Literature Essays

Sorrow. Suffering. Grief. Agony. Distress. and Misery: Harmonizing to Greek Mythology the act of being human demands that you must endure and there is no flight from hurting. it is the monetary value you pay to be human. “By darks he would lie beside her. of necessity. in the hollow caerns. against his will. by […]

The reader’s response to a text is influenced by his or her understanding of the author’s contextual influences and the time during which the text was composed. Context plays a crucial role in establishing plot and how meaning is shaped throughout the text. By analysing The Odyssey and The Penelopiad, the reader gains a powerful […]

What is the definition of an epic hero? What makes somebody worthy of people following them? Not everybody has a hero-like character. A hero is a leader who is not only physical strength, but mental strength as well. Heroes tend to transcend their problems. Odysseus, a famous Greek epic hero, does not display all the […]

In The Odyssey by Homer, like in most ancient Greek stories, curiosity is frowned upon. Homer displays many tragic consequences due to curiosity to convey his definition of curiosity. One example of how curiosity killed the cat would be when Odysseus and his shipmates head home after their visit to Aiolia Island, and homer explains, […]

This paper addresses some the most prominent problematics of working with an established literary canon, including the extent to which, when implemented in universities worldwide, it represents the emerging concerns of diverse communities across the world. The main argument extended in this discussion is that, while the western-centred literary canon is being increasingly replaced by […]

Throughout the last few books of the Odyssey, Homer explains to the reader how Odysseus reestablishes his relationships with his family and friends of Ithaka. It’s possible the restoration of his relationship with his son, Telemachus, is the most significant event of all. This reconnection carries out three main purposes. First, it serves to characterize […]

Cyclops, giants, six-headed monsters, these are some of the attractions of the one of a kind Odysseyland, an amusement park based on the theme of Homer’s The Odyssey. The park has several rides and games to entertain and test the mettle of any aspiring hero. The Cyclone is a free-falling ride that attempts to recreate […]

Homer did not receive formal art training. He began his art career as an apprentice for a commercial lithographer. In the late 1850’s he began doing work for Harper’s Weekly. His early work for Harper’s was primarily to create line art drawings from photographs. At the time pictures were printed by “stamping” them from a […]

Both Homer and Owen, in their poems present arguments about the death of a soldier. However in Homers poem it appears he is engaging the writer with a much more emotional approach than that of Owens. He presents the soldiers as “great fighters” and “brave souls”. In contrast, we see in Owens poem, a typical […]

“My heart longs to be home, my comrades’ hearts as well” (Homer 10. 533). With a strong desire to reach his homeland after twenty years away, Odysseus leads his crew through the difficulties and obstacles they encounter. Odysseus is not only a strong warrior, but he also perseveres in his journey and treats his guests […]

In Tolkien’s Middle Earth, women are generally expected to submit to patriarchal authority. To what extent does Tolkien present women who succeed in subverting this norm? J. R. R. Tolkien’s works have been analysed for decades and have often been criticised for the lack of female characters. Arguably his most cherished publications, The Lord of […]

In “The Odyssey”, Athene helped Odysseus numerous ways physically and mentally by aiding him, Telemachus, and Penelope. In book I, Athene urged Telemachus to give up boyhood, act like a man, present his case to search for his father to the assembly, and take stronger steps to search for his father. After Telemachus presented his […]

The theme of appearance and reality is such a dominant one in Oedipus Rex and Othello, and the obsession with appearance plays such an important part in bringing them closer to Oedipus’ and Othello’s tragedy, that the plays can be termed a tragedies of appearance in human life, in which the opposite of appearance is […]

Jealousy is described as feelings of resentment against someone because of that person’s rivalry, success, or advantages. It plays a very large role in Shakespeare’s “Othello”. Jealousy is the fire that motivates Iago and clouds Othello’s judgment, leading to the downfall of both men. Iago is extremely jealous of Cassio because of his position in […]

Consider how Shakespeare’s themes of prejudice and chaos versus order were received by his contemporary audience. How does Geoffrey Sax’s production continue to find relevance in these issues for the modern audience? Othello is a play of tragedy; that examines the darker aspects of human existence, and forces us as audience to contemplate what it […]

In Shakespeare’s play “Othello” the character Othello is presented as an outsider to the events that are taking place amongst the other characters. He was excluded from what the truth holds and this caused his downfall, along with his jealous nature and stubbornness. To make things worse Iago’s cunning plans captures Othello into a downward […]

Jeoffery Sax’s contemporary film version of Othello consistently portrays the strong and influential themes of race and women that are present in Shakespeare’s original play. However, these themes are greatly contrasted by the changes in society that undermine their values and purposes. The accounts of both Shakespeare’s Othello vividly express the changes in values regarding […]

Undoubtedly, Professor F’s influence is unquestionable. In his discussion of Shakespeare’s Othello, R Leavis asserts that the story is a tale of self-destruction rather than simple manipulation. According to him, Othello’s downfall emerges from his inherent flaws of selfishness, lack of self-knowledge, pride, and an egotistical nature. Leavis argues against fellow critic Bradley’s perspective that […]

“The value of identity of course is that so often with it comes purpose” (Stevenson, Robert). In play Othello identity is a topic that appears throughout the play. In Shakespeare Othello all the women, Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca have no separate identity all three are defined by who they are or not married to or […]

William Shakespeare’s play “Othello” was inspired by Giraldi Cinthio’s collection of 100 narratives, “Hecatommithi”, which was published in 16th century Italy. It is believed that Shakespeare read the original Italian version and was inspired to create his own rendition. While maintaining the majority of the original ideas, Shakespeare also incorporated some of his own alterations […]

“ Iago is a villain who is thoroughly bad and cold, yet he may be admired for his intelligence, understanding of the human spirit and his ability to manipulate certain individuals to believe him . ” Of all the characters in Shakespeare’s Othello, none is more complex and unknown than Iago. He displays a duplicitous […]

Through extensive critical study of William Shakespeare’s play Othello, taking into account the countless productions of the play over the years, which reaffirms its status as an enduring valued text, it becomes distinctly evident that part of its ability to continually engage readers is drawn from its treatment of themes universal to the human experience […]