The Picture of Dorian Gray 7

The theme of beauty is one that is commonly addressed in The Picture of Dorian Gray.  One's appearance, as suggest by Dorian, is much more than a meaningless body that holds the soul.  This is first apparent in the beginning of the novel when Dorian becomes unreasonably distressed with the thought of physically growing older and losing his attractive appearance.  His looks, after all, are the basis for his happiness throughout the novel.  For example, Basil befriends the boy because he is attractive.   This idea is also linked into our present day society.  There is such a focus on looks and how one presents himself in society and how that will dictate one's success and how one is perceived.  Here, Dorian acknowledges that, due to his attractive appearance, he will not be questioned for the evils acts he has committed, since "those finely-shaped fingers could never have clutched a knife for sin, nor those smiling lips have cried out on God and goodness" (Wilde 128).  Had he been an unattractive man with misshapen fingers and a permanent scowl, the people present would have believed him to be a murderer, since one's physical appearance dictates how one is viewed.

The Picture of Dorian Gray 6

Vanity and hypocrisy are both common themes in The Picture of Dorian Gray.  As seen through both Dorian and Lord Henry's fixation on the physical appearance of a person, how others perceive a person is far more important than the beauty of his personality.  In addition, Basil, Lord Henry, and Dorian all act in hypocritical ways.  This is first seen with Basil in the beginning of the novel.  After declaring that art should not contain the artist's influence, he refuses to show his painting of Dorian to the world because he put too much of himself into the piece.  Practically everything Lord Henry says is hypocritical to either society or to his actions.  For example, he condemns the idea of marriage, and yet he is married.  Combining both themes of vanity and hypocrisy, Dorian claims that he "love[s] scandals about other people, but scandals about [himself] don't interest [him]" (Wilde 109).  This statement portrays the theme of vanity because Dorian cares so much about how other people view him that he does not like them talking about him or his actions.  This statement also is hypocritical.  Although Dorian does not mind, and even enjoys, the downfall of others' social status, he does not want the same to happen to him.

The Picture of Dorian Gray 1 & 2

Basil, similar to Oscar Wilde himself, is extremely contradictory, especially in his opinions about art.  In his preface, Oscar Wilde discusses how art is "useless," almost ignoring the fact that he himself is an artist (Wilde viii).  Similarly, Basil explains to Lord Henry that personal feelings should be left out of art: "An artist should create beautiful things, but should put nothing of his own life into them" (Wilde 8).  This statement is most obviously contradictory and hypocritical because Basil says this after creating a painting of Dorian Gray that he claims has too much of himself in it.  If he truly felt that art should not be personal towards the artist, he could have simply painted the portrait as such.  There is also an underlying sense of uncertainty and possible hypocrisy in this statement.  Oscar Wilde was criticized by society regarding this novel because it was the common belief that the novel reflected on who Wilde was as a person and what his ideals were.  If this novel does in fact reflect Wilde and his beliefs, there is an underlying sense of hypocrisy in Basil's claiming that art should not reflect the feelings and opinions of the artist.  Based on the beginning of the novel, Basil shares the same sense of contradiction and hypocrisy as Wilde, which could possibly imply that Wilde did reflect himself in the novel.

Pride and Prejudice 12&13

"'Tis too much!' she added, 'by far too much.  I do not deserve it.  Oh! why is not everybody as happy?'" (295)

"'Your tempers are by no means unlike.  You are each of you so complying that nothing will every be resolved on; so easy that every servant will cheat you; and so generous that you will always exceed your income'" (296)

"Wickham, Lydia, were all forgotten.  Jane was beyond competition her favourite child.  At that moment, she cared for no other" (297)

"Elizabeth had now but little time for conversation with her sister; for while he was present, Jane had no attention to bestow on any one else" (297)

"But your arts arts and allurements may, in a moment of infatuation, have made him forget what he owes to himself and to all his family.  You may have drawn him in" (302)

"Because honour, decorum, prudence, nay, interest forbid it" (302)

"Do you not consider that a connection with you, must distract him in the eyes of everybody?" (302)

"She explained what its effects on her had been, and how gradually all her former prejudices had been removed" (314)

"I was spoiled by my parents, who though good themselves (my father particularly, all that was benevolent and amibale), allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing, to care for none beyond my own family circle, to think meanly of all the rest of the world, to wish at least to think meanly of their sense and worth compared to my own.  Such I was, from eight to eight and twenty; and such I might still have been but for you, dearest, loveliest Elizabeth!  What do I not owe you!  You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous.  By you, I was properly humbled" (315)

"Your lively talents would place you in the greatest danger in an unequal marriage.  You could scarcely escape discredit and misery.  My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life" (322)

"how rich and how great you will be!  What pin-money, what jewels, what carriages you will have!  Jane's is nothing to it--nothing at all" (323)

Pride and Prejudice 11

In this section of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth finally shares her feelings of Darcy as newly changed since she received and read his letter.  The narration says that Elizabeth "often thought" about how "the proposals which she had proudly spurned only four months ago, would now have been gladly and gratefully received" (Austen 264).  At last, their romance is finally blossoming.  As opposed to the unrequited love the readers saw before, in which Darcy loved Elizabeth with no feelings in return, Elizabeth finally expresses feelings of passion and romance towards Darcy.  Even following the letter and her resulting decrease of resentment towards him, Elizabeth, until this moment, has not openly expressed feelings of love towards Darcy.   Perhaps her finally acknowledging and admitting to these feelings foreshadows the relationship that is to come towards the end of the novel.  Drastically different from her claim following his proposal, Elizabeth has realized "that he was exactly the man who, in disposition and talents, would most suit her" (Austen 264).  Not only do her realizations show a specific change in her decisions, but they show an overall change in her character.  She is finally starting to overcome the stubbornness that had become so prominent earlier in the novel, especially regarding her feelings towards Darcy.  These new feelings show both a change in her overall character and, hopefully, the beginnings of a romantic relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy.

Pride and Prejudice 6 & 7

Darcy and Elizabeth's sexual tension and increasing affection towards each other becomes increasingly known and obvious towards the reader.  In this section of reading, the same is true for the other characters.  For example, when Darcy comes to visit, Mr. Collins tells Elizabeth, "I may thank you, Eliza, for this piece of civility.  Mr. Darcy would never have come so soon to wait upon me" (Austen 146).  His saying this implies that Darcy has feelings for her, which the readers already can see, but now finally other characters are beginning to acknowledge his affection towards her.  Although Elizabeth wants to dismiss what Mr. Collins tells her, she does not.  This inability to discredit Mr. Collins's statement provides new insight to the readers.  Had she made her typical snarky remark towards Mr. Collins, despite how rude it would have been in this particular situation, the readers would have seen how she still resents Darcy.  The fact that she does not do this in an effort not to be rude, since she "had scarcely time to disclaim" this, the readers begin to question her motives and feelings, and if they are possibly, and hopefully, changing (Austen 146).

Pride and Prejudice 5

A major theme in Pride and Prejudice is that of marriage, love, and how the two are intertwined.  There are some, such as Charlotte and Mrs. Bennet who believe that one should embrace marriage "solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment" (Austen 106).  In this instance, marriage and love are two separate entities and should remain separate.  The purpose of marriage, according to Charlotte, Mrs. Bennet, and some of society at this time, is to marry a man who can take care of you monetarily.  On the other hand, those like Lizzy are challenging that belief in society.  She declines Mr. Collins's marriage proposal because she does not love him and because it is not an arrangement that she wants.  This goes against societal norms because she is expressing her own opinions, especially when they are not the common opinions regarding marriage as an arrangement of security and social status.  Jane's opinions are somewhere in between the two radical viewpoints.  She seems to really enjoy the presence of Mr. Bingley, but at the same time, he would be a good provider for her monetary and social status.

Hamlet 9

After Act 5 Scene 2, we, the audience, are forced to question Hamlet's motives and his thoughts about death and the afterlife.  Throughout the whole play, Hamlet gives contradictory sentiments regarding both aspects, but here, he not only kills Claudius, but he witnesses two other deaths before he himself dies.  Throughout the whole play, that is much longer than Shakespeare's others, Hamlet contemplates killing Claudius after his father's alleged ghost tries to convince him of this necessary act of revenge.  Several times, Hamlet claims he will go through with the act, especially to avenge his beloved father's death.  However, it took until the last scene of the play and his mother's death for him to kill Claudius.  As he forces his uncle to drink the poison, he asks, "Is thy union here?"  (V.ii.357).  By referring to Claudius's poison as a "union," Hamlet is also referencing Claudius's marriage to Gertrude.  Hamlet believes that their marriage was poisonous, harming those around it, including his mother.  The fact that Hamlet does not go through with the act of killing Claudius until his mother's death makes the audience question both Hamlet's love for his father and his thoughts on the ghost.  Hamlet claims to have loved his father dearly, so it is inferred that he truly did not believe his father's ghost was actually his father, which is why he did not follow the ghost's instructions until the death of his mother pushed him to do so.  From there, the audience wonders what Hamlet's beliefs regarding the afterlife are, since he did not trust the ghost of his father.  As Hamlet heads toward the great unknown, the audience is still unsure as to Hamlet's opinions about where he is headed.

Hamlet 8

In this scene of the play, Hamlet allows his emotional side to outweigh his rational side.  This unevenness of his personality is seen in his encounter with the grave digger.  In a logical, though arguably unethical, way the gravedigger digs Ophelia's grave by removing remains of previously buried individuals.   The gravedigger is representative of a person whose logical rationality dominates their personality because his job is to dig graves, so he is willing to dig up remains to make room for new ones.  Some would argue that this act is unethical and disrespectful, but it is ultimately a logical act.  Hamlet, on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, allows his emotional part to get the better of him.  He sees the skeletons that have been dug up and contemplates the lives that those people must have had, even though he does not know whose remains they are: "That skull had a tongue in it and could sing / once" (V.i.77-78).  Although, in this statement, one could argue that Hamlet does show a sense of rationality.  He uses the past tense as opposed to the present tense, possibly conveying a belief, or more specifically a lack thereof, in the afterlife, and that the person who died no longer exists.  His statement could possibly be portraying his true feelings towards the ghost and that its existence is irrational.

Hamlet 4

Hamlet claims that the world, Denmark in particular, is a jail: "there are many con- / fines, wards, and dungeons, Denmark being one o' / the' worst" (II.ii.264-266).  In his current position, he feels trapped, like he has no freedom, similar to how a prisoner has no rights and decisions in his life.  He says that he would not feel trapped if it were not for his "bad dreams" (II.ii.275).  His use of the word dreams implies a distorted reality.  Had he used a different word such as "life" or "events," he would have implied that his life was bad, and that would have been the cause for his feeling trapped.  Instead, he uses the word "dream."  Dreams are not reality, and dreams do not truly happen.  They are either ideas to strive for or ideas to fear.  In this case, Hamlet fears his dreams.  They distort his reality and are causing him unhappiness.  The audience is forced to wonder what these dreams are that are causing his life to be miserable.  Maybe the dream is his father's ghost, whom Hamlet is unsure as to whether the ghost is real or imaginary, his father or the devil.  Maybe the dream is the claim that the ghost told him.  Hamlet does not know for certain that his uncle killed his father or that he had an affair with his mother.  That whole idea is a dream implanted by the ghost that Hamlet cannot even trust.  Aside from the few facts in his life that Hamlet is certain about, such as his father's death and his mother's marrying his uncle, Hamlet's life is almost one, big, uncertain dream that is trapping him in a miserable life.

Hamlet 3

In Act 1 Scene 5 of Shakespeare's Hamlet, the audience learns that King Hamlet was murdered by his brother, Claudius.  After reading Othello and realizing that all of Hamlet's characters do not speak in the same way that they act, the audience is forced to wonder if the ghost is being honest.  The ghost first reveals that his death was a "foul and most unnatural murder" (I.v.31).  This concept of naturalness corresponds with past scenes in the play.  For example, Claudius earlier tells Hamlet how grieving is natural, but so is moving on, and in turn, his marriage to Gertrude.  The ghost then gives Hamlet more information, saying that "The serpent that did sting thy father's life / Now wears his crown" (I.v.46-47).  In the Bible, snakes are a representative of deceit, like in the story of Adam and Eve.  Unlike a man who would want revenge or be deceitful, such as Iago, the ghost then tells Hamlet not to blame his mother for marrying the King's evil brother: "Leave her to heaven" (I.v.93).  Although the ghost seems genuine, after reading Othello which contained Shakespeare's most evil villain, one must wonder whether the ghost truly was murdered and if he is telling the truth, especially after Hamlet's words and actions do not align.

Othello Essay Outline

Thesis: Although Shakespeare generally shows some sympathy to his characters that are outsiders, the stereotypes portrayed and the harshness that they evoke outweigh attempts at sincere sensitivity towards minorities, as seen through both Shylock and Othello.

Shylock:
Instance of sympathy:
"Hath not a Jew eyes... The villainy you teach me I will execute--and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction" (III.i.48-61)

• the only sympathy that is evoked towards Shylock from the audience
• at the same time, we resent him for it
• he becomes vengeful, stating that the reason is the treatment that has been placed upon him, which seems unreasonable

Instances of stereotypes and alienation:

"The Hebrew will turn Christian.  He grows kind" (I.iii.175)

• Jews are evil and ruthless

"Certainly the Jew is the very devil incarnation" (II.ii.24)

• Jews are compared to the devil

"My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter, Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats!" (II.iix.15-16)

"I would my daughter were dead at my foot and the jewels in her ear" (III.i.75-76)

• The Jew cares more for his money and possessions than his daughter

Ultimately forced into Christianity and loses all of his possessions.

Othello:

Instance of sympathy:

"Most potent, grave, and reverend signiors... I won his daughter" (I.iii.91-111)

• calm, collected, humble, patient, and articulate

Instances of stereotypes and alienation:

"An old black ram Is tupping your white ewe.  Arise, arise! Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you" (I.i.97-100)

• not only is Iago specifying that Othello is black, but he is being vulgar and implying that he is the devil

"your daughter and the Moor are {now} making the beast with two backs" (I.i.129-131)

• Iago refers to Othello in an animalistic sort of way

"And yet, how nature erring from itself" (III.iii.267)

• Othello and Desdemona's relationship is unnatural given his skin color
• He starts to lose confidence as a result and becomes aware of how he isn't good enough for someone like Desdemona

"Her name, that was as fresh As Dian's visage, is now begrimed and black As mine own face" (III.iii.441-444)

• even Othello understands and agrees with the negative connotation put upon people of color

Henry IV's AP Prose Passage

Although Prince Harry cares for the crown more than his father given by the fact that Harry took the crown from what he thought was his father's dead body, Harry attempts to seem like an innocent, and caring son towards his dying father and as if the crown itself is killing the king.
Towards his father, Prince Harry acts innocent and as if the crown has deceived him.  He claims that the crown "Hath fed upon the body of [his] father," and so he was forced to treat the crown as an enemy.  He did so by wearing the crown.  After explaining his motives for wearing the crown, Harry continues by saying, "Let God for ever keep it from my head."  At first glance, Harry seems like he genuinely cares about his dying father and that he does not care about the power and wealth given to the wearer of the crown, though this is not the case.
Through his excessively polite speech and hyperbolic claims, Harry conveys how much he cares about the crown and how little he cares about his father.  Harry acts excessively polite by constantly calling his father "my liege."  When used so often and after such a degrading act as to remove his father's crown off of his father's corpse, such calls of respect are ironic, and Harry truly does not mean what his words would otherwise convey.  As a result, his lusting after the crown becomes evident.  He also makes hyperbolic and unrealistic claims regarding the crown.  For examples, he claims that the crown attempted to murder his father and that the only way he could face the crown like the enemy that it was would be to wear the crown on his own head.  The complete absurdity of the claim reveals Harry's true intentions when wearing the crown, and none of them were selfless or in the name of his father.

Changes in Othello

At the beginning of the novel, Othello shows patience and self control.  Regardless of the fact that he is much larger in size than the whole rest of the cast, he does not hurt anyone physically.  Even when he is trying to get ahead, and could easily do so by physically harming those around him, he chooses not to.  He remains calm and avoids physical conflict.  This part of Othello changes in Act 4 Scene 1.  The audience first sees this change when he develops elaborate and violent ways to kill Desdemona after Iago convinces him that she has been disloyal: "I will chop her into messes" (IV.i.219).  He soon after hits her.  Lodovico is very surprised about his change in character.  The audience begins to wonder whether this side of Othello is genuine to his person.  If that were the case, he would be similar to Iago in the sense that he has multiple personas, hiding his true self.  If that were not the case, this change in character would be as a result of Iago's manipulation.  Maybe Othello truly is not violent, and Iago has driven him into becoming someone he is not.  The answer might be explained in the following scenes, but maybe it will just be a mystery, like who Iago truly is.

Iago's Manipulation of Othello

Iago has a truly evil form of manipulation that he uses on specifically Othello.  He follows the old phrase "keep your friends close and your enemies closer."  Throughout the whole novel, he has acted as a kindhearted individual to Othello, but it was just that: acting.  By being a different character in his presence, Iago manipulates Othello without Othello even noticing.  For example, when Othello asks if Cassio was just talking to Desdemona, Iago says, "No, sure, I cannot think it that he would steal away so guiltylike, seeing your coming" (III.iii.41-43).  His saying this implies that Cassio did something wrong without explicitly stating so, which Othello sees as reassuring and eventually influences him.  He does this act several times, convincing Othello to believe what Iago wants him to believe by implying it subtly or pretending to avoid the subject.  Othello believes him so much to be his friend that he even says, "I am bound to thee forever," because he truly thinks that Iago is genuinely trying to help him, which further adds to the magnitude of manipulation (III.iii.249).  His meticulously planned out revenge plot and manipulation is often compared to the devil, and the trust that he creates throughout the play only strengthens that comparison.

Responses to Injustice

Portia and Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice disagree on how society should respond to injustice.  Shylock, quite frankly, has been the victim of injustice more than Portia ever has.  As a result, Shylock's heart has hardened.  He has realized that society as a whole, given that society mostly consists of Christians, causes cruelty.  More specifically, society responds to injustice with revenge: "If a Jew wrongs a Christian, what kindness does he return?  Revenge" (III.i.56-57).  Portia, on the other hand, feels that injustice should be responded to with mercy since "it blesseth him that gives and him that takes" (IV.i.185).  Everyone benefits when mercy is society's response to injustice.  The real question is, however, does everyone deserve mercy?  That would involve every single truly evil person receiving the benefit of the doubt and being treated well.  This is where religion comes into play.  Certain religious aspects might lead each individual person into believing something different about this.  Some religious beliefs cause people to strive for harsh punishments, and some for mercy and forgiveness.

Antonio

In Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Antonio acts as a multifaceted character.  On the surface, or at least to his friends, he seems like a kind, compassionate being.  He treats his friends with the utmost respect and would do anything for them: "Within the eye of honor, be assured my purse, my person, my extremest means lie all unlocked to your occasions" (I.i.137-139).  In the end, when his dear friend, Bassanio, needs money to pursue his love, Antonio signs the loan.  The punishment of that loan would be losing a pound of his own flesh.  It is clear he must feel very fondly of his friends and that friendship is extremely important to him.  In fact, there is even a time when he tells Bassanio that doubting their friendship is even worse than making him bankrupt: "And out of doubt you do me now more wrong in making question of my uttermost than if you had made waste of all I have" (I.i.155-157).
Though to his friends he will sacrifice all that he has, including his life, Antonio is not accepting of others, especially Shylock and other people of the Jewish faith.  He often implies that Jews are not nice like Christians are, such as when he says, "The Hebrew will turn Christian.  He grows kind" (I.iii.175).  He continues saying that it is truly impossible for Jewish people to have soft hearts, saying that "You may as well do anything most hard, as seek to soften that--than which what's harder?--His Jewish heart," which is fairly ironic and hypocritical considering how cruel that is (IV.i.78-80).
The reader is then forced to question how nice of a character Antonio actually is.  Though he would sacrifice anything for his friends, he refuses to like Jews.  This goes hand in hand with the argument about Shakespeare himself being antisemitic; Did he view poorly of Jews, or was it just the overall societal viewpoint of the group?

Complexity in The Merchant of Venice

Shylock from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice is entirely filled with complexity.  He is the embodiment of the antisemitism of the time period. The reader is made to not like him as a character since he is portrayed as a cruel brute, following different Jewish stereotypes.  First of all, he is seen as unkind and not accepting of others: "I hate him for he is a Christian"  (I.iii.36).  In addition, he stereotypically worships and loves money, especially in comparison to his daughter: "I would my daughter were dead at my foot and the jewels in her ear!  Would she were hearsed at my foot and the ducats in her coffin" (III.i.75-77).  He views his money and jewels as much more important than his daughter's life which is a stereotypical view of the Jewish people.  His complexity really is portrayed when he begins to question all of these negative views of him.  He asks questions that would even be considered relevant to Jews, or any other minority group, today: "Hath not a Jew eyes?  Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?  Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed with the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is?  If you prick us, do we not bleed?  If you tickle us, do we not laugh?  If you poison us, do we not die?" (III.i.48-54).  For simply a moment in the whole play, Shylock is seen as something other than a brute.  He questions humanity like we as a people do every day, just with different minorities.