Essay on "Problem of Identity in Shakespeare's Plays"
Essay 4 pages (1160 words) Sources: 0
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Identity in ShakespeareClearly one of the most influential writers in the English language that has survived and prospered in contemporary times is William Shakespeare. Despite some of the controversy of whether he actual wrote what is attributed to him, or the other theories of the origination of his writing, no one can deny that the "Bard of Avon" holds a place in literature that few, if any, have attained. The classic stories and phrases of Shakespeare permeate contemporary society -- young love epitomized by Romeo and Juliet, treachery and false betrayal in Othello, the way the universe and nature conspire in the Tempest, numerous common phrases: "All that glitters is not gold" (the Merchant of Venice), "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war" (Julius Caesar), "Laughing Stock" (the Merry Wives of Windsor), "There's a method to my madness" (Hamlet), "A pound of flesh" (the Merchant of Venice), and so many more (Words and Phrases Coined by Shakespeare). Although he was respected and quite in demand during his lifetime, there were other poets and playwrights who enjoyed more financial success during the Elizabethan period than Shakespeare. His reputation, however, began to rise in the 19th century with the Romantic poets and writers -- finding such awe and inspiration, and even spiritual meaning in his works that, in a typical burst of satire, George Bernard Shaw called this Shakespeare worship "bardolatry" (Bertolini, 119).
To begin to understand Shakespeare, though, it is first necessary to have a basic understanding of his time period -- Elizabethan England (roughly 1558-1603). Also called the "Golden Age" in English history, this time period was the height of the Englis
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Clearly, though, one of the major themes that pervades much of Elizabethan literature is the contrast between romance and reality -- romance in the sense of courtly love, reality in the sense of the tawdry life of most people and the resultant identity of the characters. Courtly love was seen as one of the highest forms of art, but the humanity and sometimes not so covert sexuality moved through much of the literature, disguised at times to pass the muster of the censors and other prim and proper government servants, but nevertheless clear enough for the contrast to emerge. For the time period, there was relative freedom for women, not as… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Problem of Identity in Shakespeare's Plays" Assignment:
All citations in paper will be from the plays themselves. Just use Act, Scene, and line number, written as (II. iv. 129-130).
Example on how I want quotes to be shown...in this form.
*****"My bounty is as boundless as the sea / My love as deep; the more I give to thee, / The more I have, for both are infinite*****" (II. ii. 133-35).
Size 11-12 font, Times New Roman, double-spaced.
I*****'m not very picky on which characters you choose to write on as having issues with their identity. But, why was it important for these identity uncertainties to be present within the main characters of Shakespeare*****'s plays, or why was it so evident within his plays? Ie) ***** from Taming of Shrew, Romeo and Hamlet.... Just an idea, I need something to bring plays all together and make it sound smooth.
I*****'m going to give you list of plays we have read throughout semester, then you pick, this essay, MUST include at least 3 Shakespeare plays.
Midsummer Nights Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Taming of the Shrew, Othello, Antony and Cleopatra and Hamlet.
Again, you pick whichever characters from plays listed above.
How to Reference "Problem of Identity in Shakespeare's Plays" Essay in a Bibliography
“Problem of Identity in Shakespeare's Plays.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2010, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/identity-shakespeare-clearly-one/7543. Accessed 28 Sep 2024.
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