Play Essays

Shakespeare’s characterization of Gertrude and Ophelia in Hamlet is paradoxical as it challenges as well as complements the contemporary social traditions and norms. Gertrude is the best example of this paradox that is manifested through her extraordinary supremacy over all the major characters of Hamlet, her influence in the court …

Shakespeare’s “King Lear” is perhaps one of the most revered plays throughout literary history.  The tragedy of the protagonist, King Lear, is considered by many as having very human folly, being set in a world full of illusions generated by other people and one’s self. Throughout this tragedy of King …

A Raisin in the Sun is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959.[1] The title comes from the poem “Harlem” (also known as “A Dream Deferred”[2]) by Langston Hughes. The story is based upon a black family’s experiences in the Washington Park Subdivision of Chicago’sWoodlawn neighborhood. …

1. Did Stella ever know that Stanley raped Blanche? If so, why didn’t she care? 2. Why was there no apparent difference between blacks and whites in the play, given the time period? 3. Does Blanche ever heal and go on to live a normal life on her own? CRITISISM …

Squashed in the Attic  The setting of the play is Levels High Community College in the small town of Ruskaxe, a hundred miles or so north of New York. Karla is an attractive 19-year-old sophomore Biology major. Jimmy is Karla’s ex-boyfriend and a third year Sports Science Student and the …

In the first scene of The Glass Menagerie, Tom admits to a “poet’s weakness for symbols.” The semi-autobiographical resemblance between Tennessee Williams and Tom has been pointed out by critics (Porter, 1969; Leverich, 1995) and this confession of weakness could well be the dramatist’s own, for in this play more …

            Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” has achieved a firmly established position in the canon of American plays. However, the play itself is traditionally misunderstood or distorted in terms of analysis of key topics and characters. From my standpoint, Tom, and not Amanda, though she is a powerful and striking …

The  Glass  Menagerie  was  written  by  Tennessee  Williams  in  1944-45.  it  was  a  turning  point  in  his  life  and  career  as  it  was  a  major  success  and  commercially  and  also  won  him  a  Pulitzer  Prize  in  1947.  The  play  is  unique  because  it  is  difficult  to  classify  it  into  a  …

“The Little Foxes” is a realist play written by Lillian Hellman which later on became a film. It is the story of the Hubbard family who regard money and power above everything else, especially for Regina Giddens. She will do everything it takes to keep getting richer to the point …

Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is one of his more prominent plays, and many years after it was written, it still makes audiences laugh throughout the world.  For a play that was produced in 1895, it keeps its humor intact at present time.  What could be the reason …