The Spanish Tragedy

Indirect characterization is seamlessly applied through the author's usage of subtle instances where the protagonist’s key traits and tragic flaws are highlighted in the behavior of another character. Within the novel “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, the strengths and weaknesses of Elizabeth Bennet are disclosed through her comparisons with Jane, Charlotte, and Lydia; similarly, Hamlet, the protagonist of Hamlet by William Shakespeare, is juxtaposed with Laertes, Fortinbras, Horatio . We…

End Game Critical Analysis Matty Kursar Overview: 'End Game', was a weird and wonderful experience in its own right. Although not necessarily packed full of dramatic tension and quirky hooks that catch the audience’s attentions and drag them around like dogs on very short leads (like many absurdist performances do) there is still plenty to talk about the construction and performance of 'End Game'. Themes: To begin this analysis of themes I believe the easiest way will be to throw out…

The creators of the show South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, have consistently satirized key subjects and issues that define today’s society. Whether it is through their Broadway hit The Book of Mormon, or episodes of South Park such as “The F Word”, Parker and Stone have brought light to both sides of particular arguments with satirical brilliance. As Martin Schulzke conveys in the article Contentious Language: South Park and the Transformation of Meaning, satire is a difficult genre to…

One convention of melodrama is the traditional melodramatic plot, best known as the 3p’s, is the provocation, pang and penalty. This is used to convey the plot of the melodrama’s. The provocation is the initial cause for setting the action in motion, often the jealousy or greed of a wicked character. The pang is the sufferings of the good and innocent characters who are in conflict with the evil. And the penalty is suffered by the wicked character in his or her evil ways in a last-minute…

Chaucer’s, "The Miller's Tale", unfolds when a drunk Miller, Robin, interrupts the Host to tell his own tale about a carpenter. Opening after the Knight’s Tale, The Miller’s Prologue and Tale is told in Third Person (Limited Omniscient) and explores several themes such as, Love, Sex, and Deceit. This tale is comprised into two sections: a prologue, then proceeds to the tale. In the Prologue, the pilgrims have just heard and been entertained by, “The Knights Tale”, a love story. Afterwards, the…

¨Filth as thou art¨ (Shakespeare 1. 2. 415) are some of the first words that are used to describe Caliban by Prospero. Prospero is suppose to be an adult figure for him and taking care of him, but instead he is only using Caliban for a slave. Caliban was treated like nothing but a piece of property by Prospero. He was mistreated and harmed if he did something wrong and was never praised. Caliban´s fate was not deserved, because he was a creation of nature and could have been taught to understand…

The nineteenth century Shakespearean authorship question proposes the theory that William Shakespeare the Stratford man, was essentially not the author of the well-known Shakespearean plays. This theory in attempts to provide an answer to the question: “If it was not Shakespeare, then who wrote the Shakespearean plays” gives the response of a plethora of different prospects, now most common Edward de Vere Earl of Oxford. This conspiracy however, produces far more questions than it offers answers…

Malcolm’s judgement of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is certainly not inaccurate but, these two protagonists have a more complex background to their personality and actions that cannot be simply justified as a ‘fiend like queen’ and this ‘dead butcher’. Macbeth is a tragic hero, once the ‘milk of human kindness’ but then corrupted by his own lust and ambition. His eventual corruption was also due to outside influences such as the Witches and Lady Macbeth. Malcolm’s judgement of Macbeth and Lady…

ambition makes it one [Denmark as a prison] tis’ too narrow for your mind” (2.2.252-253). Arguably, Shakespeare is using the play to speculate over what would happen when James arrived in England from his ‘prison’ in Scotland. Considering that this tragedy play ends in violence, at the cost of the young, ambitious and indecisive Hamlet, it’s safe to say that Shakespeare’s prediction wasn’t optimistic. Consequently the turmoil that would follow James and his successors would indicate that…

In Antony and Cleopatra, displayed was a powerful love between two people at the climax of their trials and tribulations. Plutarch ‘Life of Antonius’ is the primary source, and Shakespeare has combined this factual evidence together along with fiction and drama to formulate a play that is different in terms of proposition, structure and notability. In the first century AD, less than one hundred years after Antony’s death ; but just in time to hear his grandfather’s personal experiences…