Radio drama

Destiny, passion, tragedy- these are themes that are cruel, but unfold in such a horrifyingly beautiful way in the world of literature. The idea of “the tragic hero” is, for many, a familiar one, romanticised in world-famous literary pieces and plays, including many of Shakespeare’s most popular works. Though commonly used, this concept- if done well- is nothing short of intriguing, and investigating its progression can be fascinating. While not presented in the romantic yet macabre fashion of…

Shakespeare is able to engage the Elizabethan people by rousing their emotions through his plays. His play Hamlet, had a vast and diverse audience ranging from groundlings to rich patrons. However, no matter class, education, or occupation all who watched were in a state of awe. Specifically, due to the use of soliloquy, the theme of revenge and war, and literary devices used in Act IV Scene iv. The Elizabethan people are able to understand Hamlet on a deeper level, connect with the themes…

Although Shakespeare's plays appear to be largely two-dimensional, there are characters who, at times, portray a three-dimensional, sort of self awareness of their dramatic situation. For example, in The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio often speaks his plans unnecessarily aloud to the audience with comical descriptions. Additionally, Feste in Twelfth Night portrays his "self awareness" through dialogue only the audience would find comical given their omniscient view point and detachment from the…

William Shakespeare has written a selection of famous plays in his time, such as Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. One of his most famous plays, Macbeth, features a man named Macbeth, who starts out as a war hero and a loyal friend, but transitions into a murdering villain due to his desire and thirst to be king. Shakespeare displays stylistic features and language techniques in Macbeth, to engage his readers, both in his time and today. This was done by using techniques such as the use of…

Out of the three full-length plays read in class, Ruined by Lynn Nottage was the best play. This play is filled of intense drama, yet it has beautiful and hideous events that bring together the play. There are many reasons as to why this play is the best, mainly because it’s targets woman who been raped, mutilated and who are now facing the consequences and putting on a brave face to get by. The play Ruined focuses more on the topic of woman. Those women are view as how of “ruined” by society.…

On Monday October 12th at the Orpheum Theatre in Wichita Kansas, our class, 7th and 8th PIB, witnessed some of literatures best be performed on the stage chamber theatre style by Chamber Theatre Productions. In case you are like me and not affiliated with theatre and things of that sort the definition of chamber theatre is: A method of adapting literary works to the stage using a maximal amount of the works original texts and often minimal and suggestive settings (definition provided by…

Rupert Goold’s cinematic representation of Act 4, Scene 1 of Macbeth captured the setting and meaning of the scene very well. The overall setting of this scene is very dark and based in the 20th century; this helps to separate Goold’s film from other productions of Macbeth. The feeling this setting gives off can make one feel uneasy and trapped, especially with the underground medical room where the Witches perform the “cauldron” part. Along with the closed off room, tarps are placed against the…

How does one define a tragic hero? A character who has undergone great suffering, or their own destruction? Both? In the play /The Crucible/, by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is the most tragic hero of them all. Aristotle explains that a tragic hero must possess four essential qualities, which are: goodness, appropriateness, life-likeness, and consistency. John Proctor is all of these things. While a tragic hero is usually someone of high social or noble class, Proctor is written to be a common --…

The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare is seen as one of his best plays. Along with other plays written by Shakespeare, he used the Holinshed’s Chronicles as a source for the play Macbeth. The plot of the play is based on the killings and the outcomes of Macbeth by the accounts of Macduff, King of Scotland, and Duncan I of Scotland. However, Shakespeare’s Macbeth bears little resemblance to the real events of Scottish history. Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as an overpowering villain, who…

“Stay gentle Helena. Hear my excuse, my love, my life my soul, fair Helena!”, irony at its finest. Midsummer Night’s Dream may be 400 years old . . . it still has many scenes of irony in it. It has all three types of irony. Verbal, Situational, and Dramatic irony appear a number of times in the play. What do these types of irony mean though . . . Verbal irony is when a character says something they don’t actually mean. Situational irony is when you think something is going to happen and the…