Writers Page 313

The theme of sacrifice plays a large part in William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet is a story of “star cross’d lovers” entangled in a love story destined in tragedy. Set in the Italian city of Verona, the streets are ablaze with conflict and terror. Right from the beginning we are shown…

Poet Walt Whitman was born in Westhills, Long Island on May 31, 1819. Despite a difficult and dull childhood in Brooklyn, Whitman completed his education at the age of eleven and took up various jobs for extra income. As a poet, he fearlessly tackled subjects and individuals in his works. In poems like “O Captain!…

To what extent is Desdemona presented as a tragic victim in the play ‘Othello’? Desdemona, the daughter of Venetian senator Brabantio, is captivated by Othello’s fables of bravery as a warrior and she falls in love with him. In view of the fact that Desdemona is a “fair” woman and Othello is “an old black…

Robert E. Howard was an avid reader of Weird Tales, the famous fantasy pulp magazine that was launched in the spring of 1923. He may have seen the first issue of the magazine while studying in Brownwood. The issues of Weird Tales usually appeared a month earlier than their cover date would suggest. Howard’s first known mention…

The scene in the graveyard symbolizes the evolution of Hamlet’s mental state throughout the play. Here, he reflects on the various conflicts he has faced and comes to a new understanding of life and death. He compares the corruption of death to the corruption that occurred in Act 1, when his father died. He also…

Despite the intended purpose of justice to be impartial and equitable, Arthur Miller’s film The Crucible reveals the inherent flaws in achieving this, as various instances highlight the presence of unjust forces. The film convincingly depicts how reason, emotion, and character expose injustice within the challenging social circumstances of a Puritan community. Justice emerges as…

Ebony and Crystal: Poems in Verse and Prose (1922, The Auburn Journal) was Clark Ashton Smith’s third volume of poetry, following The Star-Treader and Other Poems (1912, Robertson) and Odes and Sonnets (1918, The Book Club of California). Smith had conceived the volume as early as 1916, and by late 1920 had a manuscript which…

The play ‘The Merchant of Venice’, by William Shakespeare, shows two different father-daughter relationships. The relationships are between Portia and her recently diseased father, the other involving Jessica and Shylock, a Jewish money lender. The first relationship emphasizes love, respect and trust whereas the other are obviously different. Portia’s relationship with her recently deceased father…

Alienation Many characters during the Victorian to early Modern literature era were alienated. Causes of alienation during this time period included familial separation, social class or gender restrictions, and self-isolation from society. These characters may display the common causes of alienation, but ared still connected to their families and society. Some characters may alienate themselves,…

Both in the Elizabethan era and today, gender roles were a significant concern for people of all social statuses, including William Shakespeare. The differentiation between men and women affected individuals from different backgrounds. Throughout history, there has been continuous discussion about evolving gender roles. Although contemporary American society has more defined and diverse gender roles…