The Spanish Tragedy

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two minor, characters in Hamlet, and friends of the young Hamlet from university in Germany. Their part in the story begins when they are summoned by King Claudius to spy and report on the “strange behavior” of the prince, and ends when they die in a counterplot set up by Hamlet himself. Their part in the play is brief and comical at best, and even their deaths are given no worthy development or climax, mentioned only at the end of the play. They play a…

Miller, the author of The Crucible, once said “Betrayal is the only truth that sticks.” In his play The Crucible, there are many examples of betrayal and mass hysteria in the play and there are many different people who cause each. But, as in each tragedy, there is always one main antagonist. Some would say John Proctor is responsible for all the wrong done in the play. He is to a point, but there are three reasons why Abigail Williams is solely to blame in The Crucible. The first piece of…

known to humanity. Not only do the two protagonists commit suicide, the causes of why the whole story leading up to their deaths is disputed from around the globe. My opinion is that the ages of the characters, particularly Romeo caused this immense tragedy. His age caused him to develop many flaws, his idea of love, his imaturaty, and his impulsivenes. Romeo's idea of love was way too dramatic. From the first time we meet Romeo, the reader can sense he has to be deeply involved with some kind…

Judgment is a main theme in the play King Oedipus by Sophocles, and throughout the play, this theme comes up repeatedly. Sophocles might also be said to be using this idea of judgment to reflect upon the society, of Sophocles, and even that of the modern day reader. This paper will show the 3 elements of judgment that is illustrated by the play and the various angles Sophocles attempts to address using King Oedipus as the tool. The idea of judgment in the play is first portrayed as being a…

In some literary work, the author prefers to use some literary device and compare and contrast to emphasize the personality and emotional changes in the main character. In Hamlet, Shakespeare depicted a lot of distinctive character who foil with Hamlet. By bringing out their significant differences, it can make the main character shine brightly. I would like to discuss how Horatio, Laertes and Fortinbras foils with Hamlet and cite meaningful evidence to explain their differences better. The…

“You cannot believe a liar even when he tells the truth”(Aesop’s Fables) is a powerful quote since liar’s tend to be able to tell the truth yet still be able to twist it enough to their advantage. In the play Othello, we encounter a fellow named Iago who spins a web of lies that hurts everyone in the process. While able to manipulate multiple people at a time, Iago will end up taking what makes these three characters so noble into their downfall is inevitable. Husband turned against wife,…

Say two individuals are fighting and one gets hurt. The offender usually is the one responsible for their actions, but not in this case. In William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio is the one encouraging the fight which leads to his and Tybalt's death. Therefore causing him to be at fault for the duels and both deaths. Mercutio is responsible for Tybalt's death because he instigated Tybalt’s anger, he fights first and he dies. Mercutio is responsible for Tybalt’s death…

Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare, explores the effects of deception and trickery. Shakespeare’s characters are unaware the world they see is an illusion. Shakespeare sets the stage for a comedic adventure through Illyria starring conspiracy and intrigue. Niccolò Machiavelli, on the other hand, is attempting to shed light on how politics works in the world through The Prince. Machiavelli presents disturbing truths about the behavior of humanity, thus earning himself sinister notoriety.…

What is a tragic hero? Today, a tragic hero is defined as a literary character whose poor judgment leads to their own destruction. This modern definition, although modeled from Aristotle’s version, differs from the traditional, Greek tragic hero. Aristotle stated that “a man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall,” and thus in order for a literary character to be deemed an Aristotelian tragic hero, they must meet certain qualifications. The first is, the tragic hero…

Sharon Draper’s novel Tears of a Tiger is an emotional story dealing with real problems within the world. Tears of a Tiger involves an accident due to drunk driving, that follows through a series of arduous grieving of a friend’s death. Sharon Draper uses the structure of a text, foreshadowing, and plot to shift moods between the story and to uncover that danger lies ahead for people who are unable to request for assistance. With text structure the story enhances to a better understanding,…