EDWARD II: RENAISSANCE ELEMENTS

Renaissance element in Edward II  Edward’s approach to life is that of an imaginative dreamer. His life of self-indulgence. He loves pleasures, plays, masques, and revelries. Like Hercules doting on his favorite Hylas, like Achilles having his favorite friend Patroclus, the king must have his Gaveston, and after Gaveston is taken away from him, he … Read more

Twelfth Night as Festive Comedy of Youth

Twelfth Night as Festive Comedy of Youth Shakespeare’s ‘festive comedies’ have been identified as plays in which the form and spirit of contemporary popular holidays are evident. The characters may be enjoying festive pastimes (such as in A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Love’s Labour’s Lost), or they may, themselves, be part of a larger, festive … Read more

DIFFERENT KINDS OF LOVE IN TWELFTH NIGHT

 VARIOUS KINDS OF LOVE IN TWELFTH NIGHT ‘As to the types of love represented by the characters in Twelfth Night the subject is inexhaustible, like the light and shadows of contrast…’  -Morton Luce  Twelfth Night is the play of which love is peculiarly the subject The very first speech of the Duke calling for music … Read more

Treatment of Childhood and Adulthood in Henry Vaughan’s “The Retreat”

Treatment of Childhood and Adulthood in Henry Vaughan’s “The Retreat” The central theme of ‘The Retreat’ by Henry Vaughan is the glorification of childhood based on the Platonic doctrine of immorality and of anti-natal existence, of the soul- the belief that life on earth is not our first state of existence, that the soul comes from Heaven which … Read more

Iago’s Motiveless Malignity in Shakespeare’s Othello

 Iago’s Motiveless Malignity Iago is probably the most sophisticated of a long line of Shakespearean villains, and he shares certain characteristics with Richard III in the early tragedy of Richard III (1593), Don John in the comedy Much Ado About Nothing (1599), and Claudius in Hamlet (1601). Iago revels in his ability to dissemble and … Read more

Disguise And Mistaken Identity in Twelfth Night

Disguise And Mistaken Identity in Twelfth Night Shakespeare’s use of disguise and mistaken identity is significant to the plot of Twelfth Night as it is the thread that runs through the entire fabric of the play; and it is instrumental in providing confusion, misunderstanding and ultimately love almost all of the characters in this play … Read more