There's also 'Blount' (as in, Sir Walter Blount) = BLUNT. Pronunciation guide: 'Worcester' = WOOS-ter (just as, when you visit England, 'Leicester' = LES-ter). 1, and Laertes/Polonius or Old Fortinbras/Young Fortinbras in Hamlet. Also, consider the roles of father-and-son foils - contrasting pairs such as Hotspur/Northumberland in Henry 4, Pt. Consider "fathers" who are not necessarily blood relatives to their "sons" - Falstaff, Yorick, others. In a typed essay of 2-3 pages, compare and contrast the theme of fathers and sons in these two plays. Shakespeare clearly wanted to explore the theme of fathers and sons in his turn-of-the-century plays. How does their intelligence reveal itself in Hamlet and Othello? And how does Shakespeare expect us to value human intelligence in these two great plays? Is intelligence a virtue or a character defect? A friend or an enemy?įATHERS & SONS IN Henry 4, Pt. But if we accept Aristotle's action-based view of tragedy, how do we, as audiences or readers, accommodate the many interruptions of the action in Shakespeare in the form of monologues and soliloquies? How do these breaks in the action ultimately contribute anything to the theatrical force of rising action? Choose at least two monologues from Shakespearean tragedy and discuss them in relation to rising action.Īrguably, Hamlet and Iago are two of Shakespeare's most intelligent characters. The Greek philosopher Aristotle defined tragedy, at least in part, as rising action: a tumult of events, complicated or crushing, that rises to a feverish climax. THE ROLE OF MONOLOGUES AND SOLILOQUIES IN TRAGEDY Is it life-affirming? Death-affirming? How do these statements help to define Hamlet's evolving understanding of life and death? Readiness is all: since no man has aught of what he Now if it be not now, yet it will come: the 'tis not to come if it be not to come, it will be Not a whit, we defy augury: there's a special If your mind dislike any thing, obey it: I willįorestall their repair hither, and say you are not Gain-giving, as would perhaps trouble a woman. It is but foolery but it is such a kind of But thou wouldst not think how ill all's hereĪbout my heart: but it is no matter. Have been in continual practise: I shall win at the I do not think so: since he went into France, I Less well known yet equally profound in its way is a section of prose dialogue near the end of the play (see, especially, the text in bold type), from Act V, sc. One is the iconic "To be or not to be." soliloquy (III, sc. Please choose one of the following prompts and write an essay in response, using passages from Shakespeare's plays to support your views.Īlthough many statements by Hamlet seem definitive, two are especially powerful with respect to profound questions about life and death.
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