In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare Essay

In the play ‘Hamlet’ by William Shakespeare, one of the main themes is the discrepancy between appearance and reality. The development of this theme through the plot, soliloquy and imagery help to reinforce the player’s role in the play and directs the audience to where their allegiances should lie for the climax of the play. The theme appearance versus reality is clearly evident throughout this Shakespearean play; it is introduced at the very beginning through Claudius’ speech to the court. The structure and rhythm of this blank verse carries him through but the imagery that Shakespeare uses signals to the audience the corruption in Denmark – he uses phrases such as ‘defeated joy’, ‘one auspicious and one drooping eye’ and ‘wisest sorrow’. These opposing images and hollow phrases reveal the hypocrisy of the diplomat’s words; how can a person have ‘one auspicious and one drooping eye’ unless they are duplicitous? Claudius’ opening speech is also eloquent, relaxed and so carefully structured that it appears rehearsed – he deals with three items of business before confronting his black-suited nephew: Old King Hamlet’s death; the threat from Fortinbras’ army; Laertes’ impending departure to France. Shakespeare here signals to the audience that Claudius is uneasier than he appears by leaving his nephew and son-in-law to deal with last. In my opinion, the exposition of Claudius’ Machiavellian mature at the beginning through the theme appearance versus reality is very effective as it reveals to the audience the corruption in Elsinore which essentially instigates Hamlet’s revenge and also exposes Claudius at the beginning of the play as the antagonist, aligning the audience’s sympathies. Furthermore, this main theme is developed through the soliloquies – in particular Claudius’. During his agonised soliloquy, Claudius puts on the appearance of praying but he is pseudo-sincere in this: ‘Pray can I not, though inclination be as sharp as will. ‘ This reveals Claudius confessing to the murder of his brother but not repenting for his sins. As he is not sincere in this, he believes that he will not go to heaven: ‘My words fly up, my thoughts remain below, words without thoughts never to heaven go. ‘ This rhyming couplet not only reveals the theme appearance versus reality, but is also richly ironic as this ‘prayer’ actually saves his life. Shakespeare also employs the transferred epithet ‘stubborn knees’ to further emphasise Claudius’ reluctance to repent for his sins and how he is putting on the appearance of praying, albeit mendaciously. In my opinion, the development of the main theme through Claudius’ soliloquy successfully polarises Claudius from the protagonists and reinforces him as the villain in the play, directing the audience to where their allegiances should lie for the climax of the play. In addition, Shakespeare conveys the theme appearance versus reality through Hamlet’s ‘antic disposition’. This is illustrated particularly well through Hamlet’s exchanges with Polonius: ‘Let her not walk i’th’sun. Conception is a blessing. But as your daughter may conceive – friend, look to’t. ‘ Although these words sound like nonsense to Polonius and the audience, there is a thread of bitter satire running through them. Hamlet reveals his witty sarcasm here as he is aware that Ophelia has been prevented from seeing him and tells Polonius that he should not let her walk in the sun if he wishes to prevent her becoming pregnant. Hamlet’s ‘antic disposition’ is reinforced throughout the play but particularly through his exchanges with Claudius: ‘Excellent i’faith – of the chameleon’s dish. I eat the air, promised crammed. You cannot feed capons so. ‘ Hamlet here is trying to make Claudius think that he is frustrated at not being the King; Claudius pretends not to understand him. In my opinion, Shakespeare effectively polarises Hamlet from Claudius through his ‘antic disposition’ and wit which in turn successfully aligns the audience with the protagonist for the denouement. Furthermore, it could be argued that the theme of surveillance intertwines with the main theme appearance versus reality which helps to further develop the audience’s awareness of the conflict between reality and appearance. For example, Hamlet’s conversations with the two people he loved, Gertrude and Ophelia, were eaves-dropped by Polonius. As a result of the spying, Ophelia and Gertrude spoke to Hamlet with constrained formality: ‘How does your honour for this many a day? ‘. This heated exchange between the eponymous prince and Ophelia during ‘the nunnery scene’ recapitulates arguably the main theme of the play; appearance versus reality which is exposed at the very beginning and is reiterated through Hamlet’s exchanges with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern – they also spy on Hamlet for Claudius: ‘they did make love to this employment! ‘. In my opinion, Shakespeare effectively evokes sympathy for Hamlet and his little allies through dramatic irony and further polarises Hamlet and Claudius through the development of this main theme hence reinforcing Hamlet as the tragic hero of the play. In conclusion, the development of the theme appearance versus reality is essential in augmenting the audience’s understanding and appreciation of the play as a whole. In my opinion, Shakespeare effectively develops this main theme through the plot, soliloquy, imagery and dramatic irony which successfully reinforces the player’s role in the play and also directs the audience to where their sympathies should lie for the denouement.

Moral Order in “King Lear” Essay

Tragedy is an essential aspect of many of Shakespeare’s most critically acclaimed plays. A.C. Bradley, one of the foremost thinkers of Shakespeare’s works, created a theory that explored these tragic dramas. The concept of Good and Evil become essential to humanity, and as a result, figure prominently in a balance of what he refers to as a moral order. A. C. Bradley found a common link or thread that remains to this day consistent with all theories regarding tragedy – that the ultimate power in the tragic world is a moral order. According to A. C. Bradley, the main source of calamity and death in the tragic play is never good. In Shakespeare’s drama, evil is the force responsible for the phenomenon of tragedy. This force is â€Å"not mere imperfection but plain moral evil† (A. C. Bradley 689). In King Lear, evil takes its core power from greediness and ingratitude of king’s two daughters, Goneril and Regan. Their intentions and deliberate actions are pure evil, â€Å"Beneath is all the fiend’s. There’s hell, there’s darkness, there is the sulphurous pit†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (4.6. 143-144). The reason why the two sisters praise their father in the beginning of the play is justified by their desire to inherit Lear’s kingdom and supremacy. Goneril’s and Regan’s declarations of their great love for King Lear are insincere, because their actions contradict with what they proclaim, â€Å"His [Lear’s] daughters seek his [Lear’s] death†¦Ã¢â ‚¬  (3.4. 163). Because of Goneril’s utter ungratefulness and lack of love or compassion, she mistreats her father and insults his dignity, â€Å"She [Goneril] has abated me [Lear] of half my train; Looked black upon me; struck me with her tongue, Most serpent-like, upon the very heart† (2.4. 175-178). Her sister, Regan, due to her alike vile nature, shows her entire support and endorsement to such a behavior. Edmund’s character comes from the same evil ground as the one of the two vicious sisters. He is, too, engrossed by the desire to own his father’s land, and thus, commits treachery and deceit, â€Å"†¦thou [Edmund] art a traitor, False to thy gods, thy brother, and thy father†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (5.3. 159-160). The wicked qualities and the intentional wrong doings of these evil characters are the main cause of grief and suffering in the King Lear tragic play, â€Å"How sharper than a serpent’s it is to have a thankless child† (1.4. 291-291). Therefore, in Shakespearean drama the commotion of tragedy proceeds primarily from the  actions of the ominous characters in the play. If the evil purpose disturbs the peace and order in the world, then, this ultimate order must be inimical to this power and be akin to good. Next, A. C. Bradley diverts his attention to the main character in Shakespearean play, the tragic hero. To be thought of as an honorable and highly admirable individual, the tragic hero still shows some evident imperfection or dreadful flaw. This tragic trait of the hero is vile in its nature, and therefore, contributes to the tragic effect of the play. King Lear’s fatal decision to banish his youngest daughter, Cordelia, and his most trusted servant, Kent, is incited by king’s excessive vanity and hastiness, â€Å"†¦he [Lear] hath ever but slenderly known himself†¦ Such unconstant stars are we like to have from him [Lear] as this of Kent’s banishment† (1.1. 322-330). Lear is not happy with Cordelia’s simple, though true, declaration of love for him, â€Å"†¦I [Cordelia] love your Majesty According to my bond, no more no less (1.1. 97-98). The king is not satisfied with such a mere and unaffected answer due to his arrogance and strong sense of superiority. Thus, he makes a grave decision to exile Cordelia from his kingdom, and gives all of his land to Goneril and Regan, which leads to his tragic disappointment, emotional breakdown, and death, â€Å"Your old kind father, whose frank heart gave all! O, that way madness lies†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (3.4. 25-26). The ultimate power in the tragic world is distressed by the evil acts and decisions of the dramatic character. Then, this ultimate moral power must have an opposing reaction to the wickedness in order to repair the essential order of the universe. Another aspect of the evil power that A. C. Bradley conveys in his article, The Shakespearean Tragic Hero, is that evil reveals itself everywhere as a negative, weakening, destructive effect. â€Å"It isolates, disunites, and tends to annihilate not only its opposite but itself† (A. C. Bradley 690). The evil effect in King Lear spreads and poisons lives of all soul characters, causing death and destruction in the play. Goneril and Regan are also affected by their own wickedness, â€Å"Each jealous of the other†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (5.1. 67). Due to their selfishness and sinister nature, the two sisters try to raze one another in their competition for power and control. In conclusion,  Goneril poisons her sister in the sake of winning Edmund’s favour. Nevertheless, Edmund is retributed by his brother, Edgar, who slays him in a fair fight. Goneril, who is not able to abide her disgraceful downfall, commits suicide. Although, these characters die, the reader does feel pity for them because their death is necessary factor of retribution in a tragic play, â€Å"This judgment of the heavens, that makes us tremble, Touches us not with pity† (5.3. 275-276). If there was no punishment for evil performance and immoral behavior, then evil power would predominate the world, and there would be no means for the moral order to exist among the humanity,If that the heavens do not their visible spiritsSend quickly down to tame these vile offenses,It will come,Humanity must perforce prey on itself,Like monsters of the deep (Act IV, Scene 2, 52-56). Hence, the existence of the ultimate moral order in the tragic world fundamentally depends on the goodness of humanity. Since the tenor of evil is belligerent and destructive to such an existence, then, people of the universe must yield to good. In essence, the power of the moral order presents the revenge and the concept of justice in the tragic world. Therefore, it suggests the idea of fate. Still, although the retribution is served, there is no indication of â€Å"poetic justice†. Moral order functions according to its righteous nature. It reacts to the attack of the evil force in order to sustain and balance itself. During this equilibration, evil is isolated and goodness triumphs over the tragic world. WORK CITED PAGEAndrew Cecil Bradley. The Shakespearean Tragic Hero. 1904William Shakespeare. King Lear. Canada, ON.: Academic Press Canada, 1964.

Healthy School Lunches

Healthy School Lunches Waking up to go to high school every day isn’t the most fun thing on earth. Sitting through a few boring classes that seem to drag on forever isn’t an exciting way to spend a day as a kid. But, there is one part of school that everyone looks forward to; lunch. After waiting through a couple periods a student can talk openly with his or her peers, and enjoy some food that the school provides. That is, until, something gets slopped onto their plate that looks like cardboard, plastic, or something some people can’t even describe.School lunches haven’t always been this way though, and new, healthier school lunches are to blame. Healthier school lunches are not acceptable the way that they are now, because of the cost they create and the terrible taste of most of the lunches. There are some arguments though, that are for healthy school lunches, but really they aren’t that great. One of the most important reasons as to why healthy s chool lunches aren’t ideal is that they are costing more money for the parents that have to pay for their children to eat at school. This is a problem, mostly because the healthy school lunch programs haven’t been proven to be very effective.According to the Nappa Valley Register, â€Å"Middle and high school students will be paying an additional 25 cents per lunch — for a total of $2. 75 — beginning in 2012-13† at their school district. This will cost parents an extra $45 if their child buys a lunch every day for a regular 180 day school year. This isn’t the biggest cost, though. The Nappa Valley Register says â€Å"Adding the required half cup of fruit to school lunches, for example, will cost the district 15 cents per serving — or about $193,600 annually† which is occurring to school districts across America that are effected by the recent changes in school lunches.This is a huge chunk of money that the school uses to get fr uit for students. This money could be used for something else, rather than buying fruit and make the students buy them. Overall, the money spent for healthy school lunches just isn’t worth it because of healthy lunch’s ineffectiveness. Arguably the most important factor of healthy school lunches is the child’s reaction to what is put in front of them. Certain kids have different experiences with their school’s lunches, but it’s safe to assume that the ajority of children do not enjoy them one bit. At a school in LA, one child says â€Å"The healthier it gets the more disgusting it is† which is just another reason why healthy school lunches are not a good idea. Some children at the school can barely describe what â€Å"it† is. Kids want to eat what tastes good, not what tastes like garbage, no matter how good it is for them. It’s not just the taste though; it’s the serving size as well. One student says â€Å"Usually we go to the student store and I'll buy a bag of Cheetos†¦ r like chips, sometimes a Gatorade, yeah† when asked what they will do when the school lunch doesn’t fill them up enough. This is a problem that is hard to deal with, because having bags of snacks that students can munch on sort of goes back on the whole idea of â€Å"healthy lunches† and has the student spending money on top of their bought lunch just to get filled up for the rest of the day. Giving students a healthy option is ideal, but having them eat something that tastes bad and won’t even fill them up doesn’t seem right.There are some arguments that some people can make as to why healthy school lunches are extremely important and why they mustn’t change. Probably the most important argument for healthy school lunches is that we live in an obese nation. The Physician’s Committee for responsible medicine says that â€Å"poor nutrition plays an important part in the incr easing childhood obesity rates†. There is no denying that this is true, but a school lunch is just one of 3 meals a child will eat during the day, not to mention any snacks that take place in between.The point is that a school lunch might be healthy, but that doesn’t mean the child will automatically become healthier. With lunch being the only meal that can be controlled by the government, it is being taken advantage of. Making 1 meal healthier won’t solve much. Another argument for healthy school lunches is that it promotes academic achievement. Sara Ipatenco of Livestrong. com says that â€Å"Some of the choices in the school cafeteria, including cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets, are high in saturated fat and sodium, which can leave your child feeling tired and uncomfortable after eating.This can lead to distraction and an inability to focus in the classroom† which is also a true statement. Even though these lunches might make children tired and uncomfo rtable, an argument can be made that leaving children hungry and not feeling good after eating something they don’t enjoy could have a similar effect. Being hungry in the classroom can cause a child to lose attention just as much as being tired would be. In neither option can the student properly focus in a controlled learning environment. Teaching nutrition is also a factor involved in a healthy school lunch.But this point isn’t exactly a great one though, because children rather learn from what their parents do than what their cafeteria workers would do. Just because they eat the food that is provided once a day five days a week doesn’t mean they are learning anything about what they are eating. It can be said they learn more from what they see being made at home and what their parents provide them. There are some valid points made in the argument for healthy school lunches, but, ultimately, the children aren’t benefiting how they should be from a progr am such as this.Being healthy is an important part of life, but the way that children react to their newer, healthier school lunches just prove that they don’t taste so great. It’s not only that, though, but the cost of the lunches are not worth the quality of lunch that is being bought. Almost every argument for healthy school lunches aren’t good because they only think about what the student eats at school, not what they eat anywhere else. Essentially, healthy school lunches aren’t desirable in a student’s life which makes the student unhappy.

Property & Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Property & Law - Essay Example nstitutional arrangements by diminishing substantially the role played by the church (or religious institutions more broadly) in shaping human-to-human and human-to-nature interactions† (Norton & Bieri 4). As opposed to medieval scholars, the representatives of humanism studied not the God, but humans, their relations with other people, with the state and the society. Two main directions were developed in socio-political sciences. The first is theoretical justification of a necessity to replace feudal and class inequality with legal equality fixing the right for property ownership, personality protection from religious and feudal tyranny. The second was political ideology of the lower class, predecessor of working class, which was based on the ideas of Utopian socialism. The state submits to society, which in its turn submits to a personality. Only a part of the rights of a personality, which is defined by the attitude of a person to a property is transferred to e government: t he more property, the more political rights, but also the more obligations to the state, which is guarding this property. Failure to provide the abovementioned function makes the government illegal and provides the citizens with the right for opposition. The analysis of a problem of a personality, his/her valuable attitude towards the surrounding reality became the basic principle of scientific researches of this period. Renaissance was characterized by radical reorganization of socio-political and spiritual life. Political knowledge became an autonomous trend, political problems found comprehensive reflection in humanistic literature and caused shifts in the system of political and legal thinking. Integral rights of the personality, which can’t be transferred to the state, were also defined: the rights for life, freedom, equality, property ownership. By the right of property there are essential distinctions between the European and Anglo-American systems. The European system regulation

Environmental sustainability Journal questions Essay

Environmental sustainability Journal questions - Essay Example Recreation fishing is a relatively recent idea although continues to gain dominance. Commercial fishing, on the contrary is exploitative and deeply rooted since it started long before recreational fishing. Confusion emanates from what is the scale of consideration that separates the two concepts. The extent of diversity to consider when outlining the distinction between the two practices remains a serious conflict. Although commercial fishing entails a high level harvesting of fish species, recreational fishing continue to increase regarding the scale of exploitation of fish species (Cooke & Cowx, 2006). It, therefore, remains confusing to determine the level of exploitation that defines the two concepts. Another conflicting area of consideration is the selection of fish that the two should distinctly have focus. Undefined categories of species that commercial fishing and recreational fishing should concentrate on remains to be a source of conflicting ideas. The technology applied in the two fishing techniques should be different. Conventionally, recreational fishing should not apply technologies that involve high extraction levels. This has not been so though since recreational fishing technologies tend to improve to be more extractive than expected. This is a source of conflict in marine resource conservation. ... Environmental sustainability as a focus of sustainable building entails improving the energy efficiency of buildings. Installation of solar panels in buildings in buildings continues to gain dominance as a sustainable building strategy. Solar panels utilize solar energy. This is a renewable energy source, a factor that renders the use of solar panels efficient as a source of energy in buildings. Sustainability proponents advocate for the adoption of renewable energy sources as contrary to non-renewable sources. Houses with installed solar panels use minimal energy from the main grid since they utilize solar power. Electrical energy converted by the solar panels is useful for heating and running in-house machines. This saves on electricity tapped from the main grid. The effectiveness of energy conversion by solar panels by reduces from the influence of dusts. Detergents used to clean the dust may cause environmental effects. The introduction of panels that have self-cleaning mechanism s also increases the energy efficiency. Besides promoting energy efficiency, self-cleaning panels also reduce the use of cleaning detergents that may have associated environmental effects. The use of solar panels as a source of energy is a move to promote the utilization of renewable energy. Renewable energy use is essential among the various strategies to promote sustainability. Question 6 Sustainable management of waste is vital engagement in promoting sustainability. Waste from minerals and mining industry contribute to a high percentage of wastes. Waste from demolition and construction contribute to a higher pollution of the environment. Municipal waste management strategies are critical as a development area to promote

Operations & Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Operations & Supply Chain Management - Essay Example equent governmental funds and approaches that were taken to effect this, the course in question has been beneficial and instrumental in helping to analyze the way in which a resource dependent economy can utilize the resources that it has, and is able to generate a substantial level of funding from, as a means of developing and diversifying other economic resources that can help the economy in the long run. With regards to the manner through which what has been learned within this course can benefit individuals, and indeed the entire society of the United Arab Emirates, in the future, it must be understood that the progress that has been affected, although impressive, should not be viewed as a victory entirely. The underlying reason for this can be traced back to Chapter 2; Strategy and Sustainability. Within this particular chapter, the class was engaged with the understanding that the United Arab Emirates face a situation in which continued action to leverage further economic development, further specialties, further education, the development of further infrastructure, and a litany of other aspects was a dependent reality of whether or not the nation’s economy would be able to continue its impressive growth rate into the immediate and long-term future (Khalid 3). Another understanding that can clearly be denoted is with respect to the fact that a large level of dependence and continues to exist within the economy of the United Arab Emirates with regards to profitability derived from the sale of natural resources. Ultimately, due to the fact that these resources are non-sustainable, the economy is faced with a situation in which the rapid level of growth that it has experienced over the past several decades is not guaranteed into the indefinite future. Eventually, the resources of natural gas and/or oil will be exhausted. Alternatively, changes in technology could create a situation in which the United Arab Emirates has remaining resources of natural gas

Euthanasia and Kants Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Euthanasia and Kants Morality - Essay Example Legally, assisted suicide has been justified on certain grounds, for example in countries such as the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium and in the State of Oregon in the United States (McKean 1). This does not however change the fact that for most people the issue of euthanasia is fundamentally not about giving mercy. It is still the â€Å"killing† part that raises the hackles for most people. Mercy (or compassion) and killing (with an intent to kill, it can still be considered murder) are still clearly contradictory, i.e., posed in the very simplistic, yet lucid question: how could you possibly help someone you love or care about kill himself? How could mercy or love ever be allied with the destruction of life, no matter how little remains of it? The morality of any act according to Kant’s well-known adage of the categorical imperative only suffices if it can be raised as a universal law (Kant, Groundwork of The Metaphysics of Morals). To assist someone who wants to di e will almost never impel that unconditional sense of rightness, but instead the situation will almost always look at the conditionality of how a particular situation may be acted upon. This action is the opposite of what can be found in the morality of the categorical imperative. A thing according to Kantian morality is right because it is independent of any external cause. In the case of euthanasia, the external cause takes the forms of the mercy or a sense of â€Å"duty† to let a person die in dignity, or respect the wishes of someone who wants to end his life.... sion may be high due to a seemingly hopeless situation be trusted in deciding that life is better ended Is he or she an "autonomous" person in this case On the other hand, can a caregiver or a doctor with a close relationship with a terminally ill and suffering patient be looked at as merely performing a duty to respect the decision to die of someone he or she cares about Is it duty or is it something else The concept of autonomy or the sense of freedom and the principle of duty in Kant's theory of morality provide analytical tools to examine whether euthanasia is morally defensible. Autonomy and dignity, which are based upon the premise that a human being is free by way of reason to decide on what is wrong or right, have been used to justify euthanasia. Conversely, this line of reasoning suggests that the autonomy or dignity of a patient who expresses that life-prolonging treatments or care violate his or her sense of dignity as a human being should be respected. According to Kant, men are moral beings because by virtue of being free and capable of reason. However, he qualifies the term freedom, and explains further that there is a "negative" and "positive" sense of freedom. He wrote, "The sole principle of morality consists in the independence on all matter of the law (namely, a desired object), and in the determination of the elective will by the mere universal legislative form of which its maxim must be capable. This independence is freedom in the negative sense, and this self-legislation of the pure, and therefore practical reason is freedom in the positive sense" (Kant, Critique of Practical Reason, Book 1, chap.1, par 85). On both counts, whether in the negative or positive sense, the patient who is supposedly the originator of a decision that would