Richard III was the final installation of Shakespeare’s history plays. During this time Shakespeare found success and was highly popular. As such, the values that are affirmed by the play’s ending align with the ruling of the Tudors at the time. Shakespeare was creating characters who were not only more psychologically complex but with greater dimensions, even though during this time in Elizabethan England had very little understanding of human psychology. War of the Roses
Throughout the play, readers can unquestionably witness the
Question 1: The poetic element that informs my thematic reading of this passage and Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part One as a whole is metaphors. The passage in Act 1, Scene 2 uses a metaphor when the Prince states, “Yet herein will I imitate the sun, Who doth permit the base contagious clouds To smother up his beauty from the world…” Using the sun and clouds to convey the Prince’s message, we can interpret his intention to put on a show of being difficult to control, headstrong prince. The Prince compares himself to the sun, which allows the clouds to obscure its beauty for a limited time, but then emerges in all its glory and is appreciated all the more for it.
Without a setting, characters would just be conversing because there would be no backdrop or external connection. The setting establishes the time and the mood for a scene. It establishes the tone and the actions of the characters. The descriptive details that come along with a setting allows a reader to visualize the scene. Additionally, it establishes the appropriateness of the actions that the characters can perform.
Shakespeare presents Henry V as a hero through the use of a metaphor, as well as offering the audience an external perspective on the situation at hand. The metaphor conveys how Henry V and his country have a great deal of pressure to overcome, considering how he’s broken the sacred Divine Right of Kings by not being the first born after Edward III. The pressure of the broken Divine Right manifests itself as “the nettle”, due to it’s negative connotations of poison and harm, and the harsh sounds only support these. The pressure causes harm to Henry V as it shatters his reputation, and it poisons the country due to how the Divine Right has made them so narrow-minded that even after Henry IV, a successful King, they’re unable to accept Henry
The words “bad” and “evil” are correlated with one another as if they go hand in hand. However, the only parallels are the negative connotations that each word carry. Each word sends a different message, and in Henry the fourth Shakespeare shows these differences using theft and usurpation. This is shown through dramatic scenes through the entirety of the play. To have a better understanding of the words bad and evil; the definition for the word bad is of poor quality; inferior or detective and definition of the word evil is profoundly immoral and malevolent.
Being a leader isn't the easiest thing. In the historical story, Henry V, William Shakespeare shows ups and downs of being King. William Shakespeare uses the main character, Henry V, to display strong leadership qualities by aiming for a want and accomplishing it. The movie starts off with King Henry making decisions, as he becomes the new King of England.
Audience members are aware that not everything they see should be taken for granted, and as they become caught up in the illusion of the play, they enter into a state of “suspended disbelief.” In Henry V Shakespeare removes this element somewhat, the Chorus’ six appearances on stage see them apologising for the theatres inability to “hold the vastly fields of France” and “the very casques, /that did affright the air at Agincourt” and therefore asks that they, the “ciphers to this great account, /on your imaginary forces work.” By doing this Shakespeare is explicitly requesting the usually implicit contract of theatrical illusion. Indeed the Chorus of Henry V deconstructs the theatrical illusion in a similar fashion to the mechanicals in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, though not entirely, and it can be seen through aspects of Bottom’s “device to make all well” echoing in the Chorus’ apologies.
after re-reading some passages of Henry V, I noticed that Shakespeare presents two points of view on the topic of warfare throughout the play. On one hand, war is the means through which Henry can achieve his goal, i.e. invade France and claim the French throne, but, on the other hand, it has terrible consequences. In various passages, war is presented as being ennobling and patriotic. The clearest example is Henry’s famous St. Crispin’s speech, where he insists that the men who fight alongside him will become his “band of brothers” (4.iii.62) and that their victory will bring England honor and glory. However, Henry is a soldier and, therefore, he knows and has experienced the ugly effects of warfare.
The Unseen Narrator In Henry V, William Shakespeare utilizes the character of the chorus to narrate the play, and challenge the audience’s imagination. Due to the subject matter of the play, it is hard to present it in the way it deserves, which the chorus address. The chorus helps the audience follow along with the play by using descriptive language to make certain events com to life in the imaginations of the play-goers. Without the chorus, the play would be much more confusing. At the beginning of each act, the chorus sets the scene, comments on the actions going on as the play is progressing, and helps identify important themes.
Henry IV Part 1 composed by William Shakespeare, is a scripted play that was presented on the stage through comedies and tragedies. He demonstrates the complexity of the act of human nature through dramatic techniques to help capture the audience’s attention. Shakespeare relies on dramatic irony to add suspense, such as revealing hidden truths and incorporating twists into the plot that the characters seemingly know nothing about. His characters often speak directly to the audience, and he uses recurring symbols to draw viewers into the play. This melodramatic staging allows the spectators to dig deeper and unmask what Shakespeare is trying to get across from his point of view.
B.The social background and relationships At the beginning of 17th century, the last years of the reign of Elizabeth, all the contradictions of Britain are intense. The four tragedies of Shakespeare were written during this time when it is also the middle period of his career. So his works in this period were filled with sorrow and resentment. It shapes new era of the tragic heroes: they woke up from the medieval prison ,in modern times,they want to develop or improve themselves, but they can not overcome the limitations of time and themselves,so they finally failed in a tragic way.
A Story Well Told Art is found in many forms that stretch through the ages, all of them have found a way into the human heart but only one is almost completely dominated by one name. Shakespeare, honorary ruler of the play world, has taken over the play world for around 200 years. In this time people have and still do remake his plays.
Disillusionment shines through the written play, even
“William Shakespeare’s Impact on Theater” says that “Theater, in particular, has experienced many changes due to his influence,” and without any major influence like Shakespeare to guide the changes of theater, it would be extremely different (Octane 1). Shakespeare introduced many new elements to theater because of how his writing was unique in his time period. Despite this, his writing appealed to many different audiences. For instance, Octane says that “The way in which Shakespeare’s plots move forward has helped define modern play-writing. Similarly, Shakespeare’s complex characterizations have brought forth a new type of storytelling in which characters’ choices drive plots forward” and “His plays were often imbued with universal truths of human existence, rather than acting as mirrors of the privileged life.
