Marriage in Elizabethan Times

It is clear to see the similarities between the plays The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe and The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. Marlowe is thought to have been a contemporary of Shakespeare and he would have looked towards Shakespeare and his famous comedy for inspiration for his own work. One of the most significant similarities between the two plays is their Jewish characters, Barabas from The Jew of Malta and Shylock from The Merchant of Venice. However, it is said that…

Sabrina Hezeini Dr. Alan F. Hickman ENGL 103d Drama paper III 18 April 2016 Comparison of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to the Filmed Version William Shakespeare is arguably one of the major English dramatists of all time. As a poet, he is credited with writing hundreds of published manuscripts, and probably more that are yet to be found. As a dramatist, Shakespeare is the author of many notable and famous plays that include Rome and Juliet, Anthony and Cleopatra, The Comedy of Errors,…

“Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy!/It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock/The meat it feeds on.” (3.3.170-172). Such are the wise words of the famous villain, Iago, found in William Shakespeare’s Othello. A tragic play of jealousy and rivalry, many of the characters in Othello are doomed to a catastrophic ending—a misfortune beyond all ordinary worries. Though each character experiences unfavourable obstacles out of their control, the misfortune brought upon the characters in Othello is…

irrationally, which eventually leads to the label of erotomania being branded upon her like a scarlet letter. In the 1500’s the Elizabethans would have diagnosed Ophelia with female love sickness, or erotomania (Showalter). Erotomania is almost always specifically a female issue because they are more “sensitive” and “emotional” than a man. A male does not have the time or feelings to deal with the loss of a lover in such an irrational way. The fact that Ophelia was a woman to begin with…

but instead of creating the feeling of liberation from language, Caliban reacts in a totally different way. “… my profit on ‘t/ Is I know how to curse. The red plague rid you/ For learning me your language” (1.2.437439). Language reminds him of the time he was not a slave, he holds a grudge against Prospero for “Civilizing” him, because in doing so he took away his freedom. Another use of language is Shakespeare’s portrayal of literary devices. One example is the term “Fair play” (5.1.204).…

foreign places in the New World, and led the English Navy in the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Even though it is the lesser known side to him, Raleigh had an impact on the way English literature was shaped. He did not write in the style typical of the time period, but instead wrote with a more simpler and direct style (“Raleigh”). Through his simpler and more direct style, Sir Walter Raleigh’s poem “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” mocks the skepticism of the age and the realism of a world in…

He believes the Ghost "abuses [him] to damn [him]" (II. Ii. 601), meaning he thinks the Ghost is the Devil as per the beliefs during the Elizabethan time period. Thus, Hamlet needs "grounds more relative" (II. Ii. 602) than the words of the possibly faulty Ghost. This explains Hamlet is questioning everything and stops trusting people because his madness is getting to him. The most striking part…

Carlo Goldoni’s mid-18th century comedy; Servant of Two Masters. Directed by Tamara Meneghini, and featured in the ever-personal Loft Theatre, this hilarious tale of love and mishappenings had me encaptured for entirety of its two and a half hour run time. Needless to say, I found this showing to be of great standing, and was successful on nearly every single level in making my experience full of laughter and entertainment. Rarely did I feel as if I was missing out on a joke, and never did I…

Hamlet is a revenge tragedy play written by Williams Shakespeare. The play is all about revenge; many characters are seeking revenge of other characters with different reason and motives. In every revenge tragedy, there should be a ghost that asks for revenge. The three major themes that most of the characters are involved in are revenge, madness and spying. The three themes are related to each other, while revenge was the reason behind madness and madness was the reason behind spying. To make…

Claudio was prepared to exchange marriage vows with Hero based on stereotypes granted to outward appearances alone. Since this was the case, as soon as her virtue was called into question he found it appropriate to change his entire view of her, publically humiliate her, and refuse to wed…