William Shakespeare Essays

In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Hecate says, “And you all know security is mortal’s chiefest enemy. ”(3. 5. 32-33). Security, is translated into modern English as “overconfidence”, so Hecate is saying that overconfidence is one main downfall that humans face. Although a ten-page, smarter sounding college level definition could probably be found, the […]

There are many themes through Shakespeare’s plays Romeo and Juliet and Othello such as love, pride, irony, and death.  Both plays are tragedies because the love that had once conquered the protagonists in the beginning of the play is somehow lost toward the end of the play through either pride, in the case of Othello […]

Staging and performance are crucial elements in the overall impact of theatrical productions.   In Shakespearean drama, aspects of staging: including costuming, setting, lighting, sound effects, as well as the on-stage movement of the actors have evolved over several centuries of production. Modern visions of staging include:”stiffly “authentic” productions; in the vaguely “authorized” versions of […]

According to the author, comprehending and valuing the essence of a literary work largely depends on one’s ability to fill in gaps and make connections. This can be achieved through internal or external approaches. Internally understanding something involves breaking it into fragments and then reassembling them like a jigsaw puzzle. Alternatively, externally analyzing something requires […]

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 […]

In this essay, I will be comparing the soliloquies and asides placed in the adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest by Julie Taymor in 2008-10. A soliloquy is a dramatic technique used strategically to allow the audience to hear and see what is going on in a character’s mind, almost as if they are thinking […]

In Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare employs the use of food as a symbol of revenge throughout the text. The act of making his enemies eat the pie brings Titus a sense of satisfaction and a feeling of justice served. Shakespeare also establishes Titus’s authority when commanding Chiron and Demetrius to remain silent, reinforcing his dominance […]

Jealousy is in our human nature and Shakespeare’s The Winters Tale shows the pure destructive power that it can hold. We see in The Winters Tale how fickle the minds of powerful people can be and how simple acts can be misconstrued.The first example of this, and the first point towards Leontes being a jealous […]

Undoubtedly ‘King Lear’ is considered to be one of the most tragic of Shakespearean plays. Shakespeare explores the boundaries of human nature and the extent ****. At the time the play was set, Lear would have been absolute monarch. At the beginning of the play Lear is at his zenith and a powerful character within […]

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 […]

Figurative Language, Imagery. And Sound in “Sonnet 29” Williams Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 29” is Shakespeare starts the first quatrain with himself talking of disgrace in his fortune and in the eyes of others. In the second quatrain, Shakespeare takes the inward thoughts and looks outward with coveting eyes and wishes he could be a different man. […]

It can be argued that William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” is a play about forgiveness and reconciliation. The title, The Tempest is both literal and metaphorical. Shakespeare begins the play with a fierce storm which wrecks the courtier’s ship. I think this storm symbolises “the tempest of life” (i. e. the struggle of life) around which […]

In the poem “Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day? ” the author describes his lover to the unrivaled beauty that is summer. The season has made itself a good reputation for being very warm, comfortable, and relaxing. Many other lyricists, artists, and poets have described summer as being “too short” or have made […]

The Important Contextual Influences on Shakespeare’s King Lear Samuel Johnson describes the age of Shakespeare as a time where “speculation had not yet attempted to analyze the mind”, and although he is correct in his statement, people of the Renaissance had many pre-formed conceptions about issues concerning their own lives. Shakespeare took much of his […]

A somewhat topsy-turvy presentation is evident throughout this play: Dogberry and the Watch are very much the “third string” to this play’s bow, and yet have captured the greatest place in public imagination. Likewise, on the romantic front, we may say that it is the second-bow players who have the next most prominent place in […]

Fathers and Daughters in Shakespeare Fathers and Daughters in Tempest, Merchant of Venice, and Othello While there is an over arcing theme in these plays as to the subject of Father-Daughter relationships in which the mother is absent, even the most cursory inspection shows relevant differences in both the characters and their relationships to one […]

Denise Ooi delves into the enduring relevance of Shakespeare, discussing his significance as both a theatrical figure and literary giant. Despite being four centuries old, his works are still studied and performed globally, making substantial contributions to English literature and shaping Western society. Additionally, Shakespeare’s impact on the English language is noteworthy – he is […]

Impulsive Behavior in Romeo and Juliet By: Shaunean Burnett Impulsive behavior is something people can do everyday which can affect them for the next few days or the rest of their life. Impulsive behavior can begin with a small action, and soon result in a huge catastrophe. Whenever acting without thinking about the consequences, you […]

Critical Analysis of “Heart” in Shakespearean Macbeth Macbeth, one of the most darkest and powerful tragedies by William Shakespeare, shows how uncontrollable and crazy a mind works. The word heart has a variety of definitions such as the actual physical heart Inside your body that keeps your blood pumping, thoughts and emotions, love and compassion, […]

Marriage as an economic institution The famous play “The Taming of the Shrew’ written by William Shakespeare consists of a funny and interesting plot that must have challenged Shakespearean contemporaries’ way of thinking. We are presented with a number of different themes, such as gender roles, the power of language, female submissiveness and the economic […]

“Headlights” by Marshall Matters, from his new album released in November titled Carpathians song 130, is a song that shares a common structure with William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130”. Both authors express undying love for their significant others, regardless of any flaws. In the second verse of “Headlights”, Matters confesses to causing harm with past lyrics […]

In Macbeth, Shakespeare portrays how particular choices and decisions can have a significant impact on the direction of the play and lead to dire consequences. Through various techniques, he emphasizes the importance of key turning points. In Act 1 Scene 3, Macbeth’s encounter with the three witches is a crucial moment. Despite their ghastly appearance, […]