Essays On Play

It is widely acknowledged by historians that Shakespeare was not the first to create the plotlines of King Lear. While the main focus of the play is the conflict between the King and his daughters, there is also a distinct subplot involving the tragic circumstances of Gloucester. The origins of the play, including essential details […]

King Lear is widely acknowledged as one of William Shakespeare’s great tragedies. This essay will identify and analyze a couple of key scenes from the play which makes a significant contribution to the overall development of plot, its character and the theme. Act 1 Scene 1 The very first scene from the first act is […]

And King Lear Shakespeare has many overlapping themes that seem to correlate throughout his different works of literature. However, there are many themes that conflict as well. King Lear and Hamlet are two works of literature that can be both compared and contrasted. Hamlet and Lear seem to be complete opposites on the surface. Hamlet […]

Thestory culminates in Dieter’s death due to a stroke. A second significant statement made by Vanderhaeghe (173) thatidentifies the nature of this elderly man is attributed to his housekeeper,Mrs. He is at the mercy of a woman who can decidewhen or even if he will be allowed to eat bacon or to smoke a cigarette. […]

In Linda Bamber’s essay, The Woman Reader in King Lear”, the author attempts to prove that women can identify with King Lear through a character which she creates and calls “the Other”. The “Other” is a combination of the evil of sister’s Goneril and Regan and the quiet but otherwise perfect Cordelia. When combined the […]

Aristotle defines a tragic hero as someone, usually a male, who “falls from a high place mainly due to their fatal flaw. ” During the highest point of the tragic hero’s life, something is revealed to the protagonist causing a reversal in their fortune. This reversal of fortune is caused by the flaw in their […]

Loyalty is a key theme conveyed throughout the first act of King Lear and is also a major sponsor for the future actions of the main characters in the play. The most prominent example of loyalty throughout the play is depicted in the character Kent. In act one/scene one, Kent confronts Lear, who is a […]

The content explored within William Shakespeare’s play King Lear is riveting at the very least, and retrospectively an inherent influence on most (if not, all) modern dramatic story-lines that I have minded. One needn’t even consider the time-period in which Shakespeare created the entanglement of moods and matters found within his characters to appreciate the […]

Do all old men truly possess wisdom because they can see their death on the horizon? Wisdom is a very valued and respected trait in our society and is associated with the elderly. In both King Lear by William Shakespeare and Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, the protagonists were able to acquire wisdom after […]

William Shakespeare is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers that has ever lived—if not the greatest. His works had been made staple study materials in high schools and universities around the globe. Moreover, his works had reached audiences of different generations. With that being said, those who study Shakespeare had even gone beyond […]

Some of the best literature of our time always begins and ends with the characters coming together full circle after a journey. The journey may be a long one or a short one; it may be a figurative or a literal journey. But the most important thing is that the reader is takes part in […]

Ibrahim Kari Unit 2. The opening act of King Lear effectively demonstrates the initial situation and downward movement of Aristotle’s structure of tragedy. When King Lear the tragic hero announces: “Know that we have divided… From our age” this is where the initial situation in the play begins and is the main flaw that will […]

Order for Masks by Virginia Moreno – an Analysis The poem, Order for Masks, vividly discusses a woman who is referring to herself as a harlequinade; a pantomime, supported by the phrase “black tights and fool’s cap” worn by a clown. This was a preface to the whole idea of the poem, being as a […]

Is ‘King Lear’ a tragedy without any redeeming features? Despite the well-known flaws of the King, the power-hungry evil daughters, and the brutal acts and numerous deaths at the end of the play, some viewers believe that ‘King Lear’ offers redemption through its tragic plot and sub-plot. It is not completely devoid of redemption. The […]

The relationship between Cordelia and Lear, and the relationship between Edgar and Gloucester have many similarities which we can see through out the play. In both relationships, both fathers feel betrayed although this is untrue as they have only received support from their “disloyal” children. Another similarity is the fact that both fathers betray their […]

People going through changes throughout their life is a universally known concept. In many novels the authors attempt to trace the development of the characters. By showing the evolution of the characters is what sometimes determines the quality of the literary piece. It is on the agenda of great writing critics to critique the authors […]

In prison, Lear tries to console Cordelia by comparing themselves to birds in a cage. This simile highlights Lear’s persistent denial of reality throughout the play, as he cannot come to terms with the fact that both he and his daughter are unlikely to survive.Lear expresses his profound sorrow over Cordelia’s death through animal imagery […]

Out of the characters in this tangled, petty family affair, Lear is the one with the strongest character growth. In the beginning of the play, Lear is shown as a tyrant and goes into a hissy fit when he doesn’t get what he wants. With his crippling old age, his daughters start to question his […]

In Act 5, Scene 1 of Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare utilizes confusion and deception to create comedy. The merchant, Vincentio, and Petruchio are the characters who generate the most humorous responses from the audience. To elicit a comedic response, as per Shakespeare’s intention for the play, I would direct them to exaggerate their body […]

William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew was never published during his life. It was published posthumously in 1623. The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare’s earliest comedies, and it shares many essential characteristics with his other romantic comedies, such as Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. These characteristics include […]

“10 things I hate about you” challenges and confirms my expectations of a teen movie, as it draws inspiration from Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” However, while the play portrays a woman forced into marriage and expected to be subservient to her husband, the film is primarily a love story. Despite similarities in plot […]

The story of The Taming of the Shrew is one that raises important issues both in the Shakespearean text and in the modern appropriation 10 Things I Hate About You. How does each composer’s use of this story reflect the time in which each was composed” The Taming of the Shrew was written in the […]