Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Globe Theatre Essay Example for Free

Globe Theatre Essay We do not know much about Shakespeare’s life. He comes from the small provincial town Stratford that lies on the Avon. His father was a workman, and he was a member of the town council; and he was also the mayor of the town for three years. Shakespeare most likely went to Stratford Grammar School, which can still be seen in the town, however we do not know much about what he learned in school. In 1582, when he was 18 years old, he married Ann Hathaway who was 7-8 years older; she was the oldest daughter of a wealthy farmer. Their first child was born the year after, only six months after the wedding; later they also had twins. There are several explanations as to why Shakespeare traveled to London, but most explanations are anecdotes from recent times. Some researchers believe that he became a member of a theatrical company that was visiting Stratford. The first time we here about him again is in 1592, and at that time he is a well-known person in London. He is mostly known as an actor and as a playwright, but he was also the owner of The Globe Theatre. Shakespeare wrote 37 plays: comedies, tragedies and historical dramas. His plays have something to fit everyone’s tastes; there are exciting plots, strong emotions, colors and comedy. Shakespeare’s themes are love, nature, power and the responsibilities that come with it. The central theme is humans and, especially after 1600, the bitterness towards the humans is most definitely felt. Around 1611 he returned to Stratford, possibly the same year as he wrote The Tempest, which can be read as his goodbye to the theater. He lived his last years in his home town, and died in 1616. He is buried in the Church of the Holy Trinity, and above his grave on the left side of the church, lies his epitaph.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Green Knight :: Arthurian Legends

Green Knight One of the most misunderstood characters from the Arthurian Legends is the Green Knight, especially in comparison with Sir Gawain. At first glance, the Green Knight seems to be very overpowering in his challenging of the knights of King Arthur’s court. He even indicates that everyone in the court is weak, and he cannot believe that this is the famous Arthur’s house: â€Å"What, is this Arthur’s house,† said that horseman then. (Norton, 309) The Green Knight knows that he will not die from a strike of an axe, and so he is offering to play this game to mock the knights of the Round Table. But, as it turns out later, the Green Knight is more noble and fair than it seems and is also very kind. He will not kill his challenger but gives him a more fair test, a test of character. The Green Knight, or Bercilak de Hautdesert as he introduces himself, is not such a bad guy and is actually a very good host. He gladly takes Sir Gawain into his home and offers him everything, a nice bath, food, clothing, and ironically, even his wife. He also offers to the Sir Gawain a very good deal, to share everything they both get in a day: Said the good host, 'agree now to this: Whatever I win in the woods I will give you at eve, And all you have earned you must offer to me; Swear now, sweet friend, to swap as I say, Whether hands, in the end, be empty or better.' (Norton, 1105-1109) And, while Sir Gawain just sits at home, sleeps late and enjoys his day with a beautiful lady, Bercilak de Hautdesert goes out to hunt for game. In reality the Green Knight wants to give Sir Gawain an opportunity to show his inner self. The Green Knight tests Sir Gawain by sending his own wife to seduce him, to check first of all, if he’ll bite the bait, and second, if he will be honest about it. The Green Knight realizes that it is not completely fair for him to challenge a mortal person, Sir Gawain, and so he wants to give Sir Gawain another chance to stay alive.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

How Does Orwell Convey His Thoughts and Feelings to the Reader Essay

George Orwell conveys his thoughts and feelings to the reader in many numbers of ways. One way in which he does this, is with his use of language in the third paragraph. Although the third paragraph is very short, it is clear to see what George Orwell’s feelings are about the Elephant. ‘It seemed to me that it would be murder to shoot him’ shows the reader that Orwell did not want to shoot the Elephant as he would feel like he had murdered someone. From this evidence, we can deduce that Orwell believes that Elephants have human characteristics otherwise; he would not say that killing an Elephant was ‘murder. Also in the third paragraph, when George Orwell uses the word ‘grandmotherly’ to describe the ‘air that elephants have. ’ The reader is able to see that Orwell believes that the Elephant contains human characteristics. He would not being using a word like ‘grandmotherly’ to describe an Elephant as it is a word associated with humans. Another way in which Orwell conveys his thoughts and feelings to the reader is by his mention of the ‘immense’ crowd. Throughout the passage, Orwell is always making a point about the crowd which has gathered to watch him kill the Elephant. When Orwell is saying things such as ‘the immense crowd’ and ‘the will of the faces behind me’ it shows the reader that Orwell feels like without the crowd, he would be unable to shoot the poor defenceless giant. It is also clear to see that Orwell is put under intense pressure by the masses that are willing him on to kill the Elephant. When Orwell says ‘The crowd grew very still†¦happy sigh, as of people who see the theatre curtain go up at last’ shows to the reader that Orwell killing the Elephant is like a show for the thousands of Burmese people watching him. This creates pressure on Orwell as he is playing the role of a lone actor. It is as if he is the star of a one man show. As he is the only way ‘acting’ he is the only one under pressure from the large crowds, which have gathered with anticipation to see him perform. The performance is Orwell shooting the Elephant. The final way in which Orwell conveys his feelings and thoughts to the reader is the tone Orwell’s narrative adopts. The tone adopted by the narrative is friendly, revealing yet informal. This approach helps to draw the reader in to the passage. A revealing tone is created by Orwell throughout the passage as he is always revealing that he does not want to shoot the Elephant, but the presence of the crowd is forcing him to do it. Evidence for this is ‘it would be murder to shoot him’ and ‘To come all that way, rifle in hand, with two thousand people marching at my heels, and then to trail feebly away†¦no that was impossible. ’ Orwell creates a friendly tone in his passage by using words such as ‘laugh’ and ‘happy. ’ Although these words may be out of context, they still show the reader that Orwell is attempting to make as much of a friendly atmosphere for the reader as possible. The final tone Orwell creates is an informal one. This is clear to see throughout the passage as Orwell is always using an informal tone. The informal tone shows to the reader that Orwell believes (thinks) that the passage does not need to be formal as the topic which he is discussing is an informal topic. To conclude, George Orwell conveys his thoughts and feelings to the reader in three different ways. These three ways, are equally revealing as they all convey Orwell’s many different thoughts and feelings to the reader.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Research Paper on Martin Luther

Research Paper on Martin Luther We learn the history of the theology and religion at different stages of our lives and very often do not pay significant attention to the people who lied the foundation of modern believes and concepts. Martin Luther played a tremendous role in the development of the German Culture and Church as a whole. During his life (1483-1546) Martin Luther gave numerous examples to future generations in his professional and personal life. This German professor of theology and priest translated the Bible into modern language and made it available to a great variety of people, who could not have access to it before due to literacy level. On the personal side, Luther’s marriage became a canonical example of classic clerical marriage. Martin Luther dedicated his life to the church and devoted himself to fasting, praying and confession. His decision to go along the path of academic career was facilitated by his superior, who believed that Luther spent too much time on introspective analysis and should have dedicated more time for theoretical works on religious questions. This became the beginning of the future 95 Thesis, written by Luther and further banned by the Church. Luther did not limit his works, however, by the individual indulgences and pilgrimages, to more conceptual works in the heart of the religious discussion. The results of these efforts were evidenced in the the idea of the mass as a sacrifice, rather than a gift, rejection of compulsory confession and encouragement of private confessions. In 1526 Luther started the foundation of his Church and