Shakespeares Portrayal Of Women English Literature Essay

Shakespeares Portrayal Of Women English Literature Essay Shakespeares female characters are represented across a variety of social classes. In this essay I will explore how Shakespeare portrays women in A Midsummer Nights Dream inclusive of several female characters in this play. This allows us to examine in depth, to a very limited extent, how they were treated in society and the stereotypical roles Elizabethan society imposed upon them. I will be examining specifically the characters and portrayal of Hippolyta, Helena and Hermia and how they defy the stereotypical notion of how women were treated by men. Firstly, the most obvious aspect regarding Shakespeares portrayal of women in this play is that the female gender is commodified. Throughout the play, women are treated like objects to be sold or traded. With reference to the background of the characters Theseus and Hippolyta, Greek mythology states that when Theseus, the Duke of Athens, sailed to the land of the Amazon, the Amazons offered Theseus gifts of peace. However, Theseus kidnapped Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazonians, and forcefully made her his wife.  [1]  This resulted in the war between the Athenians and the Amazons. Theseuss action of claiming Hippolyta as a prize and a wife might show that he treats them as objects rather than human beings.  [2]  This idea is reinforced when Theseus says Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword, and won thy love doing thee injuries (I.i.16-17). This statement refers to how Theseus won the battle with the Amazons and in conquering the Amazons; he has conquered their queen, Hippol yta, both physically and emotionally. Hippolytas lines in this play are of relatively insignificant amount and value as compared to Theseuss. For example, in the first Act, Hippolyta only comforts Theseus by saying that Four days will quickly steep themselves in night; Four nights will quickly dream away the time (I.i.7-8) and they will have the marriage ceremony soon. In addition, Theseus appears to be making the decisions regarding everything, ranging from their marriage to Hermias marriage. This is significant as it shows that Hippolyta is subservient to Theseus as she has little say in these state events despite being seated next to Theseus. In addition, Hippolytas silence could possibly show how she is unhappy about being forced into a marriage with Theseus  [3]  as shown in the 1970s BBC production of A Midsummer Nights Dream. Hippolytas silence could also be seen as a rejection of male dominance.  [4]  However, it is also significant that Hippolyta gets is given more of a voice in the last scene after bein g married and this will be explored later. Another relationship that suggests the marginalizing of women is seen again between Egeus and Hermia. Egeus, Hermias father, has made up his mind to marry Hermia to Demetrius but Hermia refuses to do so. Egeus then brings up this complaint to Theseus, hoping Theseus is able to help him. In doing so, Egeus is shown to regard Hermia as a commodity. Egeus says that Hermia has turned her obedience, which is due to me (I.i.37) and that since she is mine, I may dispose of her (I.i.42). These 2 lines show Egeus treating Hermia as mere property  [5]  because he made her and hence Hermia ought to listen to her fathers instructions. This idea is also proven by some parents in the early 17th century such as Sir Edward Coke who whipped his daughter into marriage with a mentally unsound man.  [6]   Moreover, Theseus becomes the personification of the law in Athens as he tells Hermia to either to die the death, or to abjure for ever the society of men (I.i.65-66). According to the ancient privilege of Athens (I.i.41) a womans father has the right to decide who she should marry and she has no say in his decision. If the woman goes against the wishes of her father, she can either be put to death or to stay a virgin forever by becoming a nun. The number of different options given by both Theseus and Egeus only goes to support the fact that Renaissance women were constrained in the verbal medium and that silence was the virtue most stringently required from Renaissance women.  [7]   However, it is also through these three women that we see the female gender defying the societys treatment of women then. Hippolyta, Helena and Hermia go against the grain in their unique ways and show that despite the limitations and laws that society imposes upon them, they are able to assert themselves and show society that they have the potential to be as capable as men. Critics have said that Shakespeares portrayal of women in this manner could possibly be his own stand on how women should be treated equally as men but since he belongs to the Elizabethan era, it is still difficult to garner Shakespeares precise views on feminism and its issues solely based A Midsummer Nights Dream and even if we could, it is still problematic to judge his 16th 17th century mindset based on the definitions and criteria of twentieth century feminism.  [8]  In addition, Shakespeare is based in the Elizabethan era yet he writes about the lives and attitudes of the ancient Greeks. This suggests that interpreting Shakespeares mindset from his works is only reliable to a small extent. Hence, his representation of women only serves as an understanding to how he was unorthodox in the gender assumptions of his era. One extremely effective method of showing that women should assert having their opinions and rights recognized by men is to have the characters in A Midsummer Nights Dream either engage in a power struggle or a role reversal. The very first power struggle shown in the play exists between Egeus/Theseus and Hermia. In Act 1 Scene 1, Hermia openly defies Egeuss wishes for her to marry Demetrius instead of Lysander. Through Egeuss eyes, Hermia is seen to have a stubborn harshness (I.i.38) and she will not consent to marry with Demetrius (I.i.40). She defies Egeus despite knowing that ancient tradition grants the father power to marry his daughter off whoever he wishes to. Nonetheless, she even conspires with Lysander and agrees to his plan of leaving Athens to Lysanders widow aunt whose house is remote seven leagues (I.i. 159) and out of reach of the sharp Athenian law (I.i.162). While running away might seem like a nuanced and subtle form of defiance, it is still an affirmation of Hermi as rights and freedom as a woman to choose who she marries. In the same scene, she defies Theseus in both her tone and her language. For example, when Theseus tries to persuade Hermia to marry Demetrius by saying that Demetrius is a worthy gentleman (I.i.52) Hermia asserts, So is Lysander (I.i.53). In addition, when Theseus tells Hermia that she faces either a nunnery or death, she replies that My soul consents not to give sovereignty (I.i.82) and she would rather be a nun than having to marry Demetrius. In Hermias case, the act of women asserting themselves is almost unheard of as Shakespeare lived in a patriarchal culture in which authority and privilege is particularly invested in the hands of the patriarch of a family. This shows that women were subordinate to men.  [9]   The most obvious example of gender reversal is between Demetrius and Helena. In Act 2 Scene 1, Helena reminds the audience about this role reversal by saying, We cannot fight for love, as men may do; we should be wooed, and were not made to woo (II.i.241-242). This line refers to how, in this situation, Helena is playing the role of the male chasing after the female (Demetrius) through the woods and persuading Demetrius to love her. Although I acknowledge that Helena is forced to woo Demetrius due to her situation of unrequited love, it is not proper for a woman to behave in this manner in Ancient Greece. This role reversal between Helena and Demetrius suggests that in Ancient Greece, women were generalized as insensible and unable to make proper judgments and hence needed a male guardian.  [10]  By getting Helena to play the role of men, Shakespeare creates comic relief as the audience sees it as ridiculous and absurdly funny. In addition, some members of the audience may feel sympathetic for Helena instead. Inducing sympathy and challenging the audiences perception of women could have been Shakespeares intentions to promote equal treatment regardless of gender. Nonetheless, this seemingly comic situation still holds true to this day as we, to a small extent, still stereotype women as human beings to be wooed by men despite various organizations pushing for female equality. This may be due to our genetic makeup as human beings or cultural influences about women but we do not exactly know. The final instance of a power struggle between the genders occurs between Theseus and Hippolyta. In Act 5 Scene 1, Hippolyta voices out that she disagrees with Theseus on the events that happened to the lovers the previous night. While Theseus says that he may never believe these antique fables (V.i.2-3), Hippolyta disagrees and says that it must have been true because all their minds transfigured together (V.i.24) and it was more witnesseth than fancys images (V.i.25). Hippolytas verbal answer can be seen in two ways. Firstly, Michael Boyd, a stage director implied that Hippolyta has accepted Theseus as she gives her husband a kiss. This suggests that Hippolyta is simply discussing the whole issue about the lovers with Theseus. The darker way of looking at this is that Hippolyta is involved in struggles for power in a patriarchal society.  [11]  In doing so, Hippolyta empowers the female gender by going against how women were supposed to be submissive and agreeable to their husb ands. In conclusion, I hope this essay demonstrates Shakespeares several conscious and subconscious feminist intentions, through A Midsummer Nights Dream, in his portrayal of women as opposition to the supposed virtues of marriage.  [12]  More importantly, this paper would have suggested that A Midsummer Nights Dream may be interpreted to imply Shakespeare being a proto-feminist who understood and sympathized women who were treated unfairly.

Spinozas Philosophical Psychotherapy :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Spinoza's Philosophical Psychotherapy missing works cited ABSTRACT: Spinoza's philosophy has a practical aim. The Ethics can be interpreted as a guide to a happy, intellectually flourishing life. Spinoza gives us principles about how to guard against the power of passions which prevent the mind from attaining understanding. In what follows, I consider Spinoza's techniques for guarding against the passions by turning to Jonathan Bennett's criticisms of Spinozistic psychotherapy. Bennett finds three central techniques for freeing oneself from the passions: (i) reflecting on determinism; (ii) separating and joining; and (iii) turning passions into actions. Bennett believes that all of these techniques are in some sense flawed. I contend that Bennett offers good criticism against technique (i), but his criticisms against (ii) and (iii) are unfounded. I. Introduction Spinoza's philosophy had a practical aim. What he wanted to do was to show the way to perfect peace of mind and joy offered by the life of reason. The Ethics is written as a guidebook to a happy, intellectually flourishing life. Basic in Spinoza's thought is the simple observation that we all want to live well but do not know the way to a happy life. He wanted to give us the instructions which include principles about how to guard us from the power of passions which prevent the mind from understanding. In this paper my aim is to consider how well founded Spinoza's techniques against the passions are. I will do this by concentrating on Jonathan Bennett's criticism of Spinozistic psychotherapy. Bennett finds from the Ethics three central techniques of freeing oneself from passions: (i) reflecting on determinism; (ii) separating and joining; and (iii) turning passions into actions. Bennett believes that all these techniques are in some sense flawed. My contention is that Bennett offers good criticism against 'reflecting on determinism'-technique but that his criticism against 'separating and joining'-technique as well as against 'turning passions into actions'-technique is not well-founded. The paper devotes most space to the 'turning passions into actions'-technique. However, before considering Bennett's view of Spinoza's psychotherapy, I will give an overview of Spinoza's theory of activity and passivity. II. Passivity and Activity According to Spinoza "we act, when something happens, in us or outside us, of which we are the adequate cause. . . . we are acted on when something happens in us, or something follows from our nature, of which we are only a partial cause. (IIID2)." The notion of adequate cause that occurs in the definition above is defined as follows:

Detailed analysis of school safety

Safety is an important factor in any learning institution that is focussed to achieving its mission, vision and goals in the future. So the most important thing to be enforced in such institutions is thus safety. Although there are other factors that contribute to the success of students in learning, safety form the core foundations for all activities that are undertaken by any learning institutions. The need to provide better learning environment to students begins with the provision of physical safety that leading to the provisions of emotional well being to the students. Atkinson, 1996) However, in the recent past years, many schools within the country have been faced with a number of problems which led to the compromising of schools safety. During last year’s perilous event that took place in our school, many of us as part of the school community were affected. Follow such consequences, the school administration formed a committee to research on the safety conditions and control measures in our school. The following is the report that was hand over to the administrators:- Outline of the issues: The rising indiscipline behaviour among the students The misuse of drugs and the utilization of illegal drugs within the school compound The rampant violence act among students and teachers The movement of outsiders and non- students as well as students within the school compound (Trump, 1997) While the above four issues were tackled into detail, it was clear that in the first matter, students were becoming uncouth and rowdy. There were many cases that involved students fighting in classes and outside classes. Furthermore, some of the sources indicated that some students had even blackmailed the name of our school to the outside communities by misbehaving in public. Some students have been alleged not to respect the elders and those in authorities while they are in public places. The second issues of using drug and illegal drugs indicated that most students have been caught by watchmen either drinking or drunk of alcohol, beer, or they have been found smoking cigarettes, marijuana and others addict able materials that may stimulates and affects the normal functioning of body or nervous systems. I think the applications of these substances are the consequences of the first and the third issue of rampant violence among the students and to the teachers. The most important matter that perhaps has lead to all these scaring actions is the lack of school fence. This has paralysed the efforts of the guards to regulating and control the movement of all the people getting in and out of the school ground. In fact this has given a great opportunity to drug traffics to access the clients within the school without much struggle or impairment while the same applies to the addicted students who would like to sneak out to go and obtain their materials. (Huff, 1996) Control measures To alleviate to the crooked ways of the students’ behaviour, the administrators being the closes guardians to the students should be taught guidance and counselling courses. They will then help them to mould the students and even rescue those who are drug addicts from the scathing killer drugs. While this is being implemented, the school can invite sociologists and religious leaders to give words of advices to the students periodically. Moreover, to accomplish their mission, there is need for the administration to coordinate with the parents and the local communities as well as the public in general to act as role models and to give corrective measures and check the behaviour of students. Final the school requires to be provided with a physical fence to check the intruders and students movements. (Trump, 1993)

Gothic Barock Essays

Gothic Barock Essays Gothic Barock Essay Gothic Barock Essay Due to the different timeperiods this styles where developed, they give a totally different impression to the viewer. In the time when the gothic style was developed, the whole of europe was dominated by the ideas and influence of the church. So most of the gothic buildings are churches, or cathedrals The cathedrals had outsatnding hights and often dominated the whole skyline of a city which was also a sign of the power that the church had. Especially the early- and middle-Gothic buildings where build of big grey stones blocks which made them appear dark and mystik In the late gothic the architects became more advanced in the use of decorations and glasswindows, which made the buildings appear a bit more friendly. The Barock style of architecture started it s dvelopment in the 16th century. The only ones which could really afford this kind of architecture where certain rich families, the church and the monarchs. The style of Barock architecture always appears a bit exagerrated. The Barock style of architecture is also much more advanced and developed then the Gothic style of architecture The Barock stlye consits of much more movements and motion. While the Gothic has it s special heavy-dark appearance, the Brock style looks much lighter and full of shapes and variety. Inside the buildings it is pretty much the same contrast. While the Gothic buidings were kept more basic inside. The first thing you normally recognize when you enter a gothic building, is the hight of the sealing. The inside s are decorated with woodwork and paintings which where hanging at the wall. The whole impression is more pure and basic but still facinating. The Barock buildings where filled with wallpaintings, stucco and other decoratinons. Parts of the walls and doors where often painted with patterns and shapes, most often this was done with gold colour. The Barock buildings even look too much deorated and too exagerrated. They seem to drown in colours and shapes. : In general we always have to keep in mind that these styles of architecture developed under totally different circumstances. Both styles were strongly an expression of superiorty, domination and power of the rich, the monarchs and the church.  Both styles where enourmous achievements for their time, and even if the Gothic lookes more plain and simple to us, it must have been an a totally new dimension for the people at that time.  I think that the Barock style of architecture is really a bit too exagerrated. I think it just looks too much.

Reality Vs. Idealism Essays - Fiction, Literature, Free Essays

Reality Vs. Idealism Essays - Fiction, Literature, Free Essays Reality Vs. Idealism In the short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Ambrose Bierce quickly drifted from realism in the beginning of the story to idealism throughout the rest of the selection. Immediately before Peyton experiences his first idealistic event, Bierce described a realistic thought on how Peyton closed his eyes and attempted to fix his final thoughts on his loved ones, his wife and children. Bierce described an idealistic observation by the main character, Peyton as he explained how he could see the intricate details through the vibrancy of the leaves of trees on the riverbank. As the story goes on Bierce often refers to the soldiers, the captain, the sergeant, the two privates, and his executioners as monsters. He refers to their movements as grotesque and horrible and their size gigantic. As Peyton tore off the noose around his neck and thrust it aside vigorously, he described how the movements of his hands resembled the movements of a water snake. As Peyton began on his final thoug hts reality faded quickly to an unrealistic point of view, or state of mind. Bierce described an unrealistic, super natural sort of power that Peyton obtained as he emerged from the stream. At that moment Peyton was in full possession of his physical senses and could feel and understand things never before perceived. The first sense that he had noticed was his amplified sight and his perception living things. From the stream he noticed the distinct colors in the dewdrops upon the blades of grass. He could see from across the bank, the gray spiders connecting their webs from twig to twig. As he noticed the veining of each leaf on the trees he also observed every little insect upon them. He could see everything as if it was in slow motion and amplified to the creators explanation of how and what steps he took to paint his master piece. Bierce described his second unrealistic encounter as his sense of hearing being amplified, as to hear every little sound, far and near. As Bierce described in his unique, highly descriptive style of writing, Peyton could hear the humming of the gnats that danced above the eddies of the stream. Most human beings are incapable of hearing a gnat fly and roam about, for its size and muted humming is no louder than a pin dropped on a rug. He could hear the flapping of the dragonflies wings and the strokes of the water spiders as they ventured through the stream. He described all these lucid sounds as audible music. Peytons hearing was remarkably and quixotically amplified beyond any human beings capability. The way Bierce described Peytons super natural powers, so to say was so detailed and full of imagery. As Peyton once again emerged to the top of the stream the soldiers or in Peytons point of view, monsters, were all aimed directly at him ready to shoot on command. As the commander ordered his men to fire Peyton dove deep into the stream and was shot between his collarbone and neck, which he so simply pulled right out with no pain or blood. Bierce describes how Peyton thought with the rapidity of lightening. These are yet more super natural, unreal descriptions of the visions and superhero like qualities. Bierce explains Peytons adventure of escape and idealistic traits in such a believable way that if it wasnt so exaggerated it could very well be mistaken as reality. As Peyton was being hanged the idealistic events began to occur. Bierce described through the nearly the whole story how Peyton experiences super natural powers such as, amplified sight, hearing, the ability to remove a bullet with such ease that he simply snatches it right out, and highly sensitive touch. Bierce told of how he escaped through his five senses being recorded in a way that no man would ever perceive. As the story ends and Peyton is still hanging high above the river, with a noose around his neck, idealism once again fades into reality.

In a world of increasing energy demand, decreasing fossil fuel Essay

In a world of increasing energy demand, decreasing fossil fuel supplies and increasing greenhouse gas emissions. What scientific, engineering and technological - Essay Example Many of these technologies and sources of energy have already experienced a significant amount of research and acceptance. The migration from fossil fuels will involve multiple sources, local generation, and a variety of new technologies to power the world into the 21st century. The energy crisis is not a national problem, but is a challenge facing every nation in the world. While eighty percent of the worlds energy needs comes from fossil based fuels, the technologies to sustain the current level of use, reduce the CO2 emissions, and develop cleaner coal are still in their infancy and may eventually prove to be impractical (Evans 2007, p.6). In addition, the existence of large concentrated oil supplies has created an unstable political situation that keeps the worlds supply of energy at risk. Nuclear generated electricity has received some renewed interest in recent years based on improved safety records, but the problem of the safe disposal of nuclear waste is yet to be solved. Our current transportation systems may require substantial modification to run on the fuels of the future. The challenge that faces the world is to move away from the current uses of oil and utilize locally generated energy based on local renewable resources. Solar energy is at the top of the list as an abundant source of sustainable energy. It is available almost everywhere in the world and can be harvested on a local level. Solar power can be used in its direct form as heat and light as well as easily converted to electricity through the use of photovoltaic cells. Solar energy requires relatively little advanced technology or engineering to harness its benefits. Though solar energy is widely distributed throughout the world, it is a low density energy and requires the collection of the suns rays over a large area to be efficient (Evans 2007, p.82). This makes the large scale production and centralized distribution of

Admin Law Question 1 + 2 (750-750 words) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Admin Law Question 1 + 2 (750-750 words) - Essay Example By s1 of the 1967 Act he is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the PM and holds office until the age of 65. Especially in relation to JR, the procedural requirements of public law element, leave, locus standi, time limits and grounds often deny speedy redress to the applicant. Matters such as delay, incompetence, stupidity, loss of documents, rudeness etc cannot be the subject to the JR. But, these fall within PCA’s jurisdiction. Disadvantage: the MPs check the legitimacy of complaints and it is called MP Filter. If a MP is the main culprit, claimants never get redress. In this sense MP enjoy more power. At the same time each year lots of letter of complain arises which not possible to review for an ombudsman. The most important factor to mention is the ombudsman will not investigate complaints where an alternate remedy exists. Ombudsmans powers of investigation are limited, for example-maladministration. 3) The PCA has had an impact on certain more High profile cases such as ‘Sachsendhausen’ case where the PCA found maladministration in distributing compensation. A recent example is the ‘Barlow Clowes Affair’. Jurisdiction: The 1967 Act should be amended to provide that the PCA could investigate all complaints other than those relating to matters specifically excluded. However, the govt. rejected this proposal. However MPs have some great advantages as redressers of grievances. Their services are free and easily accessible; many MPs take great pains to advertise their surgery times and other means of contract in the local media. Most are assiduous in taking up grievances, and often the mere fact of receiving a letter from an MP, rather than from an ordinary citizen, will induce the authority to give a favorable response. Further, the Mp’s services are equally useful whether the constituent is asking for the correction of an error or the more favorable exercise of discretion, where no legal