The Heiress

Dramatic comedy originated in ancient Greece, and was deemed Old Comedy. It was a way for playwrights to provide their commentary on politics, society, and wars. During the Hellenistic period, comedy was more romantic in tone, and decidedly less satirical and critical. Centuries later, the Catholic church rose to power and took over most dramatic performances, however, they allowed one festival to be run by the lower clergy, the Festival of Fools, that reveled in opposition to authority. In 16th…

Queen Elizabeth I was an audacious leader of England since she initially inherited the throne; however, she also obtains qualities that may qualify her as a leader whom contradicts her apparent beliefs. The Queen’s upbringing, personality, and surrounding environment all affected the manner in which she ruled. Queen Elizabeth I was born an ordinary child without official monarch titles; however, she led an extraordinary life. Elizabeth Tudor was born on September 7, 1533, in Greenwich, England…

Considered one of the greatest writers of all time, William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. His family contained his father, John Shakespeare, who was a leather merchant, his mother, Mary Shakespeare, who was a heiress, his two older sisters, and his three younger brothers. Before William was born, his father became a successful merchant, an alderman, and a bailiff until his achievements slowed down in the late 1570s. Not much has been known of William’s…

A popular Masterpiece theme opens the world of England in the 1900’s. Julian Fellows’ Downton Abbey follows an English blue-blooded family through the 20th century and the many relationships and historical events that happen within it. Downstairs, viewers get a glimpse of a servant’s life with all the turmoil, trials, and tribulations that come with maintaining a household. Upstairs, viewers follows an aristocratic family who strives to keep the fortune within their name. Downton Abbey not only…

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is the story of Hester Prynne overcoming her sin, shame, and isolation from Puritan society. The novel is prefaced by “the Custom House” which introduces the narrator and tells of how he came to find the scarlet letter. Hester’s story begins with her leaving the Boston jail where she was imprisoned for adultery. She is forced to stand on a scaffold in the middle of town while holding her child Pearl so everyone can see her ignominy. While on the scaffold…

The First Lady of the United States is not elected, her position is not defined, and her role is informal. She is not paid for her work, and there is no official documentation of responsibilities for her to follow, yet her position is both accepted and expected throughout the United States. Her actions represent and reflect the current president’s administration, and she serves a political and social platform in the country. Each woman creates her own version of what the position of First Lady…

What is the purpose of your life? And is it worth it? These are our pressing questions because the only thing that is guaranteed is death. But, the most unfortunate fellow is the great Mr. Gatsby, the protagonist of the book ‘The Great Gatsby’, who died abruptly after a terrible confusion of culprits and whose funeral attendees were direly few. Even his one love was not in attendance. If only he was a simpleton, or even a caveman, our dear Gatsby might have found life more forgiving. But that…

One of the significant values of genre in film is that genre, as Dr. Casper has noted, is used to “sugarcoat the pill” of challenges in human life, and the romantic comedy genre follows this value (Casper, 260). Comedy, as a whole, reveals the “fragmentation of man” in a digestible, enjoyable manner for audiences. Romantic comedies, specifically, reveal the fragmentation of each partner in a relationship and the fragmentation of the relationship. Throughout the history of film, romantic comedies…

Charles Manson Charles Manson. The man who organized a group to kill Sharon Tate. The man who had the same group kill so many other innocent individuals. The man who got the swastika on his head during his trial in court. He was the man whom everyone knows as Charles Manson. The group he organized, “The Family”, was a killing cult who took all the blame for the death of Sharon Tate. That killing was the one that turned the nation upside-down in 1969. Charles Manson was born on November 12th,…

Will Eisner’s graphic novel, A Contract with God, explores several topics that are not usually associated with the comic medium. In this half semi-autobiographical work, Eisner illustrates and describes what 1930s New York City tenement life was like. While most of the short stories place the characters in the fictional 55 Dropsie Ave tenement or in the city itself, two stories, “Cookalein” and “A Contract with God,” are either set in natural spaces, or the outdoors play an important role in the…