Rhetorical Analysis Of William Shakespeare

Micheal Mack’s Why read Shakespeare did it appeal to his audience? Mack’s produced an argument that is very well written and informative for the Catholic University of America in Washington DC, in september, 2008, but does it appeal to the audience? Mack produces an effective/ineffective argument that although reading Shakespeare is difficult it is well worth the effort through his use of rhetorical devices and evidence.

“I have better things to do then read shakespeare”. Michael Mack is trying to tell his college freshmen that it’s important to read shakespeare. The thesis Mack contributes to an effective argument that reading shakespeare relates to the real world of life. The college professor Michael Mack relates through his use of his college freshmen, and through a world of bad dates. That’s why he’s asking that question to his college freshmen why read shakespeare?.

The most common misconception is that reading Shakespeare is not worth your time and doesn’t help you in life. Professor, Michael Mack effectively argues the total disparate. When giving a speech to a group of college freshman, Mack establishes an effective argument that convinces his audience to give Shakespeare a chance and maybe it will help in life in life through his use of rhetorical devices and strong evidence.

You’re coming home from one of the worst dates of your life. It was just you and your date at a high end restaurant. Your date asked you “Have you ever read Shakespeare?”. You pondered and said “No, I have not.”. Your date got up and left you sitting there at the booth, alone, by yourself. Such as Michael Mack, a professor at the CUA, has stated, “Read Shakespeare and spare yourself a world of bad dates.” What DOES Mack mean by saying this, though? In his speech, “Why Read Shakespeare?” he delves into why exactly a regular person like you or I should read Shakespeare at all. Through his use of counterclaims and rhetorical devices, Mack constructs an effective argument stating that though Shakespeare is hard work, it’s worth the effort.

Many college students have the misconception that reading Shakespeare is a waste of time. Michael Mack presents a different view in his speech to college freshmen “From Why Read Shakespeare?” Mack’s speech constructed an effective argument that reading shakespeare will help you in life through his use of rhetorical devices and counterclaims.

When you hear the word Shakespeare, you probably think that it is meant for the people that use intellectual language, the literary types, or even the people who have a higher reading level than the average person. Well, a college professor named Michael Mack argues that Shakespeare can be for everyone once you understand it and it can relate to the real world or be a reflection of it. Mack produces an effective argument that although Shakespeare is difficult, it is worth the effort. Through his use of rhetorical devices and counterclaims.

After King Lear’s two oldest daughters, Goneril and Regan express their love for their father in a flattering speech they were granted their share of the kingdom, and Cordelia his youngest daughter and favorite daughter refused to play along, Lear felts she was disrespectful and she was banished from his sight. Cordelia bids farewell to her sisters, and tells them that she knows they don’t love him, “I know you what you are, and like a sister am most loath to call your faults as they are named.” (1.2.273-275). “Time shall unfold what plighted cunning hides; who covers faults, at last shame them derides. Well may you prosper!” (1.2.284-286). Once Cordelia left, Goneril and Regan revealed to the audience that they had no love for their father.

stated on line 109. He’s appealing to his audience by using a counterclaim showing that Shakespeare is for anyone and he understands where they’re coming from. He is addressing these counterclaims so the audience can’t

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.

Shakespeare still had to please the crowd with the insults and anti-Semitic feelings the people loved. He did this by adding flaws to the characters that they are now known for. Shakespeare gave Shylock his deep hatred for Antonio and all Christians, shown constantly by Shylock himself as he rants how Antonio constantly wrongs him. Another flaw in Shylock's morals is seen in his "Hath not a Jew eyes" speech. There he believes he has the right for revenge when a Christian wrongs him, saying, "If a Jew wrongs a Christians, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrongs a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge." (III, i, 63-66). Antonio too shows flaws, both through Shylock's stories of Antonio's persecution and through the insults he offers Shylock throughout the play. In the courtroom scene, Antonio tells Bassanio he might as well go stand on the beach and tell the waves to stop their endless beat upon the shores than try to get the Jew to change his mind. He also jokes that Shylock is turning into a Christian with his kindness to lend Antonio the 3,000 ducats, saying "The Hebrew will turn Christian: he grows kind." (I, iii, 170). Not only does this add the necessary conflicts for humor that the audience wants, but it provides the backbone for the story, showing the background of the

did this through Shylock. In Act 3 Scene 3, Shylock tells of how he is

Ray Comfort, a New Zealand evangelist, once said: “Rhetoric, which is the use of language to inform or persuade, is very important in shaping public opinion. We are very easily fooled by language and how it is used by others.” Rhetoric can be used to inform, persuade, and inspire. Writers will use rhetoric to shape their characters feelings and attitudes. The writers want the characters to differ, so they can represent the different factions of the human persona. This personality is created by the character’s usage of rhetorical devices, such as diction, dialect, or tone. A character’s attitude towards other characters is shaped by their rhetoric as well. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth and John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, two fantastical

We have all certainly heard the expression “the pen is mightier than the sword” and as Hamlet states when he realizes the power of words: “I will speak daggers to her, but use none” (Hamlet 3.2: 366). William Shakespeare is one of the most important writers in history and arguably the most notable, particularly with his use of language. I believe that Shakespeare consistently uses the knowledge that language is power to his advantage throughout his plays. From themes of power, control, disguise, deception, and manipulation, there remains the underlying theme that ties all of these together: the power of language. The beauty of Shakespeare’s work and what makes it resonate even today is his use of discretion and

The victimization of Shylock for being a Jew makes the reader sympathize with him and for the fact that he is Jewish. It lends an understanding as to how Shylock cultivated a hate for Christians and his justification in doing so. In contrast, Shakespeare makes no mention of Shylock’s past and uses his Judaism as the sole means for his distinctive torment of Antonio.

William Shakespeare lived and wrote over 400 years ago, but his wonderful plays continue to entertain and influence the audiences of the Twenty-First Century. Despite the outdated content and language of his works, Shakespeare’s plays remain popular with modern readers and play watchers for another reason. In all of his works, including William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, he uses countless literary devices and techniques to affect the mood of the audience and enhance their enjoyment. He utilizes puns and juxtaposition to create a comical or light hearted mood. He also uses dramatic irony and oxymorons for a dramatic or serious mood. Although Shakespeare’s work does not include modern language or modern situations, the literary devices that he uses work to keep an audience of any time feeling involved