Prologue

Many scholars have speculated about the life and career of William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. The play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare 's most popular plays during his lifetime. It was written with five acts in 1595. In William Shakespeare’s…

Baz Luhrmann’s film Romeo and Juliet is an appropriation of Romeo and Juliet. Both share similar ideas yet also reflect their different time and audiences. In light of this statement, choose at least one key scene in the story and compare and contrast the two scenes. Baz Luhrmann’s “William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet” is a modern compliment to an old vision. In order to appreciate Baz Luhrmann’s appropriation of “Romeo and Juliet” we must first address the differing audiences to whom…

Wynona Ryan The Odyssey The Odyssey, an epic poem written by the blind poet Homer, is the story of the resourceful Odysseus, king of Ithaca. The Odyssey tells the tale of Odysseus’ years of hardship in trying to return home to his wife and son after victory over the Trojan war, with the interference of gods and goddesses. The epic poem was then adapted into a film, also named The Odyssey, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky in 1997. This essay is the discussion of the differences and…

How Fate Works in Greek Society Life Fate is defined as the development of events beyond a human's control, determined by a supernatural power. How important is fate in a society? Why bother thinking about what fate is? Based on Greek works, when fate is in the hands of man, it is uncontrollable. In many situations, fate determines whether one lives or dies. In Greek society, fate is very important due to it being the determination of one's future. Many Greek works revolve around the word, fate…

The most prominent examples are very similar to one another: Quince’s prologue at the beginning and Puck’s speech at the end. Quince’s first part of his prologue is Shakespeare breaking the fourth wall, and apologizing for the play to come: “If we offend, it is with our good will. That you should think, we come not to offend, But with good will. To show our simple…

In history, the responsibility of children in wealthy families has been to marry the right person to maintain the social and political status of the family. For the females particularly, the pressure to marry younger and have children was greater. In William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the main female protagonist is pressured by her father to marry Paris, a man of his choosing. In Ties That Bind, Ties That Break by Lensey Namioka, the young Ailin’s marriage is arranged when she is only five…

Oxman and Sommer mention Geoffrey Nauffts, the play’s director. For Oxman, “Nauffts’ direction keeps a crisp pace” and “gives equal weight to his two lead performers” (Oxman, par. 8). Instead of going in a broader direction, Sommer zeroes in on the prologue and mentions how Nauffts effectively set it up (Sommer par. 6) so that it transitions into the main elements of the play. Also, Sommer goes more in-depth about the success of the play. First, Sommer mentions that the play itself is “a lot to…

they were afraid they could have faced consequences; no child would tell their parents something they know they would get in trouble for. In the prologue of act two it says “Being held a foe, he may not have access/ To breathe such vows as lovers use to swear, /And she as much in love, her means less/ To meet her new beloved anywhere…” (2.P.9-12). The prologue explains that Romeo and Juliet’s marriage will not be easy to get around with because they are supposed to be enemies and Juliet has even…

the presentation of his claimed “Holy” relics. He tells the audience that with offerings made to these relics, miracles or even salvation can be attained. The Pardoner pockets all of the offering and moves on to the next gullible audience. In his prologue, he tells his peers that the whole thing is a scam and that he only does this to get rich and to benefit himself ("The Canterbury Tales” 710-713). He admits that the very sin he preaches against is his greatest sin when he says “Though I myself…

the many violent deaths. The feud between the Capulets and Montagues encompasses the whole community of Verona. In the Prologue of Romeo and Juliet, the Chorus begins their hymn by stating a warning, “Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean” (Prologue). By explaining this “ancient grudge” will cause “civil hands” to rebel against all law and order, the chorus warns that…