Literature Essays

The Crucible, set in a post-World War II prosperous America, was written in 1952. Despite this, concerns and anxieties arose in the United States towards the enemy, particularly regarding communism. American citizens were worried about their former allies, the Russians, and uneasy about their embrace of communist principles. Americans strongly associated themselves with democracy and […]

The Prologue serves the purpose of providing context for Faustus’ life and education, setting the atmosphere, and preparing the audience for what is to come. The Chorus, played by a single actor in this play, introduces the plot by stating that it will not involve love or war but instead follow Faustus’ fortunes which will […]

The inclusion of the witches in Macbeth makes the play a lot more dramatic. They make the audience sit up and take notice. People weren’t used to seeing witches in plays when Macbeth was first performed. Even nowadays witches don’t appear in films a great deal. Also, people in Shakespeare’s time had very strong religious […]

The three stories all have very social, historical and cultural impacts on the women of the time. “The Withered Arm”, is about a woman’s, struggle to cure her withered arm and the jealousy felt by Rhoda who had been used by the farmer in the past and had born his child. Gertrude’s fear of loosing […]

My focus is on the contemporary adaptation of Macbeth written by Shakespeare. This play will examine the costumes, language, and setting. The director of this film has departed from the traditional Macbeth appearance and attire, opting instead for a modern take on the play. Unlike the usual depiction of Macbeth and his fellow male characters […]

Once upon a time, in the depths of a couniferious forest, there lived a witch who was very young. She resided in a large house with so much wealth that she had no idea what to do with. Her greatest love however, was plantation of different herbs. There was one herb especially which she adored […]

“Hello, down there!” – this simple and seemingly harmless greeting to the unknown person, who becomes involved in the complicated life of the signalman, is a phrase that is repeated multiple times in the story. However, throughout the story, Dickens changes the meaning of this line. At the beginning of the story, the way this […]

Entry 1 – Today at work, I learned that my son’s father, Edward, will be returning home tomorrow with his new wife. The maids have been gossiping about her, describing her as having a ‘rosy cheeked, titsy-tosy little body’. I know they talk about me too and have asked my son to find out what […]

Hardy portrays women in various ways in The Withered Arm, reflecting the societal norms of early Victorian England. A woman’s beauty, family status, and breeding determined the wealth and power of her husband. The story is set in a rural English West Country area around 1850 when women had to endure rough working conditions and […]

In Shakespeare’s time withces were not viewed in the same way we see them. People beleived they were dangerous and in league with the Devil. They were out to harm good people. By having the witches in the play Shakespeare is creating a feeling in the audience that something bad is going to happen. They […]

‘Lull-a-Dirge’ is a personal poem about a father that is confused and worried because his wife is dead and he doesn’t know how to take care of his little baby. The Battle of the Elephants’ is a political war about farmers and the government fighting against each other. The government are described as elephants because […]

Before we analyse the role of witches in Macbeth we must look at them from a historical perspective as people’s attitudes to witches in Jacobean times were very different to what they are now, in the 21st century. During the times of Shakespeare people were petrified of witches and their society was very paranoid, witches […]

Hush-hush whispers in the shadows. Unspeakable things which take place in the cover of darkness. Suspicion and wariness. Dysfunctional interpersonal relationships. The word of one person against the word of another—a scenario with no witnesses.A culture of repression.These are all statements which may easily refer to the situation in late 17th-century Massachusetts, a situation ripe […]

In Act our Scene 1 we are confronted with many of the themes of the play, which have already been introduced. The themes of the play are the supernatural, blood, good & evil, light & dark ambition, loyalty, love, kingship, corruption, justice and deception. The themes I am concentrating on are the supernatural element of […]

During Elizabethan times, the theatre attracted a wide range of individuals, from petty thieves to Her Majesty herself. This cultural event was popular amongst people from different social backgrounds. However, one can only imagine the raucous atmosphere created by unquiet spectators throwing spoiled fruits at actors on stage. Visiting the theatre during earlier times was […]

Before watching any of the above versions I read the brief script for the first scene. From this piece of the script I would expect each of our extracts to fulfill the wishes of Shakespeare: set in ‘an open place’ and with ‘thunder and lightning.’ Yet these are the only stage directions so the production […]

This essay aims to compare two interpretations of Act 4 Scene 1 from Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, analyzing how diverse directors interpret a written piece and apply distinct techniques to support their ideas. The two films, ‘Macbeth on the Estate’ by Penny Woolcock and Polanski’s version, will be examined, considering that they were produced in different eras: […]

I have studied the opening scene of Welles’ and Polanski’s videos and Shakespeare’s text in detail; through this, I have discovered that the two video versions are very different from each other’s. There are many features that I am going to consider when trying to decide the most dramatic film. Some of these include, colour, […]

Macbeth is a tragedy set in Scotland. There are themes of supernatural powers, betrayal, murder and self-destruction in this play. It shows how Macbeth kills to become king and how Lady Macbeth’s passion and thrust for power drives him. In this assignment I intend to compare and contrast Roman Polanski’s film version and the BBC […]

There have been many film adaptations of Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth. These are widely varied, from the Japanese version ‘the Throne of Blood’ to the gangster version ‘Joe Macbeth’. Two of the best-known adaptations are, Orson Welles (1947) and Roman Polanski’s (1971). This essay will seek to compare and contrast the two films’ very different but […]

“An individual’s interaction with others and the universe around them can enrich or restrict their experience of belonging” . Discourse this position with elaborate mention to your prescribed text and taking ONE other related text of your ain choosing. The natural human demand to belong is a characteristic of most human existences. The interaction with […]

Individual moral unity and the deficiency thereof are illustrated by Arthur Miller in his drama. The Crucible. The fright of witchery engulfs the Puritanical society therefore making a rabble regulation. The destiny of the town depends upon the ethical motives of its people. John Proctor and Reverend Hale are cardinal participants in reprobating the Witch […]