Essays on Arts and Plays

... running to the television to see what they were doing now? You might start thinking that they are cool, so go and try their product, which is just the thing the advertisement is trying to do. Popular TV series also play a role as bad influences. Many shows have the main character smoking or drinking. Take Rosanne, for instance; the opening scene shows her sitting around a table playing poker, while her husband smokes a cigar and drinks a beer. In Married With Children, another show, Al sits around the house reading pornographic material, and while working he ogles the women shopping in his store. Both of these portray a family that does not care about each ...

... dignified by the name of love for the state" (Hathorn 59). These arguments, and many others, make many people believe the Antigone is the rightful protagonist. Many critics argue that Creon is the tragic hero of Antigone. They say that his noble quality is his caring for Antigone and Ismene when thier father was persecuted. Those who stand behind Creon also argue that Antigone never had a true epiphany, a key element in being a tragic hero. Creon, on the other hand, realized his mistake when Teiresias made his prophecy. He is forced to live, knowing that three people are dead because of his ignorance, which is a punishment worse than death. My ...

... what he has become, which is, for the most part, a bum. After failing to deal adequately with his feelings, he escapes into a time when things were better for his family. It is not uncommon for one to think of better times at low points in their life in order to cheer themselves up so that they are able to deal with the problems they encounter, but Willy Lowman takes it one step further. His refusal to accept reality is so strong that in his mind he is transported back in time to relive one of the happier days of his life. It was a time when no one argued, Willy and Linda were younger, the financial situation was less of a burden, and Biff and Happy enthusiastic ...

... that Othello is able to make such a quick transition from love to hate of Desdemona. In Act 3, Scene 3, Othello states, "If she be false, O, then heaven mocks itself! I'll not believe 't." (lines 294-295) Yet only a couple hundred lines later he says, "I'll tear her to pieces" (line 447) and says that his mind will never change from the "tyrannous hate" (line 464) he now harbors. Does Othello make the transition just because he is so successfully manipulated by Iago? Or is there something particular about his character which makes him make this quick change? I believe that "jealousy" is too simple of a term to describe Othello. I think that Othello's rapid change f ...

... multi- faceted and complex—Hamlet appears insane, ostensibly over Ophelia, however, his madness is feigned—a cover for internal conflicts, rooted not in thwarted affection, but rather in desire to avenge his father's murder. Hamlet even goes so far as to say his apparent madness is an act when he says "I am but mad north-north-west; when the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw"(667). Shakespeare often used madness, either feigned or actual, as a teaching tool or vehicle to advance his plot. Sometimes this madness was feigned, as evidenced by Hamlet and Edgar (the legitimate son of Gloucester in The Tragedy of King Lear), but other times it was ge ...

... and blaming Caesar for being ambitious. His main reason for the deed committed by his colleagues and him was their pride and duty to his country. Being general in his statements left the crowd to understand more easily Brutus’s side of the story and accept him and what he did. Antony begins his speech with an innocent eulogy, but instead incites his audience into a riot, looking for Brutus's death and wrongfully killing Cinna the Poet. He does this by appealing to their emotions. Bringing Caesar's body for everyone to see made them see for themselves the reality of Caesar's death. Pointing out the stab wounds that the conspirators inflicted drove them further int ...

... event, and it greatly effected more then just people like the Joads, but programs like the public works administration which employed people for government construction projects. Another program, the Works Progress Administration, later called the Works Projects Administration was created to develop relief programs, and to keep a person's skills. From 1935- 1943, it employed 8 million people, and spent 11 billion dollars. But in 1939, there were still 9.5 million still unemployed. Another program was the Civilian Conservation Corps. Unemployed, unmarried young men were enlisted to work on conservation and resource-development projects such as soil conservat ...

... what he has become, which is, for the most part, a bum. After failing to deal adequately with his feelings, he escapes into a time when things were better for his family. It is not uncommon for one to think of better times at low points in their life in order to cheer themselves up so that they are able to deal with the problems they encounter, but Willy Lowman takes it one step further. His refusal to accept reality is so strong that in his mind he is transported back in time to relive one of the happier days of his life. It was a time when no one argued, Willy and Linda were younger, the financial situation was less of a burden, and Biff and Happy enthusiastica ...

... and panic of Macbeth's psychological anguish. Lady Macbeth will stop at nothing -not even murder- to satisfy her driving ambition. She worries that Macbeth is "too full of the milk of human kindness" to go after the throne. She wants to be tough and begs the spirits to "unsex me here." Macbeth, on the other hand, hesitates to murder Duncan for several reasons. Among these reasons the earthly consequences frighten him the most. How would his new subjects react? Would the kingdom disrupt in chaos? Furthermore Macbeth cannot escape present punishment if he fails. We see Lady Macbeth's persuasiveness producing a new courage in her husband and that courage is m ...

... any sign of haughtiness or arrogance. He has the reputation to be brave and courtly when he is introduced to a crowd with, "Here comes Brobantio and the valiant Moor." From the beginning to the end of the novel, he is aware of his high position. In the first act, Othello refuses to be aroused by Iago's account of the anger of Brabantio. He knows where he stands and later on refuses to retreat before Brabantio's men: "My parts, my title, and my perfect soul shall manifest me rightly" (31-32). His acceptance of his rank makes everyone appear beneath him, and sets him up to face a tragedy. Othello is not as flawless as expected. He thinks too highly of himself a ...