literature

Introduction

The poem chosen for this critical analysis essay is Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”. This poem was published by Frost in 1916 and appears in Mountain Interval of 1920. The Poem was retrieved from Bartleby.com Great Books Online and is as follows:

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Structure

In the first stanza, lines two, three, and four all begin with the word “And”. This repetition focuses the reader’s attention on those three lines. In those three lines, the traveler is faced with a decision: which way to go? All four stanzas used the same rhyming pattern. The ending words of the first, third, and fourth lines rhyme. The second line’s ending word rhymes with the ending word in the last line. This rhyming scheme is ABAAB. Each line has four stressed syllables. They have an iambic tetrameter base. The first three stanzas speak of the decision that has to be made while in the fourth stanza the decision is made: “The one less traveled”.

The Decision

This is one of the best-known poems in the United States. Its title is sometimes confused and those searching out the poem often look for “The Road Less Traveled”. This is primarily because that title is a line in the last stanza of the poem and sums up the intent of the walker when he tells others which road he chose to take.

If the poem is read for content only, one notices that both roads are pretty much the same. The only difference is that one goes one way while the other goes another way. Both roads are barely worn and entice the walker. But, only one can be chosen apparently.

This poem has been used by some as a way to let new graduates know that whatever road they chose (path or direction in life) is okay. This poem is often found in graduation cards and used in graduation exercises. Although this may not have been the intent of the author the poem is used this way anyway.

The Author

Many wonder what the author of this poem was thinking when he wrote it. It is most probable that Frost was simply jotting down another of his brief poems when he did “The Road Not Taken”. This is not to say that he was not a great poet. It is so that Frost wrote all the time jotting down thoughts and poems in notebooks, flip binders, and pads that were available to him. He was quoted as writing in one of his notebooks that “I reel them off with one brain tied behind me” (Gates, p1). Amazingly, Frost did not value his jottings and often threw his notebooks away when they were full! One can only imagine the genius contained in those notebooks. “Since Frost used his notebooks to think through his poems, his essays, and his teaching, they reveal only his working mind–and that’s revelation aplenty. “Form,” one entry reads, “is only the last refinement of subject matter”–which solves the old form-versus-content debate. Or: “An idea comes as close to something for nothing as you can get”–which uses deliberately crass language to celebrate the mind as a cornucopia of gifts freely given” (Gates, p2).

It is also interesting to note that Frost often took walks and his poetry often reflected what was happening in his world at any given time. The poem is often described as presenting an archetypal dilemma as one would encounter in life (thus the graduation cards). So readers can continue to debate whether this poem was simply about two roads or about the dilemma of choices in life.

Works Cited

Frost, Robert. “The Road Not Taken”. Bartleby Great Books Online.

Gates, David. “The Man With Two Brains; Whose words these are we thought we knew. But his notebooks show Robert Frost discovering himself.” Newsweek (2007): 61. General Reference Center Gold. Gale. Web.

Author’s last name, first name. Title of Book. City: Publisher, Year.

Author’s last name, first name. “Title of Article.” Title of Publication Date Published: Pages.

Author’s last name, first name. “Title of Online Article.” Title of Online Publication Version (Year Published): Pages.

“Title of Article.” Title of Media. CD-ROM. City: Publisher, Year.

Introduction

The story that has been taken under consideration goes by the name of “The Story of an Hour”, which has been written by the very famous author Kate Chopin. The story is about what takes place within an hour in the life of Mrs. Mallard. Mrs. Mallard according to the author has heart trouble, and the story begins with her sister Josephine and her husband’s friend Richard, who come to her to tell her about the death of her husband Mr. Mallard who has apparently died in a railroad disaster. The basic concern of Josephine and Richard is that Mrs. Mallard is a heart patient and they need to be extra careful while telling her the news as it can upset her health.

After much trouble, Josephine tells Mrs. Mallard about the sad news. Her reactions are rather sudden, and she eventually decides to lock herself up in her room. She bursts into tears and stares out of a window, with tears flowing from her eyes. She watches the birds singing and the trees standing tall with new life in them. This view suddenly makes Mrs. Mallard realize a major fact of her new life as a widow. She realizes that she is free from the bounds of her marital duties, she can do all that she wants to without having anyone to order her around.

This thought at first makes her feel a little guilty, but she accepts it somehow. She starts whispering, “Free, free, free!” to herself to assure herself of this new found liberty. To makes the world feel like she is shocked by this event, she decides to shed tears at the funeral, even know there would be nothing but happiness in her life in years to come. She believes that she loved her husband, but only at times, while at other times she did not feel anything for him, but she believes that the only thing that mattered now was that she was independent. Worried about her sister, Josephine bangs on her door, but Mrs. Mallard asks her to go away. She keeps wondering how she lived a pessimistic life, but all that would take place in her life would be her desires. After a long time, Mrs. Mallard steps out with her sister and goes down, where they find Mr. Richards staring at Mr. Brently Mallard opening the front door. Mr. Mallard did not die, there was a confusion and he was nowhere near the accident. Upon seeing him, Mrs. Mallard drops dead and later on the doctors say her death was the result of “joy that kills.” They believe she could not withstand the happiness of her husband’s safety and died.

Analysis

The Story of an Hour presents to us, the readers, the story of a young married girl, who feel imprisoned by her husband, the society which has chained her down to follow a particular path of life. People would expect her to cry, sob and wail upon the death of her husband, but on the other hand she realizes that this death has brought happiness to her life. She is so happy upon this realization that she feels no pain about the loss of her husband; all that matters is that she will regain her happiness and independence as she keeps saying, “Free! Body and soul free!”. This happiness takes over her like a mania, which shatters when she sees her husband standing alive in front of her and she basically dies of shock when she realizes that her happiness was momentary, but she was believed to had died “of heart disease – of joy that kills.”.

Evaluation

In the story we find that Mrs. Mallard was never happy with her marriage, her husband never treated her right, typically because women in the 19^th century were not given much rights. Her husband’s death comes as good news to her, but seeing him alive is the basic twist in the entire plot which kills her happiness and takes away her life as well (Chopin, p.1-32).

Conclusion

The story, “The Story of an Hour”, which was written by Kate Chopin tells us how imprisoned women in the 19^th century were, to the point that the death of their husband’s was good news to them as it liberated them and gave them freedom. Mrs. Mallard gained this happiness and lost it within an hour, as a result of which she died.

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour. Tale Blazers. United States of America.

Introduction

“Trifles” by Susan Glaspell is a one act play which analyzes the investigation of the murder of John Wright through various dialogues of men and women that are connected to the victim and his accused wife. This paper addresses the themes that occurred throughout the play that help to establish the historical background that affected the social relations between the people of that period.

Analysis

The first theme that could be sensed throughout the play is the gender discrimination between the men and the women. The women in the play at first sight have a minor role that is given to them by men. They follow what they are told to do and uncomplainingly agree with their men. It becomes apparent later in the play that their role are underestimated and that they are able to notice those little things or “trifles” that the men ignore but are vital to the case. However the men’s ignorance and disbelief make them mock the women’s interest in details and describe them mostly as “women’s things”. Such attributes as speaking in lower voice and finishing the conversation whenever the men are around implies that women are not welcomed to be involved in serious issues especially when their objective is preliminary chosen merely to collect some clothes for Mrs. Wright.

Other signs of the women discrimination could be demonstrated through the reaction of men to the women’s behavior. This can be witnessed through replicas such as:

Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder and worryin’
about her preserves..
Well, women are used to worrying over trifles.

When the women tried to stand for Mrs Wright they were sarcastically mocked:

Ah, loyal to your sex..
They wonder if she was going to quilt it or just knot it!

Other signs of the relation between men and women can be sensed through the dialogue between the women themselves.

I don’t think we ought to touch things.
I’d hate to have men coming into my kitchen, snooping around
and criticising.

All of these small hints give a clear view of the position of the women at that time, however, it does not imply that this position limited their ability to think or make their own conclusions.

The second theme that could be outlined in the play is emphasizing the importance of the little details in life. As the title of the play might suggest, the little unnecessary details could play major role, yet can be overlooked while searching for the obvious. The “trifles” as a key word in the title and in the play sets the tone of the play in a way that demonstrates what the people should be paying attention to. As the play fluently progresses the reader unlike the men in the play realizes that the interest in the “trifles” helped the women to understand the circumstances and the real motives of Mrs. Wright killing her husband. However, because of the feel of discrimination that was discussed in the first theme and partly because of some feel of solidarity between the women these evidences never were told to the men. The idea that the small little details has pulled the specific deductions of women is a kind of irony that can be seen in discovering the truth through details such as the bread that has not been completely baked, the quilt that has not been finished and the dead canary bird.

The third theme that is addressed in the play is the theme of the effect of marriage on women. The dialogues between the women in the play show how the life of women had changed their behavior, attitude and interest on the long term. The description of the life of Mrs. Wright before and after the marriage from the words of Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale shows the isolation that is put on women after the marriage.

She used to wear pretty clothes and
be lively, when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls singing in
the choir. But that–oh, that was thirty years ago.

It could be assumed that the life of that period put some restrictions on the way women would have behave, however it is shown that this factor has nothing to do with era, rather than with the fact that marriage limited the life of Mrs. Wright to the only pleasure of having a bird that could be a reminder to her about her previous life. The contrast that is shown in life of Mrs. Wright when describing the house that she was living in at the time these events took place and the image of the cheerful young girl that “used to wear pretty clothes” can be connected to the theme of gender discrimination. However, the discrimination could be something that was always present, whereas the marriage was a force that changed the way of life and by following the fate of the bird, killed the soul inside Mrs. Wright.

Conclusion

Reviewing the analysis of the play it is obvious that the idea which is simple at first can bear deeper subtext, just like the “trifles” in the play. The theme of discrimination, simplicity and marriage show the context of the play in another perspective. Despite the assumption that the play mostly addresses the position of women it also can be used as an example of how one person should never overlook the “trifles” in his life.

Works Cited

Glaspell, Susan. Plays., 2004. Web.

The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus is a play by Ch. Marlowe written in 1604. In this play, Marlowe portrays Doctor Faustus as a man who, of his own conscious willfulness, brings tragedy and torment crashing down upon his head, the pitiful and fearful victim of his own ambitions and desires. Marlowe uses irony to portray the downfalls of his protagonist at the finest and sharpest point. His irony is based on theological concepts of sin and damnation and dramatically expressed in two major patterns of action. Thesis The human weaknesses, like a desire to master sacred knowledge and magic, make Faustus a tragic hero who has to fight with death.

A desire to master sacred knowledge is one of the main features of Faustus’s personality. Marlowe depicts that Faustus is dabbled in magic even before becoming a Doctor of Divinity, “being of a naughty mind & otherwise addicted.” Though “excellent perfect in the holy scriptures,” he “waxed a worldly man,” devoting himself to magic, astrology, mathematics, and medicine (Marlowe 1997). In the play, Faustus is still a man and no demon. Thus, his choice, no matter how often repeated, does not become irrevocable until his death. Following Rosner: Marlowe’s Faustus is “not satisfied” with the achievements of his education” (54). It is possible to say that his own curiosity and inquisitive mind lead him to tragic outcomes.

In the play, the dramatic situations are heated by moral choice and spiritual trials faced by Faustus. The pattern of moral choice leads him to the alternative of spiritual destruction. Critics (Rosner 54) underline that Doctor Faustus does not rely on the representation of physical pain and destruction for its tragic effects. It is primarily and fundamentally a tragedy of the spirit. The representation of suffering is not intense in Doctor Faustus; in addition to the agonies of Faustus’ last hour, there are recurrent indications of his pangs of conscience; but that is the extent of human suffering involved. For instance, Mephostophilis talks of suffering and of the pains of hell, but with the exception of one spontaneous outburst, he is not shown as a suffering creature.

FAUSTUS. Why, have you any pain that tortures others!

MEPHIST. As great as have the human souls of men. But, tell me, Faustus, shall I have thy soul? And I will be thy slave, and wait on thee (Marpowe 1997)

The character of Faustus is a tragic one faced with suffering and despair used as central themes in the play structure and meaning. Critics admit that there is a definite and integral relationship between the torments of Faustus’ death and the course of his career, just as there is between the nature of his suffering, as he comes to realize it, and the nature of the devil’s suffering as Mephostophilis explains it to him. It is the suffering of the damned that links the human and the diabolic in Doctor Faustus, not the pain of hell-fire but spiritual pain (Gates 56; “Faustus”. Norton Anthology 872).

Faustus becomes a tragic hero, unable to resist his desperation and anxiety. At the end of the play, Faustus’s desperation becomes a torment to him. Faustus’ career is characterized by the pattern of pleasure and fear: he who once set himself up as an example of manly fortitude to the spiritually tortured devil now lives in servile fear of the devil’s threats of physical pain; such threats, together with the lure of new pleasures, stifle the spiritual doubts and pains that periodically afflict him (Rosner 54). “Faustus’ mistaken admiration for the carnal husk of words themselves rather than their spirit does lead him into damnation and subjects him to the law established by his pact with Lucifer” (Gates 56). Marlowe uses irony to establish the tragic element of the play: the ironies cloak the repeated exercise of Faustus’ moral choice and his relationships with the devil. There remains the irony of the contrast between the actual accomplishments of his magical career and the original dreams of wealth, honor, and omnipotence which provoked that career. The play is based on ambiguity on matters of faith. A huge part of his play’s attraction lies in what we might call its defacement of religious institutions: the poisoning of a nunnery, the murder of monks, the repeated and gleeful mockery of Christian beliefs” (Boehrer 83).

In choosing the not-God in his desire to be as God, Faustus has provided not only for his own destruction but also for his own degradation (Rosner 45). Instead of reaching the stature of a demigod or even commander of the world, Faustus becomes an entertainer (Rosner 23). As a scholar, Faustus is limited by mortality; thus, it gains his satisfaction by playing practical jokes on the Papal court; the man who looked forward to controlling the lives and power of all earthly rulers now becomes the magician of the Emperor, building castles in the air, and presenting spirits that resemble great men of the past. As Faustus himself declares:

Than have the white breasts of the queen of love:

From Venice shall they drag huge argosies,
And from America, the golden fleece
That yearly stuffs old Philip’s treasury;
I learned, Faustus will be resolute (Marlowe 1997)

Faustus is a tragic hero because the suffering which grows out of that choice is as spiritual as the evil which produces it, an agony of mind and will (Rosner 41). Faustus reflects typical traits and motives of a human but tries to escape punishment and control the universe, to reconstruct the cosmos in naturalistic, non-theistic terms (Gates 56). At the end of the play, he declares:

Then will I headlong run into the earth:

Earth, gape! O, no, it will not harbor me!
You stars that reigned at my nativity,
Whose influence hath allotted death and hell,
Now draw up Faustus, like a foggy mist (Marlowe 1997

As an intellectual, he is also aware of the exploit in its philosophical dimensions and scientific knowledge. Using this theme, Marlowe shapes this fundamental pattern of human experience by making it grow out of a freely repeated moral choice, linking Faustus’ sin with the primal or original sin of Christian theology. The tragic and dramatic elements can be explained by the fact that it is this burden and responsibility of moral choice in a Christian context that adds the final degree of universality to his figure and his career (Gates 89).

Using dramatic situations and tragic scenes, Marlowe emphasizes the conflict of good and evil through the two Angels who depict the alternatives Faustus continually faces. Their presence in the play has often been attributed to the influence of the morality tradition, and certainly, to the extent that they are concrete embodiments of the conflict in Faustus’ mind, they appear to be a characteristic device of morality play (Rosner 65). In the first place, angels and devils in Marlowe’s time were not considered abstractions or even metaphors for the operations of the human mind; they were conceived as real spiritual beings created by God and granted certain powers and functions. The same can be said of the career of Faustus, though here, the moral nature of the protagonist is more complex, and the incidents which lead him to his tragic destruction are ranged in order of increasing intensity and deepening ironic significance. Faustus replies to Angels:

Of wealth!
Why the signiory of Embden shall be mine.
When Mephistophilis shall stand by me,
What can God hurt thee, Faustus? thou art safe
Cast no more doubts.–Come, Mephistophilis (Marlowe 1997)

Among these was the power to influence by suggestion, though not constrained, the mind of man. Critics (Rosner 23) admit that Faustus never directs his attention to the Good and Evil Angels as dramatic entities; he neither speaks directly to them nor shows any sensible awareness of their physical presence.

One of the main dramatic tensions throughout the play is provided by the possibility of Faustus’ repentance (Rosner 54). If that possibility were not real, neither the admonitions and urgings of the Good Angel nor the manifest concern of the devils to lure and frighten Faustus away from godly thoughts would have any dramatic meaning or validity. “Since Faustus is actually the type of person who is drawn compulsively to what is blasphemous, daring, and imprudent, it is not at all clear that his choice is so free after all” (Rosner 87). All these factors merge into the crisis of the last act, where the Old Man urges Faustus to call for mercy and avoid despair. Marlowe’s vision of evil in this play is the vision of Christian theology: Faustus’ tragedy is a spiritual one; the irony which characterizes it is the irony of moral evil, the irony of sin. Doctor Faustus, by abuse of his freedom and revolt against the natural order, willfully chooses his own destruction under the guise of self-glory (Gates 56). Marlowe has introduced a familiar theological concept, a concept which was traditionally treated, together with despair, as one of the most serious obstacles to repentance and salvation (Rosner 54).

In sum, the representation of suffering is not very great in Doctor Faustus; in addition to the agonies of Faustus’ last hour, there are recurrent indications of his pangs of conscience; but that is the extent of human suffering involved. Mephostophilis talks of suffering and of the pains of hell, but with the exception of one spontaneous outburst, he is not shown as a suffering creature. Yet what suffering there is in the play is central to its structure and meaning; there is a definite and integral relationship between the torments of Faustus’ death and the course of his career, just as there is between the nature of his suffering, as he comes to realize it, and the nature of the devil’s suffering as Mephostophilis explains it to him. One by one, Faustus examines the branches of higher learning as they were organized in the universities of his day: philosophy, medicine, law, and theology. One by one, the fields of secular learning are rejected because their ends do not satisfy his demand–but notice what the demand is. He does not pursue knowledge for the sake of truth, but for power, superhuman power, the power over life and death.

Works Cited

Boehrer, B. Disorder in the House of God: Disrupted Worship in Shakespeare and Others. Comparative Drama 38 (2004), 83.

Gates, D. Unpardonable Sins: The Hazards of Performative Language in the Tragic Cases of Francesco Spiera and Doctor Faustus. Comparative Drama, 38 (2004), 59.

Marlowe, Ch. Dr Faustus. 1997. Web.

Rosner, J. Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus. Barron’s Educational Series, 1985.

“Faustus”. Norton Anthology of English Literature, 6th edition, Volume A. W W Norton & Co Inc; 6th edition, 1993, pp. 971-1029.

In her novel, Harper Lee addresses a very question concerning status of “black” people in the society through the example of small town and its society. Harper Lee addresses a very important problem of racial inequality in the society and its impact on the life of an ordinary person. The paper will prove the fact that racism caused grievances to all citizens in town in spite of their color of skin or persuasions. Portraying race through children’s eyes, Lee proves and tells readers that racism is a social phenomenon only, and children are free from prejudices and racial stereotypes valued by adults.

Through relations between children and adults, Lee portrays that the problem is that American citizens, “whites” and “blacks” were not equal in their rights and “blacks” were not equally treated by majority of white Maycomb. The direct victim of racism is Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a white girl Mayella Ewell. For this reason, Tom Robinson has no chance to be acquitted. As Atticus puts it: “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience” (Lee 109). While “whites” members of the society were universally proud of their background, African-Americans was the target of discrimination and outright racism called “nigger” (Lee 87). The cause of this problem lies in the fact that “blacks” were seen as slaves deprived of human rights and were unequal to masters: “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life” (Lee 223). Tom Robinson was not a slave, but a common citizen of the Maycomb community who was unequally treated. Atticus questions this before the trial saying: “Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up” (Lee 85). In this situation, Tom Robinson was more a victim of racial discrimination and prejudices of the Maycomb community than a victim of a trial verdict and accusation.

Throughout the novel Scout is faced with different situations which force her make choices and accept decision. Scout expresses her attitudes towards people as: “Somewhere, I had received the impression that Fine Folks were people who did the best they could with the sense they had, but Aunt Alexandra was of the opinion, obliquely expressed, that the longer a family had been squatting on one patch of land the finer it was” (Lee, 76). The image of the man symbolizes racial minority possibility to grow and develop his personality. He has become both a symbol of ethnic academic fineness and the personification of Indian humanity and ethnic equality.

The process of Scouts, Jem and Dilldevelopment is connected with understanding of racial and social inequalities and prejudices. Tom Robinson was not a slave, but a common citizen of the Maycomb community who was unequally treated. Atticus questions this before the trial saying: “Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up” (Lee, 86). For Scout it w3as difficult to overcome prejudices accepted by her society but she is strong enough to distinguish good and evil. At the end of the novel scout understands that Tom Robinson is more a victim of racial discrimination and prejudices of the Maycomb community than a victim of a trial verdict and accusation.

The trial can be interpreted as a turning point in Scout’s personal development. The speech of her father affects her greatly and forces to rethink her attitude towards people and their values. In his speech before the trial, Atticus attempts to persuade jury that all people are equal and racial discrimination is nothing more than echo of the past which should be overcome. He tries to persuade them to be tolerant to other races and stop senseless oppression and discrimination against their neighbors.

Though children’s eyes, lee portrays that the concept of black culture is certainly at times difficult to protect socially in a state in which racial politics has seldom been as multifaceted as its cultural identity. Through the images and identities King depicts that the cultural nature of Americans had not succeeded in inspiring them to liberate America of racism and racial segregation. To claim interracial conflict within a community in which socially, politically, and economically racial differences are diverse may have appeared fairly untruthful. Scout depicts an ideal lady as “Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum” (Lee, 1988). Lee positions about the identity of African Americans and his thoughts on the role of the black writer have created heated discussions, particularly within Afro-American cultural issues.

To conclude, racial differences existing during 1930s, when slavery had been abolished still had a great impact on social prejudices of people. Racism affected all people in spite their color of skin and morals. Racism was a dangerous evil which ruined humans lives and destinies. The maturing of Scout is connected with events and circumstances she is faced with. In spite social changes and prejudices, she is able to overcome negative and false traditions and keep sympathy and dignity typical for a child of her age. She is a fighter who does not subdued by social prejudices or low morals.

Works Cited

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Warner Books; Reissue edition. 1988.

Introduction

Hamlet is a story about love which involves lies and betrayal. Human relationship as a theme is very significant in this story. The natural, intimate or logical association between two or more people could be defined as a relationship. A lot of relationships are interwoven in this story and the bonds in these relationships are very strong. This can be seen in the relationship between Gertrude and her son young Hamlet. In spite of their differences, she was always trying to protect her son even at the point of death; she stops him from drinking poison. Another example of a relationship with a strong bond is the relationship between young Hamlet and his closest friend and confidant Horatio. (Benson 121)

Claudius’ love for Gertrude causes him to kill his brother old king Hamlet. The intensity of their love reminds the reader of other famous lovers throughout history. The central theme of this story is love. However, the love relationship between Claudius and Gertrude has its roots in lies, fear, betrayal and even death. This relationship between Hamlet’s uncle and his mother puts a strain on his relationship with his mother Gertrude. Constant lies, deceit and manipulation escalate the evil that characters in the story perpetrate against one and other.

Lastly, the lessons learnt from this story will be highlighted and the necessary measures or steps needed to curtail such a situation will be suggested. (Benson 128)

Hamlet and Gertrude’s Relationship

Young prince Hamlet was born in the family of old king Hamlet and Queen Gertrude of Denmark. The character Hamlet has many relationships with different people in the story. Some of these relationships can be termed or described as just or unjust relationships depending on the flaws, feelings and position of the person or character that had a relationship with Hamlet. Hamlet’s relationship to his mother Gertrude is known or described as an Oedipus complex. The feelings and thoughts some men have towards their mothers are referred to as Oedipus complex. Some examples in the play show that truly Hamlet did indeed have such thoughts about his mother. (Benson 155)

After prince Hamlet’s encounter with the supposedly ghost of his father old king Hamlet, he found out about his uncle’s evil deed. Adhering strictly to the advice of his father’s ghost, prince Hamlet tried not to hurt his mother Gertrude. Although he constantly risked her life, young prince Hamlet did not want his mother to get hurt.

On the other hand, through out the story, Gertrude’s love and fondness for her son is displayed. She was always trying to protect prince Hamlet. When Hamlet told her about Claudius’ evil deed, instead of doubting her son she rather believed he was insane. He also told his mother not to reveal to Claudius that he, Hamlet was aware of his murderous evil act. In other to be extremely sure about Claudius’s guilt and prove it to his mother Gertrude, Hamlet organized a play depicting his father’s death. While the play went on, Claudius left due to the uneasiness he felt from watching the play which depicted how he wickedly killed his brother old king Hamlet and married his wife, Queen Gertrude. (Benson 148)

After proving his sanity to his mother and clearly showing Claudius’ guilt, Prince Hamlet Urged his mother not to let Claudius take her to bed again. He tried to save his mother’s life while there was still time.

Hamlet’s feelings towards Gertrude his mother were very just although at some instances towards the end of the story, he risked her life.

Lies

Throughout this story, there is a complicated web of lies. After confiding in his best and closest friend Horatio about Claudius’ evil act, prince Hamlet begins to think of a perfect place and time to avenge his father’s death. Polonius in this story is a great liar and manipulator. Although he is king Claudius’ trusted counselor but he and his son had ulterior motives. Polonius and his son Laertes deceived Ophelia about Hamlet’s sincerity concerning their courtship. (Benson 167)

Ophelia succumbed to the whims and caprices of her father and brother thus she never behaved well towards Hamlet. Her desires were her primary goals and she never showed any respect for her womanhood. Subsequently, Prince Hamlet discovered she had been lying to him and he denounced his love for her and also called her a prostitute then he insulted her father Polonius in the presence of King Claudius and Queen Gertrude by calling him a fishmonger. (Benson 205)

Another example of lies in the story is the situation between Prince Hamlet and his childhood friends namely; Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. Disturbed by prince Hamlet’s change of attitude, King Claudius asked Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find out what was actually troubling prince him. The duo went to Hamlet under the pretence of been concerned friends. In reality, the twin brothers were there simply for the fact that they wanted to find out what was wrong with Hamlet so they could tell King Claudius. They tried hiding under lies to enable them dig into his soul and find out what was actually responsible for his change in attitude. After a failed attempt, the twin brothers returned a second time to try again but they were rebuffed by Hamlet who insulted and called them liars. (Benson 315)

Betrayals

Betrayals seem to be the order of the day through out this play. Schemes of lies and betrayals are plotted and orchestrated by friends and loved ones.

Claudius betrayed his brother’s love by killing him, marrying his wife and taking over his kingdom. Unfortunately for Claudius, the ghost of old king Hamlet appears to his son the prince and reveals the truth how Claudius had poisoned him. As the story unfolds, Hamlet plans how to avenge his father’s death. (Benson 444)

Ophelia also betrayed Hamlets love by listening to the advice of her father and brother. Hamlet had real love for Ophelia but instead she choose to betray that love. When Hamlet finally denounced his love for her and also called her a prostitute, Ophelia could not handle it any longer and that broke her down then it eventually led to insanity.

Another case of betrayal in this story is the situation between Prince Hamlet and his childhood friends. Hamlet reposed his confidence in his friends little did he know his good deed would be paid back in an evil manner. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern had been Hamlet’s friends from childhood and when they agreed to spy on him for King Claudius, that friendship was not only betrayed but also it also broke. Unknown to Hamlet, the concern shown by his twin friends was as a result of their plot with King Claudius to find out what was actually wrong with him. However, when Hamlet finally discerns their real intent, he rebuffed them. In a final attempt to cleverly kill Hamlet, King Claudius sends him to England where he was to be executed on arrival under the guise of diplomatic errand. The twin brothers were supposed to closely watch Hamlet during the course of their journey. But instead of going with the brothers, Hamlet cleverly sends the twins to England with out him. (Benson 323)

Conclusion

This story ends as a tragedy because, all the main characters died including Hamlet, his mother queen Gertrude and King Claudius. A lot of lessons are to be learnt from the story.

Prince Hamlet was driven by youthful exuberance did not take his time to think or consider the implications of his intended act of murder. Blinded by the urge to avenge his father’s death, Hamlet threw caution to the winds and took a dangerous path which eventually led to his untimely death. On the path to avenge his father’s death Hamlet killed three people namely; Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. In the case of Polonius, he did not feel any remorse for stabbing him because Polonius was eavesdropping on the conversation between him and his mother. While for the case of the twin brothers, he concluded that they got what they deserved for playing along the king’s plot to kill him. Hamlet died from the poisoned tip of Laertes’ sword. (Benson 512)

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were friends with Hamlet even before the assumption of the throne by Claudius. But apparently, this did not matter to them as they connived with King Claudius against him. First they tried to get information from him by pretending to be concerned about his well being and later, they were also associated in the plot to kill him in England. The duo eventually met their doom as the faced persecution meant for Hamlet in England. (Benson 276)

Ophelia also paid dearly for her sins of betrayal. She simply complied with the advice of her father and brother not minding if what they said was true or not. The turning point for her was the point when Hamlet discovered about her lies and denounced his love for her. She could not handle this and she lost sanity.

King Claudius was the main character in the play whose evil deeds eventually drove other character like Prince Hamlet to go extra miles just to avenge his father’s death. Claudius committed murder, treason, and adultery all in a bid to ascend his brother’s throne. After killing his brother old king Hamlet, he eventually married his wife and tried to kill his son. On the path to this dangerous adventure, Claudius involved friends of his predecessor’s family who unfortunately succumbed to his whims and caprices. After master minding the death of King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude both who died of poisoning, he eventually arranged a fight between Laertes Polonius’ son who also wanted to avenge his father death and Hamlet. King Claudius poisoned the tip of Laertes sword hoping he would kill Hamlet. Although Hamlet died but not before stabbing King Claudius with the same sword he had poisoned. To sum it all up, King Claudius did not got free after committing so many crimes and to complement the play, he died through a weapon he had put in place to destroy Hamlet. (Benson 499)

Works Cited

Benson, George. The Norton Anthology of World Literature: “Shorter Second Edition, Volume 1” Oxford: Blackwell 2005. Print

Introduction

Public speaking involves speaking before a group of people. It is a structured process that has a deliberate intention of entertaining, influencing or informing the listeners. It is almost similar to presentation, normally done in business meetings. People involved in public speaking are leaders and highly influential people such as politicians, religious leaders, and entertainers. Public speaking has fundamental elements just like any other form of communication. These elements can either help or hinder the overall production of one’s presentation and they include: physical, vocal and spatial presentations. This paper is a response paper that discusses how the actors in the play Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare perform the act of public speaking. It focuses on 3 of the actors and evaluates these actors’ physical, vocal and spatial presentation.

Main body

Viola is very beautiful, strong and confident. As she begins the play, she seems not to know where she is. She is then is met with a stranger. She does not show any form of fear in her. She confidently asks the stranger the name of the place she found herself in and maintains a conversation with him. She has a little bit of weakness in her physical presentation. Most times she never maintains eye contact with her audience especially male listeners. But her vocal presentation is good, because she is quite audible. The other place where she shows confidence and good presentation skills is when she disguises herself as a man and changes her name to Cesario. She is also very jovial and happy when she speaks, and this is a good thing because people will enjoy listening to her (Griffin, 1996).

Orsino is the second character that this paper will analyse. He is the Duke of Illyria and he has fallen in love with Olivia, a countess. He is generally a good person, humorous and enjoys to bond with his subjects. He has a strong physical presentation, seen from his stage movements. He looks at people in the eyes when making his speech and also he is very audible to his listeners. He does not fear to express his feelings quite loudly to everyone around him. He even uses music to enhance his feeling of love to Olivia.

Lastly, Maria, who is a nice lady, she waits at Olivia’s house and she has strong feelings of love to Sir Toby Belch. She too displays strong stage presence, where her voice is very audible. She moves a lot on the stage and she even makes contact, both physical and eye, wit her audience. She expresses perfectly her feelings for Sir Toby without fear. She is very jovial and humorous too.

Conclusion

We see that overall production of the play as good because of the confidences and wonderful stage presentation of these characters. When these elements of public speaking are not displayed well in a presentation then, then the person giving the speech will not win the ears of the audience. The audience’s concentration needs to be sustained at all times. To assist in enhancing the skill of public speaking, one needs to undergo training. Training is good because it enable one to get familiar with the stage and hence builds the necessary confidence required to make a good public speaker. It is hard for one to run away from this form of communication for it is applied almost everywhere.

Work Cited

Griffin, Alice. The Sources of Ten Shakespearean Plays (First ed.). New York: T.Y. Crowell, 1996.