Play Essays

The general plot of King Lear revolves mainly around the conflict between the King and his daughters, although there is a definite and distinct sub-plot dealing with the plight and tragedy of Gloucester as well. One of the main themes that Shakespeare chooses to focus on in King Lear is …

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet is commanded by his father’s ghost to avenge his murder at the hands of his uncle Claudius. Hamlet does not act immediately to get his revenge, even when he is presented the perfect opportunity to do so. Throughout the play, it is demonstrated that the …

The images portrayed by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth change dramatically throughout the play. I believe that the quote ‘this dead butcher and his fiend-like queen’ is not an accurate assessment of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Although there were elements of butchery in Macbeths behavior, he also had many strengths. He …

William Shakespeare’s highly acclaimed drama Romeo and Juliet is the story of two lovers against fate who by their death end the quarrels between their families, the Montague’s and the Capulet. After meeting each other at a masquerade, they fall in one. However, the dread between the houses proves too …

In both plays Creon is of high social status. In Antigone he is the king of Thebes. In Oedipus the King he is the brother in law to Oedipus and becomes king at the end of the play. In Antigone, Creon is portrayed as a main character as the plot …

Introduction: In Greek plays, the chorus invariably adds complexity and depth to the play and the message it is trying to portray. However to say that the chorus hinders or impedes our understanding of the play is a grievous inaccuracy. Just because an element adds to the complexity of the …

William Shakespeare’s tragic play Macbeth is set in 11th-century Scotland. The overarching political system then was feudalism, a system that was “based on the holding of land” and placed “an increasing emphasis on local protection, local government, and local self-sufficiency” (World History, Section 9-4, pp. 214 **). Shakespeare, however, lived …

When one is ambitious in gaining power by the force of evil or by the used of violence, there is no stopping this one from what he or she is going to do. This is one of the moral ethical of humanity, something that every human being must suffer during …

The city of Venice is one of the most magical places on earth. The first step taken there is like walking into a different world, where time seems to stand still and greet you with a warm laugh. The overwhelming power of the city plays on its subjects curiosity and …

Act 1 1. “Fair is foul, and foul is fair,” is stated in line 10 by the witches in the opening of the play. The significance of this paradox is that it sets us up for the doubleness of the play. It means what is fair to the witches is …