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How women are portrayed in Shakespeare plays
Ophelia's role in hamlet
Hamlet's character analysis
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Recommended: How women are portrayed in Shakespeare plays
Hamlet: The Character of Ophelia
Concerning the Ophelia of Shakespeare’s tragic drama Hamlet, is she an innocent type or not? Is she a victim or not? This essay will explore these and other questions related to this character.
Rebecca West in “A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption” viciously, and perhaps unfoundedly, attacks the virginity of Ophelia:
There is no more bizarre aspect of the misreading of Hamlet’s character than the assumption that his relations with Ophelia were innocent and that Ophelia was a correct and timid virgin of exquisite sensibilities. . . . She was not a chaste young woman. That is shown by her tolerance of Hamlet’s obscene conversations, which cannot be explained as consistent with the custom of the time. If that were the reason for it, all the men and women in Shakespeare’s plays, Romeo and Juliet, Beatrice and Benedict, Miranda and Ferdinand, Antony and Cleopatra, would have talked obscenely together, which is not the case (107).
West’s interpretation of Ophelia’s character is not a consensus feeling among critics, so her innocence is challenged but not overturned. Beginning now with the play, the reader/viewer sees that the protagonist of the tragedy, Prince Hamlet, initially appears dressed in solemn black. He is mourning the death of his father, supposedly by snakebite, while he was away at Wittenberg as a student. Hamlet laments the hasty remarriage of his mother to his father’s brother, an incestuous act; thus in his first soliloquy he cries out, “Frailty, thy name is woman!” Ophelia enters the play with her brother Laertes, who, in parting for school, bids her farewell and gives her advice regarding her relationship with Hamlet. Op...
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...Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint of Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html
Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1907–21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000 http://www.bartleby.com/215/0816.html
West, Rebecca. “A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.” Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. of The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957.
Wilkie, Brian and James Hurt. “Shakespeare.” Literature of the Western World. Ed. Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1992.
Often overlooked in Shakespeare’s famous play Hamlet, Shawna Maki analyzes Ophelia’s restricting role as a woman in a patriarchal society and how it essentially leads to her death being the true tragedy of the play. Maki supports this argument by stating, “Whereas Hamlet has the power and potential to change his fate, Ophelia does not and her death is tragic because the only escape she sees from her oppression is madness and death.”. The comparison between Hamlet and Ophelia is a common parallel because both characters are inevitably labeled as tragic deaths due to the quick deterioration of their state of mind.
Twain satirizes this concept about fearfulness that often leads to the inhumanity to man and hypocrisy. Huck shows confusion while describing his experience with the Grangerfords. He sees that they want to be good people; however, they would do anything to anyone if it is in their own interest. For instance, when Buck shoots and Harney from behind a bush, Col. Grangerford, Buck’s father, said, “‘I don’t like that shooting from behind a bush. Why, didn’t you step into the road, my boy?’” (Twain 111). This gives insight to what the characters really value, pride, but at the cost of one’s safety to bring harm to another due to fear and selfishness. Twain uses the Grangerford and Shepherdson feud to show that man, as a whole, tends to be inhumane to man due to selfishness and fear.
Anterograde amnesia is “a deficit in memory that is characterized by an inability to acquire and retain new information” (Purdy et. All 2001). This means that any new information after an accident or surgery cannot be pertained in your long term memory.
Despite the fall of its popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries, Gilman uses this form of writing to show the narrator’s thoughts as well as her point of view. The Yellow Wallpaper uses the narrator’s journal as a way to seeing into her mind and giving another perspective to the tale. Although not being permitted by her husband and his sister, “[Jane] did write for a while in spite of them” (2). The journal is very important to the story because without it, it would not be possible to know what she’s thinking and the story wouldn’t make much sense. With the journal, Jane’s thoughts are revealed and her actions are justified. The journal is also important due to it being her first sign of rebellious behavior. It is the flame that lights the fire of her discovering what she really wants. The journal to Jane is a method of self-expression that helps her cope with all the difficulties of being left alone in creepy nursery. The story and her behavior escalate after she writes in her journal. She starts to think about what it would be like if she got out of there and even asks John if they could move out. The journal leads her to second guess what she is doing and it is the beginning of her
Sleep deprivation is a commonplace occurrence in modern culture. Every day there seems to be twice as much work and half as much time to complete it in. This results in either extended periods of wakefulness or a decrease in sleep over an extended period of time. While some people may like to believe that they can train their bodies to not require as much sleep as they once did this belief is false (1). Sleep is needed to regenerate certain parts of the body, especially the brain, so that it may continue to function optimally. After periods of extended wakefulness or reduced sleep neurons may begin to malfunction, visibly effecting a person's behavior. Some organs, such as muscles, are able to regenerate even when a person is not sleeping so long as they are resting. This could involve lying awake but relaxed within a quite environment. Even though cognitive functions might not seem necessary in this scenario the brain, especially the cerebral cortex, is not able to rest but rather remains semi-alert in a state of "quiet readiness" (2). Certain stages of sleep are needed for the regeneration of neurons within the cerebral cortex while other stages of sleep seem to be used for forming new memories and generating new synaptic connections. The effects of sleep deprivation on behavior have been tested with relation to the presence of activity in different sections of the cerebral cortex.
One of the most complicated aspects of parenthood is learning how to calm down an upset or anxious child. Sometimes it is a matter of feeding them, rocking them to bed, or something very similar. However, for Isabella Jimenez’s family, the remedy for her when she was feeling feisty was to set her down in front of her older brother’s soccer game and let the calm come over her as she was consumed by the game.
Hamlet shows much anger and disrespect to the women in his life. Ophelia’s believing her father’s words breaks Hamlets heart, being the reason for his treatment towards not just her but his mother. Ophelia
According to Bulman, some of the roles were given a male cast to the boys in the Elizabethan for the different people to have their sexual desires and imaginations raised. The writer holds that the gay culture was prevalent during that time period (Bulman 76). For those that were heterosexuals the boys would boost their imagination and grow in the story through the different uses of all-male casts. These casts were well prepared and the right amount of make-up ensured that they were set-up perfectly for the role. In Bulman’s article it is clear that he was taken by the different attributes of the society and the different productions of the plays in the Elizabethan period. The article highlights how the plays were conceptualized and acted out by the different productions (Bulman 75). It is important to note that there are different methods used with each raising its own significance and perception from a given cause of action identified by the production
Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1907-21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000 http://www.bartleby.com/215/0816.html
Social research is changing and opening its doors towards methodological strategies that are more open minded. These new strategies are becoming useful aides in scientific enhancement of knowledge. While research methodologies are evolving, there still exists hostility between research methods such as qualitative research, quantitative research, and mixed methods (Johnson & Christensen, 2008).
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia is the most static character in the play. Instead of changing through the course of the play, she remains suffering in the misfortunes perpetrated upon her. She falls into insanity and dies a tragic death. Ophelia has issues surviving without a male influence, and her downfall is when all the men in her life abandon her. Hamlet’s Ophelia, is a tragic, insane character that cannot exist on her own.
One of the effects of sleep deprivation is impairment of cognitive performance[1,2,3]. Sleep deprivation interferes with the frontal lobes of the brain causing attention lapses and momentary absent-mindedness, resulting in decreased attention and attentiveness[1,2]. Findings confirmed that subjects performed worse on vigilance tasks that were long, simple and monotonous[1]. A possible explanation on why subjects were more error prone in repetitive tasks could be due to a decline in reaction time and accuracy as prolong wakefulness continued[3]. Another important finding was that lack of sleep disrupts subjects’ reasoning ability and creativity[1]. Although some research indicates that sleep deprivation of 45 hours or less is sufficient to cause these effects on cognitive performance, some researchers argue that wakefulness of 46 hours or less is too little to exhibit a significant effect[2]. Therefore, further work is required to establish this[1,2,3].
Skinner believed that most human behaviors are learned through operant conditioning. The significance of operant conditioning is the immediate reinforcement of a response. Reinforcement changes the frequency of a response or the probability that a response will occur.
Amnesia is, by definition from DSM-IV, one or more episodes of the inability to recall important information or a total loss of memory. To begin, brain injuries or damage, strokes, seizures, lack of oxygen in the brain and tumors in the memory part of the brain are some of the ways that cause amnesia. Almost all injuries or damage to the brain will cause amnesia because of the chances that it will hit the memory part of the brain. In psychology, this disease can be viewed from a biological and cognitive perspective. Treatments can vary from hypnosis to being healthier. Ultimately, amnesia is accepted in society and people treat others with this disease better than others.
Parents and schools play a significant role in stopping bullies. The research states “the families of bullies are lacking in warmth and closeness and focused on power and dominance.” (1) To prevent bullying, parents, school staffs and all adults have a role to play. Help children who experienced bullying to understand that it is unacceptable behavior and how to stand up to it. Communication is always the key. Adults should listen to children, know what is going on around them, friends, school, and understand their concerns. Encourage children to build their interest and hobbies, this will boost their confidence and help them to make friends. Gather parents and children together is a great way to prevent and protect from bullying.