...Though Romeo and Juliet is arguably the most stereotypical love story in the English language, it portrays with a specific kind of love: young, irrational, passionate love. In this play Shakespeare ultimately suggests that, that type of love that Romeo and Juliet feel leads lovers to act out in a selfish isolation from the world around them. The two lovers anticipate officializing their marriage, but it does not define their love. Instead, their young lust is one of the main reasons why their relationship grows so intense so fast. But through all of their love and intense lust their families were still in the dark about the two of them being together and still budding heads even turn they take. Love versus hate and the many forms love takes; its power to challenge hate; the assurance of young love; the irrationality of hate and its capacity to destroy. The tragedy in Romeo and Juliet is that the two lover struggle with the fact that their families have been in a century-long feud. Like different tragedies, which ends in fatality, this play end is the death of the "star-crossed lovers." Throughout the play it creates strong feelings, or moods. In Act Five, Scene Three of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare uses imagery, symbolism, and irony to create such a tragic mood....
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...How far do you think Shakespeare presents Romeo and Juliet as victims of fate? “Romeo and Juliet” is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in 1597, when people believed that their lives were controlled by fate, like a force or spirit that decides the course a person’s life should take. They believed in magic, horoscopes and that the Sun, Moon and stars could change their destiny. In this play Shakespeare presents Romeo and Juliet as victims of fate in many different ways. At the prologue of the play the chorus describes Romeo and Juliet as "star-crossed lovers". This suggests that they fight against (or cross) their fate, which is written in the stars. It means that they are in love but fate is against them, their families have been arguing for years, so they have grown up hating each other, however Rome and Juliet are inseparable. Secondly, the Capulets and Montagues are at odds with each other. After the prologue, members of each house, as well as their servants break into a sword fight, crossing swords with each other. Sampson says "Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy swashing blow." (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 60). The feuding between the two families motivates Sampson to challenge the Capulets. Another example of how the two houses despise each other is what Romeo and his friends have to do to get into the Capulet feast. So they will not be recognized, Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio wear comic masks to hide their faces. Romeo and his friends would never have...
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...and contrast the way in which Shakespeare presents the themes of love and rebellion in Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado about Nothing. In Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado about Nothing, Shakespeare presents the themes of love and rebellion by the way he presents the characters Juliet and Beatrice. He also does this by using different language and poetic devices such as rhyming couplets and animal imagery. In addition he links in the two plays to comedy and tragedy which helps the reader understand how love and rebellion effects one character more than the other. Furthermore, Shakespeare uses the role of stereotypical women in the Elizabethan Era and how it links into the plays theme of love and rebellion. For example, how Juliet and Beatrice deal with the arranged marriage laws. In both plays, Juliet and Beatrice show a similarity towards love as they are stubborn and independent when it comes to love and marriage. However they show these traits in different ways. For example, in Romeo and Juliet, Juliet is fighting for love as her parents want her to marry Paris even though her heart only desires Romeo. Juliet shows more determination and desperation in declaring her love compared to Beatrice. This is due to her parents controlling her future and Romeo being their family’s enemy therefore they are against their marriage. I know this because of when Juliet speaks to her parents and says, “I will not marry yet! And when I do, I swear, it shall be Romeo”. This quote tells me that she...
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...Throughout the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, there are many key events that occur, in which Shakespeare includes hardships, undermined plans, and deaths. Shakespeare shows has an interesting portrayal of how each character dies, including the deaths of Paris and Lady Montague. He includes very hidden reasons for their deaths, but they are there, nonetheless. His portrayal of Paris’ and Lady Montague’s death was to further prove his point that violent, uncontrolled, passionate emotions of two families can lead to major consequences, including death. Lady Montague’s death is a sudden one. She does not play a significant role in the play, and then she dies in the blink of an eye. Shakespeare includes the death of Lady Montague in the play to show that Romeo plays a very significant role in her life. Though she is a flat character, her affection for Romeo is there nonetheless. As a result of Romeo’s exile, Shakespeare shows the reader that Lady Montague cares about Romeo by having her die. Montague says, “Alas, my liege, my wife is dead tonight. Grief of my son’s exile hath stopped her breath.” (Act 5, Scene 3, Lines 218-219) This shows that Lady Montague can not live without her son, which shows that...
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...In this essay we are going explore the ways in which Shakespeare presents and develops tensions in Verona in his play Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story; the play begins with a prologue telling us that the two lovers die "A pair of star-cross`d lovers take their life" this creates tension leaving the audience engaged and wonder why do this young children have to die? How did they die? And who is to be held responsible for their death. The play opens on a scene of conflict, where the audience learns that the Montague’s and Capulet’s are lifelong enemies and hold an "ancient grudge". In Act 1 scene 1 Sampson and Gregory, two servants of the house of Capulet, walk through the streets of Verona with a conversation of vulgar jokes, where Sampson talks about his hatred of the house of Montague. The two make remarks about physically dominating the Montague men and sexually dominating the Montague women by illustrating how they intertwine sex with violence and death. Gregory sees two Montague servants approaching, and discusses with Sampson the best way to provoke them into a fight without breaking the law. Sampson bites his thumb at the Montague’s. A verbal confrontation quickly escalates into a fight, “do you bite your tongue at us sir?” a fight doesn’t need to happen but because of the masculine honour and pride they had and they believed a man must defend his honour whenever threatened which was why most of the fights both houses had and will have happens...
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...ROMEO & JULIET Prologue (ACT 1) As a prologue to the play, the Chorus enters. In a fourteen-line sonnet, the Chorus describes two noble households (called “houses”) in the city of Verona. The houses hold an “ancient grudge” (Prologue.2) against each other that remains a source of violent and bloody conflict. The Chorus states that from these two houses, two “star-crossed” (Prologue.6) lovers will appear. These lovers will mend the quarrel between their families by dying. The story of these two lovers, and of the terrible strife between their families, will be the topic of this play. ANALYSIS This opening speech by the Chorus serves as an introduction to Romeo and Juliet. We are provided with information about where the play takes place, and given some background information about its principal characters. The obvious function of the Prologue as introduction to the Verona of Romeo and Juliet can obscure its deeper, more important function. The Prologue does not merely set the scene of Romeo and Juliet, it tells the audience exactly what is going to happen in the play. The Prologue refers to an ill-fated couple with its use of the word “star-crossed,” which means, literally, against the stars. Stars were thought to control people’s destinies. But the Prologue itself creates this sense of fate by providing the audience with the knowledge that Romeo and Juliet will die even before the play has begun. The audience therefore watches the play with the expectation that it must...
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...How Does Fate Play A Part In Romeo and Juliet'? Romeo and Juliet' was written during a period when Shakespeare had found the strength of his writing, it is believed that it was written around 1595 and he would have been about 26 years old when he wrote it. The play is a widely known tragedy concerning the fate of two young "star-cross'd lovers". It is one of the most famous of Shakespeare's plays and one of his earliest theatrical triumphs. In Romeo and Juliet', fate plays an extremely powerful role throughout the story. Romeo and Juliet are "star-crossed lovers," as the prologue at the start of the play indicated, they had fate against them. In that time, people were very wary of what the stars said. If two people's stars were crossed in the sky, they would never remain together. Obviously, Romeo and Juliet did not live happily ever after, as they both died at the end of the play. The prologue also shows fate was against Romeo and Juliet through the negative language and the foregrounds of their deaths: "The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, And the continuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their children's end, nought could remove" This insight into the plot provides the audience with the anticipation of the finale and causes them to think negatively throughout the play. It also allows Shakespeare to make use of dramatic irony, as the audience knows something that the characters do not. This increases dramatic tension for the audience, which in turn...
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...Translator’s Coming of Age by Omaya Ibrahim Khalifa Through studying the three translations of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet done by Mohammed Enani in 1965, 1986 and 1993 respectively, this study adopts a diachronic approach. In addition to examining the historical dimension, this study attempts to address itself to crucial questions related to the process of translating a literary text. A few of these are: how a translator can approach a given text in three different ways and how each translation changes according to the approach and the methods chosen by the translator. More importantly, the study proposes to discuss the pragmatic conditions governing the act of translation and how far these result in prominent modifications in the relationship between the source and target texts. The first part of this study discusses the problem or problems which confront a translator attempting to transpose Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet into Arabic, and the second analyses the three translations and how each deals with the problems discussed. Mohammed Enani, in his introduction to his third translation of Romeo and Juliet, singles out tone as the main difficulty that faces any translator attempting a rendering of the play. In the Elizabethan era romance was regarded as a subject for comedy and as such allowed playful treatment. Harry Levin explains that Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was an innovation at the time. He reveals the effect of the play on contemporary audiences as follows: ...
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...recognize, identify, interpret and/or analyze. Both literary elements and literary techniques can rightly be called literary devices. Literary elements refers to aspects or characteristics of a whole text. They are not “used,” per se, by authors; we derive what they are from reading the text. Most literary elements can be derived from any and all texts; for example, every story has a theme, every story has a setting, every story has a conflict, every story is written from a particular point-of-view, etc. In order to be discussed legitimately, literary elements must be specifically identified for that text. Literary techniques refers to any specific, deliberate constructions of language which an author uses to convey meaning. An author’s use of a literary technique usually occurs with a single word or phrase, or a particular group of words or phrases, at one single point in a text. Unlike literary elements, literary techniques are not necessarily present in every text. Literary terms refers to the words themselves with which we identify and describe literary elements and techniques. They are not found in literature and they are not “used” by authors. Allegory: Where every aspect of a story is representative, usually symbolic, of something else, usually a larger abstract concept or important historical/geopolitical event. Lord of the Flies provides a compelling allegory of human nature, illustrating the three sides...
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...or obfuscate. Just serve it up gently. An upset writer isn’t going to hear your points anyway. But an encouraged one will. Trust me on this. — Julie Gray PRINTER FRIENDLY PAGE Literary analysis looks critically at a work of fiction in order to understand how the parts contribute to the whole. When analyzing a novel or short story, you’ll need to consider elements such as the context, setting, characters, plot, literary devices, and themes. Remember that a literary analysis isn’t merely a summary or review, but rather an interpretation of the work and an argument about it based on the text. Depending on your assignment, you might argue about the work’s meaning or why it causes certain reader reactions. This handout will help you analyze a short story or novel—use it to form a thesis, or argument, for your essay. Summary Begin by summarizing the basic plot: “Matilda by Roald Dahl is about a gifted little girl in small town America who learns to make things move with her mind and saves her teacher and school from the evil principal.” This will help ground you in the story. (When you write your paper, you probably won’t include a summary because your readers will already be familiar with the work. But if they aren’t, use a brief summary to orient them.) Context Research the author’s background and other work. This can give insight into the author’s perspective and bias, as well as tell the reader what he might be commenting on. For example, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Ringsis...
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...Early European Theater • The writings of this period were primarily hymns, sermons and similar theologically oriented works. • Latin became a literary medium. • Major preserves of learning are the monasteries. • 8th century Europe returned to greater stability under the Carolingian kings. ➢ Charles Martel – defeated the Moslems at Tours in 732 AD, through his innovative use of armored horsemen as the principal military force, initiating the development of knighthood. ➢ Charlemagne – extended his realm into the Slavic territories and converting non- Christians on the way. Charlemagne was crowned by the Pope and pronounced him as the successor to Constantine. The scenario was the first attempt to establish the Holy Roman Empire. • Charlemagne’s death caused Europe to break into small units isolated from each other and from the world. • Moslem controlled the Mediterranean and the Vikings, still pagans, conquered the northern seas. Early Middle Ages • Life was relatively simple. • Feudalistic patterns were fully established. ➢ Manor (large estate)- headed by a noble man, assumed absolute authority over the peasants who worked his land collectively. ➢ Vassals – supplies the lords a specified number of knights upon demand and the lords in return were bound to protect their vassals. The Theater (500- 900 AD) • The theater revived during the early Middle Ages. • After the Western Roman...
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...A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO THE SIGNET CLASSIC EDITION OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S MACBETH LINDA NEAL UNDERWOOD S E R I E S E D I T O R S : W. GEIGER ELLIS, ED.D., ARTHEA J. S. REED, PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, EMERITUS and UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, RETIRED A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth 2 INTRODUCTION William Shakespeare developed many stories into excellent dramatizations for the Elizabethan stage. Shakespeare knew how to entertain and involve an audience with fast-paced plots, creative imagery, and multi-faceted characters. Macbeth is an action-packed, psychological thriller that has not lost its impact in nearly four hundred years. The politically ambitious character of Macbeth is as timely today as he was to Shakespeare's audience. Mary McCarthy says in her essay about Macbeth, "It is a troubling thought that Macbeth, of all Shakespeare's characters, should seem the most 'modern,' the only one you could transpose into contemporary battle dress or a sport shirt and slacks." (Signet Classic Macbeth) Audiences today quickly become interested in the plot of a blindly ambitious general with a strong-willed wife who must try to cope with the guilt engendered by their murder of an innocent king in order to further their power. The elements of superstition, ghosts, and witchcraft, though more readily a part of everyday life for the Renaissance audience, remain intriguing to modern teenagers. The action-packed...
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...metaphysical poets John milton Jonathan Swift mark Twain mary Shelley Nathaniel hawthorne Oscar Wilde percy Shelley ralph Waldo emerson robert Browning Samuel Taylor Coleridge Stephen Crane Walt Whitman William Blake William Shakespeare William Wordsworth Bloom’s Classic Critical Views W i l l ia m Sha k e Sp e a r e Edited and with an Introduction by Sterling professor of the humanities Yale University harold Bloom Bloom’s Classic Critical Views: William Shakespeare Copyright © 2010 Infobase Publishing Introduction © 2010 by Harold Bloom All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For more information contact: Bloom’s Literary Criticism An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data William Shakespeare / edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom : Neil Heims, volume editor. p. cm. — (Bloom’s classic critical views) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-60413-723-1 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-4381-3425-3 (e-book) 1. Shakespeare, William, 1564–1616—Criticism and interpretation. I. Bloom, Harold. II. Heims, Neil. PR2976.W5352 2010 822.3'3—dc22 2010010067 Bloom’s Literary Criticism books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities...
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...for “English Language Arts.” Being that we are in an Arts school, but one where academics must and always do come first, it is important that we approach the subject as what it is: an art form. How does one study the arts? What exactly do we do when we study drawing, sculpture, music, or dance? Well, anyone who has studied the arts will tell you that studying the arts essentially involves two things: • Learning about, and developing an awareness of and appreciation for, existing works of art in that particular form; • Developing the skills and techniques associated with the art form, in order to create our own works. In the case of language arts, much like any other art form, we will be studying existing works of art (i.e., reading books, stories and poems), and developing the skills to produce our own (i.e., writing). That’s what English Language Arts is. We will also be preparing ourselves for New York State’s Regents Comprehensive Examination in English, which we’ll all be taking in June. This two-day, six-hour, four-part exam requires no specific knowledge or content, but it does require the skills to listen, read, understand, respond, interpret, analyze, and of course, write. Everything we do in class is designed to develop those skills, and prepare your for that exam. So, So what does that mean to you, the student? It means we’re going to do a lot of reading, a lot of writing, and most importantly, a lot of thinking. See, when you reach high school, particularly the upper grades...
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...Narrative A narrative is a sequence of events that a narrator tells in story form. A narrator is a storyteller of any kind, whether the authorial voice in a novel or a friend telling you about last night’s party. Point of View The point of view is the perspective that a narrative takes toward the events it describes. First-person narration: A narrative in which the narrator tells the story from his/her own point of view and refers to him/herself as “I.” The narrator may be an active participant in the story or just an observer. When the point of view represented is specifically the author’s, and not a fictional narrator’s, the story is autobiographical and may be nonfictional (see Common Literary Forms and Genres below). Third-person narration: The narrator remains outside the story and describes the characters in the story using proper names and the third-person pronouns “he,” “she,” “it,” and “they.” • Omniscient narration: The narrator knows all of the actions, feelings, and motivations of all of the characters. For example, the narrator of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina seems to know everything about all the characters and events in the story. • Limited omniscient narration: The narrator knows the actions, feelings, and motivations of only one or a handful of characters. For example, the narrator of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has full knowledge of only Alice. • Free indirect discourse: The narrator conveys a character’s inner thoughts...
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