ed.): The Comedy of Errors, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
Hall, Jonathan: Anxious Pleasures: Shakespearean Comedy and the Nation-State, London: Associated University Presses, 1995
Hunt, Maurice: "Slavery, English Servitude, and The Comedy of Errors," in English Literary Renaissance, 27(1): 31-55, Winter 1997.
Miola, Robert S.: Shakespeare and Clasical Comedy: The Influence of Plautus and Terence, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994.
Riehle, Wolfgang: Shakespeare, Plautus and the Humanist Tradition, Cambridge: D.S Brewer, 1990.
Segal, Erich (trans.): Plautus: Three Comedies, New York and London: Harper and Row, 1969.
Shakespeare's first tragedy has been a topic of discussion since the day it was written. Titus Andronicus "was staged on 24 January 1594 by the Earl of Sussex's Men at the Rose Theatre" (Welsh 1). Though this tidbit of information seems somewhat irrelevant to Titus, we must note that there are certain standards and practices established by a play from its first performance. It is also important to establish the general attributes that audiences attribute to Shakespearean performance.
The Ku Klux Klan founded in 1865 by William Nathan Bedford a former confederate general, began a campaign of terror against free blacks and their white supporters. The KKK had a wide array of uneducated people because their main incentive was to recruit young, homeless, and mindless children to follow in their footsteps and become a member of the KKK. In many instances Klan members were
Bradley, A.C.. Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. New York: Penguin Books, 1991.
n the play "Tragedy of Macbeth", William Shakespeare presents many examples of foreshadowing which pulls the reader in and displays an interesting and unique way of story telling. Right from the beginning in (Act 1, Scene 1) three witches appear who are the main sources of foreshadowing and start the entire story by agreeing with one another to meet up again "when the battle's lost and won". Further along in the play the actual prophecies given by the three witches occur when they meet Macbeth and Banquo then greet Macbeth with three titles "Thane of Glamis" "Thane of Cawdor" and "King hereafter". Following after, the witches don't meet Macbeth again until (Act 4) and during this meeting Macbeth learns three more prophecies that foreshadow his life to come. The three prophecies are an armed head, a bloody child, and a child crowned with a tree in his hand. The importance of the opening scenes and further along in the play start to bring truth of the prophecies in Act 4. In the beginning (Act 1, scene 1) of Macbeth the appearance of three witches shed light to what might happen. Everything starts to unravel when the three witches declare to meet up again with each other "when the battle's lost and won". Also a short time after that they yell out together "fair is foul, and foul is fair" this foreshadows that some sort of evil will be coming and that there will also be a victory of sorts to either the witches or the main character in the story, but the audience doesn't know specifically what is to happen. These also suggest a great battle will be fought against good and evil. However these events that are soon to follow will unfold at a rapid pace. This foreshadowing can be detected by the audience because they can feel the suspense...
Cohen, Walter, J.E. Howard, K. Eisaman Maus. The Norton Shakespeare. Vol. 2 Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor. New York, London. 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-92991-1
Dutton, R., & Howard, J.E. (2003). A Companion to Shakespeare’s Works.(p. 9) Maiden, MA: Blackwell Pub.
Clark, W. G. and Wright, W. Aldis , ed. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Vol. 1. New York: Nelson-Doubleday
Cambridge UP, 1994. Palmer, D. J. & Co., Inc. The "Tragic Error in Julius Caesar." Shakespeare Quarterly. 21-22 (1970): 399.
Wilders, John. "The Problem Comedies." In Wells, Stanley, ed. Shakespeare: Select Bibliographical Guides. London: Oxford UP, 1973.
In the environment today, it is not unusual to see people working in teams to accomplish certain goals and tasks. During our youth, parents and teachers encourage us through various methods to work as part of a team. Whether a sports team, classroom team, or after school activities, parents and teachers and other authority figures start the introduction of working in teams and teaching the value of being able to work together to accomplish a common goal. As people progress through the various stages of their lives, everyone continues to strive to communicate. Communication is a part of everyday life. It may be overlooked in some areas, but when dealing with a team environment, communication is vital. One fact that holds true is that communication can either make or break any team. Lack of communication can lead to confusion within a team as well as a lack of production on a common task. This paper will examine the many different aspects of teams with an emphasis on how effective communication can allow a team to accomplish set goals. When forming a team some things to consider are the challenges of teamwork, the benefits of teamwork, and how one can enhance his performance in the team in order to realize more benefits in regard to effective communication.
Wells, Stanley. Shakespeare in the theatre: an anthology of criticism. Oxford University Press, USA, 2000.
Abrams, M.H., ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton, 1993.
...t". Mist's lyrics are nothing to write home about, but the song itself is super catchy and addictive, lyrics i think are just about Rody's addiction to Newfoundland, which is a large Canadian island.
Wilders, John. "The Problem Comedies." In Wells, Stanley, ed. Shakespeare: Select Bibliographical Guides. London: Oxford UP, 1973.
As work settings become more complex and involve increased numbers of interpersonal interactions, individual effort has less impact. In order to increase efficiency and effectiveness, a group effort is required. The creation of teams has become a key strategy in many organizations. Team building is an essential element in supporting and improving the effectiveness of small groups and task forces and must be a key part of a total program of organizational change.