...I do think that by doing so it looses a lot of its original meaning. I believe that literature can be interpreted in to many different meanings and ways that other people don't see. To one person Shakespeare can be a legendary writer and to anot her person he can be some idiot that wrote a lot of garbage. After reading this section, I find it interesting that Shakespeare can be interpreted in several various ways. I have seen a few different productions of Shakespeare plays and I can understand the different ways that people have perceived the various plays. Personally, I believe that the difference between a “more faithful” versus a “more free” adaptation of a Shakespearean play is that a show that is “more faithful” tends to follow the time frame and setting that the play was placed in, whereas a “more free” adaptation can change to different time frames and have different surroundings than the play was actually placed in. With a more “faithful” adaptation of Shakespeare we learn more about the history behind the play and what it truly is about. Unfortunately, with a more “freer” adaptation we can lose the history behind the play because the context of the play can change based on the decisions of how the play was interpreted. In a faithful version of a play, the language, setting, costumes, and all other major aspects remain as the author originally wrote them; a free adaptation may change one or more of these elements. A more faithful adaptation has the advantage of...
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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 to their immortality. Shakespeare did not take any steps to preserve his writings past their immediate use. (Fortunately his friends did.) With all the academic study of Shakespeare and the trappings of fine culture that have been wrapped around productions of his dramas over the centuries, we often forget what a rollicking, bawdy and entertaining spectacle his plays presented to their original audience — and still can to a modern audience, in the right hands. The timelessness of Shakespeare's themes continue to keep his plays fresh. He dramatized basic issues: love, marriage, familial relationships, gender roles, race, age, class, humor, illness, deception, betrayal, evil, revenge, murder, and death. The essential question that Shakespeare explored in his plays is, "what does it mean to be a human being?" The genius of Shakespeare is that he manged to show us ourselves in every conceivable light. It really doesn't matter when the plays were written since they are about the...
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...play will not be as heroic and godly as initially envisioned. This is because there is a shortage in the resources necessary to depict this great spectacle, and it is instead the audience’s responsibility to both create and imagine the play. The opening prologue alone sets the stage for how equivocally this war will be portrayed, and also how frequently the reader’s understanding of Henry will be challenged throughout the play. In Act 1, we are introduced to the crafty Bishop of Canterbury and Bishop of Ely, who discuss a bill that will cause the Church to lose a significant amount of money if passed. They then realize that if they can convince Henry to invade France in order to claim the throne, they can postpone the bill in the meantime, as Canterbury has already proposed to donate a generous amount of money towards the war. Soon after, we meet Henry for the first time, and Canterbury delivers a prolonged speech to justify his claim to declare war with the French, by reassuring Henry that he can indeed inherit the French throne. Leading up to Act 1, scene 2, lines 290-310, King Henry has been presented with a chest full of tennis balls sent from the Dauphin, as a form of mockery to suggest Henry’s immaturity and inability to lead a country. This provokes Henry’s powerful rant, a retaliation to the mockery. This speech provides an essential insight into Henry’s multifaceted personality. It portrays not only Henry’s unpredictable nature, but also in such ambiguity alludes to the...
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...The True Richard I have chosen to analyze the character of Richard III due to his cynical yet honest personality. One thing that sticks out about his character is his relationship with the reader and how he tells us exactly what he’s planning. Even when we are told what Richard will do, the reader is still surprised when he goes about the actions. For example, Richard tells us he is “subtle, false, and treacherous”(I.i), but there is nothing we can do to stop him from being that way. Another quality of Richard that sticks out to me is his ability to manipulate his peers. In act one scene two Lady Anne is mourning the death of King Henry VI, but Richard is set on manipulating her into loving him. Richard has no interest in Lady Anne, but instead wants to be closer and closer to becoming King. Richard’s dedication to achieve his goal no matter what obstacles come his way is a defining feature that sticks out to me. Throughout the play, Richard is faced with obstacles that test his commitment to becoming king. His first major test is when he has to win over Lady Anne. Richard killed Henry and knows Anne is out for his guts, but he has the courage to lie to her saying that he did not kill him. Later, Richard admits to killing Henry, but sweet talks Anne by making her believe that the murder was in an attempt to win her over. While reading this scene, we see Richard being honest to the audience, but a liar to the characters in the show. He knows that his actions have caused Lady...
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