A play must challenge its audience otherwise it is nothing more than entertainment In what ways do two of the plays you have studied challenge audiences Some people appreciate going to the theatre or reading a play passively in order to evade a reality that does not work in their favor But is passivity the key to a genuine appreciation of a piece of literature The key to answering this question is not simply by stating how two works are challenging but by analyzing why they were written in such
The 16th century play The Taming of the Shrew uses a public wager amongst three men regarding the obedience of their wives to display how commitment and persistence are key values to a successful marriage At a dinner party three noblemen Lucentio Hortensio and Petrucchio one at a time call upon each their wives in front of the crowd Lucentio begins the wager by calling for his wife Bianca who immediately refuses him Hortensio follows next by asking the widow to come to his presence and he is al
At the surface Mark Twains famed novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a thrilling narrative told by a 13 year old boy who embarks on a perilous journey down the formidable Mississippi River aboard a tiny wooden raft The storys sensationalism sometimes makes Hucks journey seem unbelievable Underneath however lies an authentic portrait of the institution of slavery in America during the 1850s Although born and raised in Missouri Twain vehemently opposed slavery He witnessed the inhumane tr
Let us further suppose that our writer is Canadian and that they wish to set their drama or poem in Canada Lets now throw caution to the winds and imagine they want to use real historical material Now they have problems These problems are connected with the pattern of Canadian history and the related and even resultant patterns of the Canadian psyche That is their subject will depend on what kinds of figures are made available to them by their countrys history and their approach to their subjec
Beowulf is a story of lifes journey from adolescence to adulthood to old age These changes occur through wisdom acquired from the pain and triumph of personal experience At a young age Beowulf encounters sea monsters At adulthood he faces the notorious Grendel Finally at his last battle when he is old he fights the dragon Through these experiences Beowulf gains wisdom and allows him to move on to the next stage of life or in the last battle to death When Beowulf is young he is haughty and impul
Beowulf is often lionized as a courageous soul a fearless leader and an epic hero He jumps into battle against monsters and creatures without a worry or fear of death and annihilation His belief in providence makes him brave but simultaneously irrational and dumb Readers of Beowulf usually look only at his positive characteristics such as his legacy strength perseverance pride and alignment with the heroic code Readers also question whether or not Beowulf is a true epic hero or just an idiot le
Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll is a classic tale of a heros victory over a much feared mythological creature The poems lilty rhythm and campfire story feel add to its charm creating a memorable work that is easily recognized by an overwhelming majority of the English speaking world The narrator of the poem is unidentified although only a few options are truly plausible The first is that the narrator is the father of the hero It seems to follow reasonably since any dialogue made in the poem is spo
Bram Stokers Dracula is undoubtedly one of the most influential horror novels in western culture One is left to wonder what gives the novel its staying power Throughout the ages authors have created influential writing that has eventually gathered its dust been placed under some uneven coffee table and inevitably fallen out of the realm of lasting literature So what is it about Stokers Dracula that has resonated so powerfully with western civilization and inspired countless adaptations of vampi
Chaucer makes the statement that greed leads to deception by focusing his tales on realistic problems of the time arguing that those who deceive deserve to be punished In the Millers Tale Alison and her lover Nicholas preoccupy Old John by convincing him that a huge flood approaches in order to be alone for the night by Old John bearing the blame and punishment Chaucer illustrates that the marriage of someone younger foretells a disastrous marriage Old John whose wit was ride ignores Catouns so
Shakespeare employs a variety of language dramatic and theatrical techniques in shaping my understanding of the rather enigmatic yet definitely Machiavellian character of Iago Shakespeare reveals him to be a cunning and conniving exploiter and manipulator of other characters who become caught in his web of lies deceit and evil schemes Iago is forever the cold calculating pragmatist who is cynical about anything associated with goodness such as love virtue reputation and honour Iago constantly p