King Lear

a stable form of government. Shakespeare exemplifies his stance on despotism by narrating prolific power shifts and frequent coups. In fact, the main plotline is about a duke, Prospero, whose title is usurped by his brother Antonio with the help of King Alonso. Then Prospero gets exiled to an island with only one inhabitant, Caliban. After Caliban has shown him everything about the island Prospero takes power and enslaves Caliban. Twelve years after his exile, Prospero gets a chance to exact…

There are characters whom we admire without restraint; those who we wish to be and strive to emulate. Some are fictional, like the heroic King Arthur. Others are real persons who are now thought to be influential figures in history, such as Winston Churchill or Joan of Arc. The people that we esteem often hold characteristics that we ourselves lack, hence why many aspire to be like them. Contrastingly, characters we tend to dislike are regularly the embodiment of the worst traits. Peradventure…

Ameneh Mustafa Sazama American Literature 24 September 2014 “We are all infected & impure with sin. When we display our righteous deed, they are nothing, but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind”. This verse from the Bible says that when sin is committed it brings nothing but unsatisfactory. Throughout “the Scarlet Letter”, Hawthorne puts in many major symbols in his novel to convey a positive message to his readers,…

C. Janse van Rensburg 25018175 Assignment 8: The power of words in “Othello” ”Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs” (Hurd, s.a.). Shakespeare uses different techniques in “Othello” to express the way in which the power of words can have a negative effect on different characters. With reference to “Othello”, the way in which Shakespeare incorporates these techniques, namely words as a form of power, words as a way to shape characters’ identities, and the use…

Madness is an idea that has been widely explored and theorized throughout the ages, particularly within Shakespearean literature and other works along those lines. It is nearly impossible to establish a working definition of madness itself, because there are so many different forms of madness shown throughout time, as well as different contexts. It breaks down to subjectivity, along with time and place, and situational circumstances. In Edgar Allan Poe’s “Tell-Tale Heart,” a perhaps unusual form…

Shakespeare's Richard III presents the ideas of conscience and morality in an aristocratic society that thirsts for power. By presenting conscience as a central theme, Shakespeare portrays conscience through the eyes of different characters. In doing so, his audience is given differing interpretations of the importance of conscience. In his essay "Conscience and Complicity in Richard III," Harry Berger Jr. interprets conscience as a vital part of self-preservation. Berger notes the…

Life is like a game of cards. The hand one is dealt is determinism; the way one plays it is free will. In William Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, Macbeth is told he will be king one day. He then has to decide if he has to make his own fate by killing the king, or let nature take its course. It is Macbeth’s own free will to kill the king, showing that fate could be permitted but it’s one’s free will on how it shall be reached. The problem of fate and free will is also seen in today’s world. Such as…

The Knight’s Tale: Archetypal Identity The ideal, chivalrous knight sits atop his magnificent steed, his lance upon his hip and his armor pressing against his chest. He looks down on the peasantry, cheering his name, and raises his fist to celebrate his victory, letting out a cry of excitement. The women love him, the peasants envy him, his opponents detest him, and now children read about him in fairy tales. Whether it is saving a damsel in distress or winning a dual against some fearsome…

life-force on just that. Meditatively I raised my hands to my chest, aiming both index fingers skyward then abruptly toward my brother as I recited the time slowing spell learnt from our father’s tomes. Sahli’s shock was priceless, reminiscent of when King was still with us, teaching me his new spells, whilst Sahli stood green eyed and afar, as though he got kicked in the teeth. It is hard to think how we came to be face to face like this after all we had gone through together. His father had…

In Oedipus the King, Sophocles emphasizes the eyesight of all of the characters; he draws the readers to consider both the literal ability of sight and sight of the truth. While enraged, Oedipus insults the blind prophet Teiresias, saying, "[Truth] has no strength for you because you are blind in mind and ears as well as your eyes" (370-372). Later, it becomes clear that Oedipus himself has been the blind one, in all senses. This focus on eyesight leads us to wonder why Oedipus thought blinding…