Royal Shakespeare Company

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2008 production of Hamlet provided a modern adaptation of this timeless Shakespeare play. This production starred David Tennant as an emotive and vengeful Hamlet and Patrick Stewart as the cold and calculating Claudius. The play was later filmed for DVD, which added further nuances to the production through the creative use of camera angle, point of view, and film medium. Whereas the written version allows for a variety of interpretations into the state of Hamlet’s mind, Hamlet’s interactions with the ghost, changes in speech placement, and the delivery of key lines brings a distinct clarity to the character. This film production provides very little ambiguity into the nature of Old Hamlet’s ghost. While it…

being bitten by a snake. On a similar note, King James I compares the behavior of who were to turn against their parents to vipers. He states in The True Law of Free Monarchies: “ ...but we never read nor heard of any resistance on their part, except among the vipers; ...to be endued with their viperous nature” (1. KING JAMES I ). Manifold people believe that the use of the word serpent in King Lear, is a direct correlation between King James I and King Lear. One of the most widely used facts…

and giants. Eventually he was in his right mind and realizes his daughters use kind word to woo him. King Lear said (4.6, 95-98) “They flattered me like a dog…To say ‘aye’ and ‘no’ to everything that I said “(Bevington, 2014) Lear enters, carrying the dead Cordelia in his arms: the messenger arrived too late. Slipping in and out of sanity, Lear grieves over Cordelia’s body. Kent speaks to Lear, but Lear barely recognizes him. A messenger enters and reveals that Edmund has also died. Lear…

from greatness since he loses his former authority and prestige while dressed as a se while dressed as a servant. His use of clothing as a disguise also symbolizes clothing’s role in deception, since he is able to trick Lear into letting him serve him again by using clothing to conceal his true identity. The motif of clothing as well as the lack thereof is used once again to show its role in deception when Edgar disguises himself as a beggar. When Edgar remarks, “My face I’ll grime with filth /…

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…

This play depicts the theme of Fathers and their children. Gloucester (Glou) introduces Edmund to Kent as a bastard that he sired out of wedlock; he used to be embrassed to announce this to anyone, now he boasts about Edmund;s “well breeding”. King Lear announces that he is splitting his kingdom among his three daughters he has each of them to say how much they love them so that he can give each their land accordingly. Regan and Goneril lie and say that they love him as much as possible it is…

on him. The atmosphere of both plays is similar, as darkness and unhappiness pervade "King Lear", and the devastating Act V represents one of the most tragic endings in all of literature. In "Hamlet", the grief, confusion and anxiety is a prevalent atmosphere since the very beginning of the play till the end. Even in "Hamlet", the word "night" is used many times and Shakespeare focuses on it as a setting in most of the scenes. There is a quote in "King Lear" that figures out the general state…

In Shakespeare’s King Lear there are many themes and motifs that are intrinsically related. Specifically, the motif of clothing in the play reflects the theme of identity, for clothes are often used as a key element in disguises, altering the perception of the wearer’s identity, even to those that know them well. Clothing first reflects a change in identity in Act 1, wherein Kent dons different clothes to assume a disguise. After King Lear orders him from the kingdom, it is necessary for him to…

Edgar. For both of these characters, being naked is a direct reflection of their insanity. For Lear, the troubles began when he decided to split his kingdom. The Fool tells Lear that he “hadst little wit in thy bald crown when thou gav’st thy golden one away” (I.4.159-160). After giving away his crown, the readers can see a clear decline in Lear’s mental state because he is unable to find himself after turning over the kingship. Even the Fool, who realizes that Lear “needs to wear my coxcomb”,…

Shakespeare’s Women’s March (The treatment of women according to Shakespeare.) Many writers have different ideas of character treatment. Some people are biased based on physical characteristics, different personal choices, and even gender. Especially back towards the 1400 and 1500’s, women were not treated as equals, they were much considered as lessers. Some men had great thoughts about women and treating them as goddesses, and women were often the focal point of their writing. However,…