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Relevance of shakespeare in 21st century
Relevance of shakespeare in 21st century
William shakespeare analysis
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Consequences of Appearance Versus Reality All stories contain the same basic vital elements, such as plot, characters, and structure, but they would not have purpose if they did not have a theme. These messages allow individuals to reach beyond the basic entertainment of literature to seek a universal message that they can apply to their lives. In Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet and Wilde’s comedy The Importance of Being Earnest, revealing themes are expressed through their contrasting genres. Even though both of these works utilize the universal theme of appearance versus reality to display that individuals choose to not question what is before them, comedy does not demonstrate that this is a mistake, while tragedy exposes its negative consequences.
Defining the Cultural Influence of Human Nature in William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” The definition of human nature often serves as a quick and a prominent explanation for how people behave under a variety of circumstances within their cultural boundaries. Similarly, in William Shakespeare’s play “Much Ado About Nothing” the 16th century Sicilian culture in which the characters live in, defines the complex relationships and interactions that shape characters human nature in this dramatic comedy. In comparison, I have often heard people refer to the nature of humans in the 21st century, as a way to distinguish a person’s violent actions under wartime circumstances. In “Much Ado About Nothing” the culture of social and wartime influence is defined through the relationships and interactions between characters with the heart and mind of the characters in constant conflict.
Of all the things people possess, their personality traits are among the most significant because their qualities are what define who they are. Each person is unique and distinct in their character, but there are some personal attributes that many humans have in common. In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, the tragic hero, Macbeth, embodies several of such universal human traits. One important character trait that Macbeth holds is selfishness, and this facet of his is universal because it is reflected in great leaders like Steve Jobs and also in normal individuals such as the Rod Dreher.
One is familiar with Shakespeare’s tragedies such as “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet”, “The Tragedy of Hamlet” and so forth. Shakespeare’s tragedies have been known for centuries as a reflection of the societies in different eras which appealed to many until today. They express the darkness that lies within the human’s soul and mind. “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” and “The Tragedy of Macbeth” are both remarkable works of Shakespeare’s that although they are of different plots, they both share indistinguishable characteristics and themes such as a tragic hero, tragic flaw and hero’s downfall. It had been noted that all Shakespearean tragedies reflect a flaw in the main character or a conflict with an overpowering force that can be observed in the characteristics of Julius Caesar’s, Brutus’s, and Macbeth’s.
The Tragedy of Macbeth demonstrates the change of heart most people had during the time period of the English Renaissance; likewise, this time period also is known as the time of expansion. Specific values and beliefs shifted from just strictly religious to humanistic values. The time of expansion created new curriculum and a broader array of topics that people could study through universities while gaining an education. Humanism is “a system of thought that focuses on humans and their values, capacities, and worth” (American Heritage Dictionary of English Language). It can also be known as “(Philosophy) a philosophical position that stresses the autonomy of human reason in contradiction to the authority of the Church” (Collins English Dictionary).
The interest of an audience is held by themes that are fundamental to the human condition, as these reflect our world and examine human nature. For example, Othello explores themes of jealousy which is still relevant to this day. Therefore most themes in this play have a broad appeal to all people. The lives of a twenty first century audience are substantially different to those of a Shakespearean time but the themes of love, hate and death are timeless.
Title of the Written Task 2: How does the text conform to, or deviate from, the conventions of a particular genre, and for what purpose? In this essay I will: Explore the conventions of a tragedy Show how Shakespeare adheres to the rules of a tragedy Determine sub-genres present in the play Demonstrate how Hamlet’s themes and characters conform to revenge tragedy In a nutshell, a tragedy is a form of drama established on human suffering, generally concerns the downfall of the protagonist and ending on a despondent tone. “Hamlet” is more specifically classified as a “Shakespearean tragedy”; in which key differences consist of the chorus being replaced by comedic scenes, the play having several subplots and the protagonist facing a tragic death. Additionally “Hamlet” can be categorized as a revenge tragedy, as partly the plot is about a quest for vengeance.
Shakespeare was a famous author and poet that wrote extremely well-known texts, such as “Romeo and Juliet” and “Hamlet.” Shakespeare lived during the Renaissance when art and science advanced and he was one of the major contributors to this historical period. “Shakespeare Influences the way we speak now” by Hephzibah Anderson, “William Shakespeare’s Impact on Theatre” by Octane, and “How Outrage Built Over a Shakespearean Depiction of Trump” by Sara Krulwich suggest that Shakespeare had a great influence on many aspects of society, such as the phrases we use, style of theater, and is a figure of inspiration to many people. Shakespeare has contributed to many well-known phrases that are still used to this day, showing his significance in history.
The religious preferences and philosophy of the English Renaissance affected Shakespeare’s writing. The battle for a man’s soul comes from the Christian idea of God in heaven conflicting with Satan in the world. Shakespeare views evil as more than only bad deeds; it breaks the holy order that God instituted to hold the universe together (Miller). Expanding
In the Shakespearean comedy The Tempest, we are presented with the psychological violence associated with the abuse of power and continuous theme of colonialism explored throughout the play. In early works of Shakespeare it is evident that the violence interrogated in his plays consists of bloodshed and physical torture as opposed to his later works such as The Tempest where the play focuses on the ideology of psychological violence. The Tempest was one of the last plays written by Shakespeare and is recognised as one of his most popular works
In the twenty-first century, the plays of William Shakespeare may at first appear dated and irrelevant: they use archaic language, are set in the age of Kings and Queens, and the Kingdom of England. However, it would be plainly mistaken to construe that Shakespeare’s works do not still remain integral to a twenty-first century society. Shakespeare’s plays gave the words and expressions one uses every day, revolutionized the art of theater as it was known, and forewarned about issues that would unknowingly still apply centuries later. Therefore, Shakespeare has had a profound effect on our lives by enriching our language and culture, as well as providing ideas that would still apply five centuries later, and it would thus behoove us to learn from his works and life.
Shakespeare work it appears, was prophetic as he tried, to prepare all for the times to come. The Elizabethan ideology itself became a vehicle that Shakespeare rode on to safety and security convey this message of self-redemption. This itself reveals a man of Shakespeare, deep thought and top-notch
Despite being written a long time ago, readers in this day and age can still relate to the themes and characters. Each reader can find something that appeals to them. Shakespeare’s and Jonson’s works are evidence that there is no one definition of great literature. Even though they didn’t have the same approach or use the same techniques, they are both perfect and their works are jewels that need to be cherished in years to
The conventions of tragedy and comedy, such as the tragedy in Oedipus Rex and the comedy in The Taming of the Shrew, can shape the way the play is developed. Thorough analysis can reveal these dramas to be discussions of human experience. As Laurence Olivier once said: “The office of drama is to exercise, possibly exhaust, human emotions. The purpose of comedy is to tickle those emotions into an expression of light relief; of tragedy, to wound them and bring relief of tears. Disgust and terror are the other points of the compass.”
Shakespeare’s Hamlet takes the audience on a journey of a prince who is caught between two spheres of a society in which he attempts to discard the expected norms of a prince to converge to his new ideas on the type of man he wants to live as. The Renaissance was a period in the 16th century that challenged ideals that were limited and outdated. Hamlet is a humanist figure who lives according to the humanist ideals and this leads him to questioning the society and his role as a prince in the 16th century. During the play we see how Hamlet is in constant conflict with the morality of exacting revenge and his new learning and education. It is against this backdrop that I will discuss the argument of Arnold Kettle’s “From Hamlet to Lear” in relation the extracts I have analysed.
