Laurence Sterne

Words can be very manipulative and persuasive, if used right, they can be used to get people to feel different emotions and make people do things. But also, they can be used to make people do things that they might not have ever done without hearing that speaker say what they said to them. Rhetorical and literary devices are included when people are trying to persuade and manipulate people to more effectively change peoples minds. In certain situations, this can lead to really bad endings and consequences which is why they are so dangerous when used right by the wrong person. Brutus has a persuasive tone during his funeral speech and uses his credibility in order to win the crowd over. Dramatic pause, antithesis, loaded words, and parallelism are all used in order to emphasize this tone. Antithesis is used when he explains to the commoners of Rome that if “Caesar were living [they would] all die slaves [but if] Caesar were dead [they would] live as freeman” (Shakespeare 42). The audience can put a mental note in their heads about what would have happened if Caesar had become king and he were not killed, this is going to induce the citizens that they are safe now. He uses either or fallacy to make the commoners feel like a weight has been lifted off of their chests which makes the tone in this part of the speech uplifting. Having an uplifting tone will help Brutus because the people of Rome will want to be on his side and feel better about themselves…

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…

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…

Based on her thoughts, and the effect it has on others, the reader can come to the conclusion that decisiveness is truly a prominent trait. In Act Four, Juliet takes up the offer to drink a poison concocted by Friar Laurence. However, the poison isn’t deadly, it just puts Juliet in a coma-like state. As Shakespeare remarks, “Shall, stiff and stark and cold, appear like death. And in this borrow'd likeness of shrunk death Thou shalt continue two and forty hours”(4.1.106-108). Friar Laurence and…

The settings of each of Shakespeare’s plays play a huge role in the plot and the play as a whole. For example, in Othello, the play starts off in Venice but takes place in Cyprus for a majority of the play. The people of Venice were mostly white, so Othello was definitely an outcast. If it weren’t for his position in the military and his service in the war, he more than likely would have been criticized by the Venetian people. When the setting shifts to Cyprus, known for its love, the love…

Biography: Laurence Kerr Olivier was born in Dorking, in Southern England, on May 22, 1907. His family was one with strong religious beliefs. He is known for his outstanding performances of Shakespearean roles that pathed the way for his stardom (Laurence Olivier, 2015). Despite him living in England, he gave many contributions to the Hollywood film industry. For instance, modern classics such as Wuthering Heights and Marathon Man (Laurence Olivier, 2015). Starring as Heathcliff in Wuthering…

The presence of the supernatural is in The Tragedy of Macbeth, is common like the one to The of Tragedy Hamlet. Hamlet and Macbeth were both pressured into going against the natural social order that they lived in; Hamlet had the heavy task to cast justice with his own young hands, at the request of his deceased father. Macbeth was told his fate by three witches; as well was haunted by the ghost of Banqo. The presence of the supernatural influenced both of the actions of Macbeth and Hamlet. The…

As secretary William Jennings Bryan once said, “Destiny is not matter of chance, It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” Nowhere is this concept more evident than in Coelho's novel, The Alchemist. The Alchemist reveals that one must have the courage to follow their destiny, for otherwise, they will hold themselves back from happiness. Coelho uses foil, symbolism, and personification to further develop this theme. Today’s readers can apply…

Paulo Coelho's Alchemist Sometimes in life, when a person wants something with enough passion, everything seems to go perfectly accordingly to how it was planned. Paulo Coelho, the author of the Alchemist, calls this desire a personal legend. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their personal legend is, and at that point in their lives everything is clear and possible. However, as time goes on, a mysterious force seems to blind us of achieving that goal. Through Santiago, the…

Unfortunately, it is simply beyond the scope of this paper to analyze the entirety of these two productions of A Doll’s House. As a result, three scenes will be compared, contrasted, and analyzed through Butler’s theory in order to examine these gender performances. The three scenes chosen for this endeavor are as follows: Nora’s discussion with Torvald in the very beginning of Act I, Nora practicing the tarantella dance before the party in Act II, and Nora and Torvald’s final confrontation in…