year 2 English Literature assignment

Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organisations or between individuals and organisations. Given this definition, I can honestly say that I have never been betrayed. I however know of people who have been betrayed by close friends and family members. There was a situation where my best friend felt as if I had betrayed her n so we broke apart. It was a situation where she was thinking about doing something horrible and had told me about it. Being unable to keep it to myself, I ended up telling her mother. She got into some trouble and blamed me for it. She told me she felt as if she couldn't trust me anymore but after telling her why I did it she forgave me with the thought that I had only been looking out for her.


With the definition that was given above I can say that I have never in my life felt as if I had been betrayed but misunderstood the situation. 


In the various Shakespeare plays that I have studied, the characters usually resort to violence, trickery and evils because of greed, hate and jealousy. It is usually Shakespeare's idea to write that the characters in his plays are either jealous, greedy or really hate each other. For instance in the play 'Much Ado About Nothing', Don John was jealous of his own brother Don Pedro because of the fact that Don Pedro had gained all the wealth that could have been his too if only he had not been a bastards child. Because of the fact that he was jealous of his own brother, he did anything he could to make his brother suffer. In doing so, he ended up making other people suffer. He ended up tricking his brother and many other people into believing that a soon-to-be wife was having an affair on the night before she was to be married. In doing this, the bride was not only humiliated on her wedding day in front of all her family and friends, she was also wrongfully accused of being unfaithful. The bride suffered tremendously because of the jealousy, greed for power and the hate one brother had for the other.


The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare that was originally published in the First Folio of 1623. It is believed that The Winter's Tale was first written in the years between 1608 and 1612 and was first performed in 1610. The play came about because of the Elizabethan Era (1558-1603). These were the years in which Queen Elizabeth 1 reigned. It is often considered to be the Golden Age in English history because of the things that happened during this time. It was the height of the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of poetry, music and literature. The era is most famous for theatre, as William Shakespeare and many others composed plays that broke free of England's past style of theatre. It was an age of exploration and expansion abroad, while back at home the Protestant Reformation became more acceptable to the people. The Elizabethan Era also marked the end of the period when England was a separate realm before its royal union with Scotland. 


The Elizabethan Theatre was the very first theatre in England. It is also known as the English Renaissance Theatre. The term "Elizabethan Theatre" properly covers the plays written and performed publicly in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1(1558-1603). Most of Shakespeare's plays were written in this theatre.



The Theatre of the Absurd came about as a result of World War ll. It is a theatrical style originating in France in the late 1940's. It relies heavily on existential philosophy and a category for plays at absurdist fiction. It expresses the belief that, in a god less universe, human existence has no meaning or purpose and therefore all communication breaks down. Theatre of the Absurd follows the concepts of existential philosophy. The theatrical style aims to show a world where man is born with only himself and nothing else (no God), and must earn his place in the metaphysical world.


William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright who was baptised on the 26th of April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. His mother's name was Mary Arden and his father was John Shakespeare. At the young age of 18, Shakespeare married his wife Anne Hathaway and had three children, Susan, Juliet and Hamnet who died. Shakespeare was named England's National poet and Bard of Avon because of the many plays he wrote during his life. He was able to write 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 long narrative poems and other poems, all of which were published after his death, in 23 years. William Shakespeare produced most of his work between 1589 and 1613. On April 23rd 1616, William Shakespeare died at the age of 52 and was buried in the Chancel of the Holy Trinity Church two days after his death. He is remembered up to this day because of his many accomplishments. 

Comedies written by Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew.

Tragedies written by Shakespeare: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar.

Romance plays written by Shakespeare: The Tempest, Prince of Tyre, Pericles.

Elizabethan Theatre

Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organisations or between individuals and organisations. Given this definition, I can honestly say that I have never been betrayed. I however know of people who have been betrayed by close friends and family members. There was a situation where my best friend felt as if I had betrayed her n so we broke apart. It was a situation where she was thinking about doing something horrible and had told me about it. Being unable to keep it to myself, I ended up telling her mother. She got into some trouble and blamed me for it. She told me she felt as if she couldn't trust me anymore but after telling her why I did it she forgave me with the thought that I had only been looking out for her.


With the definition that was given above I can say that I have never in my life felt as if I had been betrayed but misunderstood the situation. 


In the various Shakespeare plays that I have studied, the characters usually resort to violence, trickery and evils because of greed, hate and jealousy. It is usually Shakespeare's idea to write that the characters in his plays are either jealous, greedy or really hate each other. For instance in the play 'Much Ado About Nothing', Don John was jealous of his own brother Don Pedro because of the fact that Don Pedro had gained all the wealth that could have been his too if only he had not been a bastards child. Because of the fact that he was jealous of his own brother, he did anything he could to make his brother suffer. In doing so, he ended up making other people suffer. He ended up tricking his brother and many other people into believing that a soon-to-be wife was having an affair on the night before she was to be married. In doing this, the bride was not only humiliated on her wedding day in front of all her family and friends, she was also wrongfully accused of being unfaithful. The bride suffered tremendously because of the jealousy, greed for power and the hate one brother had for the other.


The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare that was originally published in the First Folio of 1623. It is believed that The Winter's Tale was first written in the years between 1608 and 1612 and was first performed in 1610. The play came about because of the Elizabethan Era (1558-1603). These were the years in which Queen Elizabeth 1 reigned. It is often considered to be the Golden Age in English history because of the things that happened during this time. It was the height of the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of poetry, music and literature. The era is most famous for theatre, as William Shakespeare and many others composed plays that broke free of England's past style of theatre. It was an age of exploration and expansion abroad, while back at home the Protestant Reformation became more acceptable to the people. The Elizabethan Era also marked the end of the period when England was a separate realm before its royal union with Scotland. 


The Elizabethan Theatre was the very first theatre in England. It is also known as the English Renaissance Theatre. The term "Elizabethan Theatre" properly covers the plays written and performed publicly in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1(1558-1603). Most of Shakespeare's plays were written in this theatre.



The Theatre of the Absurd came about as a result of World War ll. It is a theatrical style originating in France in the late 1940's. It relies heavily on existential philosophy and a category for plays at absurdist fiction. It expresses the belief that, in a god less universe, human existence has no meaning or purpose and therefore all communication breaks down. Theatre of the Absurd follows the concepts of existential philosophy. The theatrical style aims to show a world where man is born with only himself and nothing else (no God), and must earn his place in the metaphysical world.


William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright who was baptised on the 26th of April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. His mother's name was Mary Arden and his father was John Shakespeare. At the young age of 18, Shakespeare married his wife Anne Hathaway and had three children, Susan, Juliet and Hamnet who died. Shakespeare was named England's National poet and Bard of Avon because of the many plays he wrote during his life. He was able to write 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 long narrative poems and other poems, all of which were published after his death, in 23 years. William Shakespeare produced most of his work between 1589 and 1613. On April 23rd 1616, William Shakespeare died at the age of 52 and was buried in the Chancel of the Holy Trinity Church two days after his death. He is remembered up to this day because of his many accomplishments. 

Comedies written by Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew.

Tragedies written by Shakespeare: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar.

Romance plays written by Shakespeare: The Tempest, Prince of Tyre, Pericles.

Elizabethan Theatre

Does Dogberry and his constables provide humor in Much Ado About Nothing?

        For a drama to be a comedy, it has to have some sort of humor in it.  One may ask what humor is.  Well according to Wikipedia, humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement.  The question is asked as to whether or not Dogberry and his constables provide humor.  Well in looking at the definition of humor, it can be seen that both Dogberry and his constables provide humor in the book Much Ado About Nothing.  I, however after having read the book and watched the movie fail to see much humor from these men.  Instead of being humorous, I saw these men as a group of dump men with the dumbest being Dogberry himself.
        For instance, in Act 3, Scene 3 when they chose the men that were going to be the watches for the night and Dogberry is explaining their roles to them, he says "if you meet a thief, you may suspect him, by virtue of your office, to be no true man: and for such kind of men, the less you meddle or make with them, why the more is for your honesty."  He then goes on to say "Truly by your office you may, but I think they that touch pitch will be defil'd: the most peaceable way for you, if you do take a thief, is, to let him show himself what he is, and steal out of your company."  This happens to be quite stupid.  To me, he is trying to say that because these men are constables and watches they should be able to spot a thief.  Nobody can suspect a thief because anybody can be a thief.  He then says that they shouldn't trouble these people but to be sure that they are really thieves, they should allow them (thieves) to steal from them (the watches).  Only a dumb person would give advice such as this.  This was obviously suppose to be funny but in truth it only showed how dumb these men were.
         Another part in the book which proves that Dogberry and his constables do not provide humor but that these men are actually dumb is in Act 3, Scene 3 lines 15-18 where Dogberry says "God hath blessd you with a good name: to be a well-favored man, is the gift of Fortune, but to write and read, comes by nature.  This is a pretty dumb way to put things.  Its not humorous at all.  'Well-favored' means handsome and so in all he is saying that 'to be a handsome man is a gift of Fortune, but to write and read, comes by nature.  Do you find this funny? I doubt that you do.  It seems rather dumb that a constable would say such things, since to be a handsome man is a gift of nature and to be able to read and write is a gift of fortune.  Someone is fortunate that they are able to read and write, it is not a gift of nature.  Once again showing how dumb these men were.
        In concluding this essay, it can be said that Shakespeare's idea to write the characters in such a way was to make the play humorous.  This may have had a positive effect on some people but as for me, I don't think that they were humorous.  I saw them as a dumb group of men who did and say the things they did, not really to make us laugh but because they knew not how to do what they did without seeming dumb.

Shakespeare and The Elizabethan Theatre (group two)

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born on April, 23rd 1564 in Stratford-in-Avon, northwest of London. This date is based on record of his baptism on April 26th.

Shakespeare's father John was a successful glove marker and a businessman who held a number of positions in the town government. His mother whose maiden name was Mary Arden, was the daughter of his father's landlord.

There is no written evidence of Shakespeare's boyhood, not even a name on a school attendance list. However, given his father's statue, it is highly probable that he attended the Stratford Grammar School, where he acquired knowledge of Latin.

In November, the year 1582 William Shakespeare received a license to marry. At this time Anne would have been 26 and William 18. A considerable age difference to William Shakespeare, whom at the time was still under the age of consent (21). It is apparent that Anne Hathaway became pregnant prior to marriage which would have no doubt caused a scandal for both of the families. Some writers have made much of the fact that Shakespeare left his wife and children behind and he went into London not long after his twins were born. However, he visited his family in Stratford regularly during his years as a playwright, and they may have lived with him for a long time in London.

Shakespeare became connected with the theatre in the late 1580's and earlyn1590's. By 1594, however, he had become a part owner and the principal playwright of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, one of the most successful theatre companies in London.

In 1599, the company built the famous Globe theatre on the South bank of the Thame River, in Southwark. This is where most of Shakespeare plays were performed.

William Shakespeare did not think to himself that he was a man of letters. He wrote his plays to be performed and did not bring out editions of them for the reading public. The first published edition of his work, called The First Folio, was issued in 1623 by two members of his theatre company, John Heminges and Henery Condell, and contained thirty-six of the thirty-seven plays now attributed to him.

In about 1610, William Shakespeare retired to Standfort, though he continued to write plays. April 23rd 1616 he died and was buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford because it was a common practice to move bodies after burial to make room for others.

Timeline of Praise

No other English writer has won such universal and enthusiastic praise from critic and fellow praise from critics and fellow writers. Here are sample of that praise, shown on a timeline from Shakespeare's day to our won:

·         Ben Jonson (1572-1667) “He was not of an age, but for all time!"

·         A.C.Bradley (1851-1935) "Where his power or art is fully exerted, it really does resemble that of nature."

·         T.S.Eliot (1888-1965) "About any one so great as Shakespeare it is probable that we can never be right............."

                Elizabethan Theatre

Prior to the reign of Elizabeth I, theatre companies made a living by travelling around the country looking for large audiences to perform. When Queen Elizabeth came to power and throughout her reign, she fostered the rise and formalization of English drama. It was during her era that drama began to be recognized as a complex art form to be appreciated, loved and critiqued by the masses. Queen Elizabeth’s own interest in drama led to this increasing interest.

           

When Shakespeare was twelve years old, an actor named James Burbage built London’s first theatre, called simply ‘The Theatre’, just beyond the city walls in Shoreditch. Actors- even prominent and well-to-do actors like Burbage- occupied a strange place in London society; they were frowned upon by the city fathers but were wildly popular with the common people.

            In 1597, the city fathers closed down ‘The Theatre’. In late 1598, Richard Burbage (James’s son) and his men dismantled it and hauled it in pieces across the Thames to Southwark. It took them six months to rebuild it, and when they did they renamed it the ‘Globe’.

            Critics dispute the exact shape and structure of this building however many believe it was round and octagonal. Shakespeare makes reference to the building in Henry V calling it “this wooden O”. It is believed that the design and structure of this building was derived from the beat-baiting and bull-baiting rings built in Southwark.

            The building could seat in excess of 2500; but actors had to project their voices to be heard.          Back then, there was no technology which is utilized in the theatre today.  Sound effects, special lighting, scenery and all the modern amenities now used to enhance productions were entirely absent. The actors were forced to use their own abilities to compensate for the lack of technology.

            In 1613 a cannon was fired as a part of a performance of Henry VIII set the theatre’s thatched roof on fire and destroyed it. The patrons escaped unharmed, but the Globe was completely destroyed.

           Building a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe was American actor Sam Wanamaker’s dream. After long years of fund-raising construction, the theatre opened its doors full season on June 8, 1997.

            Like the earlier Globe, this one was also made of wood, with a thatched rood and lime plaster covering the walls.

            During the late 16^th century, Elizabethan drama became fully- developed. Playwrights turned away from basing their plays on the religious aspects of society and began writing more sophisticated plays. Drawing on models from ancient Greece and Rome, writers introduced tragedies- plays in which disaster befalls the hero/heroine. Dramatists also began writing their plays in carefully construed of unrhymed verse, using fanciful language and making the words play a vivid image in the viewers minds.

Brother Man Questions

Narrative Techniques

Imagery - this is shown in the last chapters of the book when Brother Man was being beaten.  The way the author describes the scene, a vivid picture is created for us, the readers.

Setting – the main setting of the story is Orange Lane in Kingston Jamaica.  At the beginning of the story, the author describes a setting in the story.  For instance, at the beginning of the first chapter (Chorus of the people in the lane), the author creates a vivid setting of the lane in which the characters in the story lived.  He talks about the way they spoke, the way they behave on the street corners and the way in which the houses and shops were located through the lane.

 

How is characterization developed?

In doing this, Roger Mais describes the attitude of each character.  For instance, with the way he describes Papacita character, we are able to see that he is a womanizer.  We are also able to see that although he and Girlie are in a relationship, he has no love whatsoever for her.  He abuses both her and the fact that she loves him.  Roger Mais also uses description to make the characters seem real.  For instance, he describes the many fights Girlie and Papacita have.  This is a case of abuse and happens to many women around the world.  He describes it in a way so that it can relate to reality, thus making the characters seem real.

Where is the setting of the story?

The setting of the story is Orange Lane.  This is a street in Kingston Jamaica.

What are some themes highlighted in the book?

Love- love can be considered a major theme in Brother Man.  This is shown in the relationship that Girlie and Papacita have.  Although she is a victim of abuse, she stil sticks by his side and does everything for him.  Even though she knows the bad things that he does, she does not leave him because she believes that she loves him.  This love however is not mutual.  We can tell that Papacita cares nothing about Girlie because of the way he treats her.

Another case in which this theme is highlighted is in the case of Jesmina and Cordelia.  We see the love that Jesmina has for her sister because of the fact that Jesmina was the one who stayed by her side during her sick days.  She was also there during her hard times.  The times when Cordelia decided to go to Bra Ambo for help and turn against Brother Man were the worst of all times.  She began going crazy but her sister went nowhere, she was there for her.  Jesmina went to lengths to get help for her but nothing could be done.

The love that Cordelia had for her son Tad is another case where this theme is highlighted.  Although she was sick, she always asked of her son.  When he bacame sick she did everything she could to make him better.  Thinking that Brother Man was of no help to her son, she ended up going to Bra Ambo for help.  Although this was wrong of her, the love she has for her son is shown since she was willing to make such a sacrifice for the sake of making him well.

The final part that I think that love is highlighted is in the case of Minette and Brother Man.  Minette was taken up off the streets by Brother Man and because he was not like the other men who took advantage of her, she ended up falling for him.  Brother Man however does not see her as a woman he should marry but only as a daughter.  She is willing to do anything for him but being the Godly man that he is, he tries to ignore the fact that she loves him and sees these them as things a daughter should do.

Betrayal- this theme is highlighted firstly in the case of Cordelia and Brother Man.  Being the loving man that he is, he usually helped Cordelia.  When it came to the sickness of her son, thinking that Brother Man could not heal her son’s sickness, she runs from him to Bra Ambo’s side.  In doing this she betrays Brother Man.  He is also betrayed by the people in the lane. 

This theme is also evident in the case of Papacita and Girlie.  Papacita betrays the love and trust that Girlie once had for him by going out every day and coming back in late at night.  He has no respect for her nor does he care how she feels.

Greed – this can be seen when it came to Bra Ambo.  He was greedy for power and money.  He wanted the power to heal the sick just as Brother Man could.  In doing this, he turns Cordelia against Brother Man.

Hatred – this theme is obvious in the case of Bra Ambo.  He hates Brother Man because he has powers he does not.  This is also seen when it comes to Papacita.  He also hates Brother Man.  This is because he thinks that Brother Man is the one standing in the way of him winning Minette over.

Poverty – this is also a major theme in the story.  By the way that Brother gives money to both the needy and others who do not need it at the moment. We are able to see that these people live in poverty.  Also by the way Roger Mais describes the setting of the story, this theme is also highlighted.

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

On the 26^th of April 1564, John Shakespeare, a successful Glover and alderman originally from Snitterfield, and Mary Arden, the daughter of an affluent landowning farmer baptized their third child, a bouncing baby boy.  The name given to this baby was William Shakespeare. He was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon and he attended the Stratford School.  At the tender age of 18, Shakespeare married a woman by the name of Anne Hathaway.  He had three kids with her, Susanne being the first and twins Juliet and Hamnet (died at the age of 11) came after.

Shakespeare became an English poet and playwright in the late 1500s.  It was during this time and the early 1600s that he produced most of his work.  Until about 1608, William wrote mainly tragedies.  These included Hamlet, King Lear and Macbeth which were considered some of the finest works in the English Language. William Shakespear was a respected poet and playwright in his own day, but his reputation did not rise to its present heights until the 19^th century.  He was known as the greatest writer who ever existed because of the 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 long narrative poems and other poems in which he wrote in 23 years.

On the 23^rd of April 1616, William Shakespeare died at the age of 52 and was buried in the Chancel of the Holy Trinity Church two days after his death.  It was said that a curse was placed on his tomb for anyone who dared to trouble where he lay.

Shakespeare Works (Earliest Set)

Richard 111 (written in the 1590s)

Henry V1 (written in the 1590s)

Titus Andronicus

The Comedy of Errors

The Taming of the Shrew

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

Comedies

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Merchant of Venice

Much Ado About Nothing

You Like It

Twelfth Night

Tragedies

Romeo and Juliet

Julius Caesar

Macbeth

Othello

King Lear

Problem Plays

Measure for Measure

Troilus and Cressida

All’s Well That Ends Well

Romance

Cymbeline

The Winter’s Tale

The Tempest

Pericles

Prince of Tyre

Narrative Poems

Venus and Adonis

The Rape of Lucrece

A Lover’s Complaint

What is the Elizabethan Era?

This was a time associated with Queen Elizabeth 1s reign (1558-1603) and is often considered to be the golden age in English history.  It was the height of the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of English poetry, music and literature.  This was also the time during which Elizabethan theatre flourished and William Shakespeare and many others compassed plays that broke free of England’s past style of plays and theatre.  It was also the end of the period when England was a separate realm before its royal union with Scotland.

Letter to the Observer Newspaper

Dear Observer,
                      I don't think that Bother Man deserved what was done to him. They beat him up in the public street just because he was a Rasta man. This was cruelty. After all, is he not the same as we are? Does he not bleed when he gets cut and cry when he is hurt? Not because he does not comb his hair and not because he has long facial hair means that he is any different from us. We should all be treated equally. People make it seem as though being a Rastafarian is a bad thing. It is not. It is only a religion. We all have different religions that we try to live up to and that is exactly what Brother Man is doing. It still baffles me as to why they would do such a thing to a man who has helped many people in more ways than can be counted. Is it because he loves and  cherishes his religion more than some of us do? Well isn't that what he is suppose to do? If he doesn't, then who is going to do it for him? It pains my heart to see people around the world do such things  to their fellow brothers and sisters. We may not all be related biologically but we are related in some way or another.
                      Back to the fact that he was a very helpful person. He helped many people, both those in need and the sick. Imagine how it must pain his heart to have to look up into the faces of many of the same people who he helped as they through a brick or something at him. Then there was this poor old lady who jumped to his defense and instead of stopping they cared not that she was there and she was pushed into the gutter. Imagine that being your mother or granmother or even some close family member. Things like these bring back memories of slavery days. The only difference is that it was the white men who beat us up then. Wehave now passed the whip to our fellow black men and we are only beating ourselves up. Just imagine that. I honestly think that this man deserves an apolpgy from all those who have wronged him. Nobody should be treated differently because of their religion or even race. We should all be treated as one because thats what we are.


                                                                                                      Yours truly
                                                                                                      Ashauna Adams