John Gielgud

Shakespeare’s comedies have always had a distinct subtext of tragedy as shown in Twelfth Night. It teeters on the brink of tragedian literature similar to his tragedies, such as Hamlet, through the ambiguity of the main characters and unfinished resolutions. Comedies are generally morally clear- the villains and heroes are clearly defined. Twelfth Night’s characters have a layer of ambiguity stemming from their use of illusion in the form of mistaken identity. A central theme of the play is the contrast between illusion and reality and how the characters in the play manipulate their various roles for their own benefit and against each other. Shakespeare directs the audience to this theme immediately as Act 1 begins with the introduction of a shipwrecked woman, whose name we do not learn till the end of the play, is rescued and pretends to be a young man named Cesario in order to pass favor with the foreign land’s aristocracy. Twelfth Night resembles Hamlet’s use of illusion via syntax and dramatic irony. In Hamlet, Prince Hamlet pretends to be mad in order to lower Claudius’ guard and resolve his father’s usurpation. He’s for the most part similar to Twelfth Night’s Feste as they both use wit and the illusion of inferiority, Feste with his role as fool and Hamlet with his play for madness, to try and fool their victims in spite of their obvious intelligence- both Feste and Hamlet have a talent for manipulating words and playing with puns much to the…

It’s important for those studying English literature to study the classics and classic authors such as Shakespeare. Even today, Shakespeare’s work remains relevant and influences many new upcoming writers today. Shakespeare’s works will always be important because they depict a wide variety/range of human emotion accurately, tells what are often relatable and universal stories, and he formed the basis our modern day English language. For us to understand Shakespeare’s work we must first know…

Juliet and Ophelia, two teenage lovers, two different time periods, but also two women who ultimately wanted the same thing. The fight, or lack thereof presented by both women shows the true differences and similarities in the characters. Although Ophelia and Juliet handles their fathers in different manners, there are other similarities shared by the two characters. The obstacles in which they go through for their loves, then ultimately killing themselves for their loves. Both characters have…

One great writer by the name of Leo Tolstoy once wrote “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” In a similar light Shakespeare seems to have a similar view on family, if his plays are any reflection on his personal ideologies. As probably the most successful playwright in history, it is surprising to see that Shakespeare’s plays were not too different from each other. Once broken up into the there four genres, the tragedies are alike, the comedies are alike…

False Love In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, two characters believe their love for each other is so strong that living without the other serves no purpose, however; in such a short time their so-called love lead to multiple deaths. Romeo and Juliet believe they have a very strong and powerful love with each other after just one night and a few words, however: in such a short time they end up dying like much of their friends and family because of a lustful infatuation between the two lovers. To…

In the play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, two star-crossed lovers meet an unfortunate and tragic end. Their death was caused by two feuding families, the Capulets and the Montagues. The two families couldn’t settle their differences and the consequences were deadly for their children. While Romeo is defined as the tragic hero, Juliet also has a significant role in the tragedy. Juliet shows critical growth throughout the play and demonstrates decisiveness executed with grace throughout the…

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story between two dynamic characters, who have a forbidden love. I chose to see the UWG Theatre Company’s production on Wednesday, November 18, in the Richard L. Dangle Theatre because I have loved the theatre and the stage since a young age. I also made a special effort to see Romeo and Juliet since I have seen numerous versions of the script both on the screen and on stage. I will say that the UWG Theatre Company’s production of the show was…

The famous tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, is about two ill-fated lovers, Romeo and Juliet, from two feuding families. In Friar Lawrence’s soliloquy, he expresses that there is nothing on Earth that is so evil that it does not provide the earth with some special quality. This means that everyone, no matter what, will always have some sort of evil and good in them, but depends on what situation that they’re in, where they will show that evil or good. Through Romeo,…

The tragedy of Romeo & Juliet (1595) is a play written by William Shakespeare, in which the eponymous protagonists’ families are involved in a long-running feud. This conflict between the two families, the Montagues and the Capulets along with destiny culminates in the inevitable deaths of these ‘star-cross’d lovers’ Therefore, Romeo and Juliet’s love shall always be overshadowed by hatred, thus meaning that the play revolves around the conflict of love and hate. This conflict is strongly…

The play, The Tempest is one of the many texts which allegorically represents various aspects of colonial oppression. The Tempest resonates with unusual power and variety. Prospero’s supreme control over the island and over the spirits of the island symbolizes his imperialistic nature within the play. Shakespeare presents the issue of imperialism through the character, Prospero as he has dominant power and control over the island and the original inhabitants. Parteni defines imperialism as “the…