Essays on Plays

1559

The Glass Menagerie: The Theme of Sexuality Through Laura's Character

3 pages / 1260 words

In Tennessee Williams’s, The Glass Menagerie, sexuality is a concept developed through the Laura Wingfield’s naivety and innocence. This can first be examined by analyzing Amanda Wingfield’s unreasonable expectations for her daughter, Laura. By prescribing her the sexual identity which she sees fit, Amanda undermines...

The Glass Menagerie

1560

Creating a Fantasy: a Look at The Use of Irony in The Glass Menagerie

2 pages / 1060 words

Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie is a play founded on illusion. Williams uses the devices of illusion and metaphor to illustrate truth, which he sometimes reveals through the use of irony. In the production notes that preface the play, Williams writes that “expressionism and all...

Irony The Glass Menagerie

1561

The Views of Tom Wingfield on Happiness in The Glass Menagerie

2 pages / 1063 words

In The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, the narrator Tom filters the story through his own memories. This technique causes the characters to be presented in a way that is manipulated through Tom’s personal illusions. In completing his objective of finding happiness, Tom comes to...

The Glass Menagerie

1562

Tom's Use of Art as an Escape in The Glass Menagerie

3 pages / 1309 words

In Tennessee Williams’ play The Glass Menagerie, the narrator conceives of art as a reprieve from the grim monotony of reality. Art, in this conception, is a medium that enables one to interpret reality. Tom, the narrator of the play, consciously creates art in an...

The Glass Menagerie

1563

A Look at a Deadbeat Father in The Glass Menagerie

3 pages / 1563 words

In the play ‘The Glass Menagerie’ the audience is presented with three obvious main characters. Each of these characters, Tom, Laura and Amanda, has strong claims to the title of protagonist, but what hangs over the play is the spectre of the Wingfields’ absent father....

Character The Glass Menagerie

1564

The Reasons for Duchess's Downfall in The Duchess of Malfi

10 pages / 4557 words

In John Webster’s tragic play The Duchess of Malfi, the titular character is undoubtedly subjected to great degrees of suffering, both physical and mental. However, it is less clear whether or not she can be viewed simply as an innocent victim. While it can indeed...

The Duchess of Malfi

1565

The Bosola Puzzle: a Keen Analysis of The Duchess of Malfi

2 pages / 929 words

In John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi, the audience’s opinion on the anti-hero Bosola and his moral integrity changes throughout the play due to his sudden catharsis and change in behavior after he realizes the consequences of his working for the Cardinal and Ferdinand. Bosola’s...

The Duchess of Malfi

1566

Death and The Power of Fate in The Duchess of Malfi

2 pages / 1129 words

The main themes of “The Duchess of Malfi” are expertly demonstrated by Webster throughout many of the play’s intriguing scenes and dialogues. One particular instance occurs in the famous echo scene (5.3.1-55) between Antonio and Delio. As they are discussing the nature of fate in...

Lying The Duchess of Malfi

1567

Ferdinand's Decline into Insanity in The Duchess of Malfi

2 pages / 846 words

Webster’s Machiavellian antagonist Ferdinand demonstrates a decline into insanity in ‘The Duchess of Malfi’ through displaying signs of uncontrollable emotions, fixations on his sister and incestuous desires, and the development of lycanthropy. Made-to-order essay as fast as you need it Each essay is customized to...

The Duchess of Malfi

1568

A Look at Excellence in The Duchess of Malfi

3 pages / 1337 words

Introduction Made-to-order essay as fast as you need it Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences + experts online Get my essay “Her days are practis’d in such noble virtue, That, sure her nights, nay more, her very sleeps, Are more in...

The Duchess of Malfi

1569

The Duchess of Malfi: Understanding Inferiority Through Charachters of Bosola and Antonio

2 pages / 1151 words

The Renaissance Era was a period when theatre, among other forms of art, bloomed in its adolescence, as it outgrew old, traditional characteristics of the Middle Ages, and gradually evolved into what would later become known as modern history. Unlike tragedies of previous eras –...

The Duchess of Malfi

1570

The Theme of Attraction to The Forbidden in The Duchess of Malfi and Paradise Lost

5 pages / 2189 words

John Webster explores the attraction of that which is forbidden in a plethora of ways. The nature of the attraction, and the powers that determine that which is forbidden vary throughout. However, the theme remains manifest in all the instances discussed in this essay. It...

Paradise Lost The Duchess of Malfi

1571

The Theme of Forbidden Love in The Duchess of Malfi and The Merchant's Tale

4 pages / 1867 words

Despite the varying contexts with which they wrote their work, as well as the vastly different tone and content, both Chaucer in ‘The Merchants Tale’ and Webster through ‘The Duchess of Malfi’ explore the theme of forbidden love- or forbidden lust- and its attractions and...

The Duchess of Malfi

1572

Ferdinand's Sexual Obsession in The Duchess of Malfi

6 pages / 2676 words

Much of John Webster’s “The Duchess of Malfi” centers around the subversions and perversions of Ferdinand, the Duchess’ brother. Ferdinand is an immensely disturbed man who has been driven to insanity by his inability to control his sister, and his resultant inability to control his...

The Duchess of Malfi

1573

The Death Context: a Critical Look into The Characters in The Duchess of Malfi

2 pages / 873 words

In ‘The Duchess of Malfi’ the characterisation of the protagonists allows the concept of death to be explored deeply. Webster’s portrayal of the Duchess marks her embracement of death as she appears to be prepared for her fate, whereas the Cardinal is shown to be...

Book Review Character The Duchess of Malfi

1574

A Look at How The Duchess Has Redefined The Woman's Role

6 pages / 2771 words

In British literature of the 16th and 17th centuries, plots often center on romance, royalty, and the battle for power. With this emphasis come stories that feature the stereotypes of the damsel in distress, the powerless princess, and the haughty heiress. Although women of this...

The Duchess of Malfi

1575

Mannerist Comedy Portrayed Through Orgon's Character in Tartuffe

2 pages / 1075 words

Comedy of Manners was a theatrical genre that flourished during the time of the British Restoration of the 17th century. These plays sought to deride the upper social classes by exaggerating their manners and customs. Comedy of Manners used stock characters who were representative of...

Tartuffe

1576

Tartuffe: The Role of Reason in Religion

2 pages / 1182 words

What happens when hypocrisy invades religion in the absence of reason? This is the very question that Moliere addresses as he establishes the characters in his work of political and social satire Tartuffe. In satire, characters are usually one-dimensional and unchanging; they are simply there...

Tartuffe

1577

The Theme of Death in "Everyman" and "Sir Gawain and The Green Knight"

2 pages / 1123 words

“Everyman” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” are without doubt two of the best-known works of medieval English literature. The stories demonstrate the epitome of the Christian themes of salvation, mortality, and truth that resonate throughout the genre. In this light, Death and the...

Everyman Sir Gawain and The Green Knight