Shakespeares Hamlet - Claudius Essay - 2442 Words

Claudius of Shakespeares Hamlet’s G. Wilson Knight in The Embassy of Death interprets the character of Claudius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Claudius, as he appears in the play, is not a criminal. He is - strange as it may seem - a good and gentle king, enmeshed by the chain of causality linking him with his crime. And this chain he might, perhaps, have broken except for Hamlet, and all would have been well. But, granted the presence of Hamlet - which Claudius at first genuinely desired, persuading him not to return to Wittenberg as he wished - and granted the fact of his original crime which cannot now be altered, Claudius cannot now be blamed for his later actions. They are forced on him. As King, he could scarcely be expected†¦show more content†¦pag.). Hamlet has also learned of the disturbing news of the new king’s â€Å"o’erhasty marriage† to Hamlet I’s wife less than two month’s after the funeral of Hamlet’s father (Gordon 128). The protagonist stands alone, with just about everyone allied with Claudius in his viewpoint on the rightness of the situation: G. Wilson Knight says, â€Å"Instinctively the creatures of earth—Laertes, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, league themselves with Claudius: they are of his kind. They sever themselves from Hamlet.† It would seem initially that Gertrude, â€Å"kindly, slow witted† (Pitt 47), rather than Claudius, is to blame for the protagonist’s â€Å"violent emotions† (Smith 80); thus in his first soliloquy Hamlet cries out, â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman!† Claudius’ first appearance is at a court gathering where he very dishonestly laments the death of his brother: Though yet of Hamlet our dear brothers death The memory be green, and that it us befitted To bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom To be contracted in one brow of woe,Show MoreRelatedEssay on Claudius of Shakespeares Hamlet1872 Words   |  8 PagesClaudius of Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   A close second in nobility to the protagonist in Shakespeare’s Hamlet is the incredible King Claudius. His superior qualities render him a worthy antagonist capable of a plummeting downfall at the climax.    G. Wilson Knight in The Embassy of Death interprets the character of Claudius:    Claudius, as he appears in the play, is not a criminal. He is - strange as it may seem - a good and gentle king, enmeshed by the chain of causality linking him withRead More Hamlet: The Character of Claudius in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay1330 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet: The Character of Claudius  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Of all the characters in Shakespeares Hamlet, perhaps the role of Claudius is the most intriguing and crucial. Claudius is the most controversial, the most mysterious and the most talked about character in this play. Many people look at Claudius and only see a villain, but there are additional sides to him that are often overlooked: Claudius the father, the husband, the ruler and the mortal individual. In this play the characters are not super-humanRead More The Character of Claudius in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay805 Words   |  4 PagesThe Character of Claudius in Hamlet As a supporting character in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Claudius is not developed to his full potential. His primary role in the play is to initiate Hamlets confusion and anger, and his subsequent search for truth and lifes meaning. But Claudius is certainly not a static character. While Claudius’ qualities are not as thoroughly explored as Hamlets,   the treacherous King of Denmark is a complete character. When we first see Claudius, he strikes usRead MoreClaudius in William Shakespeares Hamlet Essay2023 Words   |  9 PagesClaudius in William Shakespeares Hamlet Ans. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is perhaps Shakespeares best tragedy. It was written between the years, 1600-1601. Hamlets character in the play is one of introspection and reflection. He is a person who thinks too much before he acts and also expresses a lot of his feelings before actually doing something. All of Shakespeares tragedies concerned people in high positions in a country and his fall would affect every one inRead More Shakespeares Presentation Of Claudius In Hamlet Essay1669 Words   |  7 PagesShakespeares Presentation Of Claudius In Hamlet Hamlet opens with the death of Old King Hamlet, Father of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. The new king, Claudius, brother of the previous king has married Gertrude, the dead mans widow and has taken the throne. Shakespeare presents Claudius as the plays damned smiley villain although he does allow him some redeeming features; leading an audience to view him as a complex and contradictory figure within the play. Read More The Character of Claudius in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay2062 Words   |  9 PagesThe Character of Claudius in Hamlet      Ã‚      Shakespeare presents Claudius as a character with many faces yet the audience can clearly understand his motives and ambition throughout the play. His character does however change and we clearly see how his evilness and weakness increases as his need to escape discovery and his clandestine nature in doing so, is revealed.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      It is in Act one scene two that we are first introduced to the character of Claudius. The impression madeRead MoreThe Death Penalty In William Shakespeares Hamlet And Claudius958 Words   |  4 PagesIn William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, King Hamlet was pierced to execution, by his own brother, Claudius. Hamlet had never really thought about killing Claudius, until Claudius had murdered Hamlet’s father, just to become the new King of Denmark. Hamlet had several opportunities to kill Claudius but never did. He was immensely sane, and never wanted to kill anyone because that was not the person he was. Hamlet had many outrageous opportunities to pierce Claudius to death, but he believed that it wasRead More Shakespeares Hamlet - Hamlet’s Villain, King Claudius Essay3285 Words   |  14 PagesHamlet’s Villain, King Claudius      Ã‚  Ã‚   In the drama Hamlet Shakespeare has concocted a multi-dimensional character in the person of King Claudius. It is the intent of this essay to analyze and probe all the various aspects of this curious personality.    Ward and Trent in The Cambridge History of English and American Literature consider Shakespeare’s options in designing the character of Claudius:    There were at least two ways in which an ordinary, or rather more than ordinaryRead More The Importance of Claudius Guilt in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay example852 Words   |  4 PagesThe Importance of Claudius Guilt in Hamlet       In the first three acts of the play Hamlet, King Claudius go through a subtle, but defined change in character.   Claudius role in the play begins as the newly corrinated king of Denmark.   The former king, King Hamlet, was poisoned by his brother, Claudius, while he was asleep.   Claudius, however, made it known to everyone that the king died of a snakebite in the garden, and thus no one knew of the murder that had just taken place making his murderRead MoreKing Claudius And Narcissistic Personality Disorder In Shakespeares Hamlet1066 Words   |  5 Pages The Tragedy of Hamlet is a famous work written by Shakespeare in the late 14th century. Within the story, there are many characters who appear to be very â€Å"off†. Hamlet seemingly goes insane, The King is on a power trip, Ophelia goes insane and potentially kills herself, and the Queen remarries almost immediately. These are not behaviors normal humans show, and so I will be diagnosing King Claudius with Narc issistic Personality Disorder. King Claudius could have potentially been diagnosed with

The Search for Freedom in Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

â€Å"You cant separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.† Malcolm X. Dictionaries say freedom is the state of being free; exemption from the power and control of another; liberty; independence. Freedom means you have the power to do what you please and when you please. It gives you the power to in control of your own life and lives your life freely. The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain revolves around two characters: Huck, a thirteen-year-old, rebellious teenager, and Jim, a runaway slave. Throughout Hucks and Finns adventures they go through out of the ordinary problems, meet deceitful characters, and find out the true meaning of being free and the consequences of too much†¦show more content†¦He felt he was still trapped inside the cabin. He got lonely in the cabin when his dad would leave for long periods of time. â€Å"It was dreadful lonesome.† (Twain 26), Huck explained. He then decided t o run away from his dad. Huck has a goal to live a life with no restrictions and get away from his limited lifestyle. When Huck escapes from the cabin and starts adventuring through the river, he still feels lonely. This loneliness was quickly fulfilled when he landed on Jackson Island where he met Jim. Jim, on the other hand, became a runaway slave to be with his family. Jim is a slave for Ms. Watson. Jim doesnt complain about what he does for the Watson family. In fact, he cares for them even though he doesn’t get treated equally. He is content with his life until one day he heard Ms. Watson talking about selling him to New Orleans. If Jim got sold, then he would be separated from his family. Jim became a runaway slave and ended in the same place as Huck, Jackson Island. Since Jim was a slave, Huck and he were worried about being caught as they travel down the Mississippi River. Later in the book, Jim didnt care about getting caught; he just wanted to be a free slave. He learned that being a slave kept him from being his own person. He had no goals in life before he became a runaway slave. This journey helped Jim come closer with himself more than anyone else. Being free meant escaping from the social oppression Jim was locked up in. Huck’s and Jim’s freedomShow MoreRelatedHuckleberry Finn and the use of Satire Essay1109 Words   |  5 Pages Huck Finn and the use of Satire Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been controversial ever since its release in 1884. It has been called everything from the root of modern American literature to a piece of racist trash. Many scholars have argued about Huck Finn being prejudiced. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses satire to mock many different aspects of the modern world. Despite the fact that many critics have accused Mark Twain’s novel of promoting racismRead MoreVenturing Freedom with Mark Twain1587 Words   |  6 PagesVenturing Freedom Mark Twain, notable for his works in the late 19th century, grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, and worked as a riverboat pilot along the Mississippi River. Missouri was a slave state; it was there that Twain became familiar with the institution of slavery, as well as the ideas and practices of racism and inequality that dominated American life during that period. Although freedom was the basis of America’s foundation, the novel is written during a time that freedom is often in questionRead MoreLiterary Analysis: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay1756 Words   |  8 PagesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn â€Å"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.† (Twain, ix) Mark Twain opens his book with a personal notice, abstract from the storyline, to discourage the reader from looking for depth in his words. This severe yet humorous personal caution is written as such almost to dissuade his readers from having any high expectationsRead MoreHuck Finn - Hypocrisy of Society Essay693 Words   |  3 Pagesread The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn thinking that it is a simple novel on a boys childhood, they soon come to realize that the author, Mark Twain, expresses his opinions on multiple important, political issues. Twain touches on subjects such as slavery, money and greed, society and civilization, and freedom. From the time of its publication, Huckleberry Finn has been distinguished as a novel with prodigious political positions and mes sages. Throughout the novel, Twain continuously shows theRead MoreEssay about Mark Twain1654 Words   |  7 PagesMark Twain Mark Twain is believed to be the father of all American literature. Twain was known for writing about issues of his time such as slavery, due to his style of honesty and truth he was known as one of the very first modernist writers. Mark Twain had many inspirations that motivated him to write his novels. The inspirations varied from events that he witnessed and experienced, people he met in his lifetime, other stories he read or heard about, and his environment. The writer knownRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn 1332 Words   |  6 PagesMicaela Soriano AP Lit Period 2 Mr. Etheridge Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Cheat Sheet Title: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Author: Mark Twain Publication: December 10, 1884 Setting and Time period: The setting throughout the story mainly takes place along areas by the Mississippi River, and as stated in the book, â€Å"Forty to Fifty Years ago†. Characters: Huckleberry Finn - The protagonist and narrator of the novel. Huck is the thirteen-year-old son of the local drunk of St. Petersburg, MissouriRead MoreHuckleberry Finn - the Controversial Ending2199 Words   |  9 PagesThe Adventures of Huck Finn-The Controversial Ending The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has stirred up much controversy over such topics as racism, prejudice and gender indifference, but the brunt of the criticism has surrounded itself around the ending, most notably with the re-entry of Tom Sawyer. Some people viewed the ending as a bitter disappointment, as shared by people such as Leo Marx. The ending can also be viewed with success, as argued by such people as Lionel TrillingRead MoreThemes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which Transcend Boundaries of Time and Culture1291 Words   |  6 PagesMark Twain’s novel, â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), commonly known as Huckleberry Finn or Huck Finn, colorfully depicts people and places along the great Mississippi River. the novel contains a collection of themes which transcend time and cultural boundaries. It tells of a poor white buy running from a brutal parent, and an African-American man attempting to escape and free his himself from slavery . The main character, Huckleberry Finn, spends much time in the novel floating down theRead MoreEssay on Freedom in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain586 Words   |  3 PagesFreedom in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, a theme of freedom is expressed. Freedom takes on a different view for each character in the novel. In Hucks journey, and in Jim, the runaway slave, they acquire freedom. Jims hunt for freedom is an escape from slavery, while Hucks is a method to get away from the civilized world. Their search for freedom is for one reason, their happiness. This is expressed throughout the novel in JimsRead MoreMark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay1103 Words   |  5 Pages Published in 1885, Mark Twain’s American classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, captured the both the hearts and hatred of its audience. While some view it as a masterpiece that successfully blended the American condition in a captivating and interesting manner, others observe it to be nothing more than racist trash. The latter is a shallow misunderstanding of the novel’s purpose and potential enlightening impact on its read ers. From a more appreciative and open-minded perspective, one would

Roles of First Ladies Free Essays

Roles of the First Lady Kenya Stanford Ashford University HIS 204 American History Since 1865 Instructor: Tara Ross November 15, 2010 Abstract The roles of the First Lady can vary. Several of the authors describes that some of the First Lady’s roles can be from writing invitations , creating an policy, sharing ideas about political rights, to coming up with health care reform. This essay contains some of the old traditional roles that the First Lady was required to do in the 18th century and how it changes over time. We will write a custom essay sample on Roles of First Ladies or any similar topic only for you Order Now Also, it explains how each century First Lady goes about performing her duties. Roles of the First Lady The roles of the First Lady are really undetermined because it changes due to their interest and the timeframe that they were in. Traditional roles of the First lady The duties of the First Lady vary from time to time. During the 18th century, the traditional roles of the First Lady were being a hostess for our country. White House. Gov states, â€Å"The President and the First Lady’s job responsibilities are to entertain both national and international guest that were arriving and staying at the White House (White House. gov). It also goes on stating that the reason for hosting the event was to strengthen any existing ties, to stage for new relationships, to establish new partnerships, or just to extend the hospitality of the White House as the â€Å" home â€Å" of our nation leader and every First lady were responsible for writing every single invitation by hand (FirstLady. org). 18th Century First Ladies: Martha Washington and Abigail Adams Marth a Washington was a well-respected and very kind-hearted to all that knew her. However, Martha did not enjoy her roles as being the First Lady. According to the article, she statedâ€Å" I think I am more like a state prisoner than anything else, there is certain bounds set for me which I must not depart from any many younger and gayer women would be extremely pleased in her place; she would be much rather be at home (White House. Gov). † Just by reading the article on her, it gives me the idea that she was very private about her life with outsiders and she always held her head up. During her time she was called â€Å"Lady Washington. † She had gotten that name during the Revolutionary War era (America. ov). During the war era, Martha Washington was placed into a winter encampment that was the most comfortable to live in (Berkin, Carol). During the war, she and the other general wives served as hostess. The purpose was to lift everyone spirits and giving every solider a reason on what they were fighting for (Berkin, Carol. ) After Martha had moved to the White House, she found out that she was also responsible for managing the presidential household and supervising the domestic affairs at Mount Vernon from a distance (MarthaWashington. us). However, her successor Abigail Adams was a very interesting woman of her time. People viewed her as a very patriot woman. Abigail’s letter talked about current politics and how she expressed her opinions. During the time of when the famous â€Å"shots heard around the world† started, Abigail was writing John letters to express her concern and her longing to be with him. According to Carol Berkin, ‘Soon I will be in continual arms. Rumors have spread that the British has spread. We know not what a day will bring forth, nor what distress one hour may throw us into (Berkin, Carol). During her husband’s presidential, she would write letters that was expressing her ideas about women’s right. For example, one of her famous letters was when she wrote John telling him to remember the ladies when it came down to the new law (New World Encyclopedia). Basically, she was trying to gives the women more rights that they were entitled to but during the American Rev olution that was proving to be was very impossible task. According to New World Encyclopedia, â€Å"Highly conscious of her role as the president’s wife, Abigail Adams saw her role largely as a hostess for the public and partisan symbol of the Federalist Party. Her entertainments were confined to a relatively small home in Philadelphia, turned into a hotel after the capital was moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D. C. (New World Encyclopedia). †. She also attempted to influence fashion, believing that the more revealing Napoleonic-style clothing then popular were too indecorous. Since presidential families were responsible for covering the costs of their entertainments and the Adamses were enduring financial difficulties at the time of his presidency, Abigail Adams’s receptions were somewhat Spartan (New World Encyclopedia). 19th Century: Mary Lincoln and Ida McKinley Mary Lincoln was a woman who wanted the public to like her. She was getting to point where she was tired of the public talking about her fashion so she decides to do a makeover for herself and for the White House. At the beginning through the end of the article, the author discusses how Mary Lincoln was very careless with money and how she would act out if she didn’t get her way (Lincoln White House. org). The Lincoln Institute only notes that Mrs. Mary Lincoln visited the wounded from the Civil War and remodeled the White House (Lincoln White House. rg). Ida McKinley was a very ill person who suffered from being epilepsy. Her conditions were affecting her and her husband job performance. According to Miller Center Public Affairs, â€Å"Although she occasionally appeared at state dinners and in receiving lines, her attendance at these functions was sporadic due to the unpredictability of her seizures (Miller Center, 2010). † It also goes on stating that the president had to ask the vice president’s wife to help her with her duties due to her being sick. Even though she was very sick, she manages to crochet bedroom room slippers for fundraisers and charities. After reading the article, she proves that she was able to show her husband that she cared about how he felt about politics and that she would dedicate herself to it through the end. She was the first to have her spouse to reschedule everything around her instead of the President reschedule everything around him. 20th Century: Edith Roosevelt and Jacqueline Kennedy Following President McKinley’s assassination came about very sudden to Edith. So Edith had to fill in that position as First Lady. Not being a stranger to Washington and to the public, Edith was able to perform her job really well. Edith was very good at managing books and being able to keep up the home. But just like Martha Washington, she kept her life private from everybody including T. R’s extended family. According to the Theodore Roosevelt Association, â€Å"Under Edith’s careful eye the White House collection of china and the portraits of First Ladies were begun. The task of restoring the house to its classic and simple federal style, inside and out, while accommodating a large family and executive branch of government for a growing nation came to the Roosevelt’s. First Lady Edith Roosevelt played the major role in overseeing the largest renovation of the White House into the stately and practical government center it is today (theodoreroosevelt. org). † Just like Martha Washington, Mary Lincoln, Edith Roosevelt, and Abigail Adams, the next First Lady named Jacqueline Kennedy tends to follow in some of their steps. Her first big role as First Lady was the historical restoration of the White House (JFK Presidential Library and Museum. ). The article stated that she created a White House Guide and authenticates the artwork. She also created the White House Historical society; posts White House curator, oversaw to creating a publication of a guidebook for the visitors, and finally established the White House Library and the Rose Garden (JFK Presidential Library and Museum. ). Later on, Jacqueline Kennedy becomes a host for the television tour by CBS in 1962 (JFK Presidential Library and Museum. ). 21st Century: Laura Bush and Michelle Obama Unlike the other former First Lady, Laura Bush manages to go to the extremes with her duties as First Lady. According to National First Ladies Library, â€Å"Education has been the primary focus of Laura Bush’s tenure as First Lady and the issue that has bound all the various efforts she has spearheaded. When she eventually was able to deliver testimony before the Senate Education Committee on January 23, 2002, Laura Bush called for higher teacher salaries and better training for Head Start and day care workers. In the nine month of her tenure introduced a National Book Festival in Washington, D. C. based on the model of the one she had created in Texas. Within two years, this festival had inspired the Russian First Lady Ludmilla Putin to host an October 1, 2003 book festival in her nation that Laura Bush attended in Moscow, along with several American authors (National First Ladies Library, 2010). She also went to Afghani to met the women and to hear how miserable their lives have been since the war, and she created a public-forum to help with the techniques to comfort children that were traumatized during and after 9/11(National First Ladies Library, 2010). Again, every First Lady’s ideas about how to perform her job is different just as Michelle Obama have stated. Michelle states that â€Å"This new administration doesn’t view service as separate from our national priorities, or in addition to our national priorities. We see it as the key to achieving our national priorities,† she continued. â€Å"We believe that the only way to build that new foundation for our economy is to establish a new role for service in this country (America. Gov). † The article continues to talks about how Michelle talks about how you can volunteer to make differences. Michelle’s second role as First Lady was to reconstruct a playground and packed over 15,000 backpacks for the children of America’s service members to take with them to summer camp (America. Gov). White House. Gov states that as First Lady, Mrs. Obama looks forward to continuing her work on the issues close to her heart — supporting military families, helping working women balance career and family,   encouraging national service, promoting the arts and arts education, and fostering healthy eating and healthy living for children and families across the country (America. Gov) As I stated earlier, every First Lady’s role is undetermined because it changes due to their interest and the timeframe that they were in. Every First Lady has their ways on how they would like to do things. Some of them may not have a lot of experiences when it comes to politics and some may. Whether it is making sockets or reconstructing a playground, these women are using their talents in helping others. Like Michelle stated, â€Å"â€Å"There’s a feeling that you get when you help someone achieve their goals: the fulfillment of putting your faith into action and feeling that you’re a part of something that’s bigger than yourself and doing your part for the greater good. Bibliography America. Gov. (2009, June 29). Retrieved from America. Gov-Engaging the world: michelle Obama defines own Rosle as First Lady: http://www. america. gov/st/usg-english/2009/June/20090629092010degrebsginek0. 475445. html Berkin, C. (2005, February 01). Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for Americans’ Independence. United States, United States: Alfred A. Knopf Incorporated. Institute, T. L. (2010). Mr. Linclon’s White How to cite Roles of First Ladies, Papers