Essay Prompt Essays - Characters In Hamlet, Film, Fiction

Essay Prompt: The American novelist, John Irving, says said about his work The World According to Garp, that it is a life-redeeming work in which everybody dies. Comment on the extent to which the same might be said of Hamlet. http://puu.sh/fKahB/46427e2e6b.png Life Redeeming Deaths in Hamlet Redemption, " the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil" ( OED ) defines the main course of action for many of the characters in both William Shakespeare's Hamlet and John Irving's The World According to Garp . In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet are three characters who seek to avenge their fathers' deaths. Due to the fundamental faults that each of the characters possess, many lives are lost in the process. Although these deaths are tragic, they are made acceptable to the reader because Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet ultimately acknowledge their previous shortcomings and redeem themselves by overcoming them. The first act of revenge is witnessed when Fortinbras vows to seek revenge for his father who lost a portion of his land after dying in combat to King Hamlet. To pursue his act of vengeance, the hot-headed Fortinbras readies an army "to recover [the lands], by strong hand / And terms compulsatory, those foresaid lands / So by his father lost" (1.1.101-3) and writes a letter to Claudius demanding the surrender of this lost land. Before Fortinbras could embark on his invasion, Claudius convinces Fortinbras' uncle, the Norwegian King, that the invasion would be futile. This leads to Fortinbras' uncle forbidding him from from waging war on Denmark. Instead, Fortinbras is granted permission to take an army through Denmark to attack Poland , a request to which he concedes . True to his word, Fortinbras is seen with his army marching through the fields of Denmark on his way to Poland. When Hamlet stumbles upon Fortinbras' army, he remarks that To be great / is not to stir wi thout great argument / but greatly to find quarrel in a straw / when honor's at the stake (4.4.53-56). Here, Hamlet acknowledges that even though Fortinbras has little desire to lead an attack against Poland, he does so to defend his family's honour. Hamlet deduces that Fortinbras has an excessive attachment to honour and it is Fortinbras' honour and morality that proves to be his shortcoming. Fortinbras wants to avenge his father by reclaiming the lands his father lost, a desire which unfortunately conflicts with his ability to honour his uncle's request to not wage war on Denmark. However, it could be suggested that the King of Norway secretly supports Fortinbras' quest for revenge when he grants Fortinbras his army. It is possible that the Norwegian King informed Claudius that he has dissuaded his nephew from waging war on Denmark because he knows that this will cause Claudius to let his guard down and thus he will not suspect an attack. If this were to be taken for truth, then Fortinbras could honour both his father and his uncle at the same time. But, this is never confirmed to be true, and it is unlikely that Fortinbras would suspect such a plan from his uncle, and thus his dilemma persists. Amidst this conflict, Fortinbras initially chooses the honour of his uncle over avenging his father. For the majority of Hamlet, he dutifully carries out his uncle's request. However towards the end of the play, Fortinbras realizes the fault in his honour and decides that he values his vow to his father more than his promise to his uncle, thus prepares an army to attack Denmark. It comes as a surprise to Fortinbras when he arrives on the scene only to find that his quest for revenge is no longer necessary, as the whole royal family had been killed off except for Hamlet who is on the verge of death . With Hamlet's dying breaths he passes on his blessings to Fortinbras to retake the throne , and thus Fortinbras is able to reclaiming his father's land while also honouring his uncle at the same time by not having to wage war upon Denmark . Fortinbras is thus able to honour both his uncle's wishes and his vow he made towards his

Cleopatras personal attendant Essay Example

Cleopatras personal attendant Essay Example Cleopatras personal attendant Essay Cleopatras personal attendant Essay Charmian is Cleopatras personal attendant and she is very apt at dealing with Cleopatra and her moods. When Cleopatra says that she will kill the messenger Charmian proceeds to tell her to keep within yourself. The man is innocent. (page 71 line 76-7) which clearly calms Cleopatra because she apologises and says she was wrong, which, considering Cleopatras personality, is clearly not something she does often. Cleopatra seems to only ever admit that she may have been wrong to Charmian, which implies that they are actually very close and rely upon each other quite heavily.An example of this is when Cleopatra says my salad days, when I was green in judgement, cold in blood, to say as I said then (page 39 lines 76-8). Charmian and Cleopatra are two opposites, Charmian is not a very strong character and is technically very unimportant to everyone, where as Cleopatra is a very strong and overbearing character and is the most important person in Egypt. Enobarbus and Charmian have very similar roles with their principles.They would both be without status, were they not to have their principles, and they both seem to dote on them and have the utmost loyalty, which Enobarbus clearly shows when Antony tells him they must leave, and Enobarbus simply says I shall dot (page19 line 190). However after a closer look it is quite clear they are quite different characters. The main difference between these two characters is that Charmian stayed faithful to Cleopatra where as Enobarbus did not.Cleopatra and Charmian begin the play together, and they end it together, where as Antony and Enobarbus begin it together, and they end it very much apart. Although they begin the play as very good friends, as the play continues, Enobarbus starts to doubt Antony, he says to Antony look, they weep, and I, an ass, am onion-eyed after he talks to the men. Shakespeare delivers this line through Enobarbus, because he is really the only person who would be allowed to say this to Antony, the only one who is allowed to question Antonys judgement.In the end all four of these characters die. This ending is in fact very similar to that of another Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet. Cleopatra makes it known to Antony that she is dead, even though she is not, and Antony kills himself because of that, which then leads Cleopatra making that lie a truth. The way that they die is very similar mainly because they all do it by their own hand. Cleopatra and Charmian both die the same way, and Enobarbus and Antony both die the same way, which I think Shakespeare did to show that they were still connected, even though they were apart.Cleopatra is overcome with grief and applies a poisonous snake to her body until it bites and kills her, then Charmian also does the same once her mistress is dead. This shows that she obeys her mistress to the very end. I think that Charmian cares a great deal for Cleopatra because when Cleopatra and Charmian are both dead a guard tells Caesar that he found her trimming up the diadem on her dead mistress (page 227 line 336-7) which I think shows great care and affection towards Cleopatra. Enobarbus realises what he has done, leaving his master and his best friend, when he was most needed and decides to kill himself.Enobarbus last words are for his master, as he dies he says O Antony! O Antony! (page 171 line 23). Antony also dies by turning his sword on himself; however he first asked Eros to kill him, which shows that actually in the end, Enobarbus is stronger than Antony. These characters are all very similar, and yet very different and I think that, no matter how they ended up, there is still an unbreakable bond between the servants and their masters, and Shakespeare portrays this very well throughout the play.Even when there was doubt from Enobarbus, his last words were for Antony, which still shows his loyalty. Charmian lived for her queen and she died for her queen, loyal until the end. They both behave with their principles in very unique ways which just enhances their own characters and makes them stand out not only as being their principles closest servants but also as being their own individual person.

Shakespeare's Othello Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Shakespeare's Othello - Essay Example So when, convinced by Iago that Desdemona has indeed deceived him with Cassio, and after accusing Desdemona and hearing her reply of innocence, Othello is able without any doubt to attack with the sarcastic retort, "I cry you mercy then/ I took you for that cunning whore of Venice/That married with Othello" (4.2. 89-91). A long and established friend might be able to place doubt upon a new marriage, particularly in a culture where free exchange between the sexes is not allowed, and a new wife will necessarily be almost a stranger. But why such a sudden and violent response The answer there lies in several places: the culture of the time, Othello's character and Desdemona's character. When Othello begins, Iago reveals to Rodrigo his hatred of Othello. Othello had seen fit to elevate Cassio above Iago in the ranks of the military they both served. It was a position Iago thought should have been his. As Iago tells Rodrigo, Othello's own "eyes had seen the proof/At Rhodes, at Cyprus, and on other grounds" (1.1 26-27) of Iago's worthiness, and yet not elevated him to the position he deserves. Iago views Othello's decision both as a betrayal and a trap: he sees himself forever the Moor's servant, and impotent. He stays with Othello only to exact his revenge: "I follow him to serve my turn upon him" (1.1. 40). Iago's revenge is to destroy Othello, as Othello has destroyed him, not just to kill him; and perhaps to cuckold Othello, as he feels cuckolded by Othello, though via power, not sex. But where is Othello vulnerable In his position as a military leader No, Othello is the Hero-Warrior: his reputation is known far and wide; all who served with or under him hold his military prowess in the highest regard; a stranger to Venetian society due to his background, Othello has risen to a renowned, entrusted rank. Othello is the good soldier, through and through; and Desdemona-a woman of high status in Venetian society, beautiful and wealthy--is the mirror in which he sees himself. Othello, as the good soldier, followed orders and expected others to follow his. Othello came to Venetian society as a slave, kidnapped, and ended by converting, and rising within the new society, almost literally, by tooth and nail. Desdemona, on the other hand, had the opposite response to her treatment as property at least in respect to her marriage: she simply behaved as would a free woman; she loved whom she chose, and married when she chose. In this way, Desdemona rejected her casting in life as property. She had in fact shown no interest in marriage before: "So opposite to marriage that she shunned/The wealthy curled darlings of our nation" (1.2. 66-67). Does it not hint to Othello of a dangerous sense of freedom Desdemona has not acted according to convention; Desdemona has done what she will: what else is Desdemona capable of that defies convention Othello says of Iago: "This fellow's of exceeding honesty/And knows all qualities with a learned spirit/Of human dealings" (3.3, 258-259). Suddenly, Othello begins to suspect depths, complexities, dishonesties, nuances, that