Abstract
Explores the accessibility of William Shakespeare's play Othello through its incisive exploration of human instincts, and rich character base. In particular focusing on the character of Othello as a social "outsider", and the character of "absolute egoism" - Iago.

From the Paper
"William Shakespeare is often acknowledged for his rich development of character and his insights into social and moral concerns as well as human nature. In early seventeenth century his ability to analyze human nature and bring it to a theatrical setting was at its height and it was at this time that he produced Othello among other great tragedies. Othello is notable for its portrayal of characters, especially lago and Othello and the incisive observations it makes of human instincts. It is the strong character base and its timeless observations of human nature that make Othello accessible to an audience in any time or place."

Tags:alienation, character, evil, good, honest, iago, othello, outsider, play, race, racial, william

Abstract
A discussion of the contributing factors to the demise of one of Shakespeare's most controversial characters. Includes an analysis of Macbeth's character, supernatural forces, and Lady Macbeth.

From the Paper
"Macbeth, arguably one of Shakespeare's bloodiest characters has numerous inherent flaws, the three most apparent being self-doubt, ambition and a tendency to violence. These fatal traits are demonstrated early in the text when the reader first encounters Macbeth on the battlefield, having presumably murdered many of his Norwegian opponents in the name of his country. He is presented as a "brave" General, who is praised and greatly rewarded for his ability at the front. The audience quickly realises that Macbeth is a capable solider with a natural ability in and tendency toward war and violence. His second fatal flaw becomes evident soon after, when Macbeth is confronted by the "weird sisters." His delight and excitement at their prophecies, naming him Cawdor and King is obvious, though the nature of the prophecies themselves at first draw scorn. Once the first has been fulfilled however, and Macbeth is awarded the title Thane of Cawdor for his military efforts, the idea of becoming King is far more tangible and exciting for Macbeth. The audience notes the way it consumes his thoughts when he is distracted from conversation with his fellow Thanes and also that he lies about his thoughts, claiming "nothing" to be the subject of his internal contemplation. This is confirmation for the audience that the suggestion of Kinship is greatly appealing to Macbeth and has an almost instantaneous negative impact upon his character, encouraging him to deceit amongst friends. Macbeth's ambition is a constant theme throughout the play, continuing to develop as he arrives home to plot Duncan's murder with hi wife. His desire for power is soon coupled with an implantation of self-doubt and insecurity, the combined effects of which lead him to continue to kill in order to retain his royal position."

Tags:macbeth, shakespeare, lady, tragic

Abstract
This paper discusses how Shakespeare's "Othello" is primarily orientated with a psychoanalytical viewpoint and one of evil in humanity and the notion of humanistic elements of society from which all responders can relate. It examines how, through these interpretations, the tragedy of Othello is defined through his inexperience in love and his emotional instability whilst the presence of evil in society culminates his downfall.

From the Paper
"The key to Othello's emotional instability is sourced from his extreme love of Desdemona and his inability to understand and comprehend it. Derived from contrast between expectations of Othello and his personality, Shakespeare delves into the notion of sociology and the vast variations between the appearance and reality of his characters and humans in generals. From the outset of the play, Othello is established as an outsider as shown through Brabantio's reaction to the information that a moor has seduced his daughter and the mentality of Iago and Roderigo that this fact would be such a disposition to the honour of Brabantio's family. From this however, Othello's prestige is revealed whilst in the council of the Duke and his confidence revealed whilst addressing his unknowing father-in-law. Jonathan Bates argues that as the play develops and Othello's integrity collapses, the role of Iago's evil wit prevails and Othello becomes impregnated with Iago's obsessions."

Tags:Desdemona, tragedy, iago

Abstract
This paper compares William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and Sir Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead." It specifically explores how these works address the existence or the non-existence of God and the implications of this for moral order. It examines the plots of the plays and the major thematic issues that are presented by the writers.

From the Paper
"In both plays, death is the pivot for the debate about moral order. In Hamlet, death has a specific function and is valued differently to in Ros and Guil. In Hamlet, death is essential to the grand order of things. Shakespeare's audience believed that we die in order to be judged by God on our life's actions. The ghost is a constant reminder of this. Hamlet's father was "doomed for a certain term to walk the night" because he was not able to absolved himself of his sins before he was murdered. Hamlet contemplates death in his soliloquies, most notably in his "to be or not to be" soliloquy, which reflected his sceptical humanist inclining. Hamlet rather impersonally considers the attractions of death, which he likens to a sleep, over life, whose pain seems unavoidable. It reflects on the metaphysical value of living and 'being' in the face of great dispair and loss, and invites the audience to consider the value of life and the ability of individual autonomy to rebel against dispair, reflecting the scepticism of Montaigne. But in the end he notes that the fear of possible suffering in the afterlife "that we know not of" (as opposed to the known evil that is life) tends to stop human beings from actively ending their existence. Hamlet thus shows a Christian humanist bent in probing humanist metaphysical questions."

Tags:God, death, character, life

Abstract
"Macbeth", written by William Shakespeare, is the tragic tale of Macbeth, a virtuous man, corrupted by power and greed. This desire leads him to murder the king but also leads him to insecurity. This paper analyzes his uncontrollable ambition and how these desires take control of his actions which lead to his ruin.

From the Paper
"Throughout the play, Macbeth's character grows stronger as Lady Macbeth's will regresses. It even gets to where Macbeth will not include his wife in his villainous schemes, where at one time, it was Lady Macbeth who was implementing these schemes in his head in the first place. In a sense, the two characters switch roles. The turning point for Lady Macbeth is when she learns of her husband's slaying of Macduff's family. She realizes that this is all a result of her greed for power, power that led to the corruption of her husband and allowed her to create a monster out of a once, at least, worthy man. In this state, she turns to sleepwalking, which reveals her guilt. "Out, damned spot! Out, I say! One, two. Why, then "tis time to do't... The thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now? What, will these hands ne'er be clean?..." This guilt and paranoia eventually leads to Lady Macbeth's violent death at her own hands."

Tags:villain, murder, king, power, greed, ambition

Abstract
This paper analyzes the various factors pertinent to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, with an emphasis on Friar Lawrence's role in their deaths. The writer concludes that the responsibility for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet lies not only with the Friar but also with nearly every main character in the play.

From the Paper
"Although it often appears that the Friar is responsible for events leading to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, in reality it is usually other influences that are accountable. For instance, the Friar's plan (giving Juliet the sleeping potion to evade the wedding to Paris, then spiriting her to Mantua until Romeo could return to Verona) was not flawed in itself. Unfortunately however, Balthazar, seeing Juliet's funeral, hastened to tell Romeo that he "saw her laid low in her kindred's vault," (5, 1, 20). It was this information that made him, and later Juliet, commit suicide. Again, while marrying Romeo and Juliet may seem like an irresponsible action, it did not contribute to the lovers' deaths. Their first meeting, based on chance, and their separation, as a result of Romeo's banishment, played a far greater role in the tragedy."

Tags:friar, lawrence, paris, balthazar, capulet

Abstract
This essay focuses on the feminist criticism of the Shakespeare's drama "King Lear." The author examines modern and traditional presentations of this play. The main characters, and plot line are detailed, and then analyzed in order to look its portrayal of women. The play has undergone several transformations, and has adapted some of the themes regarding women to modern times.

From the Paper
"Shakespeare's original King Lear enforces anarchy, sexual insubordination and a misogynist emphasis through its portrayal of women and their impact on society, hence their destructive existence. This drama requires the audience to accept the underlying agreement that fathers are owed particular duties by daughters and chaos will manifest if this condition is not met. This assumption obviously imply that in King Lear, chaos was spawned by the neglect of these duties hence suggesting females are once again the cause of conflict."

Tags:criticism, feminist, production, lear, king, daughters, mind, family, relationships

Abstract
This essay explores the prodominant themes in "Romeo and Juliet" based on the statement by Prince Escalus, 'For never was there a story of more woe, Than this of Juliet and her Romeo'. Keeping that quote in mind, the essay questions whether love can be counted as the only theme in Romeo and Juliet. The essay discusses in detail three major themes of hate, fate and time, using three scenes in detail, using quotes to support the argument.

From the Paper
"In the tragedy of "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, the main theme of the play is love but it is not the only one. The play explores other themes that revolve around love such as the fate of the two lovers, the speed and time of their love and the hatred between their families. When Prince Escalus stated " for never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo" (Act V, Scene III, line 308-309), the purpose of his statement was to illustrate the presence of a wide variety of themes which all contributed to the tragic story of Juliet and her Romeo."

Tags:fate, hate, quote, scenes, time

Abstract
This paper examines how Tom Stoppard is able to use Shakespeare's "Hamlet" to create a contemporary perspective in his text "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" by exploring the values which Shakespeare presented in the 17th century in a way that reflects their reception in the modern context in which he composed. It looks at how the plays are vehicles for both writers to explore the values of language, death and fate in their respective eras.

From the Paper
"Death in Hamlet is a significant occurrence. It is undeniably permanent and there are always consequences. The entire play in fact is sparked on by said consequences. Hamlet is driven to revenge by his father's "foul and most unnatural murder", as is Laertes. Shakespeare transmits the idea of the permanence, the inevitability of death. Hamlet refers to 'poor Yorick'. He reminisces about the court jester: "Here hung those lips / that I have kissed I know not how oft." He recalls joking and laughing with Yorick, but now all that remains is his vacant skull, tossed away to make room for Ophelia. "

Tags:death, fate, yorick, ophelia

Abstract
Explores the characteristics of Desdemona, Bianca and Emilia and their status, roles and power within the largely male dominated society. The paper suggests that the male dominated society leads to, ultimately, all three women falling victims.

From the Paper
"Othello by William Shakespeare is a play set in Venice at the height of it's powers. There are three significant female characters in the play, Desdemona, Bianca, and Emilia, who are representative of the female gender. Their characters within the play are presented as being victims of their gender, and victims of the male dominated society of the time. They are seen as victims in their treatment, their status and roles and their power within society, and in the ultimate death of two of the three female characters in the play."

Tags:cassio, dominant, females, gender, males, men, patriarchy, play, power, race, victims, women