Shakespeare presents the concept Essay Example for Free

Shakespeare presents the concept Essay The plays main characters are two of the most powerful people in the world, Antony being a member of the triumvirate, a coalition controlling the majority of the globe, and Cleopatra the Queen of Egypt, a feisty lady with a strong will who in the past has been linked with many other world leaders, a point which is often referred to throughout the play; Cleopatra: Did I, Charmian, / Ever love Caesar so? . Due to their status, the authority they hold and the power they have over people is clearly going to be a main theme as it affects many of their actions, decisions and feelings as the play progresses, to great consequence. There are a number of strong characters all trying to gain the upper hand at every opportunity. This is shown even in petty matters such as who gives in and sits down first in the falsely courteous power exchange between Antony and Caesar on Antonys visit to Rome in Act 2, Scene 2. Caesar: Welcome to Rome. Antony: Thank you. Caesar: Sit. Antony: Sit, sir. Caesar: Nay then. [Caesar sits, then Antony] This is comic moment from Shakespeare, but it does also outline the ongoing power struggle within the triumvirate. The scene can be looked at from two angles: it could be argued that, as it is Antony who wins this small exchange, the event aims to highlight the strength he possesses at the height of his career in order to provide a contrast for his lack of authority at the closing stages of the play; on the other hand it could also perhaps be seen as an early sign of his decline, as he is so desperate to gain authority he has reduced himself to pettiness, contrasting with the behaviour of Caesar who acts the bigger man without the need to win this small battle as he believes he can win the real thing, an inner confidence not present within Antony. The contrast between the characters behaviour is shown again more clearly in Act 3, Scene 13 where in a desperate struggle to maintain some authority Antony has Caesars messenger, Thidias, whipped for no good reason other than to prove he does still have some control. Antony: I am / Antony yet. Take hence the jack and whip him! This is an interesting juxtaposition to the previous scene where Caesar has received Antonys ambassador most courteously, even ensuring he returns safely back to his master, Caesar: Bring him through the bands. The difference in approach is most probably because Antony realises whilst his life and leadership is on a steady decline, the younger boy Caesar is gaining experience, power and control with each day that passes. Shakespeare has shown Antonys frustration at this through his actions and poor decision making, both on a personal and professional level. The power relationship between the lovers is also a main focus of the play and is a very interesting one displayed by Shakespeare in many ways. Enobarbuss description of the pairs first meeting at the river Cydnus, Act 2, Scene 2 is not only a beautiful story with wonderful language and imagery, it also gives an interesting insight into the direction the relationship will take. Antony invites the Queen to dine with him, but instead of complying she decides the night will be on her terms and changes the arrangements so he became her guest. This is a shocking response as Antony, Whom neer the word of No woman heard speak, is not used to being rejected. It makes him immediately interested in and intrigued by her. It also gives her the power in the relationship; right from the start she is the one calling the shots. Another interesting technique used by Shakespeare is the idea of gender reversal; Antonys manhood being transferred to Cleopatra. This is shown in many instances throughout the play the first of which comes in Act 1 Scene 2 where Enobarbus mistakes the footsteps of Cleopatra for those of Antony: Enobarbus: Hush, here comes Antony. Charmian: Not he, the Queen. This can either be seen as a genuine mistake in which case the audience can only assume the walk of Cleopatra is actually very similar to that of Antony; alternatively, it could be read that Enobarbus is being a bit cheeky and inferring the gender reversal he believes is taking place between the two of them. Either way it is an interesting comment which, although can not be reflected on at the time by the audience as Cleopatra starts talking, it does introduce the idea which re-emerges on many occasions later on in the play. A physical representation of this comes in Act 2, Scene 5 where a description of a night in which the couple got very drunk and exchanged clothes is given Cleopatra: Then put my tires and mantles on him, whilst I wore his sword Philippian. This displays the exchange which has occurred very clearly and depending on the director it could even be shown visually to the audience. The sword mentioned is just one of many phallic symbols used by Shakespeare and it is used on many occasions often representing Antonys fading masculinity, Antony: My sword, made weak by my affection. One recurring quality in the play is how perceptive the other characters are to the events going on around them; nothing seems to go unnoticed. The gender reversal I have been referring to is also picked up on by the Romans and is described here in Act 1, Scene 4 by Caesar; (Antony) is not more manlike Than Cleopatra, nor the Queen of Ptolemy More womanly than he; This is clearly seen as a weakness and is one way Antony is losing his authority as a world power; he is losing the respect of his contemporaries, an example of the route the relationship takes, finally becoming more destructive than creative and leading to the couples eventual downfall. The gender issues are not the only ones to be noticed by the other characters. Antonys constant struggle for power does not go unnoticed by the soldiers, especially Ventidius who, in Act 3, Scene 1 describes how he restrained from being too impressive in battle so as not to threaten Antonys authority: Better to leave undone than, by our deed, Acquire too high a fame when him we serves away.

Victorian Gothic Literature: Scientific vs. Medieval Thinking Essay

Victorian Gothic Literature: Scientific vs. Medieval Thinking      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Creatures of the night have always held a fascination and horror for people in all cultures. The English fascination with sensational and gothic literature came to a peak, after slacking slightly following the Romantic period, in the late Victorian period with such works as Dracula, The Strange Adventures of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Picture of Dorian Gray. The literate populace avidly devoured this type of literature. While most publishers merely churned out serial horror stories en masse, such as Varney the Vampyre, many serious writers used this genre as a means to force their audience to think about their beliefs. Serious Victorian Gothic literature plays on the fears and emotions of the era, an era that was especially fearful since their beliefs had been ripped out from under them, largely by contrasting modern science with medieval superstition and belief.    The Victorian era was similar to our own in that it was a time when people weren't really sure what was true or what they believed. As this prayer, believed to have come from the Victorians shows, " 'O God - if there is a God - save my soul - if I have a soul' " (Houghton 22). New theories about the age of the earth had demonstrated that something was out of kilter with the bible, since the earth seemed to be older than the biblical account would show. Darwin had gone one step further and shown that man hadn't been created but evolved through natural selection. A generation was growing up in a culture that had had the rug of its beliefs pulled out from under its feet. The main difference between the Victorian sense of doubt and our post-modern doubt is, "faith in the existence of u... ...completely destroyed by his dabbling in alchemic science.    Much of Victorian Gothic literature plays to the Victorian doubt in what they believe, especially as concerns science and what is largely assumed to be medieval superstition. By playing on these fears, authors are able to create stories that are horrifying on several levels. First of all, the action that goes on in the book is enough to make the readers skin crawl. However, the authors go farther and use their audiences natural fears and doubts to create a story that is sensational on all levels.    Works Cited Davenport-Hines, Richard. Gothic: Four Hundred years of Excess, Horror, Evil and Ruin. North Point Press: New York, 1998. Houghton, Walter E. The Victorian Frame of Mind. Yale University Press: New Haven, Conn, 1957. Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Penguin Group: New York, 1992.

Kung-Fu Panda 2 Belonging

In the film Kung-Fu Panda 2, the extended metaphor of â€Å"Inner Peace† in the film symbolizes the need for a person to acknowledge their own weaknesses, their past and their faults, which conveys the importance of finding and accepting one’s identity. Furthermore throughout the film, there are various scenes where water droplets are dropping and flowing in slow motion, combined with flashbacks of the past, demonstrates the power of spiritual connections and nature. The importance of belonging and loving your family is also emphasised in Kung-Fu Panda 2.Through the protagonist, Po’s, exploration of his true parentage, the power of common memories to influence the bonds between people is displayed. It is important to accept who yo9u are as it can affect where you belong and how you feel. When he questions his dad about his true parentage, saying he had a dream about his mother, his adoptive father, Mr. Ping, freezes and looks agitated, showing that he is scared t hat he will lose Po if the truth is revealed. Whenever Po questions his lineage, sad music is played, making the audience feel sympathy for Po’s turmoils.Even after all the events that happens throughout the film, Po comes home back to Mr. Ping he says to him â€Å"I know who I am now, I am your son, I love you dad. † While this is happening, there is soft and happy music playing in the background, showing that even though they aren’t blood related, they are still happy together. This is true belonging. Even though they have no blood relations, they are truly happy together and value each other’s company, showing that they belong together. This relates to belonging and accepting yourself.The importance of individuality in finding a role in society is emphasised heavily throughout the film. The film follows the growth of Po in his journey of achieving â€Å"Inner Peace†. In the film you see Po’s idolization of other Kung Fu legends displays h is own inner emotional insecurity and spiritual turmoil. This is also reinforced through the technique juxtaposition, shown through Po’s fatness and Tigress’s hardened self. The need for you to accept your true self in forming meaningful relationships is shown through this.It is shown through the dramatic irony of Po’s insensitive comment â€Å"I have to know, the hard-core wouldn’t understand† directed at Tigress, saying that she is unable to feel both physically and emotionally. The close-up shot of Tigress’s saddened and hurt face combined with the sad; non-diegetic music further incites the audience’s sympathy of Po trying to find out about his own individuality with Tigress stopping him. Throughout the film you also hear the metaphor of â€Å"Inner Peace† used excessively.The phrase â€Å"Inner Peace† means to be spiritually and mentally at peace, with enough knowledge to keep oneself strong when under great hardshi p and stress. Throughout the film, Po is plagued by nightmares of his past and his own insecurity compared to Tigress and the others. In the beginning, Po witnesses Master Shifu moving a droplet of water all over his body without it splashing or breaking its form. When Po inquires how he did this, Shifu responds by saying â€Å"Inner Peace†. It is implying that having inner peace allows you to do things that are impossible, which is also shown when Po catches a cannon ball and throws it back.In the film, having inner peace symbolises that you have accepted yourself for who you are, complete with strengths and weaknesses. By having inner peace, it is saying that you can achieve things that you couldn’t achieve before & to be able to find out where you truly belong. The director of this movie positions the audience to sympathise with Po through the demonstration of the fallibility of one’s memory, which is shown through the flashbacks and dramatic devices used as Po lies to himself. Po couldn’t accept his own self throughout the film, which draws in the audience to feel sorry and sympathise for him.The differing perspectives of Po and his companions are comically shown through his fights with them. However, the audience is positioned to support Po though the uses of Mise-en-scene, as screen elements’ visual size are diminished whenever Po is in the screen. As Po zooms towards the audience and takes the centre of the screen, it enables the audience to see things through Po’s perspective. At the end of the film, Po is hailed as a hero & feels that he has finally found that he has been accepted by Tigress and the others. He finally feels that he belongs.

Student Exercise and Badminton Club Essay - 1048 Words

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION Year 11 Physical Education Participation in Physical Activity – Badminton Written by Valeria Ponzin Badminton and Figueroa’s Framework Introduction The purpose of this research is to connect Figueroa’s Framework to my decision to join or not a badminton club. After close examination I choose the 2 levels that for me have the most significant impact on people’s decision on sports and describe them linking with badminton. Badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it†¦show more content†¦I believe that playing a sport is important, not only for having a positive body image, but also for having fun outside of school and family, doing some health exercise and sometimes also relaxing and don’t think about problems. I’m doing athletics for five years, the track is 10 minutes far from my house, there are a lot of my friends and it is cheap: these were the first things that influenced me for choosing this sport. Now I’m doing it because I’m good at it and I’m happy when I run. The importance of exercise for me is high because it contributes for live a healthy and happy life, and it reduces a lot the stress caused by school exams or other factors. I like having a positive self-image because when I look at the mirror I feel good if I see that after exercising there are good results on my body. I don’t like to be concentrated when I play and in badminton you have to always look at the shuttlecock and be prepared to move fast to catch it. It is also important the cost, the location and the time available. Structured sport is not cheap. For many families, the rising costs associated with sport mean that they can’t afford to let their children to participate. 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