Amanda Stevenson
Wilson High School: 0838
Works in Translation Written Assignment
Word Count: 1326
Amanda Stevenson
IB English
Works in Translation Written Assignment
Death in Venice: Works in Translation Written Assignment
Throughout Death in Venice, Mann uses geographical locations and natural occurrences to prove that external conflicts are caused by a man’s internal conflict and reflection and that one event in can parallel and possibly characterize a protagonist.
Although Aschenbach is an acclaimed artist, specifically a writer, he has a very structured life throughout his development. He supposedly has great self discipline, which leads to him withholding certain things and details when he gets older. His younger years of
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Earthquakes in nature are caused by the moving of tectonic plates and the inner layers of Earth, and Aschenbach’s sight of Tadzio parallels this, because it is as if Aschenbach’s inner emotions are changing (“The Science of Earthquakes”). He is beginning to think differently, and he describes Tadzio with so much detail, that only another artist would understand. Right before Aschenbach sees Tadzio, he gazes at the water, seeking comfort, as evidences by, “His love of the sea had profound roots”(Mann 318). Venice is known for its many waterways. In the context of Death in Venice, the waterways parallel the different pathways people take during their lives. The waterways could also parallel the veins within Aschenbach’s body. The actual altitude of Venice, Italy is much lower than that of Munich, Germany, which supports the idea that Venice was a better place for Aschenbach as far as for creativity (“A View On Cities”). The higher altitude of Munich parallels the higher barriers that Aschenbach faced while he was there. Being at a higher altitude, would mean there is less usable air to breath, which can be compared to Aschenbach’s lack of inspiration. In Munich, Aschenbach was expected to be an excellent writer, because of his previous works. There were more scenarios for Aschenbach to fail in Munich, whereas in Venice, he was free to experiment with his new found feelings. Venice served as …show more content…
Aschenbach tries to approach and impress Tadzio towards the end of the novel. Tadzio dies soon after this, which is a clear form of rejection, thus symbolizing the metaphorical “earthquake” for Aschenbach. This rejection really hurts Aschenbach and all of his inner feelings. At this point, Aschenbach sees the crater that has formed between him and Tadzio. Once craters are formed with natural earthquakes, they cannot be fixed with nature, they must be patched up with the methods only man provides. This image of division created by Aschenbach shows him that Tadzio will never accept him and there is nothing he can do about
In the play Hamlet Shakespeare teaches us a valuable lesson; namely, not to allow revenge to overcome us. Indeed, one should not be satisfied with a clear-cut division between the good and the bad, the successful and the rejected. Deception can be used as an instrument of convenience and a weapon of destruction leading us to conclude that the mere appearance of things may be deceiving. The murder episode described by Capote is a metaphor of the family’s estrangement. It removes the family from the domain of the reality and realism to transform it by means of the Gothic imagery into a powerful symbol of an average American family (Olsza, 2009). Meanwhile, Hamlet's behaviour becomes more erratic; his acting mad seems to cause Hamlet to become temporarily insane and lose his grip on reality. This proves that acting on psychotic impulses, even at the spur of moments, usually involves disastrous consequences. Hamlet and In Cold Blood are commonly recognized a classic play and a novel of human
Hamlet is as much a story of emotional conflict, paranoia, and self-doubt as it is one of revenge and tragedy. The protagonist, Prince Hamlet of Denmark, is instructed by his slain father’s ghost to enact vengeance upon his uncle Claudius, whose treacherous murder of Hamlet’s father gave way to his rise to power. Overcome by anguish and obligation to avenge his father’s death, Hamlet ultimately commits a number of killings throughout the story. However, we are not to view the character Hamlet as a sick individual, but rather one who has been victimized by his own circumstances.
The reflections of each character demonstrate the contrasting ideas of sanity and the corruption of minds. Hamlet appeared to be a more dubious and introspective main character while Laertes was thought out to be an agile and confrontational foil character. The disparity between Hamlet’s thought processes when coping with news of his father’s murderer and Laertes’ discovery of his father’s death
Obsession driven revenge often leads to extensive deceiving, lying and dishonesty. Shakespeare conveys this idea with his characterization of Iago and the idea is further investigates by Scott Spencer in his novel “Endless Love”. First person narration allows the audience to obtain deepened insight into the thoughts of the characters transfixed, consumed and manipulated mind. The characterization of David in this novel exemplifies this notion as he describes the nature of a lie, “ You don’t live it, you live in it, the way you might live in a cave”. Spencer uses a simile to provide imagery and insight into the true nature of obsession. The idea presented is one of captivation and consumption that emerges involuntarily, as a result of consistent lying to gain power and manipulation in a path of revenge.
In tragedies, characters often serve to act as instruments of the suffering of others. This is particularly true in the play Macbeth, in which the main character’s actions lead to the subsequent distress and woe of other characters. In the play, the main character, Macbeth, directly contributes to the anguish of other characters, succumbing to his own bloodthirstiness as he ruthlessly removes threats to his desired power. Macbeth brings great suffering upon others, and the subsequent violence and carnage adds to the distress and tragedy of the play as a whole; the tragic vision of the play is consequently exemplified.
The Shakespearean play featuring a man being stabbed 23 times to death, “Julius Caesar,” is quite unique in many perspectives, because unlike most plays, this play has a plot that deals with controversial events, leaving the bulk of the readers in a state of ambiguity and division. The scene where Julius Caesar was stabbed is ambiguous, because it is a good thing for the people, but the way he was murdered is much too brutal. Whether or not Brutus should have joined the conspiracy to kill Caesar divides the audience, since it is unclear if it was beneficial or detrimental to the people of Rome. The audience is also divided on their perception of Caesar, due to his actions that could be interpreted as both arrogance or confidence. These three points demonstrate that the play’s flexible plot line opens itself up for the audiences’ own interpretation.
Individual reactions to situations of external or internal conflict are reflected in much of literature. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the character of Hamlet must deal with both external and internal conflict. He faces the death of his father, the knowledge that his uncle Claudius is his father's murderer and the knowledge that he must take revenge. Hamlet's responses to these external conflicts and his own internal views proclaim his nature and character.
When analyzing Shakespeare's Hamlet through the deconstructionist lens various elements of the play come into sharper focus. Hamlet's beliefs about himself and his crisis over indecision are expounded upon by the binary oppositions created in his soliloquies.
In the tragedy play “Hamlet” written by William Shakespeare, had an underlying theme of heroism. Throughout the entire play, Hamlet has proven himself to be a hero in disguise. He is a good representation of how an ordinary individual can be a hero. However, as we continue to read the play, we soon discover that he is incapable of certain things and carry traits that go against what a typical hero is believed to have. Hamlet is not the stereotypical hero you would expect. Instead, he is a flawed hero. Every time we look at Hamlet, he is different, unpredictable, but never cease to surprise us with his acts. Our relationship with Hamlet changes each time we read the play. The play offers a different standard than what is typical for what defines
Conflict, in literary context, can be defined as “the opposition of persons or forces that gives rise to the dramatic action in a drama or fiction.” Conflicts can be external, between two or more persons, or internal, within one’s self. In most literature the conflict adds to the execution of the plot itself. Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” makes use of both forms of conflict as an essential element of the play. I will show how “Hamlet” presents inner and outer conflicts with examples of each and how their resolutions (if any) serve as a major part of the overall play itself.
Hamlet is a suspenseful play that introduces the topic of tragedy. Throughout the play, Hamlet displays anger, uncertainty, and obsession with death. Although Hamlet is unaware of it, these emotions cause the mishaps that occur throughout the play. These emotions combined with his unawareness are the leading basis for the tragic hero’s flaws. These flaws lead Hamlet not to be a bad man, but a regular form of imperfection that comes along with being human.
Hamlet, one of Shakespeare’s tragic plays, portrays the story of a young man’s quest to avenge his murdered father and his quest to find his true identity. In his soliloquies, Prince Hamlet reveals to the readers his personal perceptions of the events that take place in his homeland, Denmark, and of which are either indirectly or directly tied to his father’s murder. Many critics and scholars agree that while Hamlet’s soliloquies reveal the search of his identity and true character, his soliloquies universally illustrate man’s search for his true identity.
When analyzing a character and their actions, perspective is an important element to consider. This coincides with point of view, which gives us further context of a character's actions. In Shakespeare's "Macbeth" and Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart", murder is a common theme in which the protagonists struggle to overcome the guilt they feel. The protagonists inevitably let their guilty consciences overpower them, leading them to their demise. Looking at these texts critically, focusing our attention on the perspectives of the given texts, gives us a comprehensive understanding of the character's actions.
An individual's response to conditions of internal and external conflict is explored throughout literature. In his play, Hamlet, Shakespeare delves into the themes of appearance versus reality, lies versus deceit, rejection versus self doubt and tragedy, and in doing so attacks the frivolous state of humanity in contemporary society. In order to explore these themes, however, he uses several forms of conflict to project his opinions and expand his ideas relating to the themes of the play. Internal conflict, as well as external conflict are dominant features of his works, and in Hamlet are made evident through a succession of dire events which can attack and destroy
In Thomas Mann’s Death In Venice, Tadzio is likened to the sun and thus represents an illuminating force for knowing what is truly good and just and by consequence represents a “higher truth.” This quest for knowledge on what is good becomes apparent as Aschenbach becomes more and more infatuated with Tadzio, not in a romantic sense, but rather a sense of seeking what he believes is right, a platonic relationship which ultimately sparks Aschenbach’s demise. Aschenbach’s motives are somewhat muddled as he enters the second half of his life and seeks to find what is true. To do this he decides to take a vacation to Venice where he meets Tadzio. After being a rather stoic and cold person, this all melts away as he basks in Tadzio’s presence as one would in the sun. Tadzio as a representation for light is why Aschenbach is so drawn to him, because he believes that the child could be the illuminating figure for him. While Tadzio himself is not the “higher truth” personified, he does act as the ray of light for seeing what Aschenbach’s wants in his life, what he sought after since the beginning of the story. Examples of this relationship and its representations include how Tadzio is likened to Helios who is the sun giant in Greek mythology, the imagery associated with sun and Tadzio, such as Tadzio rising from the sea and how ever-present he is in the environment around Aschenbach, how Tadzio is described as Aschenbach’s “Mirror and image” suggesting that