The Theme Of Desire In William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, And Alfred Hitchcock

While the woman may outwardly profess her desire for her sexual partner, the dispassionate diction and detached tone within the sonnet suggest otherwise. For, in acknowledging her lover’s close proximity, she states that she is “urged”

William Shakespeare is the world’s pre-eminent dramatist whose plays range from tragedies to tragic comedies, etc. His general style of writing is often comparable to several of his contemporaries, like Romeo and Juliet is based on Arthur Brooke’s narrative poem, “The tragical history of Romeo and Juliet”. But Shakespeare’s works express a different range of human experience where his characters command the sympathy of audiences and also are complex as well as human in nature. Shakespeare makes the protagonist’s character development central to the plot.

Shakespeare examines love in two different ways in Sonnets 116 and 130. In the first, love is treated in its most ideal form as an uncompromising force (indeed, as the greatest force in the universe); in the latter sonnet, Shakespeare treats love from a more practical aspect: it is viewed simply and realistically without ornament. Yet both sonnets are justifiable in and of themselves, for neither misrepresents love or speaks of it slightingly. Indeed, Shakespeare illustrates two qualities of love in the two sonnets: its potential and its objectivity. This paper will compare and contrast the two sonnets by Shakespeare and show how they represent two different attitudes to love.

William Shakespeare was a playwright and author in the 16th and 17th centuries, with at least 37 plays and 154 sonnets to his name. His many works span in genre and form, from the tragedy of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to the poem of a father’s unconditional love and eventual acceptance of a loved one’s death. Through a vast variety of linguistic and structural techniques, he is able to promote, develop and explain his personal ideology of love. Evidence of this is seen through the character of ‘Romeo’ in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and the narrative voice in a selection of sonnets.

Indian activist, Mahatma Gandhi, once said, “Love is one of the most powerful forces of the world.” “Cyrano de Bergerac” is a French play that’s about a man who falls for a girl who doesn’t love him back. “Sonnet 18”, also known as “Shall I compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?”, is one of Shakespeare's famous poems and it compares a woman to a summer day. Both brilliant allegories have many similarities in their massages despite being written almost three hundred years apart. Regardless of basic plot and word length, both stories posses surprisingly identical messages. Edmond Rostand's, “Cyrano de Bergerac”, and Shakespeare's, “Sonnet 18” both exhibit their themes of love, but while Rostand does it more through metaphors, Shakespeare does it more through personification.

In the poem, “For That He Looked Not upon Her,” by George Gascoigne, the speaker longs for a woman who is dangerously tempting, yet trustless. This situation of forbidden desire develops an attitude of sorrow, regret, and longing of the man. The English sonnet’s quatrains, harsh and grievous diction, and strong visual and tactile imagery assist in developing his conflicting emotions which cause his complex attitude.

The essence of any true magnificent piece of literature is not what one can see in words. It is what one can see behind the words. It is through the symbolism and imagery found in works of literature that a reader can truly connect with the writer. Charlotte Bronte epitomizes the spirit of the "unread but understood" in her Victorian work Jane Eyre. There have been numerous essays and theories presented examining the complex symbolism and imagery used by Bronte in Jane Eyre. Much of the imagery she uses concentrates on passion, fantasy, and the supernatural. In this essay I will examine Bronte’s use of fire and heat imagery pertaining to Mr. Rochester and Jane’s love relationship.

The occasional evenings out with the family provided Hitchcock an early experience with plays and variety shows before schooling and thus he developed a deep love for theatre and its glamorous, attractive make believe world. In future this led to his interest and career in movies. Playgoing also influenced the contents of his movies such as theatrical settings and role playing. Hitchcock was enrolled in St.Ignatious College London run by Jesuit Priests after briefly attending a couple of other catholic schools. Noted for rigorous approach to education and discipline, Jesuits routinely administered corporal punishment that strengthened Hitchcock’s fear of authority. The contact with Jesuits brought orderliness and control in his life about

Throughout history, passion has never been a stranger to the human race, or to any fictional race for that matter. Be it as a whole for ultimate survival and future progress or as an individual for one’s own interests and hobbies, passion is the driving force behind us all. Though fictional, examples of passion can be found within the characters in William Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His marvelous writing has allowed for three excellent exemplifications of passion. These three examples would be love, revenge, and mischief displayed by the characters Hermia, Oberon, and Robin Goodfellow, respectively.

Jane Austen develops a strong illustration of how challenging emotional circumstances can initiate a change in character, using Elizabeth Bennet as an effective demonstration in Pride and Prejudice. Cases such as Mr. Darcy's proposal, Charlotte's marriage, and the discovery of Mr. Wickham's past are compelling support for Austen's idea that alterations to one's behaviour and actions can occur as a result of being placed in a strenuous emotional position. Each influences Elizabeth in a different way, some causing rapid change, while others cause a slower, more gradual one. Self-reflection and the reconsideration of a character's worldview allow Austen to highlight the importance of change in trying situations.

The sonnet sequences of Shakespeare and Wroth present two variant perspectives of falling in love, each illustrated as affection through their poetics. Though they lean on each other, Shakespeare’s features a more masculine representation of desire and Wroth’s, a more feminine. To generalize their differences: how Shakespeare grounds his sonnets—with more physicality—Wroth matches with an intangible aspect; where he harshens, she remains reserved; where he personalizes, she makes general. What’s altogether valuable to their comparison is the idea that the addressee of each of the series is for the most part a male figure, as opposed to the typical fashion of having a woman as a subject. Their treatment of these subjects, too, defines their

Jane Austen’s classic story of Pride and Prejudice has stood the test of time and has become a cornerstone of modern literature. This novel of manners has proven to be archetypal in not only literature but furthermore in other formats with numerous books and movies mimicking its plotline. “Love” is a common theme among many works, but is especially prominent in Pride and Prejudice. Nearly the entire novel is driven by love, whether it be directly or indirectly. Without the underlying theme of love, the novel would lack many of its pivotal aspects and surely would not be regarded as the timeless work it is seen as today. Throughout the story, numerous characters must overcome the various setbacks that love brings to achieve their ultimate goal.

In Shakespeare's carpe diem poem, “Sonnet 73”, the orator did a poor job at attempting to seduce his younger lover. The orator attempted to choose which emotions would most likely assist in bringing his young lover to his position. In doing so, the orator imagined which approach would be successful, what feelings he was trying to provoke, and how these feelings would blend together to make his young lover be in the mood for sexual relations.

In the novel of "Pride and Prejudice", the author Jane Austen uses a lot of literary devices to emphasize her story. One of the main themes is love, which connects towards marriage or separation of the characters. She uses characterization to give the reader a much more clear perception of the different characteristics and to strengthen her themes. Irony is shown a lot on how women want to marry wealthy men to save their repetition or family matters. Lastly, Imagery is used constantly throughout the novel to show characters emotions or reactions to the events.

Sonnet 129 is about the sin of lust and the actions and feelings that correspond with it. The author tells a story of sorts, outlining the feelings one goes through before, during, and after indulging in lust. It tells of the urge before, the bliss during, and the regret and shame after. The author states that although men know the unhealthy cycle, they continue to take part in it. Underlying, however, is the speaker’s own struggles within lust. The speaker feels great religious guilt and shame for his sin. Moreover, the act of lust itself as well and his fear, and regret surrounding it, drive the speaker towards madness that he attempts to remedy by finding a logical solution to this human struggle.