William Shakespeare Essays

Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” is a tragedy set in 11th century Scotland, around the time at which the real Macbeth was alive. Shakespeare had at hand, during the period he was writing the play, Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland by Raphael Holinshed. Shakespeare had used this book in other history plays he wrote, in the book […]

In this essay I am going to discuss how Shakespeare presents the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and will refer particularly to Act I Scene 7, Act II Scene 2 and Act III Scene2. At the time of the writing of this play, the roles of men and women were different from how it […]

Appearance is a noticeable aspect of something or somebody, appearance can create different impressions depending on who is observing. Almost the opposite is reality, actual being or existence, as opposed to an imaginary, idealized, or false nature (taken from dictionary). We should not judge, take opinions of people or anything only on their appearances. For […]

First performed in front of a Royal audience, Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s plays in which a nobleman, namely Macbeth, might have led a normal life, but the tragedy is that he killed the rightful king, and in the end was punished for doing so. A pivotal moment in the play is the murder of […]

Baz Luhrmann starts the film’s prologue by disguising it as a television news broadcast. The scene commences with a deliberate camera movement towards a television set against a stark black background, alternating channels. This choice by Baz Luhrmann serves the purpose of drawing the audience’s attention specifically to the television screen. In my observation, the […]

During the Elizabethan age, their were so many beliefs towards the idea of witchcraft and magic, and amongst those who believed in witchcraft and magic was His Majesty King James I. It was important for Shakespeare to produce a play that was both entertaining and able to meet all of his aims which included: flattering […]

Love is one of the predominant themes of Romeo and Juliet, we have but one word for love but the Greek language has four words, for four different types of love. Eros is erotic love between lovers, which for one night is shared by Romeo and Juliet. Storge is family love, this is very important […]

Shakespeare’s play “Much Ado About Nothing” conveys the typical attributes of an English comedy although it is set in Messina, Italy. He manages to present the many difficult aspects of love and romance, as well as portraying the patriarchal society, whilst still keeping the light heartedness that comedy’s of that era showed. The play is […]

Unmatched in the history of our literature, the period of the late 16th century, specifically the last 10 to 15 years, saw an incredible surge in poetic activity. During a particular era in history, a significant amount of intelligence was devoted to crafting poetry – particularly in the form of Sonnets. These Sonnets frequently expressed […]

Pre-1914, three love poems or sonnets were composed by writers who were vastly dissimilar. The poems in this collection each employ distinct styles in their representation of love. John Donny’s approach in “The Flea” employs clever language to entice sexual activity, while William Shakespeare places emphasis on the emotion of love itself. James Leigh Hunt, […]

I am going to compare Sonnet 130 (‘My mistresses eyes’) and ‘Shall I compare thee’. They are both sonnets about love and appearances. Even though both sonnets have similar subjects they have differing themes. My mistress’s eyes is a realistic sonnet about the depth of Shakespeare’s love for his mistress. He uses his mistress’s faults […]

In Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night (or What You Will); many different types of love are present and experienced by the characters. These range from true love, to friendship to unrequited love, which is unreturned. Such as the love triangle between the Duke Orsino, Viola/Cesario and Olivia. These three are the main characters; they form the […]

I have chosen to come the three poems ‘Valentine’ by Carol Anne Duffy and the two Shakespearean poems ‘My Mistress’ Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun’ and ‘Sonnet XVIII,’ as I feel they are three poems that can be compared well together. There are a multitude of similarities and differences shared between the three poems. […]

“Sonnet CXXX” by William Shakespeare was written to send a message to poets, telling them that sonnets do not have to be unrealistic; Shakespeare also mocks traditional Elizabethan sonnets. The occasion is that Shakespeare believes in real love and not falsely comparing women to god-like creatures. The sonnet was written in the Renaissance era. The […]

Even though history cannot provide a solution, Shakespeare’s plays frequently explore the question. King Lear portrays a tragic competition as Lear endeavors to find out which of his daughters loves him the most. In parallel, The Tempest concludes with an emotional reconciliation scene between Prospero and Miranda, his daughter. However, this text will concentrate on […]

The first scene of ‘The Merchant of Venice’ opens on a street in Venice. The merchant, Antonio is introduced to the audience, and he is shown as depressed and melancholy.’In sooth I know not why I am so sad. ‘This shows that Shakespeare uses Empathy to reflect Antonio’s feelings with his surroundings. This hints to […]

Shakespeare’s compelling and exhilarating play shows us the victimisation of Jews in his time. Shylock, the avaricious, manipulative, sinister Jew is renowned for his outstanding desire to avenge his enemies. Shakespeare’s character is one who wants vengeance and is extremely discourteous. Although Shylock’s popularity is not as much as the Christians’, the villainous acts he […]

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon around 23rd April 1564 and died in Stratford fifty two years later. He married once to a woman named Anne Hatheway with whom he had three children; the eldest, Susanna and twins, Hamnet and Judith. The Globe theatre was where all of Shakespeares productions were staged, it was built […]

The Merchant of Venice, written by William Shakespeare, tells multiple tales, with the most captivating being the destiny of Shylock, an unlucky Jewish character. In 16th century Venice, where the play unfolds, it was not unusual to find unfortunate Jews as second-class citizens in a society dominated by Christians. The essay will explore the extent […]

In this essay, I will focus on how Shakespeare presents women struggling to escape the bounds of the patriarchal society of Venice in the sixteenth century. Then, I will discuss how the poetry that I have studied in class presents women trying to escape. Finally, I will respond to the pieces of literature that I […]

The earliest reference to Martius in the play portrays him as the chief enemy to the people, according to the plebeians in the opening scene. Although Martius argues that the citizens can never be content, stating “what would you have, you curs, that like nor peace nor war?”, he soon becomes a popular and “noble” […]

The philosophy of Richard’s life was to pursue the art of evil, for his own pleasures and advantages. His rejection from society due to his physical deformity causes Richard to practice villainy and devastate the general public. Due to the fact he cannot appreciate the simple pleasures of life, he is determined to place himself […]