Henry V was written at a time of great political upheaval. Mary I‚ the bloody queen‚ had recently died‚ and Queen Elizabeth I had ascended to the throne. After years of toing and froing between Protestant and Catholic Christianity‚ Elizabeth finally settled what her siblings could not. Shakespeare‚ as a respected playwright‚ had a duty to affirm both protestant and catholic belief in the present monarch to prevent a civil war (which unfortunately broke out just 40 years later). In this essay I will
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after the uprising was stifled. These events took place on June 14th at a place called Smithfield‚ in the area of London and surrounding places due to the riots started around the south east of England and converged in London City. What we can extract of this text is the way of how a young king‚ Henry II‚ with the most valuable help of William Walworth‚ Mayor of London‚ defeated the insurgents by killing their leader Wat Tyler. The main idea we obtain of this writing is a formidable peasants’
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``Shakespeare Was Not OF An Age But For All Time`` I agree with the statement ``Shakespeare was not for an age but for all time. `` The words of praise probably the most famous ever written about Shakespeare ‚ were penned by Shakespeare`s good friend and follow writer `Ben Johnson`. For the poet and playwright generally considered the greatest ever is also one of the least known of all literary figures. And his works were indeed created for the popular entertainment of his day with little thought
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Motifs and Prophets‚ Women in History Plays Women play very limited roles in the realm of Shakespeare’s history plays. They are almost always used as plot devices to represent an idea‚ to foreshadow something‚ or simply for the sake of making the play a bit more light-hearted. However‚ as limited female roles in history plays are‚ they are more likely that not strong-willed characters. These female characters contribute wisdom and perspective that make the audience really think about the substance
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A key aspect to understanding Acts III and IV in Richard II is the divine right of kings and how God deeply impacts these characters decisions and actions. The king is supposedly chosen by God himself and is ideally a figure of a natural born leader and warrior. Naturally‚ since England was predominately Catholic at the time‚ going against God in any way was unacceptable. The people were to trust the King and not question his decisions‚ for they were God’s will and decisions as well. There is also
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Catesby slyly pushes Hastings into a discussion about his support for Richard’s bid for the crown. Hastings openly voices his unexpected opinions‚ unaware his words are a matter of life or death. Here‚ he opposes the notion of Richard as king of England‚ and has confidence in a future with his own favour and in a secure‚ high position in the usurper’s social ladder. However‚ the lord’s thoughts are quickly contrasted by the ominous inputs of Catesby. As a result‚ the images of Richard and his actions
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In Henry IV Part II William Shakespeare uses diction‚ syntax‚ and imagery to convey King Henry’s state of mind. The King starts his soliloquy questioning why he cannot sleep when the peasants can. He continues by addressing sleep though apostrophe. King Henry questions as to “...how have I frighted thee” (3). Shakespeare uses diction to emphasize how desperate the King is to sleep‚ and how respectful he is to sleep. Henry politely calls sleep “gentle” (2) and “Nature’s soft nurse” (3). Even though
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The fact that the audience works in tandem with the actors on stage to dethrone Richard—or at least desire this dethronement—means they have some power‚ even if that is just the power of judgment. Phyllis Rackin argues that audience members play just as great a role in judging and misjudging characters within Richard II as any character within the stage. She acknowledges‚ “There is an extra role in the play not listed in the dramatis personae‚ a carefully calculated role complete with motivations…designed
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that Gaunt believes in this divine influence‚ and that kings are chosen by God. He has a conversation with the Duchess in Act 1‚ Scene 2 in which he says Richard is Heaven’s substitute for a fully divine ruler‚ meaning that because God cannot rule England himself‚ He sends each king to rule over them. This is important because it shows that Gaunt respects King Richard‚ and has no ill will or outside influence for his proclamations in his later speech. Gaunt also believes that Heaven‚ meaning God‚ will
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regarding the garden that is England. What some people may not realize is that there is much talk of gardens throughout the play‚ and that these particular speeches play into one another. Knowing that many of the garden speeches are related makes it easy to see that not only does this play describe the beauty of England‚ but also the corruption and ugliness within the country as well. John of Gaunts description of England is both beautiful and tragic all at once. At first England is referred to as‚ “This
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