In “When in Doubt, It’s from Shakespeare”, the fifth chapter of Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster discusses the importance Shakespeare holds in today's literature, and how his work can be found in nearly every story. To begin, Foster states reasons for why writers frequently reference Shakespeare. Foster gives the example of Athol Fugard who is famous for his play “Master Harold” … and the Boys (1982). This intertextual play, which deals with racial problems from the 1950’s alludes to Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part II.
It can be argued both plays extensively address the gender limits displayed in the early-modern period. Subsequently it appears masculinity was firmly interlinked with governmental issues, dictating the perception
These boundaries and social groups were determined and identified through the use of
At that time in history, the status quo and social norm was simple. Patriarchy was the predominant force as men were regarded as superior to women, both in society as well as the relationship scene. Shakespeare attempted to change this perception through his multiple works of literature. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare uses the theme of gender roles to express the idea that the status quo and social norm in the Elizabethan era can be challenged through courtship, father-daughter relationships, and wedlock. The play commences with the courtship of multiple individuals.
Social categorization theory developed by Turner (1978) describes the categorization of people based on salient attributes like gender, ethnicity or age, resulting in stereotyping on the basis of these differences. Social categorization theory posits that similarities and dissimilarities of demographics can lead formation of different group with resulting effects on member of in-group favorably themselves to the detriment of members of out-groups social (Turner, Brown & Tajfel, 1979). Self-categorization theory explains when individuals categorize themselves by assigning to themselves the manners, actions and other characteristics they link with association within a specific group (Schmitt, Branscombe, Silvia, Garcia, & Spears. 2016). By means of self-categorization and membership of a group, people cultivate a social identity that functions as a social-cognitive scheme (customs, standards and attitudes) for their group associated action. The tendency is for the perceiver to consider these attributes as vital to his or her own personality and thus use these attributes to label others (Hoffman Harburg, & Maier, 2014).
William Shakespeare’s works, written primarily from the late eighteen hundreds to the very early sixteen hundreds, have long been the subject of academic debates and analysis. Potent with double entendres, metaphors, and social commentary, it is easy to apply queer theory to Shakespeare’s plays, notably Twelfth Night, written in 1601. Though Twelfth Night’s ending pushes its characters into traditional heterosexual romances and binary gender roles to satisfy the genre and placate conservative Elizabethan audiences, the characters in the comedy defy tradition by exploring homosexual love and expression of gender. The most apparent homosexual themes are present in the relationship between Antonio and Sebastian.
When people of one race believe themselves to be superior to those of another, only catastrophe can result. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, racism was extremely prevalent, and white supremacy was much more pronounced. In William Shakespeare’s play Othello, both covert and overt racism, assimilation, and jealous dispositions all foreshadow the untimely death of Desdemona and Othello. Most characters in Othello display both covert racism and overt racism towards Othello.
Abstract: Epic theatre which comes to being by Erwin Piscator and comes to fame by Brecht is a mode of representing theatre to the audience in a way that they feel detached from it and come to their rationale instead of their emotions, therefore, stop sympathising with the characters of the play. Although, this Epic Theatre movement is belonging to 20th century, Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night Dream shows obvious traces of this mode of representation. When in a play within a play, through Peter Quince- one of the characters of the play- he gives us some hints to how to represent the play in a way that the audiences, and above all women do not afraid of them he is actually giving hints for detaching the audiences and preventing them from
Some examples of social definition may be that only Caucasians can be successful while African Americans or Hispanics are poor and live off the government. Today in our society, this has become a big controversy dealing with the new president we have recently elected. Different ethnicities believe that others are either better or higher up, or are worse and below them. People today do not believe that a person of a different race than the may be as equally qualified to fulfill an activity because of there race. I believe family plays a big role in this dimension, big families promote their children about their ways and they teach it to their children and so on.
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 Topsy Turvy world of Shakespearean Comedy lends more space to create humour, the inversion of expectation and the creation of a subversive comedy in his characterisation and the use of social taboo is what makes Twelfth night’s conservative nature diminish. However “Ultimately” as in the end of the Green World and the play, Twelfth Night’s finale can definitely be seen as “ultimately conservative”. As with many of Shakespeare’s prolific comedies such as in Twelfth Night and in A Midsummer Nights Dream, they result in the return of order and resolve in the tying of loose ends of most of the radical undertones portrayed in the play up to that point, this is done mainly through marriages of a socially acceptable nature, Thus ending in this “ultimately conservative” resolution of the
Race cannot exist outside of representation, and that it is formed in the conscience of individuals after either a social process (the status of certain people within a society) or by factors such as political power (what laws are imposed on what people) and only then are observable characteristics of an individual transformed into race signifiers. If racialization compartmentalizes people based on a wide range of characteristics, ethnicity takes the concept of categorization to a more precise and static level. Ethnicity is set apart from race as, although still a form of cultural identity, it is a cultural concept focused on the sharing of beliefs, values, norms, cultural symbols and practices and not biological or physical
Ethnicity and the Class System -Soumya Uttam, 2-B Our society is deeply engraved with many forms of social stratification. People are constantly being categorized in a hierarchy, based upon their occupation, income, social status and power. One such type is the Class system, which is based upon economy. Social groups are divided according to their relationship to a 'means of production', i.e, land, property, industries, etc.
Ethnicity and the Class System -Soumya Uttam, 2-B Our society is deeply engraved with many forms of social stratification. People are constantly being categorized in a hierarchy, based upon their occupation, income, social status and power. One such type is the Class system, which is based upon economy. Social groups are divided according to their relationship to a 'means of production', i.e, land, property, industries, etc.
The question Shakespeare proposes is: To what extent are characters willing to go to in order to satisfy their need to belong and feelings of longing? Through Shakespeare’s implicit answers
