Study Like a Boss
Anna Quindlen, Bill Bryson, Edgar Allan Poe, Ernest Hemingway, Harper Lee, John Steinbeck, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Tertullian, Thomas Paine, 1984, A Raisin in The Sun, Animal Farm, Beowulf, Fahrenheit 451, Frankenstein, George Orwell, Hamlet, Into The Wild, Lord of The Flies, A Modest Proposal, All Quiet on The Western Front, Allegory, Antigone, Between The World and Me.
Despite popular belief, William Shakespeare was considered a great poet before a great playwright. He accomplished writing at least 154 sonnets and other poems of love. In this paper, I will analyze one of his greatest sonnets. One of the most famous of his sonnets is number XXIX. This sonnet is one long sentence, but … Read more
The authenticity of Shakespeare’s works being those of William Shakespeare has long been debated. Many people and scholars have explored the possibility that maybe the many amazing plays and sonnets were possibly written by a man named Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. There is a good amount of evidence supporting the theory … Read more
Around 1568, a group of actors visited Stratford and put on a play before the entire town, with permission from John Shakespeare, the mayor of the town. The people loved the play, especially the small children. All of them looked up to the actors, as they returned each year to perform different plays. They had … Read more
Though William Shakespeare is recognized as one of literature’s greatest influences, very little is actually known about him. What we do know about his life comes from registrar records, court records, wills, marriage certificates and his tombstone. Anecdotes and criticisms by his rivals also speak of the famous playwright and suggest that he was indeed … Read more
William Shakespeare was a great English playwright, dramatist and poet who lived during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Shakespeare is considered to be the greatest playwright of all time. No other writer’s plays have been produced so many times or read so widely in so many countries as his. Shakespeare was born to … Read more
William Shakespeare was a supreme English poet and playwright, universally recognized as the greatest of all the dramatists. A complete, authoritative account of Shakespeare’s life is lacking; much supposition surrounds relatively few facts. His day of birth is traditionally held on April 23, and he was baptized on April 24, 1564. He was the third … Read more
It is part of every person’s education to be taught that William Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers of all time. Shakespeare was a man who began life from in modest family, with virtually no education early on, in the16th century town of Stratford-upon-Avon, England, and who later wrote plays and poetry that were … Read more
The search for immortality has troubled philosophers since the dawn of human race. Numerous historic figures, including Ramses XV of Egypt and Julius Caesar of Rome, have tried to achieve physical immortality through various superficial measures. Magicians of the ancient kingdoms have struggled to find a way to stop the aging process of a human … Read more
In almost all of Shakespeare’s plays concerning political events, common people seem to play a very important role, no matter whether there have any specific roles actually on the stage, or how many such figures appear in the background in the play. Although the stage may be brimful of emperors, kings, Royal members, and noblemen … Read more
Plato once said, At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet. What is Love? Love is an attraction based on sexual desires: affection and tenderness felt by lovers. (Merriam Websters Dictionary) We see a lot of love, marriage, broken-hearts, lust, and sex in today society but also in poetry we read by great authors. … Read more
William Shakespeare was a great English playwright, dramatist and poet who lived during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Shakespeare is considered to be the greatest playwright of all time. No other writer’s plays have been produced so many times or read so widely in so many countries as his. Shakespeare was born to … Read more
The histories have traditionally been interpreted against a background of Tudor moral and political philosophy. They have been arranged in chronological order of the reigns of the kings, and by this plan the full significance of the relationship of the plays becomes apparent. Although the precise date of many of Shakespeare’s plays is in doubt, … Read more
William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564. He was baptized on April 24, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. He was the third of eight children born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. John was a well-known merchant and Mary was the daughter of a Roman Catholic member of the gentry. Shakespeare was educated at the … Read more
England’s greatest poet and playwright was born at Stratford-upon-Avon, the son of a tradesman and Alderman of Stratford, John Shakespeare in 1564. William, the eldest son, and third child (of eight) was baptised on 26th April 1564 and probably educated at Stratford Grammar School, but little is known of his life up to his eighteenth … Read more
William Shakespeare was a great English playwright, dramatist and poet who lived during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Shakespeare is considered to be the greatest playwright of all time. No other writer’s plays have been produced so many times or read so widely in so many countries as his. Shakespeare was born to … Read more
It is a peculiar feature of Shakespeare’s plays that they both participate in and reflect the ideas of gender roles in Western society. To the extent that they reflect existing notions about the ‘proper’ roles of men and women, they can be said to be a product of their society. However, since they have been … Read more
What is it about the works of William Shakespeare that appeal to us today? Is it the poetry, the violence, the humor, or the romance? Is it because all of these things relate to our times? No. These aspects of Shakespeares plays have always appealed to audiences. Shakespeares plays are timeless, and due to this … Read more
More is known about Shakespeare than any other professional dramatist of his time (2). He was born in the small English town of Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of seven, Shakespeare attended a strict, high-status grammar school. Students studied Latin, since it was necessary in the time to have a successful career, and attended classes nine … Read more
The evolution of written profanity began roughly in the sixteenth century, and continues to change with each generation that it sees. Profanity is recognized in many Shakespearean works, and has continually evolved into the profane language used today. Some cuss words have somehow maintained their original meanings throughout hundreds of years, while many others have … Read more
“More is known about Shakespeare than any other professional dramatist of his time (2). ” He was born in the small English town of Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of seven, Shakespeare attended a strict, high-status grammar school. Students studied Latin, since it was necessary in the time to have a successful career, and attended classes … Read more
The purpose of this web page is that of introducing you, an interested web user into the religious nature of William Shakespeare’s plays. This page covers three topics surrounding Shakespeare’s work: the of 16th Century England, Shakespeare’s (school, parents, & Stratford itself), and a brief introduction into the impact his society and upbringing had upon … Read more
Let me tell you a story of two young lovers torn apart by the wrath of their parents oh, you’ve heard this one already? How about the story of the evil villain plotting to overthrow his king? Heard that one too? Surprisingly enough, these stories came into creation over two hundred years ago. The wonder … Read more
“Unruly women,” “outlaws,” “the female Wild,” “the Other”: these are some of the provocative terms used by feminist scholars in recent years to refer to Shakespeare’s heroines. They have helped us to take a fresh look at these characters while we are reevaluating the position of women within our own society. But are Shakespeare’s women … Read more
England’s greatest poet and playwright was born in Stratford, the son of a tradesman and Alderman of Stratford, John Shakespeare in 1564. William, the eldest son, and third child of eight, was baptized on the 26th April 1564. He received his early education at Stratford Grammar School, but little is known of his life up … Read more
List the “town” characters in the play, enumerate their attributes, and discuss how they reflect town life. Use the same format for the “country” characters. 2. There are four pairs of lovers in the play. Characterize each couple and discuss the concept of love that they represent. 3. Give several examples showing how Shakespeare uses … Read more
Over the years, various persons have expressed doubt as to the authorship of William Shakespeare. These doubts are as old as his plays. American author, Henry James once said, “I am haunted by the conviction that the divine William is the biggest and the most successful fraud ever practiced on a patient world. (Hoffman 27) … Read more
The evolution of written profanity began roughly in the sixteenth century, and continues to change with each generation that it sees. Profanity is recognized in many Shakespearean works, and has continually evolved into the profane language used today. Some cuss words have somehow maintained their original meanings throughout hundreds of years, while many others have … Read more
In Shakespeare’s Henry IV, the character Hal, the Prince of Wales, undergoes a transformation that can be characterized as a redemption. Shakespeare introduces Hal, in the opening act as a renegade of the Court. His avoidance of all public responsibility and his affinity for the company of the Boar’s Head Tavern, have caused serious concern … Read more
During Shakespeare’s time, the majority of the people in England were Protestants. They believed in the Church of England, which was started by King Henry VIII. In 1534, Henry broke away from the pope through the Act of Supremacy. This act declared, ” The King’s majesty to be the only supreme head in the earth … Read more
William Shakespeare was one of the greatest dramatist of his time. Shakespeare was born on April 23,1564 in Stratford-on-Avon. John Shakespeare, Williams father, trained as a glove maker. In addition to his glove making he also traded as a wool dealer and held many official positions such as: mayor, town council men and Justice of … Read more
In the play, The Taming of the Shrew’, characters contribute greatly to the development of the storyline. As one of the main characters Katherina’s shrewish behaviour adds the comical aspect at the beginning of the play and by the end has been diminished with the help of Petruchio’s taming techniques. Shakespeare uses the difference in … Read more
Iago poisons people’s thoughts, creating ideas in their heads without implicating himself. His first victim is Roderigo. Roderigo remarks, “That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse as if the strings were thine. ” [Act I, Scene I, Line 2] Throughout the play, Iago leads Roderigo, professing that “. . . I do hate [the … Read more
William Shakespeare’s satirical comedy, The Merchant of Venice, believed to have been written in 1596 was an examination of hatred and greed. The premise deals with the antagonistic relationship between Shylock, a Jewish money-lender and Antonio, the Christian merchant, who is as generous as Shylock is greedy, particularly with his friend, Bassanio. The two have … Read more
Macbeth is the epitome of what the literary world regards as a “tragic hero”. His admirable qualities are supplanted with greed and hate when three witches dupe him. The three witches enter with the first scene from William Shakespeare’s, Macbeth, a tragic tale of one man’s quest for power that leads to his ultimate defeat. … Read more
There are many literary works that contain villains who play an essential role in the development of the work as a whole. However, I believe that the ultimate villain of this kind is Iago in Shakespeare’s play, Othello. Through manipulation and scheming, he beguiles the other characters of the novel. In the analysis of Iago’s … Read more
Shakespeare’s plays incorporate an entire panorama of diverse subject matters. He deals with a lot of social, political and cultural issues in his plays. He has the ability to highlight the different aspects of these various issues through the perspectives of his various characters. On the one hand he seems to foreground a lot of … Read more
William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564. He was baptized on April 24, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. He was the third of eight children born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. John was a well-known merchant and Mary was the daughter of a Roman Catholic member of the gentry. Shakespeare was educated at the … Read more
Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, these amazing plays all originated from the single mind of William Shakespeare. The plays in which Shakespeare wrote, he wrote out of a very small educated mind a distinct love for the bible and of course, an imagination. The plays in which Shakespeare wrote were all written as an adult to, … Read more
In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare extends a humorous exploration of identity that he had begun in The Comedy of Errors. In the Twelfth Night, Viola and Sebastian are not identical twins; it’s not biologically possible. Sebastian is a male and Viola a female, and the comedy in it all is that they cannot be distinguished from … Read more
No discussion of evil in Shakespeares play Macbeth would be satisfactory without considering its most famous symbols of evil: the coven of witches whose interactions with Macbeth play such a vital role in his thinking about his own life. Banquo and Macbeth recognize them as something supernatural, part of the landscape but not fully human … Read more
Julius Caesar was a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. Julius Caesar was a great Roman general and senator born in 100 B. C. He has a wife named Calphurnia but no children. Though he was an illustrious leader, Caesar was a physically weak man; he suffered from epilepsy and was deaf in one ear. In … Read more
Shakespeare’s tragic hero, Hamlet, and his sanity can arguably be discussed. Many portions of the play supports his loss of control in his actions, while other parts uphold his ability of dramatic art. The issue can be discussed both ways and altogether provide significant support to either theory. There are indications from Hamlet throughout the … Read more
Alan Massy-Shakespeare’s plays speak “to us today with an extraordinary and an unfailing immediacy. ” There are themes in the play that are relevant to life today such as when mans social, political and ethical worlds are out of balance. This lack of balance is symbolized by a disjunction in his own health and in … Read more
Seamus Heaney was born in 1939 in a small agricultural town in county Derry. In 1957 he went to Queen’s University in Belfast where he studied literature. He returned to Queen’s in 1965 as a lecturer. In 1972 Heaney moved to the Republic of Ireland because of the bitterness between Catholics and Protestants in the … Read more
Transposing a story from one culture to another is never easy, as has been proven throughout history by fairy tales taken from other areas of the world and brought to America by companies such as Disney. Over the years this nation has seen the mutilation of beautiful tragedies such as Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Little … Read more
I have chosen Caliban to discuss, since, as an actor, I find him the most interesting character and thus the most enjoyable to discuss. Caliban’s function in the plot is one that is difficult to define. He is not the key protagonist, since this title belongs to the treacherous Alonso in his usurpation of Prosporo. … Read more
Madness is a condition of the mind which eliminates all rational thought leaving an individual with no proper conception of what is happening around him/her. Madness typically occurs in the minds of individuals that have experienced an event or series of events that their mind simply cannot cope with and, thus, to avoid their harsh … Read more
No one questions the fact that William Shakespeare is a pure genius when it comes to creating immortal characters whose characteristics transcends those of the normal supernatural beings, but most students of literature agree that his uses of the supernatural arent merely figments of his creative imagination. Every man, woman, and child is influenced by … Read more
Othello is a play that evokes many emotions from a readers mind. The mood is changing, yet throughout, it demands a lot of contempt for the villain, Iago. Beginning with act one, there is an immediate setting for suspicion which will remain characteristic throughout the whole story. There is a touch of happiness for the … Read more
William Shakespeare’s play, “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet,” is the story of two “star crossed” lovers who both meet a tragic end. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy; however, the poetic and vivid manner in which Shakespeare engages the viewer or reader make this a beautiful play. The story of Romeo and Juliet is … Read more