La Farce de Maitre Pathelin- the character of Guillemette

Marie de France, supposed author of the series of Lais, recounts her stories through short texts, which are centered on women and their place in the 12th century. There are several supernatural elements throughout her work, which are mainly and explicitly present in ‘Guigemar’ and ‘Yonec’. This can be defined as ‘events or things that cannot be explained by nature or science and that are assumed to come from beyond or to originate from otherworldly forces.’ It is not however the only narrative device she has used in her written pieces. It is with the combination of the supernatural with the self-propelled ship or the transformation of the hawk into a knight, and the natural, the symoblisation of the stick and the rossignol, that Marie de France explores human relations between her characters.

    It is not unusual that the fool should be a prominent figure and make an important contribution in forming the confusion and the humor in an Elizabethan drama. In William Shakespeare's comedy, Twelfth Night, Feste the clown is not the only fool who is subject to foolery. He and many other characters combine their silly acts and wits to invade other characters that either escape reality or live a dream. In Twelfth Night, Feste, Maria and Sir Toby are the fools that make the comedy work in many senses.

Ragueneau’s character and role are very different from that of Le Bret. Ragueneau, a baker with passion for poetry and an unfaithful wife, idolizes and worships Cyrano for his unmatched poetic skill and courageous, heroic reputation. Rather than ground Cyrano, he aims to please him while feeding his own hunger for attention and poetry. This is clear in his welcoming of Cyrano into his bakery the day after he fought a hundred men, as well as when he accompanies Roxane to the battle field to provide Cyrano and his fellow soldiers with food they were so desperately in need of. Throughout the play, Ragueneau is a source of comedy, as his dramatic character and flamboyance is contrasted by Cyrano’s discipline and seriousness. While a baker, Ragueneau humorously turns all of his recipes into poems, parodying the sophisticated poetry of Cyrano which Ragueneau so greatly admires. He describes his cooking using ornate language such as “Veil, O Muse, thy virgin eyes / From the lewd gleam of these terrestrial fires! / Your rolls lack balance. Here’s the proper form— An equal hemistich on either side.” Ragueneau also encourages Cyrano’s heroism and benefits from

The use of simile in the last stanza ‘matchstick hands as pale as the violet stems they lived among’ is used to compare a frog to violet flowers, which are very delicate and easily broken. The innocence of childhood is painted through this visual technique as the narrator only sees the frogs being very delicate, but to the readers the simile also creates a vivid image of the condition of the ‘Frogs’/ the French. The use of first person helps to create a reminiscent tone about the narrator’s experiences, and further helps to stress the ideas of childhood innocence and the influence of war on children because the poem is written from a child’s perspective. The use of enjambment generates a conversational and personal tone, emphasizing to the readers the reality of the themes discussed throughout the poem. The use of symbolism of frogs as pets and also representing the French highlights the idea that adults saw ‘Frogs’ as insignificant or unworthy to speak about, whereas the children could not understand this adult thought, and they placed exemplary regard to the wellbeing of the

Masculinity is represented in various ways within The Lais of Marie de France. Masculinity is sometimes depicted in untraditional ways through animal representation, the dominance of women, and in negative a light through the prideful and selfish acts of the male characters. The qualities, which are often seen as manly, are quite apparent in an animalistic form of masculinity in the deer in “Guigemar,” in comparison to the female lover. The women in “Lanval” show a sense of manhood in their authority and power over the situations of the story. “Les Deus Amanz” tells a poignant story of two men, and how their over masculine traits of pride, jealousy, and possessiveness lead them to the exact places in which they were avoiding all along. All

The narrative of Davis’s monograph and Vigne’s movie has similarities and differences as well. For example, the return of Martin Guerre after eight years to the court in the neck of time is basically the same in both works, but the starting point is different in terms of time and place. The book starts with a detailed background of Martin’s family, their journey from the Basque region to Artigat, and how they adopt the life of the new place by changing their names, changing their customs, and learning the language so that they become like the villagers. On the other hand, the film begins with villages of Artigat and soon with the marriage of Martin and Bertrande in order to capture audience’s attention to be engaged in watching the film. However, the movie’s director ignores all the background of the Martin’s family.

When she is given the opportunity to dress in extravagant clothing and act like she is wealthy, she found a “sense of triumph that is so sweet to a woman’s heart” (3). Mathilda Loisel’s change from the exposition of the short story to the rising action is dramatic. The reader’s first impression of the character is that she is unhappy and resentful but at the party she comes off just the opposite. She was joyful and “danced wildly, with passion, drunk on pleasure, forgetting everything in the triumph of her beauty” (3). Mathilda Loisel’s true character starts to reveal itself when the reader sees how much value she puts in possessions.

Written by John Marston, Lewis Machin and William Barksted, The Insatiate Countess’ differing plots might be attributed to the presence of multiple authors. Critic Giorgio Melchiori states the play is based on Marston’s draft, while “Barksted’s hand is more apparent in the tragic scenes, Machin’s in the comic” (16).

In the play several characters are contrasted with Cyrano, to show his inner and lack of outer beauty. Count De Guiche, the villain of the story is used to show Cyrano's honor and bravery. Count De

Sofola on the other hand used most of her plays to criticize inhumanity in the society. Her major literary tool was satire. “The Farce of the Worthy Master Pierre Patelin” was a comic masterpiece extraordinarily popular in its day, and held an influence on popular theater for over a century. In the play there are only five characters; the title character, his wife Guillemette, a Clothier named Guillaume Joceauline, a Shepherd named Thibault l’Aignelet, and finally a judge. Every character except the last is dishonest in some way, which is exploited to great effect. The Play Wizard of Law focuses on various issues including the complex emerging state structure and honesty. It follows the same storyline as “The Farce of the Worthy Master Pierre Patelin”, which deals with an old lawyer who has met with a reverse of fortune and tries at a festive period (ileya) to

The main focus of the story is on Bertrande de Rols and her place in sixteenth century society, especially as a wife. At the age of nine, Bertrande was married to Martin Guerre who was a

The internal conflicts established in “The Necklace” were a result of Madame Loisels perception of happiness. Because of her ungrateful and dejected views on life, she didn’t realize nor recognize true merriment. In the text, Guy De Maupassant shows how Madame “..was one of those pretty and charming girls born as though fate had blundered over her, into a family of

The most memorable character and one who has a tremendous impact on the audience is Lady Augusta Bracknell. Wilde’s audience would have identified most with her titled position and bearing. Wilde humorously makes her the tool of the conflict, and much of the satire. She serves well the plot and the theme of the play. She is the strong hand who forces the whole play to move forward with a happy ending.

Money and wealth isn't everything. Madame Loisel from The Necklace by Guy Maupassant has to learn that the hard way. Madame Loisel is a woman who feels entitled to a lavish lifestyle. She is a character who is dissatisfied with her current lifestyle even though she has a caring husband who provides her with everything he can. Madame Loisel is invited to an elaborate party in which she feels she needs a beautiful gown and a diamond necklace. In order for Madame Loisel to attend the party her husband gives her 500 Francs and she borrows a very expensive diamond necklace. After the Loisels attend the party they realize that they have lost the necklace and now their lifestyle must change dramatically so that they can pay to replace the necklace. The Loisels both work very hard for the next ten years to pay back the money they borrowed to replace the necklace. Madame Loisel realizes what a comfortable life she had and how her greed got the best of her. Leading her to a life of misery and hard labor to replace the diamond necklace. Madame Loisel is a complex character because she is both round and dynamic.

Many of the characters we studied in this summer had a very difficult situation caused by themselves. Undoubtedly, each person has their own defects, however this does not mean we have to be slaves of our weaknesses and fears. Pitifully, some fears can become so strong that they can turn a person's life miserable. In addition, people who are victims of their own fear and sins can commit insane things to the people who are around them. Some clear examples of this type of people are Mathilde Loisel, Mrs. Mallard and the Narrator of the Black Cat.