Art and Nature in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale Essay

The rendering of light and darkness associate perfectly with the play’s emphasis on the contrasts between love and hate, passion and death. The direct comparisons of similes and metaphors do not remain exclusive as Shalespeare begins to incorporate the hidden utilization of clever puns within his masterpiece.

It is apparent in Shakespeare’s tragedy that Othello’s inability to discern between appearance and reality is directly correlated to his lack of self-awareness which essentially incites his downfall. French renaissance philosopher and sceptic, Michel de Montaigne recognised the falsity of appearances and proposed that man cannot know all. Though Montaigne did not preclude a belief in the existence of truth, he adamantly opposed against the idea of locating truth in false notions. This significant issue concerning the disparity between appearance and reality is explored in the frequent utilisation of dramatic irony throughout Othello. By recurrently regarding Iago as “honest” and trustworthy, Othello’s incapability of distinguishing the true nature of Iago from his false visage is emphasised.

Many Elizabethan bedsides were haunted from “the terrors of the night”. Back then their ghosts were nothing like the pasty blobs we call ghosts now. Theirs were quite gruesome. Ghostly visitations were claimed to have been very unpleasant. Not only this, but they claimed it cast them into a state of spiritual confusion.

King Lear and Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, are two plays that reveal similar thematic elements, yet possess fundamentally different plot structures. Driven by the suffering and rage of two complementary characters, both plays suggest injustice through ‘good’, but ultimately flawed characters. This shared overarching theme is, however, conveyed differently within each of the works, as one employs two mainly disparate plot threads, while the other relies more heavily on the interaction between the two central plots. Yet the ultimate purpose of this dualism remains the same within both King Lear and Hamlet, in that Shakespeare’s use of the double plot illuminates the tragic elements within both plays, emphasizing core injustices through

This novel alludes to many historical references, and also alludes to other examples of literature, philosophy, and mythology. The allusions within this story add to the story in a very positive way and make the story better for the reader by giving them something to relate and/or make a connection to, make the story more understandable for the reader, and add humor for the readers enjoyment. The novel most often alludes to the famous play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ written by

The revered tragedy written by William Shakespeare, Hamlet, has been cherished and taught for over four hundred years. The development of the play revolves around the castle of Elsinore in Denmark and the diverse personalities of the people involved. As the events of the play unravel, the young prince Hamlet creates an effective storyline by his vast character contrasts. Not only does this change how other characters in the tragedy act, but the overall outcome of the story. Hamlet goes through different aspects of the play as a displeased onlooker, a hesitant heir wishing to settle issues, and as a vengeance seeker.

Iterative use of vivid and detailed imagery in a piece of literature is often a way of expressing a theme or concept in a literary work. This is the case in William Shakespeare"'"s Hamlet, a revenge tragedy that continually depicts the vibrant metaphors of manifesting corruption and festering disease in order to auger the impending calamities in the state of Denmark. Throughout Shakespeare"'"s play, there are successive images of deterioration, decay and death. These images are skilfully accomplished through the use of metaphors of rotting and dead gardens. Shakespeare wonderfully creates these metaphors that add great dimension to the play of Hamlet.

A dark light is shed on nature, with the use of words such as “soiled” to depict the clouds in the sky (3). Normally, one would appreciate nature for its beauty and ability to create peace in its observers, but clearly the speaker feels resentment and disgust towards the environment. What happened to create this negative feeling towards a seemingly harmless and normally appreciated thing? The wind is described like a bird, flying and “beat(ing) around in its cage of trees,” wanting to be set free (2). The personification of the wind gives the normally less powerful force more shape and life, as though it is capable of great destruction. Similarly, the “starlings peck at the ice,” trying to break through (3). There is a theme of breaking free from confinement in these two lines, which is an interesting concept when the reader is introduced to the wife in the second stanza. She “stays home and stares from the window” at the outside world, which is clearly a depressing scene due to the harshness of the winter

Before I had watched the play, I had believed that Camillo had been the alternative of Leontes and Polixenes because even as a servant of both kings, he displayed more nobility and wisdom; yet still a shred of doubt planted by classmates lurked in my mind. Were his intensions to be selfish and were they predetermined? Was he not trustworthy and loyal? Was he treacherous? Did he deserve punishment? These questions joggled in my head as the play began and I waited intently for Camillo’s depiction. At the same time, I held on to my first expectations of Camillo. I had thought he would be portraited as an honorable person with good judgement, but I was not sure what to expect when it came to the portrayal of his contradicting behavior.

Caitlyn Hyatt Period 2 AP Lit/Comp Ms. Smith 3/19/15 Comparison Essay Rough Draft The dark tragedy “Hamlet” and the romantic comedy “Twelfth Night,” both by William Shakespeare, have many similarities, despite their varied genres. The main similarity between the two plays are their overlapping themes. Major themes in both plays are: disguises, love being a cause of suffering, and marriage.

Tannenbaum, Terry. “Shakespeare Carolina Does Bard Right with The Winter’s Tale.” Creative Loafing Charlotte 20 April 2016: 2. Print. Tannenbaum is a local, famed theatre critic, who reviews all of Charlotte’s biggest productions. He opens this review by illustrating the plot of the play itself, and then continues on to critic the actors and the quality of the production. Tannenbaum gives an overwhelmingly favorable review of this production; he even takes the time to compliment each individual character. Renowned for being the harshest of critics, Tannenbaum’s appraisal of this production encouraged the actors and increased the size of the

Only in the forest do women exercise power. How far do you agree with this statement?

The Theme of Appearance vs. Reality in William Shakespeare's Works Characters within one of William Shakespeare's greatest tragic plays,

Jealousy and judgement, or rather misjudgement, seem to be major themes in Shakespeare’s plays, in which most judgements are assumed by no logical basis or intellectual wit. King Leontes, unlike Othello, comes to his conclusion by his own means, without any outside verification of truth or logical explanation for his jealousy. However, there are many similarities, based on their situation, between him and Othello. Both men transform, emotionally, into beast like figures whose actions ultimately end their lineage. Although Perdita remains alive, and is able to carry on King Leontes’s bloodline, his name will die with her marriage to Florizel. Othello and King Leontes also adapt a diction

Hence, we can assume that foreign affairs and popular contemporary theories in the seventeenth century inspired Shakespeare to explore the notion that civilisation was superior to nature, and possibly contend this in his play. In fact, our very understanding of the play, and in particular its characters, relies upon the awareness of popular European attitudes from the seventeenth century. Shakespeare named and described his cast most particularly, as if to ensure that his audience would instantly recognise the