Question: ‘Shylock is a Jew in a predominantly Christian society just as Othello is…living in a predominantly white society. But unlike Othello‚ Shylock rejects the Christian community as firmly as it rejects him.’ (W.H. Auden‚ ‘The Dyer’s Hand’‚ 1963. Quoted in ‘Shakespeare’s Comedies’‚ edited by Lerner‚ Penguin 1967.) In light of the above quotation‚ compare and contrast Shakespeare’s presentation of prejudice‚ considering how audiences of different periods might react to it. (2000 words)
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William Shakespere wrote Macbeth around 1606 for King James VI. Macbeth involves 3 witches who make prophecies for Macbeth about taking the throne. Ambition and desire drive Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to kill King Duncan. Later Banquo is killed due to Macbeth?s greed for the throne and jealousy of it being taken away and Lady Macbeth appears to go mad and die. Macbeth is then defeated. These themes of murder‚ ambition‚ greed and desire appear throughout the play among others. These themes are factors
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"Macbeth" is a Shakespearean tragedy focused solely on the tragic hero Macbeth. All major events that take place in the play involve the presence of Macbeth‚ including the witches’ prophecies‚ the death of King Duncan‚ and the return of the rightful King Malcolm. Being so intricately tied to all aspects of the play allows the character of Macbeth to be completely developed‚ and become of considerable interest to the reader. Because we first hear of Macbeth in the wounded captain’s account of his
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In literature‚ a foil character is someone who shows qualities that are in contrast with the qualties’ of another character. In Macbeths play I find that a couple characters fit that quality. And the characters are Banquo‚ Malcom‚ maybe King Duncan. Banquo is a foil character because of the fact that in the beginning of the play the witches told Banquo that he’s promised to be father of many kings. Which later in the play we learn that isn’t true. But both Macbeth and Banquo become obsessed with
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William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is considered the greatest English playwright. He wrote and produced a large number of plays‚ ranging from comedies and histories to tragedies. Othello was written in 1604 during a phase of other profound tragedies‚ such as Hamlet (1601) and Macbeth (1606). Shakespeare is appreciated for the ways in which he beautifully and poignantly expresses the dilemmas at the core of human existence. Brief synopsis The Moor‚ Othello‚ is a respected leader in the Venetian
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sorrow for the negative characters in a novel? It’s not their fault that the main character made a mistake and ended up ruining their life. Sometimes the characters deserve what’s coming to them‚ depending on the magnitude of their blunder. There’s no need to give pity to those who bring pain upon themselves; nobody pities a serial killer‚ yet in Frankenstein‚ the creature‚ which is in essence a serial killer‚ is given sympathy by the viewer and it doesn’t seem logical. In Macbeth‚ the reader gives compassion
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context of his time. One of the most controversial plays is the Taming of the Shrew‚ first performed in the year 1593. Many critics believed that the story revolves around many gender issues including the hatred of women. When Shakespeare wrote The Taming of the Shrew‚ his characters personalities were that of the era in which they lived. In the 21st century‚ there are still men who believe a woman needs to be controlled or “tamed”. The Taming of the Shrew allows men to believe that a woman with an independent
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Is Macbeth a Thoroughly Representative Character? Some critics may contend that Macbeth is not a thoroughly representative character‚ yet through a close observation and understanding of the drama‚ it can be seen that any rational human being‚ given the identical situation‚ would have undergone the exact thought process and taken equal actions as did Macbeth. Macbeth was presented with a situation where he was forced to make an extreme decision. His driving ambition to become King of Scotland
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The start of the play depicts Macbeth as a valiant and courageous character. We are introduced to Macbeth by a Captain‚ who is reporting the events of the battle to King Duncan‚ as he says: “For brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name - Disdaining fortune‚ with his brandished steel‚ Which smoked with bloody execution‚ Like Valour’s minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave‚ Which ne’er shook hands‚ nor bade farewell to him‚ Till he unseamed him from the nave to th’chaps And fixed his
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It is believed that Shakespeare uses violence to present Macbeth’s decent from a tragic hero. In saying this however‚ it could be argued that Shakespeare presents violence and bloodshed as important symbols in the play. Whilst the violence and the blood that is shed is a tangible reminder of the outcomes of greed and the misuse of power‚ it also serves as an image that provokes Macbeth to reflect upon his devilish deeds. With his reign of violence‚ Macbeth becomes obsessed with the blood on his hands
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