Hamlet, here not only presents the overwhelming burden of a man unable to live and unable to die, but also presents the human contradiction in which, despite how grand and majestic we are, we all end up as a dust in the earth; our lives are only transient and never truly significant.
In the Elizabethan Jacobean period, the work of Senecan revenge drama was interwoven in the English stage, with dramatists often cleaving to the dynamics of Senecan literature, Shakespeare being no different. Hamlet has aspects of a typical Seneca drama braided into its structure, from the existence of a ghost catalysing the requisite of vengeance to …
Shakespearean plays are notable for their articulate language and graphic wordplays, as we understand that words serve more than a one dimensional purpose in the plays. Yet, the most foundational and common device that Shakespeare relies on with the large majority of his plays is irony, and through specific types of irony, Shakespeare compels certain …
Like many other Shakespearean plays, Othello has a graphic and articulate use of literary devices that sculpts out both the characters and the play itself, with specific devices used in creating specific effects. Shakespeare has relied on irony through and through with the majority of his plays, Othello being no different, where he uses about …
The play of Othello revolves predominantly on the idea of race and culture, where the character of Othello, a Mauritanian descendant, is highlighted as the protagonist in a stage dominated by European descendants. This promulgates the distinction between Othello and the other characters in the play, where he is completely separated and almost alienated, giving …
How much does Othello’s blackness represent his fall? Read More »
Shakespeare does not take great measures to present Othello as a hero; Othello is given the ultimate position of nobility in the play and that itself characterises him according to the Aristotelian version of the ‘tragic hero’. However, Shakespeare is very intricate in presenting the duality between Othello’s personalities – his militarist and romantic …
How does Othello fit the role of a romantic hero? Read More »
Words in Shakespearean plays do not merely stand as words, but act as actions as well. This is mostly prominent in the play of ‘Othello’ where words are the very thing that leads to the tragic demise of Othello and Desdemona. Shakespeare builds up his characterisation through spoken verses, where even the construction of …
Destiny deals out a contextual role in the gradual formation of the tragic death of Romeo and Juliet. Before the play, readers are introduced to Romeo and Juliet as ‘star-cross’d lovers’, denoting that the two lovers were meant to fall in love and face such untimely death, as it was written in the stars. Astrology …
How much is destiny responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s tragic ending? Read More »
Set in the city of Verona, “Romeo and Juliet” constantly alters between settings, specifically to construct the mood and enhance the use of sensory language in each scene. Shakespeare designs the atmosphere relative to the emotions presented in each scene which create an ambience that influences how each episode is carried out. In the first …
How important is the setting in Romeo and Juliet? Read More »
Juliet’s relationship with her parents seems quite formal, and undergoes drastic change during the course of the novel. The Capulets expect total obedience from her and forces her to take extreme measures when she holds her own. Juliet, the only daughter of the house of Capulet, does not have a close relationship with her own …
How does Shakespeare present Juliet’s relationship with her parents in this play? Read More »
