Hamlet and a Midsummer Night’s Dream Free Essays

In one of AMND’s most enduring passages, Lysander states (Act one scene one, line 134) ‘The course of true love never did run smooth. ’ The conflict that is inevitably born out of love is a central theme at the heart of Midsummer’s Night’s Dream and Hamlet, but is extended by Shakespeare not only to romantic relationships, but to familial bonds as well. The conflict is ultimately resolved in diametrically opposing ways in each play, according to the conventions of their respective genres. We will write a custom essay sample on Hamlet and a Midsummer Night’s Dream or any similar topic only for you Order Now Hamlet is a tragedy, and therefore can result only in death, but AMND, as a comedy, uses the traditional method of marriage to resolve its conflict. Shakespeare opens AMND with the relationship between Athenian Duke Theseus and Amazonian warrior Hippolyta, thereby framing the enfolding drama with the portrayal of a union in which romance and military conflict are inextricably bound: ‘Hippolyta, I woo’d thee with my sword/and won thy love doing thee injuries. (1:1:16) Shakespeare incongruously conflates military imagery withthe language of romance, establishing the theme of love, initially at least, as being fraught with conflict. This is highlighted further as the discussion of Theseus and Hippolyta’s forthcoming nuptials is juxtaposed with the dramatic introduction of Hermia and Lysander, young lovers forbidden to marry by Egeus, Hermia’s domineering father. Lysander and Hermia decide to ‘from Athens turn away our eyes’ (1. 1. 218) and elope t o the forest. Shakespeare’s use of the forest as a backdrop to the young lovers’ elopement is significant. It would have reminded members of the Jacobean audience of ‘Saturnalia’, an ancient Roman festival in honour of the deity Saturn, which took place in the forest and was famous for subverting Roman social norms. A carnival atmosphere pervaded the festival, which included features – such as masters waiting on their servant’s tables – which defied the etiquette of the time. The allusion to Saturnalia emphasises Lysander and Hermia’s defiance of social restraints in eloping against her father’s wishes. Egeus’ attempted control of Hermia parallels Polonius’s manipulation of Ophelia in Hamlet, as in both plays Shakespeare depicts romantic relationships as complicatedbyfamilial pressures. The forest acts as a symbol for freedom from such conflict. Away from urban civilization and its social traditions, the forest exists as a primeval space where Hermia and Lysander feel their love can truly be celebrated, unhindered by the familial politics they have left behind: ‘to that place the sharp Athenian law cannot pursue us. ’ (1. 1. 62)However, social norms are not the only things overturned in the forest. By pouring a magical potion in the lovers’ eyes, Puck, a mischievous fairy, swaps the object of Demetrius and Lysander affection to Helena. This comic turn sets the enfolding drama in motion, but also demonstrates the cruelty of fickle love, that is so easily swayed to devastating effect, as Hermia laments: ‘O spite! O Hell! I see you are all bent, to set against me. ’ (3. 2. 145) Shakespeare expounds upon this theme of love in Hamlet too but with far more serious consequences; as befits a tragedy. Whereas Hermia is part of the tradition of Shakespearean women who defy their controlling fathers to marry their lovers, Ophelia proves far more susceptible to Polonius and Laertes’ bullying as they are successful in thwarting her relationship with Hamlet. Just as Shakespeare portrays affection as transient through Puck’s meddling with Demetrius and Lysander, Laertes lectures Ophelia on love’s temporary and untrustworthy nature: ‘forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting. ’ (1. 3. ) The emphatic rhythm of Laerte’s dialogue is created by the many caesuras that break up this line; each word drumming itself into Ophelia’s psyche. Ironically, it isn’t the ‘trifling of [Hamlet’s] favour’ (1. 3. 6) that breaks Ophelia’s heart, and ultimately her sanity, but rather her family’s interference, in particular her father’s political scheming. A. C Bradley in his book ‘Shakespearian Tragedy†™ notes that ‘good conflict must be drawn out’; accordingly, both Hamlet and AMND are over five acts long and only get resolved in the final scenes, each according to their genre. The conflict inherent in Shakespeare’s portrayal of romantic relationships is given tangible form as Lysander and Demetrius prepare to fight over the woman they profess to love: ‘if thou say so withdraw and prove it to. ’ (3. 2. 255) Despite the threat of violence about to unfold on stage, Shakespeare’s audience would have been aware that as a comedy, A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream would culminate in marriage rather then bloodshed. In the opening scene of the play, Lysander alludes to the May Day rituals that he had participated in: ‘And in the wood a league without the town, where I did meet†¦to do observance to a morn of May’ (1. 1. 165) The May Day rites were an ancient celebration of fertility and renewal, and the setting of the lustrous forest reinforces this atmosphere, even throughout Lysander and Demetrius’s altercation, emphasising that the conflict would, in the end, be resolved happily. In stark contrast, Hamlet and Laertes fight over Ophelia’s grave. Shakespeare uses the graveyard setting to foreshadow the men’s death as a result of their growing hostility – unlike in AMND, the conflict within a tragedy cannot end in marriage; it must end in death: ‘I thought thy bride-bed to have decked, sweet maid, and not have strewed thy grave’. (5. 1. 241) Throughout the play Ophelia is referred to by language such as ‘maid’, emphasising her youth and her innocence. This heightens the tragic impact of her decline and eventual death, but also reinforces how she is infantilised by her father, and therefore controlled. When Polonius finds out that Ophelia has been conducting a romance with Hamlet, he insists that she no longer have contact with the prince: ‘I will teach you. Think yourself a baby. ’ (1. 3. 105) Polonius convinces Ophelia that she has been naive and stupid to believe Hamlet’s professions of love: ‘Affection? Pooh! You speak like a green girl. ’ (1. 3. 101) In Polonius’s dialogue, Shakespeare repeatedly employs images of Ophelia as a child to portray how her father psychologically controls her, by making her dependent on his commands, as a young child would: ‘I shall obey, my lord. (1. 3. 136) In AMND Shakespeare constructs a similar conflict around a father-daughter relationship, as Egeus wants his daughter Hermia, to marry Demetrius and not her lover, Lysander. Shakespeare draws upon ancient Greek mythology to portray his characters and their respective philosophies. Egeus displays Apollonian attributes as he paternalistically favours a strict adherence to the law above all else, even to the point of death: ‘As she is mine, I may dispose of her†¦or to her death according to our law. ’ (1. 1. 3) Egeus commoditises his relationship with his daughter, as he considers her a possession to be controlled and exploited. Like Polonius who commands Ophelia to ‘set your entreatments at a higher rate’ (1. 3. 122), Egeus’s diction is replete with the language of commerce as he tries to trade his daughter: ‘and she is mine, and all my rights of her I do estate unto Demetrius. ’ (1. 1. 97) Hermia, however, embodies the Dionysian life philosophy, as she embraces passion and resists her father’s moralistic control: ‘My soul consents not to give sovereignty’ (1. . 82) Unlike Ophelia who submits to her father’s demands and therefore breaks off her relationship with Hamlet, Hermia prioritises romance over filial duty as she spiritedly defies Athenian law: à ¢â‚¬ËœOh hell to choose love by another’s eyes’ (1. 1. 140) The conflicts that are engendered by love are complicated even further by the disparity between reality and illusion, which is a central theme in both plays. In both Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, eyes are used as a symbol of the merging of reality and that which seems to be reality ie. Illusion: ‘seems madam? Nay it is. I know not seems†¦no, nor the fruitful river in the eye, nor the dejected ‘haviour of the visage. ’ (1. 2. 75) The juxtaposition by Hamlet of his father, Old Hamlet, and Claudius invokes similar language with reference to the eye: ‘what devil was’t that thus has cozened you at hoodman-blind? / Eyes without feeling, feeling without eyes, /ears without hands or eyes’ (3. 4. 78). Shakespeare elects to convey the inherent tragic conflict in love by using the language of eyes: ‘Ha! Have you eyes? You cannot call it love. ’ (3. 4. 68)Here the Gertrude’s love for Claudius is presented through the eyes of Hamlet as being ‘stewed in corruption’ (3. 4. 95) and the maternal bonds between her and Hamlet cause her to regret her actions and fear for her spiritual health: ‘O Hamlet speak no more. Thou turnest mine eyes into my very soul / and there I see such black and grained spots. ’(3. 4. 89) In the final scene of the play, all characters must face their spiritual destiny in their death, showing how conflict in Hamlet results only in death. Conflict of reality and illusion is also symbolised through reference to the eye in AMND, as Puck pours the poison into Lysander and Demetrius’s eyes it is then that comic drama enters the scene as love’s object is subverted: ‘Methinks I see things with parted eye’ (4. 1. 188) The illusion of the lovers exchanged allegiances is representative of the conflict that can result from reality being destabilized especially where love is concerned: ‘Have you not set Lysander, as in scorn/ to follow me, praise my eyes and face? ’ (3. 2. 23) Eventually, love is restored to the couples and Theseus bids that ‘these couples shall be eternally knit’ (4. 1. 180) and here illusion is replaced with reality which results in the marriage of the couples, in accordance with the comic convention. The significance of Puck’s last speech, which is spoken to the audience, is essential. Puck tells the audience that they should ‘think this and al l is mended: that you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear; and this weak and idle theme no more yielding than a dream. Puck tells them to imagine that the entire play wasn’t real, so where in Hamlet reality wins out in the end, in AMND the art of illusion leaves the play on a cliff hanger and the audience must decide whether or not reality exists. This is all part of the comic convention. In conclusion, Shakespeare presents parallel conflicts in both plays, each resulting from conflicted relationships, but they are resolved in accordance with the two plays’ genres. He concludes all conflict in Hamlet with death and tragedy and all conflict in AMND with laughter and comedy. Elizabethan and modern day audiences would identify the conflict within Hamlet as the play’s catalyst towards the catastrophic ending, whilst viewing the conflict within AMND with less seriousness, knowing hostility between characters will ultimately dissolve. Shakespeare appears to be using the themes within Hamlet, such as death and madness, to present conflict between people as an inevitable part of people’s lives, whilst the farcical nature of the battles within AMND suggest conflict is fleeting and avoidable. ‘So, good night unto you all. / Give me your hand if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends. ’ (AMND 5. 1. 419) How to cite Hamlet and a Midsummer Night’s Dream, Essay examples

Antigone A Tragic Hero Essay Example For Students

Antigone: A Tragic Hero Essay Antigone: A Tragic Hero Essay Heroes come in many forms. Some such as immense in size and strength as Hercules, some in the form of people that are shunned upon, such as Harriet Tubman, and some that are only valorous heroes to some, such as Kurt Cobain. These heroes have many characteristics that make people flock to their side and follow them without a thought of hesitation. In Sophocles Antigone the hero is a women that believes in her heart far stronger than that of her leaders rule. This brings up many characteristics that are shown within her that are also seen in other heroes. One being that she is up against an impossible enemy, one who does not fit well into societys mold, and is destroyed by her own pride. For these characteristics Antigone is given the title of an epic Heroin. Antigone is one of the lucky townsfolk to be born of a royal house, yet is unlucky to be born in the House that she is born into. As Antigone defies Creons law, she is cast into a pool of danger between what she believes is right and what the states law decrees is right. As Antigone is charged with the burying of her brother, an action which the King has declared unlawful, she holds like stone to her undying gratitude for her deceased brother. She holds to this thought because of the fact that she believes that her, who died fighting against the state, must be interred with the same honor as her brother who died defending the state. She believes that this will help lift the curse plagued on the household. The curse in which there father tried to hold at bay and failed. Her sister Ismene warned Antigone by exclaiming Sister please, please! remember how our father die: hated, in disgrace, wrapped in horror of himself, his own hand stabbing out his sight. And how his mother-wife in one, twisted off her earthly days with a cord. And thirdly how our two brothers in a single day each achieved for each a suicidal Nemesis (166). This has already gave Antigone the mind set that even the Gods are against her will. She is also up against a great foe in fighting that of Creons edict. Ismene has said this: The rest, if we defy our sovereigns edict and his power. Remind ourselves that we are women, and such not made to fight with men. For might unfortunately is right and makes us bow to things like this and worse (167). So as one would believe Antigone sees herself as not only on who can defy the power of the Gods but the power of the state. Thus she would be up against an force greater than her own. Second, another characteristics of a tragic hero is that the person does not always fit into societys mold. The tragic hero is usually one who wants change, yet also needs the peace that goes along with stability. The fact that the tragic hero also usually thinks that they are in there right mind when yet the rest of the society thinks that they are mad. Antigone has said Say that I am mad, and madly let me risk the worst that I can suffer and the best (168). this shows that although Antigone thinks she is doing is right, she also does not care how the other members of society deem her for her action. Antigone also must believe that she must be different from not only society but members of her family. Dracula Essay Compare And Contrast When asked if she knows the edict her exclamation is Of course I knew. Was it not publicly proclaimed? (179). This line clearly shows that Antigone has .

The Deteriorating Wallpaper Essays - Medicine, Fiction,

Victoria Sanson Dr. Somers ENGL 254 6 October 2017 The Deteriorating Wallpaper Strong, determine, intelligent, confident, and hard working . These are not some of the words that were used to describe women during the 19th century . During the nineteenth century, women were viewed as homemakers, not able to perform in society with men . They were degraded by men to believe that they were worth almost nothing, only worthy of bearing children and was viewed as property . This superfluous male domination lead to many women feeling trapped in their own homes, unable to escape from the confinements placed on them by their husbands . An illumination of these confines was accounted by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in her short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" . In this story, Gilman portrays a woman who is suffering from post-partum depression . The woman is locked away from society in a confined room, only to drive herself even more insane . The author uses this nameless narrator in attempts to gain her position against gender issues and break down the bar riers of male domination . Throughout "The Yellow Wallpaper", Gilman challenges the reader to question feminist stances and gender boundaries of the 19th century using the dynamic of the narrator and her husband's marriage, the idea of a rest cure, and the societal norms of the 19th century . Women in the 19th century had many reasons to be filled with resentment . They were deprived of many human rights and given little in return for their contributions to society . They worked mostly in the home, taking care of the family while their husbands were at work . Women were not considered able to perform tasks in the workplace, and were not able to obtain their own careers . The author recognizes these hardships and relates them to the situation in the story . Gilman writes in a way that is extremely structural that the reader's visual senses are captivated by the written text and infer that the narrator is growing increasingly insane . The social norms of the 19th century were that men were considered superior to women in all ways . Dr. Graham Warder states, "In a world of strict patriarchy, men controlled not only the wealth and political power but also how their children were raised, religious question, and all matters of right and wrong" . I believe this means that the wife/mother of the families had no say in what they wanted for their children and had to agree with their husbands even if the wives their own opinions . In the story, the narrator describes herself as the opposite of the normal wife and mother of the 19th century and how John's sister is what everyone expects a new mother to be like . In the story, the narrator writes in her journal that Mary "is a perfect and enthusiastic housekeeper, and hopes for no better profession" (536) . I believe that Gilman is saying that just because she did not fit what was the social norm of her generation, people (including her husband and family) tho ught that she must have had some illness and that with medication she would "get better" and become a "normal wife and mother" . In the short story The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator's husband, John, is a physician and in this time period "if a physician of high standing, and one's own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression - a slight hysterical tendency - what is one to do?" (533) . In the 19th century, women did not have a say in their own health because if the husband said that their wife was mentally ill then the physician would believe the husband over the actual patient . The narrator also states that according to her husband she is "absolutely forbidden to work' until I am well"(533) . She also disagrees with his ideas and "believes that congenial work, with excitement and change" (533) would do her good, but she cannot do anything about it . The narrator has no voice in her own health care because of the social norms of the

Most Lopsided Presidential Elections

Most Lopsided Presidential Elections The most lopsided president election in U.S. history was Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelts 1936 victory against  Republican Alfred M. Landon. Roosevelt won 98.5 percent or 523 of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs that year. Such a lopsided president election is unheard of in modern history. But Roosevelts victory is by no means the only lopsided presidential election. Republican Ronald Reagan won the most electoral votes of any president in history, 525. But that was after seven more electoral votes were added to the prize. His 525 electoral votes represented 97.6 percent of all 538 electoral votes. Definition of a Lopsided President Election In presidential elections, a landslide election is generally agreed to be one in which the winning candidate secures at least 375 or 70 percent of the 538 electoral votes in the Electoral College. For purposes of this article, we are using electoral votes as a measure and not the popular vote. It is possible to win the popular vote and lose the presidential race, as happened in the 2000 and 2016 elections because of the way electoral votes are distributed by states.  A landslide presidential election, in other words, may not always result in a similarly wide margin in popular vote because many U.S. states award electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis to the candidate who wins the popular vote in their state. Using the standard definition of a landslide victory in presidential politics, when one candidate wins at least 375 electoral votes, heres list of contested presidential races that were among the most lopsided in American history. Note: President Donald Trumps 2016 electoral victory does not qualify as a lopsided victory as he won only 306 electoral votes. Democrat Hillary Clinton won 232 electoral votes but carried the popular vote. List of Landslide Presidential Elections Under that standard definition, the following presidential elections would qualify as Electoral College landslides: 1996: Democrat Bill Clinton won 379 electoral votes against Republican Bob Dole, who received only 159 electoral votes.1988: Republican George H.W. Bush won 426 electoral votes against Michael S. Dukakis, who received only 111.1984: Republican Ronald Reagan won 525 electoral votes against Democrat Walter Mondale, who got only 13 electoral votes.1980: Reagan won 489 electoral votes against Democrat Jimmy Carter, who got only 49 electoral votes.1972: Republican Richard Nixon won 520 electoral votes against Democrat George S. McGovern, who got only 17 electoral votes.1964: Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson got 486 electoral votes against Republican Barry M. Goldwater, who got only 52 electoral votes.1956: Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower got 457 electoral votes against Democrat Adlai Stevenson, who got only 73 electoral votes.1952: Eisenhower got 442 electoral votes against Stevenson, who got only 89 electoral votes.1944: Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt got 432 electoral votes against Republican Thomas E. Dewey, who got only 99 electoral votes. 1940: Roosevelt got 449 electoral votes against Republican Wendell L. Wilkie, who got only 82 electoral votes.1936: Roosevelt got 523 electoral votes against Republican Alfred M. Landon, who got only 8 electoral votes.1932: Roosevelt got 472 electoral votes against Republican Herbert C. Hoover, who got only 59 electoral votes.1928: Republican Herbert C. Hoover got 444 electoral votes against Democrat Alfred E. Smith, who got only 87 electoral votes.1924: Republican Calvin Coolidge got 382 electoral votes against Democrat John W. Davis, who got only 136 electoral votes.1920: Republican Warren G. Harding got 404 electoral votes against Democrat James M. Cox, who got only 127 electoral votes.1912: Democrat Woodrow Wilson got 435 electoral votes against Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, who got only 88 electoral votes.

Maturity models and quality managment Assignment

Maturity models and quality managment - Assignment Example Deming and Juran picked up the trail after World War II, and blessed the Japanese industry with statistical quality control and quality improvement processes. In America, the quality revolution began only in 1980, and Deming finally became known in his home country, though his techniques were used mostly for manufacturing. By the end of the 1980’s, quality efforts were embedded in services, and by the 1990’s in health care, government, and education (Evans, 2008, p. 10-14). Thus, quality became an indispensible aspect of management practices, and quality became customer-driven, pursued to meet or exceed customers’ needs (Evans, 2008, p. 6-7). Total Quality Management was born. It is said that quality remained in the limelight from the 1980’s-1990’s due to interest in Six Sigma (Evans, 2008, p. 8). In the mid-1980’s Bill Smith, a reliability engineer at Motorola, sold the concept to Motorola’s CEO, Robert Galvin. GE is the recognized be nchmark for Six Sigma implementation (Evans, 2008, p. 94).

Management uncertainty- assessment for Peer Reviewed Reflection Essay

Management uncertainty- assessment for Peer Reviewed Reflection - Essay Example Successful managers and companies accept the fact that uncertainty is an unavoidable factor in business. It cannot be accurately predicted when an economic meltdown can arise or ways in which impacts would occur in the business environment worldwide. As a result, strategic managers and administrators stress upon formulating alternative plans in order to meet with uncertainty. A back-up plan may also prove unsuitable for meeting an uncertain situation as it cannot be precisely predicted how and what type of an uncertain situation an organization might face in future (Van den Bos, 2001). Regardless of extremity of the uncertain situation, a business is required to take action and cope with it promptly. There is also adequate level of uncertainty in the personal lives of most individuals. Individuals must learn to accept uncertainty as an integral part of life from the way in which a business organization operates. When they are faced with an uncertain situation, it is essential that im mediate actions or thinking is undertaken without wasting time upon grieving about it. (Van den Bos and Lind, 2002). One of the effective ways of managing an uncertain situation is to accept the fact that not all aspects of life can be controlled. For instance, it is not possible for individuals to stop a natural disaster from happening. It is important to realize that human control is limited and that the life of most individuals is a result of interaction between various aspects (Conner, 2006). When these aspects alter, an uncertain situation gets developed. For instance, the careless work of a mechanic might cause an engine failure of a car, leading to a major accident. The people travelling in the car could not have predicted such a situation. Similarly, how and when the actions of other people can affect our lives is beyond our control (McGregor, et al., 2001). Individuals

MEDIA ANALYSIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MEDIA ANALYSIS - Essay Example For example when the photograph of Miriam is introduced to the priest, he quickly jumps to the conclusion that Elijah is guilty of the sexual assault however upon learning more information one quickly learn that he is the least likely to be the one guilty of the crime. The narrative structure takes on a kind of ratchet formula in which the story quickly takes steps forward only to immediately takes a step back which is a common theme across many detective shows. In regards to how the narrative structure is plotted around moments of disruption there are frequent incidences that centre on this theme. For example one can quickly identify the deception from Elijah as he originally escapes from the police, when "The Devil" quickly assaults Detective Elliot Stabler in the bathroom. What these actions imply is that there is a relative moment of tranquility before the aforementioned incidents and it is the case that this affects the narrative insofar as it causes moments of excitement. Lastly there is the case of issues of resolution. Whilst several resolutions were in fact brought about they brought with them severe consequences. By having Elijah identifies â€Å"The Devil of Ghulu† it in fact would bring resolution to the countless people that he harmed but will cost Elijah his freedom. By having Miriam identify the war criminal she in fact can help aide in his conviction however she would bring about her own unpleasant feelings. By Elijah taking refuge in the Church he in fact eliminates his chances of ever gaining American citizenship. As such the narrative of the story implies that there is in fact not supposed to be any clean and clear resolution. The character types that are utilized to effectively tell this story are the dynamic character as epitomized by Elijah who was the child soldier who ends up doing everything he can to help Miriam. The ‘Foil