Darla Flynn Play Analysis for The Taming of the Shrew - Free Essay Example

**** I watched the BBC version off of Amazon, I am not sure if this is the one everyone else did but this is what my Play Analysis is going to be based on.*** Context- The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeares most popular works. It was written between 1593 and 1594 and it is one of Shakespeares earliest comedies. In the Elizabethan era, there was a huge demand for new entertainment, and The Taming of the Shrew would have been produced immediately following the completion of the play. Playwright The most influential writer in all of English literature, William Shakespeare was born in 1564 to a successful middle-class glove-maker in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Shakespeare attended grammar school but had no further formal education. In 1582 he married an older woman, Anne Hathaway, and had three children with her. Around 1590 he left his family behind and traveled to London to work as an actor and playwright. Shakespeare eventually became the most popular playwright in England and part-owner of the Globe Theater. Wealthy and renowned, Shakespeare retired to Stratford and died in 1616 at the age of fifty-two. Plot The plot for the play was to get the older meaner daughter married off so that several of the other suters could vie over who would marry the younger more beautiful daughter Diction From what I could tell the play used a lot of early modern English. Music There was very little music in this version. Katherine The shrew of the plays title, Katherine, or Kate, is the daughter of Baptista Minola, with whom she lives in Padua. Her hostility toward suitors particularly distresses her father. But her anger and rudeness disguise her deep-seated sense of insecurity and her jealousy toward her sister, Bianca. She does not resist her suitor Petruchio forever, though, and she eventually subjugates herself to him, despite her previous repudiation of marriage. Petruchio Petruchio is a gentleman from Verona. He wishes for nothing more than a woman with an enormous dowry, and he finds Kate to be the perfect fit. Disregarding everyone who warns him of her shrewishness, he eventually succeeds not only in wooing Katherine, but in silencing her tongue and temper with his own. Bianca The younger daughter of Baptista. The lovely Bianca proves herself the opposite of her sister, Kate, at the beginning of the play: she is soft-spoken, sweet, and unassuming. Because of her beauty and her mild behavior, several men vying for her hand. Baptista, however, will not let her marry until Kate is wed. Baptista Minola Baptista is one of the wealthiest men in Padua, and his daughters become the prey of many suitors due to the substantial dowries he can offer. At the opening of the play, he is already desperate to find her a suitor, having decided that she must marry before Bianca does. Lucentio A young student from Pisa, the good-natured Lucentio comes to Padua to study at the citys renowned university, but he is immediately sidetracked when he falls in love with Bianca at first sight. By disguising himself as a classics instructor named Cambio, he convinces Gremio to offer him to Baptista as a tutor for Bianca. He wins her love, but his impersonation gets him into trouble when his father, Vincentio, visits Padua. Tranio Lucentios servant. Tranio accompanies Lucentio from Pisa. Wry and comical, he plays an important part in his masters charade†he assumes Lucentios identity and bargains with Baptista for Biancas hand. Gremio And Hortensio Two gentlemen of Padua. Gremio and Hortensio are Biancas suitors at the beginning of the play. Though they are rivals, these older men also become friends during their mutual frustration with and rejection by Bianca. Hortensio directs Petruchio to Kate and then dresses up as a music instructor to court Bianca. Grumio Petruchios servant and the fool of the play†a source of much comic relief. Biondello Lucentios second servant, who assists his master and Tranio in carrying out their plot. The two themes I noticed was how they used marriage as an economic institution, and the effects of social roles on an individuals happiness The Spectacles in the play help me understand where and when the play occurred. I can tell by the clothing who is wealthy and who is poorer. Judging from the clothing I can tell that they are from the English part of the word several hundred years ago.

Research Paper Topics - Magna Carta

Research Paper Topics - Magna CartaOne of the biggest problems of the new constitution of the United States is how to recognize the rights of citizens of this country, but also to be sure that those rights are respected by all. One of the first questions to ask is the reason for the Magna Carta, and also where it was. And this is where another important part of the United States history is also very important. The reason why the Magna Carta was signed is a very important part of its history, and the government knows the importance of this document, and will always try to honor its clauses and rights.The first clause of the Magna Carta of 1215 was a way to insure that the King would not imprison anyone on unjust charges. This was later on passed onto the American people as the Bill of Rights. But what happened to the King?When the common law was taken away from England, many of the laws were then passed to the English people. Those laws were later adopted by many other countries aroun d the world. When people brought the Magna Carta, they brought the past into the present time.The King of England had been educated at an elite University and he later became a baronet. He and his friends were actually the ones who created the notion of the liberties of men. Many of them had studied at Oxford and they actually came up with this idea. They believed that the citizens of the country were free to pursue their own destiny without the interference of the King.Although the Magna Carta is considered as being a work of literature, the fact is that the nation was divided. The civil wars were actually a result of the royal family trying to remove the King and take over the government. After the civil war, many books were burned in order to stop future people from learning about the country's history.While it may seem like a hard time for the new government to recognize the rights of the commoners, the thing that I like most about the Magna Carta is that it showed that the Amer ican democracy was stable and will stand. That is why it is so important for all Americans to remember this document and learn about it and then pass it onto their children. Many people may only know the ideas behind the Magna Carta because of the film 'The Lord of the Rings' but there really is a lot of history behind the Magna Carta.When researching the rights of citizens, there are different research paper topics to study. One of them is the history of the Magna Carta, and what the reasons were for signing the charter. The second one is a discussion about the various clauses of the Magna Carta, and how it has been honored and used throughout history.There are actually many more research paper topics for Americans to read about before they become a part of the government. In addition to being able to learn about the rights of the citizen, the US government will be able to learn the history of their government as well. It is an excellent history lesson, and I recommend it to everyo ne.