Themes of gender inequality in Othello

101 years ago marks the year where women gained the right to vote in the United Kingdom. Before this time, women were treated as property to their superior opposite: men. Women fought a hard and long battle in order to have the right to vote. Movements and protests took place continuously until they were provided … Read more

Setting in literature – A&P (Updike), Titanic (Slavitt) and Othello

Setting is one of the most important elements used in every literature genre. Setting includes location, point in time, and the social environment that frames the characters. This could greatly impact things in a story such as tone, theme, and atmosphere something as simple as a different time period could dramatically change the way the … Read more

Was Desdemona made to stand up to the mistreatment of women at the time?

Introduction: Throughout history, the mistreatment of women for arbitrary reasons has been well documented. During the Elizabethan period, women were severely abused and were considered far inferior to men. However, William Shakespeare’s play “Othello” presents a contradiction to the commonality of the time. My hypothesis is that the character of Desdemona was illustrated by Shakespeare … Read more

How minor characters are used by Shakespeare to portray a message

Shakespeare uses his perspective on situations, e.g. the way minor characters are used in Romeo & Juliet and Othello to illustrate the way in which these characters behave and what role they have on the play overall and how Shakespeare has used them to portray a message. This essay will focus on comparing the different … Read more

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

A tragic hero is a character that “exhibits the heights and depths of human experience, the extremes of suffering and knowledge” (Krook 37). Because of a tragic flaw, the hero is destined to suffer a terrible fate that eventually leads to the character’s death. Sophocles’ Oedipus displays all of the qualities of a tragic hero … Read more

Tess of the d’Urbervilles / The Ruined Maid / Othello

Written in 1866, The Ruined Maid had been written rather early into Hardy’s writing career, creating an insinuation to modern readers of his advanced views on women as he forces his contemporary readers to reconsider conventional values regarding female chastity. This had also been written 10 years after Hardy witnessed the hanging of Martha Brown, … Read more

Macbeth’s Essential Character Traits and Mental Condition

Macbeth’s Essential Character Traits and Mental Condition as a Basis for the Forms of Expression and the Power of his Imagination To be able to better understand Macbeth’s motives as well as the forms of expression and impacts of his imagination, a presentation of his most important characteristic features shall be provided here. At the … Read more

King Lear – character flaws and how justice unfolds in the play

Persuasively, Shakespeare has written various tragedy stories, and “King Lear” is one of them. This play was written when both Protestant and Catholic dominions influenced Elizabethan England. However, his play falls short of the prominent Christian allusions prevalent in his other contents. Despite him applying this pagan setting, the divine justice seems to retain its … Read more

“The Sea Eats the Land at Home” – Kofi Awoonor

In the poem “The Sea Eats the Land at Home”, Kofi Awoonor uses violent visual imagery along with powerful verbs and emotive language to create an impactful and memorable effect in the poem. In the beginning, he uses the literal and metaphorical details and images of the sea to evoke sympathy and sadness from the … Read more

John Green (author of ‘The Fault in Our Stars’)

In order to become a better writer, one must look for inspiration within the works and stories of other great writers. John Green, an author of young adult fiction, particularly focuses his stories on the theme of friendship, first love, relationships, and identity; serving as my main source of inspiration for several years. Green’s writing … Read more