Free Hamlet Essays: The Foils :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Foils of Hamlet  Ã‚   Hamlet is a play about a young man who is seeking revenge for his father's death. In the process of doing so, different things happen and it becomes more and more of a complex plot. Throughout the play, we are introduced to many different foils. One of which is Laertes. Shakespeare chooses to portray Hamlet and Laertes differently although they are both so similar. Hamlet and Laertes are all in basically the same position. Both of their fathers have been killed and they are both looking to avenge those fathers' deaths. However, we see when we are reading that some characters are set up so that they gain more sympathy and such than others from the reader. For example, Shakespeare makes Laertes look like a "bad guy" because he wants to kill Hamlet but in essence, Hamlet is doing the same exact thing to Claudius. It is as if Shakespeare is saying that it is okay for Hamlet to kill but it isn't ok for Laertes to feel the need for revenge. Hamlet begins a soliloquy with the line, "How all occasions do inform against me and spur my dull revenge!" (Act IV, sc. IV, li. 32-33) It is like Shakespeare is trying to make it look like it is such a shame the Hamlet's plans aren't working out so well and that he isn't as stable as he wants to be. It is almost like Shakespeare wants to reader to take pity on Hamlet who is not such a genuine person. He has killed Polonius and some say he has killed Ophelia. Should people really pity him because his plans to kill his uncle aren't falling correctly into place? Shakespeare is almost trying to get the reader to do so. On the other hand, there is Laertes who is Hamlet's position. His father was killed, actually by Hamlet, and he is out to avenge that death. He is furious and passionate about it just like Hamlet is but it almost seems that when one is reading the play, they should think of Laertes as a "bad guy" and as the antagonist. Laertes says "It warms the very sickness in my heart that I shall live and tell him to his teeth, "thus did'st thou." (Act. IV sc.VII. li. 55-57) He is basically saying that he would make him so happy to kill Hamlet and to show his what he really did.

Character Analysis of the Glass Menagerie

Tom’s double role in The Glass Menagerie—as a character whose recollections the play documents and as a character who acts within those recollections—underlines the play’s tension between objectively presented dramatic truth and memory’s distortion of truth. Unlike the other characters, Tom sometimes addresses the audience directly, seeking to provide a more detached explanation and assessment of what has been happening onstage. But at the same time, he demonstrates real and sometimes juvenile emotions as he takes part in the play’s action. This duality can frustrate our understanding of Tom, as it is hard to decide whether he is a character whose assessments should be trusted or one who allows his emotions to affect his judgment. It also shows how the nature of recollection is itself problematic: memory often involves confronting a past in which one was less virtuous than one is now. Because The Glass Menagerie is partly autobiographical, and because Tom is a stand-in for the playwright himself (Williams’s given name was Thomas, and he, like Tom, spent part of his youth in St. Louis with an unstable mother and sister, his father absent much of the time), we can apply this comment on the nature of memory to Williams’s memories of his own youth. Even taken as a single character, Tom is full of contradiction. On the one hand, he reads literature, writes poetry, and dreams of escape, adventure, and higher things. On the other hand, he seems inextricably bound to the squalid, petty world of the Wingfield household. We know that he reads D. H. Lawrence and follows political developments in Europe, but the content of his intellectual life is otherwise hard to discern. We have no idea of Tom’s opinion on Lawrence, nor do we have any indication of what Tom’s poetry is about. All we learn is what he thinks about his mother, his sister, and his warehouse job—precisely the things from which he claims he wants to escape. Tom’s attitude toward Amanda and Laura has puzzled critics. Even though he clearly cares for them, he is frequently indifferent and even cruel toward them. His speech at the close of the play demonstrates his strong feelings for Laura. But he cruelly deserts her and Amanda, and not once in the course of the play does he behave kindly or lovingly toward Laura—not even when he nocks down her glass menagerie. Critics have suggested that Tom’s confusing behavior indicates an incestuous attraction toward his sister and his shame over that attraction. This theory casts an interesting light on certain moments of the play—for example, when Amanda and Tom discuss Laura at the end of Scene Five. Tom’s insistence that Laura is hopelessly peculiar and cannot survive in the outside world, while Amanda (and later Jim) claims that Laura’s oddness is a positive thing, could have as much to do with his jealous desire to keep his sister to himself as with Laura’s own quirks. Amanda Wingfield If there is a signature character type that marks Tennessee Williams’s dramatic work, it is undeniably that of the faded Southern belle. Amanda is a clear representative of this type. In general, a Tennessee Williams faded belle is from a prominent Southern family, has received a traditional upbringing, and has suffered a reversal of economic and social fortune at some point in her life. Like Amanda, these women all have a hard time coming to terms with their new status in society—and indeed, with modern society in general, which disregards the social distinctions that they were taught to value. Their relationships with men and their families are turbulent, and they staunchly defend the values of their past. As with Amanda, their maintenance of genteel manners in very ungenteel surroundings can appear tragic, comic, or downright grotesque. Amanda is the play’s most extroverted and theatrical character, and one of modern American drama’s most coveted female roles (the acclaimed stage actress Laurette Taylor came out of semi-retirement to play the role in the original production, and a number of legendary actresses, including Jessica Tandy, have since taken on the role). Amanda’s constant nagging of Tom and her refusal to see Laura for who she really is are certainly reprehensible, but Amanda also reveals a willingness to sacrifice for her loved ones that is in many ways unparalleled in the play. She subjects herself to the humiliating drudgery of subscription sales in order to enhance Laura’s marriage prospects, without ever uttering so much as a word of complaint. The safest conclusion to draw is that Amanda is not evil but is deeply flawed. In fact, her flaws are centrally responsible for the tragedy, comedy, and theatrical flair of her character. Like her children, Amanda withdraws from reality into fantasy. Unlike them, she is convinced that she is not doing so and, consequently, is constantly making efforts to engage with people and the world outside her family. Amanda’s monologues to her children, on the phone, and to Jim all reflect quite clearly her moral and psychological failings, but they are also some of the most colorful and unforgettable words in the play. Laura Wingfield The physically and emotionally crippled Laura is the only character in the play who never does anything to hurt anyone else. Despite the weight of her own problems, she displays a pure compassion—as with the tears she sheds over Tom’s unhappiness, described by Amanda in Scene Four—that stands in stark contrast to the selfishness and grudging sacrifices that characterize the Wingfield household. Laura also has the fewest lines in the play, which contributes to her aura of selflessness. Yet she is the axis around which the plot turns, and the most prominent symbols—blue roses, the glass unicorn, the entire glass menagerie—all in some sense represent her. Laura is as rare and peculiar as a blue rose or a unicorn, and she is as delicate as a glass figurine. Other characters seem to assume that, like a piece of transparent glass, which is colorless until light shines upon it, Laura can take on whatever color they wish. Thus, Amanda both uses the contrast between herself and Laura to emphasize the glamour of her own youth and to fuel her hope of re-creating that youth through Laura. Tom and Jim both see Laura as an exotic creature, completely and rather quaintly foreign to the rest of the world. Yet Laura’s crush on the high school hero, Jim, is a rather ordinary schoolgirl sentiment, and a girl as supposedly fragile as Laura could hardly handle the days she spends walking the streets in the cold to avoid going to typing class. Through actions like these, Laura repeatedly displays a will of her own that defies others’ perceptions of her, and this will repeatedly goes unacknowledged.

An Accurate Representation Of Australian Identity

Making an accurate representation of Australian identity will forever be a difficult task with the vast range of lifestyles its people live. However, this concept is challenged and has developed into an obsession. (ConvictCreations, 2000) This is because of the many age groups, class divisions, differences in location and cultural diversity. Since the introduction of television, producers have made humorous and witty shows, interpreting and critiquing the Australian Identity. This critique is referred to as ‘satire’ and is made apparent mostly in television shows such as Chris Lilley’s 2005, hit mockumentary series, We Can be Heroes. The internationally acclaimed show satirises the ‘faults’ in Australian identity while also providing humorous entertainment. In the short, six episode series, a variety of satirised elements are unmistakable. Characters have been developed to represent the many levels of class division in our society. Enhancing the defin ition of such classes is the differences in use of language and knowledge between the characters – an effective tool to categorise the differences in our society. The characters featuring in We Can be Heroes have been carefully constructed and utilise humour to deliver an impression of the complex concept of class division in Australia. From the first episode, class division becomes apparent as three separate storylines are introduced. Pat and Terry Mullins are a lower middle class couple living in the outer suburbs. TheyShow MoreRelatedMulticulturalism : The Emerging And Ever Changing Concept Of Multiculturalism1981 Words   |  8 Pagesbackground, people of colour, or people of all cultures regardless of race† (5) The Australian Government Department of Social Services defines it as a â€Å"term which describes the cultural and ethnic diversity of contemporary Australia,† as well as detailing it as an integral part of Australian society (13). 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I Loved The Village Of Scotland - 3892 Words

I loved the village of Edzell in the beautiful country of Scotland. As you emerge from the path in the woods you become surrounded and enriched in the â€Å"small town feel†. Walking down the main street and looking towards both sides, you are flanked by a multitude of quaint, little shops, each offering their unique business. My favorite shop, was The Tweedie, not only because it was home to the tasty toastie, hangout spot of Ernie, had everything to offer including a cafà ©, an area to shop for apparel, home dà ©cor, and â€Å"little nick nacks†, but also because it was consistently full of locals and created an amazing atmosphere that made me feel as if I was actually part of the Edzell community. However, I soon realized this was the case for all†¦show more content†¦They believe a small shop is defined as follows: †Average’ shop operates as a sole trader, is more than two miles from its nearest competitor, and compete with one or more mobile shops for a limited range of products. The shopkeeper may have taken over the business within the past 5 years and is likely to employ at least two other staff, probably females, on a part-time basis. The shop is open at least 6 and probably 7 days a week and for over 10 hours per day on weekdays. The shopkeeper is unlikely to have taken specialist training but is potentially interested in future courses. The shop stocks a range of everyday products, including general groceries, which represents the highest turnover, and is run in conjunction with a sub post office or other business† (Smith, Andrew Sparks; 42). Furthermore, â€Å"customers use the shop for top up shopping and only a small number of customers are visitors or tourists† (Smith, Andrew Sparks; 42). This is similar to The Tweedie, while it may seem very busy and consistently full, the distinctions listed above qualify it as a small shop. This is the problem when identifying a small shop; although it may feel and look like a small shop, its characteristics may signify that it is not. Unfortunately, â€Å"the general view of the small shop is that it is in decline, unable to compete with multiple retailers and keep up with changing consumerShow MoreRelatedThe Scottish and International Film Industrys Contribution to the Development of Scottish Identity in the Last Part of the Twentieth Century1302 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Development of Scottish Identity in the Last Part of the Twentieth Century When people hear the word Scotland there is, as said by C McArthur (2003:59)Diverse images and narratives right down to particular words and phrases that immediately come into their head. These images may it be of tartan, misty landscapes, bagpipes or castles contribute to how Scotland is portrayed and create what is known as a Scottish identity. 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Sock Phobia free essay sample

One phobia is the fear of cotton (cotton balls, Q-tips, anything that fells like cotton balls) my other is I must always have socks on my feet unless I’m in the shower or swimming or have flip flops on. If I’m wearing flip flops then I’ll have a pair of socks in my bag to put on in case I take my flip flops off. Over the years this sock phobia has developed for a number of things that I was told and had happen. Most of my family is diabetic, over the years I’ve all ways been told to make sure nothing sharp is dropped on the floor, if it gets stuck in a diabetic’s foot they may not feel it and this can lead to an infection. My dad always has worn socks as a little more protection in case he steps on something. We will write a custom essay sample on Sock Phobia or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I’m a daddy’s girl and follow his lead. I’ve also had my foot cut open when I was a little girl playing outside with no socks on. Another reason that this phobia has developed over the years is the fact that I cannot stand the way my feet look. For a long time I would never wear anything but tennis shoes, my big toe on my right foot was not straight it was always bent. I also don’t like that my feet are so dry. I always think that people are looking at my feet and saying to themself â€Å"wow look at her dry feet. † When really there just like everyone else feet. After some time I started wearing flip flops so my toe is no long bent. The finale reason for my phobia is that I cannot stand the fell of carpet or anything else touching my feet. Carpet to me feels like cotton. Also my dogs like to lick my feet so to keep them away I keep socks on. I’ll even go in the grass with socks on. In conclusion the causes that have contributed to my sock phobia are a few different things. My family always is saying to have something on my feet, the precaution to make sure nothing cuts my feet and the feel of something touching my feet other than socks . I believe that these all contribute to my sock phobia.

Summary of Napoleons Buttons Chapter 12 Molecules of Witchcraft free essay sample

Between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries, many people died by cruel and horrible deaths of buring at the stake, hanging, or being tortured. The estimates of people killed ranged up to the millions which included men, women, children, and even aristocrats as they were accused of witchcraft. Although, poor and elderly women were the ones effected the most from multitudes of paranoia and delusions in those centuries. However, certain molecules played a role in this discrimination that ultimately led millions to their demise. Toil and Trouble Witchcraft, prior to 1350, was regarded as sorcery where one controls nature in their own interest by protecting crops or people and casting spells to influence or provide. It was accepted in Europe and it was only a crime if sorcery was used to harm. Indolent accusations were avoided because people victims of maleficium were able to seek help from a witch and only become liable for penalty if they were unable to prove their case. We will write a custom essay sample on Summary of Napoleons Buttons Chapter 12: Molecules of Witchcraft or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In all, witchcraft was just part of folklore. A new attitude emerged around the fourteenth century when Christianity was opposed to magic. It only allowed magic sanctioned by the church and not the ones conducted outside since they believed that witches were in league with the devil. The crime of practicing sorcery became so terrible in the eyes of people that by the mid-fifteenth century, there were no more trials for the witches, but accusations were enough evidence to kill. The deeds that people regarded with witches transgressed rationality, but they were still fervently believed. A large percentage of women were accused as witches since it was believed that whenever disaster stuck, people would exclaimed that women have been working together with demons at a witches gathering. The killings definitely too its toll on both Catholic and Protestant countries as the height of the witch-hunt paranoia left no women in Swiss villages, some regions in Germany had its village population burned. In England and Holland, the accused had to undergo the water test that had them thrown into a pond and if they floated, they were a true which. If they were innocent, it was a comfort to their families, but they still drowned. As the witch-hunt terror gradually faded, the economy was threatened since so many people were accused and killed. When the Age of Enlightenment came, people opposed the madness and the witch-hunts ceased. So, by the eighteenth century, executions for practicing witchcraft came to a halt for the Church and state, but the public werent ready to give up on the fear of witchcraft that built over the centuries. Although many of the women killed were herbalists who were skilled in using local plants to cure diseases and provide pain relief. They were often relied upon for spells or removal of hexes since some of their herbs had healing powers that would seem magical. Although, using the herbal medicine and prescribing them were dangerous because different parts of the plant contain ranging levels of effective compounds, like how plants from different locations can vary in their ability to cure or the different times of year theyre harvested would change how much does they contain. Many plants were beneficial, but there were ones that can have poison depending on their molecules. So, the molecules in these plants may yet brand a herbalist as a witch. Healing Herbs, Harmful Herbs Many plants contain were used to relieve pain and prevent illnesses, like the salicylic acid in willow trees were used for aspirin or how the root of the celery were used to prevent muscle cramps. Also, Digitalis was an extract from the common foxglove and its molecules helped in reducing the heart rate and regularize heart rhythm. It strengthens the heartbeat too. The digoxin molecule helps with cardiac glycoside or the heart. For example, in 1795, a British physician named William Withering used the foxglove extracts for treating congestive heart failure. It was not until more then a century after that scientists were able to identify the molecule responsible for its curable abilities with cardiac glycoside. Three sugar unitsThe steroid ring system In the Digitalis extract, there are also many other molecules thats similar to digoxin, like the digtoxin molecule. It lacks the OH and similar cardiac glycoside molecules are in other plants that are often members of the lily or ranunculus families. The molecules have the same structural features though,so theyre likely resposible for the caridac effect. All have five membered lactone ring thats attached to the end of the steroid system with an extra OH in between the C and D rings of the steroid system. lactone ring extra OH between C and D rings Molecules affecting the heart are not found in plants. Toxin compounds found in animals are similar to the structures of cardiac glycosides found in plants. The molecules dont have sugar or used as heart stimulants, but they are poison and have little medical value. The venom is extracted from amphibians, like the frog or toad that are used as arrow poisons and the common anima attributed with witches since in folklore, it is said that many potions made by witches contained toad parts. Bufotoxin is a molecule thats an active component of venom from the common European toad. Its one of the most toxic molecules with structures showing similarities to the steroid system ring of the digitoxin molecule with same extract OH between the C and D rings. The difference is that it has a six membered lactone ring instead of a five membered. ix-membered lactone ring extra OH between C and D rings Bufotoxin is a cardiac poison and not a cardiac restorative, but in addition to toads and foxglove, another myth about witches was that they were able to fly. Many accused as wtiches confessed to flying and the possible chemical explanation is that it had to do with a group of compounds called alkaloids. Alkaloids, plant compounds, have more than one nitrogen atoms thats usually part of a ring of carbon atoms. They have had a large effect on human history than any other chemicals and affects the central nervous system in humans. Theyre highly toxic, but they have been used as medicine for thousands if years. Chemical substances play a role in protecting plants since alkaloids are natural fungicides, insecticide, and pesticides. So, humans ingest about a gram and a half of natural pesticide every day from plants and plant products. This leads to the physiological effects on humans. Although they have been used medicinally for centuries. For example, Acrecaidine, alkaloid found in betel nuts, is used as a stimulant in Africa and the East. Ephedrine, from the ma huang plant, has been used in Chinese herbal medicine and now used as a decongestant and bronchodilator in the West. Members of the vitamin B family include; thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), and niacin (B3). Theyre classed as alkaloids. Reserpine is used to treat high blood pressure and be a tranquilizer from the Indian snakeroot plant. Alkaloids dont just have toxicity, but theyre also poisonous too. The hemlock plant, responsible for the death of philosopher Socrates in 399 B. C. , is the alkaloid coniine. Coniine has a simple structure, but highly poisonous than the complicated structure of strychnine from seeds of Asiatic trees. ConiineStrychnine Mandrake and henbane contains very similar alkaloids. The two main types are hyoscyamine and hyoscine, which are found in mandrakes, belladonna, and henbane in various proportions. Atropine is a form of hyoscyamine and is valued for its use in dilute solutions, like to dilate the pupil of the eye for ophthalmic examinations. Although, too much can be unsafe and the first symptom of atropine poisoning is the drying of bodily fluids. So, it is used in areas where theres hypersecretion of mucus or saliva that interferes with surgery. Scopolamine, a hyoscine, is used as an anesthetic. It has euphoric effects like atropine and prevents motion sickness. Difference between the two Scopolamine Neither atropine and scopolamine alkaloids are soluble in water. The â€Å"witches† of Europe knew that swallowing the compounds will lead to death rather than the euphoric, intoxicating sensations they wanted. So, the extracts of mandrake, belladonna, and henbane were dissolved in oils and applied to the skin. Witches also used these salves in regards with flying, although they werent actually â€Å"flying. † The alkaloids brought on hallucinations which led to the sensations of flying among other things as the comalike sleep happens in the last stage. This temporarily escape from reality from these molecules brought confessions from those women and they were burnt at the stake. The Ergot Alkaloids There is another group of alkaloids that devasted communities with its effects. People attributed the disasters with evil spells casted by witches. Theyre found in the ergot fungus that affects cereal grains such as rye. After bacteria and viruses, ergotism is the next-largest microbial killer, like how ergotamine causes blood vessels to constrict or how ergonovine induces abortions in humans. Also, large numbers of villagers most likely attained ergotism since rainy periods would envoke fungus to grow on the rye and poor storage promotes the growth. Most people thought their village was bewitched and blamed innocent women, especially if they dont have symptoms of ergotism. Even though ergotism was known for a long time, the cause being hinted around 600 B. C. from reports as the Assyrians observed â€Å"a noxious pustule in the ear of grain† and ergot alkaloids from â€Å"noxious grasses† caused miscarriages in cattle in 400 B. C. , the first recorded occurrence wasnt until A. D. 857 in Europe. There were periodic outbreaks that occurred up to the twentienth century. For example, ergotism played a role in reducing the effectiveness of Julius Caesars army and restricted him from his goals to enlarge the Roman Empire. Initially, ergotism seemed the answered the the Salem witch-hunts. The symptoms of ergot poisoning cannot be stopped, so victims would use that to their advantage and accuse neighbors. So, the suffering of these people and their families can be traced back to ergot molecules. Ergot alkaloids are toxic, but have a history of therapeutic use. For example, they were used to hasten birthds or help with abortions and today they are used to treat migraine headaches, postpartum bleeding, and be stimulants for uterine contractions in childbirth. Ergot alkaloids have the same common chemical feature; theyre derivatives lysergic acid. The OH group of lysergic acid is replaced by a larger side group. Replaced OH group Lysergic AcidErgotamine In all, neither the atropine or ergot alkaloids caused witchcraft, but there effects were evidence against many women. In the medieval world, women were killed becaused they had knowledge on medicinal plants, but it has proven to be helpful in the present-day world as there are many various pharmaceuticals. So, the folklore of the past can be of assistance to treating many conditions and diseases.