Revenge in Hamlet and The Revengers Tragedy Essay

In this study of revenge and revengers in two Elizabethan revenge tragedies the two plays I shall look at are Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, and The Revengers Tragedy, by Thomas Middleton. I shall look first at the playwrights handling of the characters of the revengers, and then at the treatment of the revengers by other characters in the plays. Although having similarities in their underlying themes, and in their adherence to conventions, these two plays present contrasting pictures of the figure of the revenger; Hamlet offering a far more complex treatment of its main character, and The Revengers Tragedy appearing, in comparison, limited by the authors social message, and lacking in realistic characterisation. Hamlet and†¦show more content†¦Both revengers respond to, rather than initiate events, but Hamlet is much more an instrument of others than Vindice, who is full of zest. Both characters carry a burden of guilt. Hamlets Oedipus complex, (Freud having informed us of the revengers unconscious motives), is heavily aggravated by the absence of his father and excessive closeness of his mother, and this accounts for the refocusing of his patricidal wish onto Claudius, and shows how his need for revenge is internal, not purely a need to resolve dissatisfaction with the affairs of the world, as is Vindices. Hamlets needs are deep and complex, while for Vindice: The smallest advantage fattens wronged men. [1.2.98] Hamlets internalisations arise because he has identified his ego with his father - the lost object - and is therefore suffering from a loss of ego. His inward suffering is further intensified by his conflicts with Ophelia and Gertrude, leading him to suicidal thoughts: O that this too too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not flxd His canon gainst self-slaughter! [1.2.129-132] Hamlet is searching deep into his soul for explanations and resolutions, while Vindice simply waits for that bald Madam Opportunity. [1.1.55] Hamlets delaying, compared to Vindices incessant activity, shows that the two revengers are in a way opposite in their approaches to theShow MoreRelatedThe Revengers Tragedy Essay818 Words   |  4 PagesThe Revengers Tragedy What type of tragedy is this? A tragedy, by definition, is a disastrous, distressing and very sad event. The Revengers Tragedy, however, does not display all of these characteristics. It is macabre and grotesque and delights in gory descriptions of blood, violence, death and murder, but it is not a sad story. 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Analysis Of The Poem Radiohead - 1745 Words

Radiohead, in a Motion Picture Soundtrack, tie together the negative effects of popularity and pop culture. By leaving out the more optimistic view of fame, it prevents the sugar-coating of details. This technique, while dreary and glum, sets the perfect tone for the writer to reach the reader on subjects not frequently talked about. Ironically, in order to ‘shine light’ upon this topic, Radiohead creates as gloomy and dark of an environment as possible to convey their ideas. Within the song itself there exists a constant struggle of here they, the band, are, the negative side, and here is where they want to be or where they belong, a hope for something positive. They also use this method to reiterate the idea that fame is not so glorious. Instead, fame deceives other into yearning for something not there. Radiohead hones in on this illusory view with the connection to suicide. Unfortunately, suicide is often the easy way out of a hectic life – specifically for mu sic culture. In essence, Radiohead’s song demonstrates, through their experiences, that the media does not depict the complete picture of fame. Overall, Motion Picture Soundtrack perfectly communicates this negative side of fame and how oftentimes the only way out is death. In order to convey the horrors and monotony of fame, Radiohead uses background music to paint a picture for the message, or lyrics, to live upon. Before the song begins you can look at the title to understand that a Motion Picture Soundtrack, or

Isaac Asimov Envisioning the Future of Our Own Humanity Free Essays

â€Å"If it brings me humanity, that will be worth it. If it doesn’t, it will bring an end to striving and that will be worth it, too. † (The Bicentennial Man 22). We will write a custom essay sample on Isaac Asimov: Envisioning the Future of Our Own Humanity or any similar topic only for you Order Now Isaac Asimov, a dreamer who with humble beginnings pushed science fiction into the beginnings of reality. There is no one quite like Asimov. He has written more on more subjects, and better on more subjects, and more unexpectedly on most subjects, and in more ways on more subjects, than anyone else in the field. He writes poetry, limericks, short stories, novels, essays, articles, nonfiction books, trilogies, jokes and so on-more of them than anyone else could imagine (The Bicentennial Man 1). With all his intelligence, and all his heart, he fought for a world in which his ideas could become reality. His humanity was found in his struggle to educate us all, encouraging us to expand our horizons beyond our own lack of knowledge. This fact is alluded to in an article he wrote to Newsweek in the 1980s, â€Å"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge’† (â€Å"A Cult of Ignorance† 19). His view of the world included us understanding. His oppression was caused by our ignorance. Isaac Asimov was born sometime between October 4, 1919 and January 2, 1920 (In Memory Yet Green 1). His parents did not remember the exact date of his birth but claim it to be around that time. He himself celebrated it on January 2nd (In Memory Yet Green 1). He was born to Anna Rachel Berman Asimov and Judah Asimov, a Jewish Russian couple. At the age of three, his whole family immigrated to the United States to the city of Brooklyn, New York (Biblio). Asimov graduated high school early, starting college and writing his first published novel which he completed by the end of college (http://psu. edu). Asimov was a man who spent his entire life writing. His earliest writings were found in magazines. His friend and publisher John W. Campbell saw his early stories as rough but promising (http://psu. edu). The story that really launched his career was Nightfall. Nightfall was a simple story, written about how a society could potentially collapse if great change occurs even if that change is not inherently negative. In Nightfall and Other Stories, he writes, â€Å"The writing of ‘Nightfall’ was a watershed in my professional career †¦ I was suddenly taken seriously and the world of science fiction became aware that I existed. As the years passed, in fact, it became evident that I had written a ‘classic’† (Nightfall and Other Stories). His career and fame continued to grow as the years passed. Beginning in 1942 and ending in 1945 he worked for the Philadelphia Naval Air Experimental Station (Biblio). During this time he started work on five novelettes and four novellas that are now known as the Foundation Trilogy. Of the trilogy, Charles Elkins of DePauw University wrote, â€Å"Among SF series, surely none has enjoyed such spectacular popularity as Isaac Asimov’s Foundation stories† (http://psu. edu). The Foundation series received numerous awards for its quality and content, eventually ending up in a Hugo award for Asimov (WorldsWithoutEnd). In the Foundation series, through the use of science fiction he tackled the issues he was passionate about. In his novel Pebble in the Sky he writes about racism. The story is written in the view of humans of other worlds holding a prejudice against Earth-dwellers because they â€Å"simply do not like the Earth† (http://psu. edu). He also tackled another issue that lays claim to how he lived his life. In book three of the foundation series, The Mayors, he begins to describe a religion that focuses on science (Foundation). As an atheistic humanist minority in a culture that was vastly overpoweringly theist, the best approach he took to tackling the issue of religion was through science fiction. As an educator at heart, he just wanted us to challenge the status quo with what we understand. In The Mayors, the religion of science worships a mythical galactic spirit. It is strikingly similar in some respects to modern religion, as this storybook religion had both a prophet, a story of how it all began, and a book of rules to live by (Foundation). His views on religion can be read inside the stories that he wrote. The life of Asimov cannot simply be summed up in a short phrase or story. He was an influential writer, attacking literature in many different writing formats. He fought for the rights of others, shaping our belief systems through the use of storytelling. He pushed for greater desire to learn in all of us, by writing of a robot that learned to become human (The Bicentennial Man 22). The call to be human and to remind us to be human was the goal of Asimov. How to cite Isaac Asimov: Envisioning the Future of Our Own Humanity, Papers