Margaret Laurence

Henry V is the final play in Shakespeare’s second tetralogy of history plays and, like the others, reflects the Elizabethan interest in history and politics. As a biographical text, the play cannot be separated from history as “history is a story in itself” (Angus 2) and there are multiple historical constructs within it. Henry V is both a signifier and signified. It is a reconstruction of past events from an Elizabethan point of view (signifier) and, from a modern perspective is a consideration…

However situational the plots in which Shakespeare writes can apply to everyday life, such as in Hamlet it is very situational to be mad at his uncle about killing his dad and replacing him as king and his technically his step father? Uncle dad something like that, seems like it Hamlet would fit in just right in Kansas... But being mad at a step-parent is a very apparent thing that occurs on a daily basis, the child in everyday life is not plotting his revenge on the stepparent... hopefully.…

Universal questions are found in many places. From day-to-day life, to movies, and even in Shakespearean literature. Shakespeare attempts to answer some of these questions in his plays. In Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare answers many universal questions, such as the nature of friendship through Antonio and Bassanio and the financial sacrifices they make for each other, faith and what people believe through Shylock and his social restrictions because of his religion, and…

“Don't shut yourself up in a bandbox because you are a woman, but understand what is going on, and educate yourself to take your part in the world's work, for it all affects you and yours.” Louisa Alcott, a known and outspoken female rights activist, write what all women are desperate to hear. You see, in society today, there is no mistaking that women’s rights have come a long way from what they were in the times of, oh, let’s say Shakespeare. However, that does not mean that women are treated…

Shakespeare's Macbeth is meant to trace the detrimental effects of rampant ambition and greed, whereas King Lear is intended to show how good intentions and generosity can reveal the true nature of humans and lead to madness. The themes are best shown through Shakespeare's use of the motif of clothing. Through the motif of clothing, corruption and treachery are shown to run rampant in Macbeth. After receiving the Thane of Cawdor’s robes and title which had been stained by Cawdor’s treachery,…

The book The Alchemist, by Brazilian writer Paolo Coelho, tells the story about a boy named Santiago who changed a lot through his journey as he discovered that he was the Alchemist and became a spiritual leader. Similarly, the novel The Deportation of Wopper Barraza, by Chicano writer Maceo Montoya, introduces us to a character named Wopper who also changed as a result of his journey and was surprised to learn that he would become a political leader, a Municipal Representative. However, even…

King Lear and Hamlet are two of William Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies that contain equally famous lines. “The ripeness is all” in King Lear (5.2.11), and “The readiness is all” in Hamlet (5.2.160), are both taken from the speeches of two apparent madmen, and both share similar meanings. Whatever is meant to be, will be, is one interpretation of these lines. Another is that man can live to the fullest once he realizes that death is a reality, and that the important thing is to be prepared…

Themes are universal lessons and subjects in a piece of writing or book. Both Hamlet and the Twelfth Night have universal themes. The two plays teach valuable lessons throughout the actions going on. Readers are able to recognize themes throughout the plays based on the specific characteristics of each of the plays. The two books have some clear differences. The Twelfth Night was written in 1601 while Hamlet was written in 1599. The different times of being written can allow the reader to…

Political corruption is seen in various tragedies by William Shakespeare. However, what are the effects of politics of the state on the individual and identity of character? As Marcellus says to Horatio “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” (1.4.), it becomes clear that on some level the Political corruption and transformation of morality in Hamlet’s Denmark is noticed. As a political body is poorly managed there are consequences. One should see it as a ripple effect. The choices of…

In 1847 Emily Brontë published Wuthering Heights; a novel as eccentric as it is unsettling, its themes including the oppositional natures of horror and beauty, dreams and reality, hate and adoration, fused into one strange and dark novel. This essay is a comparative analysis of two film adaptations of Brontë’s novel; the thesis being the 1939 film adaptation, titled Wuthering Heights and directed by William Wyler, presents the story within the romance genre. By comparison the 2011 adaptation…