Shakespeares personal life and the writing of Hamlet Essay Example

Shakespeares personal life and the writing of Hamlet Essay It is a well-established fact that an author’s material for fiction is largely derived from his/her own personal experiences. And the greatest of English literary artists in the form of William Shakespeare is not an exception to this rule. The underlying thematic current in the play is tragedy. And based on what scholars have documented about the personal life of Shakespeare as well as the historical and socio-political circumstances of his era, a synthesis could be developed linking the personal and the artistic lives. Also, understanding the private life of the writer elucidates to us the roots of his creative genius. The rest of this essay is an exercise toward this end. First of all, in order to understand the connection between the personal and the professional, it is important to locate the exact time period in which the play was written. Given that Shakespeare lived during the late sixteenth century and early seventeenth century, there are no authoritative accounts of when the play was written. So one can only arrive at a tentative date; and scholarly consensus designates the period between 1599 and 1602. (Fedderson, 2000, p.145) By this time, Shakespeare was already an established playwright and his works had acquired him critical appreciation as well as popular recognition. He was in his late thirties by this time and been married to Anne Hathaway for close to twenty years. Hence, it is fair to say that Shakespeare had seen enough of life’s challenges and travails to have gained insights into human relationships. (Ross, 1999, p.6) We will write a custom essay sample on Shakespeares personal life and the writing of Hamlet specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Shakespeares personal life and the writing of Hamlet specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Shakespeares personal life and the writing of Hamlet specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer And the vividness with which the author puts forth emotions related to betrayal, treachery and grave indignation in the play is a reflection of his own maturity as a person. As Prof. Park Honanspent’s recent biography on the great artist reveals, â€Å"In addition to fresh information about the women in Shakespeare’s life, what has come to light is playwright’s connections with more sinister matters and how his personal experiences of treachery were mirrored on stage. Using new computerised linguistic research, researchers claim that Shakespeare’s acquaintance with murder in his private life was not only reflected in the plots of his plays, but actually performed by Shakespeare on stage.† (The Birmingham Post, Oct, 1998, p.3) This is a relevant observation, for the central plot of Hamlet is one of revenge and murder. In it, Prince Hamlet contrives to kill his uncle Claudius, for his father was killed and the throne usurped by the latter. Shakespeare is no stranger to murder in real life. Shakespeare was also acquainted first-hand with fatal rivalries between closely related individuals. For example, Professor Honanspent’s research has shown that â€Å"a previous occupant of Shakespeare’s Stratford house, New Place, poisoned and murdered his own daughter. Similarly, the man who later sold the house to Shakespeare was poisoned and killed by his son. Against this background, Shakespeare, when writing Hamlet only a year or two after he bought the house, chose to use poison to kill King Hamlet. And we now know that Shakespeare performed some of these characters himself including the Ghost of King Hamlet, and Duncan, a victim of Macbeth’s dagger.† (The Birmingham Post, Oct, 1998, p.3) Similarly, one could make connections between women in Shakespeare’s life and the characters seen on stage. For example, his wife, Anne Hathaway, had a much problematic and conflicted relationship with him. Their marital harmony was marred by Shakespeare’s prolonged absence after the birth of his three children. Towards the end of the 16th century, Shakespeare’s life was undergoing important changes. Firstly, his relationship with his wife Anne Hathaway was getting rough. Secondly, the Globe Theatre, with which he was long associated, had moved to a place south of River Thames. During this time, he was also said to have stumbled into a writer’s block, whereby the creative powers of a writer are temporarily deprived, probably due to overwork or lack of inspiration (Fedderson, 2000, p.145). This was illustrated in the movie Shakespeare in Love, in which the great writer’s character was played by Joseph Fiennes and his lover’s role played by Gwynyth Paltrow, who is the daughter of a wealthy trader. Although the movie deviates from real facts of Shakespeare’s life (as there is no authoritative source for the same), it does succeed in capturing the romantic side of Shakespeare and his infidelity to his faithful wife Anne. One could draw parallels between Shakespeare’s own personal failures as a husband and Hamlet’s mother’s incestuous relationship with Claudius. (Nehring, 2004, p.132) Some scholars have given a Freudian interpretation of Hamlet’s fears about the prospect of killing Claudius, for it might graduate him to the position assumed by the latter, namely one of his mother’s lover. There is no evidence from Shakespeare’s personal life to denote his own Oedipal anxieties. Hence the emphasis on this parallel occurrence – one in real life and the other on stage – should be subject to doubt and debate. Hamlet the Prince’s longing for revenge and retribution toward Claudius is not an unusual tendency at the time of the play’s setting. During the late 16th century England, political intrigue and betrayal were quite common (Tiffany, 2005, p.112). It was not usual for power-hungry subordinates or peers to resort to unethical or inhumane tactics to achieve their end. For a modern audience, the killing of a King and the acquisition of his power and property (which in those days included wives) might come across as grossly unjust. But Shakespeare was only mimicking the political culture prevalent at the time in plays such as Hamlet. In particular, the notion of ‘revenge’ as a way of getting justice for a grave violation of noble contract was an accepted aspect of politics. Shakespeare, being an astute student of the tradition of drama and the works of earlier playwrights, was only presenting an alternative expression of the theme of revenge. And as per th is tradition, not only is revenge meant to be nominal and to the point, but it is meant to be ghastly and dramatic. As Grace Tiffany points out in her journal article, â€Å"The Ghost tells Hamlet he will be â€Å"bound† to â€Å"revenge† after he hears the tale of the murder, and before telling that tale he repeats that Hamlet must â€Å"Revenge his foul and most unnatural murther† (1.5.6-7, 25)†¦for Elizabethans, by the conventions of revenge tragedy stemming from Aeschylus and running through Thomas Kyd, â€Å"revenge† implies not a salutary humiliation which may prompt the criminal’s repentance, but spectacular bloodshed and death. Second, the Ghost seems angry and it chokes his utterance.† (Tiffany, 2005, p.112) Hence, in conclusion, one could draw a lot of parallels between Shakespeare’s personal life experiences and the narrative in Hamlet. Three key similarities are particularly salient. Firstly, the author’s troubled relationship with his wife of many years, Anne Hathaway, and his propensity for infidelity might have served as inputs to Claudius’ incestuous relationship with his brother’s widow. Secondly, the author’s subtle indication of an Oedipal anxiety on part of the protagonist is the result of Shakespeare’s sophisticated understanding of interpersonal relations. But no factual evidence exists to suggest that the Oedipal anxiety was experienced by the author himself. Thirdly, the emphasis on revenge as a proper course of attaining justice was showcased in the play. This is an accepted element of Elizabethan society and its incorporation in the play only reflects the socio-political condition of the author’s time. There are als o other minor reflections of the personal and the theatrical. But as a note of caution, given that these inferences were derived based on deductive logic and circumstantial evidence, one should take them with allowance for doubt. Probably, with advancement in anthropological research in the future, more concrete understanding of the great writer’s life would emerge. Works Cited â€Å"Biography Reveals Sound and Fury of Shakespeare’s Life.† The Birmingham Post (England) 19 Oct. 1998: 3. Chapman, Alison A. â€Å"Ophelia’s â€Å"old Lauds†: Madness and Hagiography in Hamlet.† Medieval Renaissance Drama in England (2007): 111+. Fedderson, Kim, and J.M. Richardson. â€Å"†Love like There Has Never Been in a Play†: Shakespeare in Love as Bardspawn.† West Virginia University Philological Papers (2000): 145+. Nehring, Cristina. â€Å"Shakespeare in Love, or in Context: If Society Creates Art, as Stephen Greenblatt Believes, Then Why Was Shakespeare’s Achievement So Singular?.† The Atlantic Monthly Dec. 2004: 129+. Ross, Jonathan. â€Å"Joseph Fiennes Plays Shakespeare as a Young and Lusty Genius. but His Quill Is Broken. Only the Help of Paltrow’s Sexy Viola Can Restore His Vigour.† The Mirror (London, England) 29 Jan. 1999: 6. â€Å"Silent Majority Enjoy the True Master at Work.† The Daily Mail (London, England) 4 July 2005: 75. Tiffany, Grace. â€Å"Hamlet, Reconciliation and the Just State.† Renascence: Essays on Values in Literature 58.2 (2005): 111+. â€Å"Why Shakespeare Is the Original Invisible Man; HIDDEN DEPTHS: Joseph Fiennes as the Bard in the 1998 Film Shakespeare in Love.† The Mail on Sunday (London, England) 9 Nov. 2008: 11.

Essay on Trevors Actions as a Means of Resolving his Conflicts in the Short Story The Destructors.

Essay on Trevors Actions as a Means of Resolving his Conflicts in the Short Story The Destructors. "The Destructors" is a very intriguing short story in which the author, Graham Greene, narrates the plight of an interesting young man living in post-World War II London. Trevor, or "T," as the gang prefers to call him is a unique young man with provoking yet disturbing ideas on life and social stature; moreover, he is the story's protagonist.From the beginning, Graham Greene establishes that Trevor is different than the other boys when the fifteen year old says, " 'It's a beautiful house.' " T. proves the difference between himself and the other boys; he uses a very composed and structured language in comparison to his friends because of his upper-class, knowledgeable yet unhappy upbringing. Trevor's dad has recently " 'come down in the world' and... his mother considered herself better than the neighbours." Amongst Trevor's family there is separation because of money, for his mom will not leave the upper-class life while his dad has come down in the world and must leave the upper-c lass status.English: Blue plaque outside Graham Greene's Birth...T., even though having been in a rich family, does not like the idea of people being segregated and judged by their social class. He believes that everyone should be treated equal in society regardless of money. Old Misery's house is a beautiful and high-class house in the midst of rubble and destruction. Not only does Trevor feel very uncomfortable with this house that is left standing, but he also wants and plans to see the demise of the house in a way that it could never be rebuilt. This is quite ironic because his father's occupation is an architect; someone who practices the art of creating buildings, and T. is planning on destroying this house despite his knowledge of what goes into creating a building. The house, which had "stood...

A Christmas Carol Analyized English Literature Essay

A Christmas Carol Analyized English Literature Essay Charles dickens novella, ‘A Christmas carol’ has been assembled in a delicate yet powerful in order to have the maximum impact upon the reader. Dickens has constructed the story in ‘staves’ to help support and reinforce the moral message of redemption. A stave is also commonly referred to as a staff it is a musical sheet that consists of 5 lines hence the reason for 5 staves.Charles dickens has cleverly chosen to defiy your stereotypical morale tale as it doesn’t contain chapters but instead staves .Dickens starts with potrayin him a heartless old â€Å"miser’ . Dickens has structured the novel in a effective and powerful way and has used the idea of Christmas a vehicle for his ideas .It is essential for Dickens to convince the reader that scrooge is mean but not evil this because a mean person has the potential to change whereas an evil person doesn’t . It is vital for Dickens to create an self serving character and show that he can b ecome charitable and caring this is so that even the worse can change .Dickens has divided the novel into 5 staves, stave 1 and 5 are a reflection of each other and staves 2, 3, and 4 are the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Dickens uses the novella to talk about moral responsibility and should help people less fortunate than us and reflect on it. Two charity workers approach scrooge whether he would donate money for charity and when asked how much money is he willing to give he says â€Å"nothing† the two men misinterpret him thinking that he wishes to remain â€Å"anonymous† .Scrooge replies â€Å"Are there no prisons â€Å"this show that scrooges soul is dead and his ability to be kind and to love Scrooge believed’s that the best way to get rid of the â€Å"Surplus population† as there are to many people. At the first stave Scrooge is presented as being woebegone by Marley the ghost who is condemned for the rest of time to drag heavy pad locks which represents the person he was in life and all the sins he has committed .Scrooge refuses to believe it and calls it † Humbug† which shows that he is completely skeptical. Dickens purposely uses the word â€Å"Humbug† repeatedly through the story so that we can remember scrooge’s ignorance and attitude towards the less fortunate. Marley confronts scrooge â€Å"Charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence â€Å"Marley is showing scrooge that’s what your business should be about. The Ghost of Christmas past take Scrooge to see his past .Dickens takes Scrooge to his past to show the audience that he was a decent child but had a tough childhood .At Christmas scrooge was left alone at his boarding school because his father holds a grudge against his as his mother gave birth to him and died. â€Å"A solitary child neglected by his friends is left there still† Even though he is a mean man he still shows emotion â€Å"And he sobbed † .Scrooge was so lonely the only friend he had was his imaginary friend the parrot from treasure island â€Å"There’s the parrot â€Å".Dickens wants the audience to feel sympathy towards scrooge for the childhood he never had .Even scrooge feels he has missed out and pity’s for himself † Poor boy†

Service marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Service marketing - Essay Example One-third of revenues is from advertising, one-third from companies distributing products through gift packs, and one-third from sales of consumer information. Spin-off publication â€Å"One Step Ahead† is likewise successful. The firm upgraded by changing its name to CD Marketing Services, while maintaining â€Å"Circular Distributions† for the existing door-to-door distribution. Under CD Marketing , Lifestyle Marketing brand concentrated on the sale of marketing information, and invested heavily in new technological capacity; ?400,000 of investment reaped additional ?33 million in sales and ?2.4 million in profits. Two new publications are Emma’s Diary Pre-School Guide and Married Life†¦The Small Print, which both attracted higher than average response rate and additional revenue through advertising and sample packs. More importantly, the new publications aimed to collect new data and build a database about its consumers. CD publications enjoyed a high res ponse rate. Services offered by Lifecycle Marketing were availed of most especially by financial services and home shopping businesses. These services include: Segmented lists of consumers that organizations can rent for one-off use Licenses by which other organizations may incorporate CD’s data in their own databases Inclusion by client-companies of specific questions in its publications; the data generated shall be for the contracting client’s exclusive use Later, the firm embarked on systematically supplying information to companies as a regular activity. In the meantime, the traditional fmcg business was still strong, and the company is ways by which it can be improved. New clients were attracted by the door-to-door service include Internet Service Providers which distributed free CD ROMS to targeted households. The Analysis for New Service Development strategy During its early days, Circular Distributors distributed generic products in a homogeneous market, for tr ial purposes that, it was hoped, would encourage future purchases. The company eventually developed the B2B consumer information service by which data it has gathered from its consumers are organized, packaged and sold to companies. Somewhere in between the company has been able to successfully create four publications, the latter two of which are used to gather data from consumers who are constantly expanding due to lifestyle changes. All three types of services – door-to-door distribution, publications, and information databasing and sales – are growing significantly, but while information sales is highly competitive because of the number of players already established in the industry, door-to-door distribution and publications have a huge following but few competitors. These three classes of services shall be analysed in the following discussion. Marketing Analysis Size – The market size for the door-to-door delivery service is substantial, but due to the phy sical nature of the service reliance on manpower limits the extent of the service and the geographical scope is limited. Publications would have a wider reach, as far as GPs (for obstetrics and paediatrics), vicars (for weddings), registrars (for births) and similar channels of survey questionnaire

Recruitment, Selection and Deployment of Human Resources Case Study

Recruitment, Selection and Deployment of Human Resources - Case Study Example The company lacked proper human resource planning when it came to recruitment and selection criteria which led to the problems above. The lack of proper motivation, unclear job specification, and minimal advertisement has been major deficiencies in Sodexo’s human resources. Effective HR planning and management should have been exercised to take care of the shortage of employees beforehand which is one of the organizational models lacking in Sodexo. Organizational and HR strategies should have been in line in order to meet the HR demand and supply of employees. The only way to solve these problems in Sodexo is for the HR to come up with new planning strategies and adopt an organizational model that will address their problems. This will ensure that their recruitment and selection process is motivating, enforces comparable evaluation methods and considers cultural diversity. Individual motivation according to Herzberg’s theory is the main source of motivation for the recruits and will ensure the lasting solution to the problem of staffing facing Sodexo currently (Weihrich and Cannice, 2010).

The Ozone Layer Essay Example for Free

The Ozone Layer Essay The Ozone layer is a stratum of gas found in the upper atmosphere which guards the human beings and other living organisms from harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. This layer is made up of ozone gas which is triatomic molecule, comprising of three oxygen molecules (O3) (Ebi McGregor, 2008). It is an irritating, colorless and corrosive gas. It is also a very strong oxidizing agent and therefore at the lower atmosphere, it exhibits some harmful effects on the respiratory systems of animals and corrodes sensitive parts of plants. Ozone cannot be stored for long periods or transported like other industrial gases. This is because it decays quickly to the prevalent diatomic oxygen (O2) and therefore it can only be produced on site (Hov O Hov, 1997). The atmosphere is stratified with the troposphere as the lowest layer. Stratosphere is the layer that is most immediate from troposphere ranging from six to thirty miles above the surface of the earth (Hov O Hov, 1997). The variations in the layers occur due to temperature and pressure changes in the atmosphere. Much of the air (90%) is held in the lowest 10% of the atmosphere due to the compressibility property of gases. Much of the Ozone is found in the stratosphere although it can also be found in small traces in the lower atmosphere. It is very beneficial at the upper atmosphere since it absorbs nearly 97 percent of the ultraviolet radiation from the sun. However, there exist a number of environmental problems from the gas at both layers of the atmosphere. Ozone is the only chemical compound in the troposphere where the variation between the actual atmospheric levels and poisonous levels is so minor (Ebi McGregor, 2008). There is gradual increase in Tropospheric ozone especially in the northern hemisphere where emissions of human origin have been on the rise. At ground level, ozone is destructive to human health, materials and plants. It affects the respiratory membranes and other lung tissues of organisms, thereby inhibiting their respiratory function. When individuals are exposed to high concentration of ozone, they develop complications associated with their respiratory system such as pneumonia, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other respiratory illnesses. In most cases, these illnesses if not well manned can lead to premature deaths(Ebi McGregor, 2008). This problem is caused by human activities, majorly in the transport and petrochemical industries. Although the gas is not produced directly from car engines and industrial processes, combustion of the gasoline based engines results to emission of unstable organic compounds into the atmosphere. Several reactions between these compounds and sunlight follow, resulting to formation of ozone at the source of the pollution (Hov O Hov, 1997). Since the process of ozone formation is dependant on sunlight, it is in higher concentrations within the tropics and during summer in the Polar Regions. Moreover, it can be incidentally formed from the diatomic oxygen when electrical discharges occur. Large electric motors that use brushes, laser printers and photocopiers can also produce ozone due to the repeated sparking inside them (Ebi McGregor, 2008). The chemical composition of ozone contributes to its harmfulness to living organisms. It is thermodynamically an unstable molecule and can undergo ozone photolysis in the presence of UV light leading to production of the hydroxyl radical (OH). The radical is important in removal of hydrocarbons from the air but on the other hand, the products end up forming smog (Hov O Hov, 1997). Due to its strong oxidation capabilities, ozone attacks all polymers that contain double bonds within their chain structure. For example natural rubber is vulnerable to attack, causing cracks to develop on the its surface which deepens with time. The rate of growth of the crack depends on the ozone concentration in the atmosphere. Ground level ozone is a major component of smog which has remained to be the most difficult problem in America. It causes negative impacts on human health, such as irritation of the respiratory track, coughing and even decreased lung function in the long run (Hov O Hov, 1997). In addition, it causes invisibility during flights, something that can turn out very catastrophic. It is also worth to mention that, smog affects even vegetation by causing discoloration, damage and loss of leaves which can hinder photosynthesis from taking place (Ebi McGregor, 2008). Furthermore, the molecular orbitals in ozone have strange and continually changing resonating forms. This occurs because of the three atomic nuclei which try to share the uneven compliment of electrons. Due to this, ozone is easily split by a halogen radical, a property that led many industrialized nations to withdraw from production of certain halocarbons. Similarly, it is unsafe to use some halocarbons as refrigerants and aerosols (Ebi McGregor, 2008). On the contrary, stratospheric ozone is considered to be beneficial due to its ability to filter harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. However, there are alarming dangers on the eventual fate of the living organisms on the earth due to the recent depletion of this layer. Since the intensity of the radiation from the sun is constant, reduction in ozone levels will translate to less protection (Titus, 1986). Exposure to ultraviolet rays causes skin cancer in human beings. In case of plants, the rays affect their physiological and developmental processes. Its effects extend to marine ecosystems whereby, the radiation causes damage to the early stages of development in fish, and other marine organisms (Titus, 1986). Solution to this problem can only be realized by tackling the factors causing it, which are mainly of human origin. Using alternative sources of energy instead of petroleum products, results to dual benefits (Hov O Hov, 1997). First of all, it is a step towards minimizing formation of the ground-level ozone that is caused by burning of petroleum based fuels. In addition, it will result to reduction in emission of harmful gases that damage the stratospheric ozone. References: Ebi, L. K. , McGregor, G. ( 2008, Nov). Climate Change, Tropospheric Ozone and Particulate Matter, and Health Impacts. Retrieved May 21, 2010, from: http://ehp03. niehs. nih. gov/article/fetchArticle. action? articleURI=info:doi/10. 1289/ehp. 11463#Ozone Hov, 0. , O Hov. (1997). Tropospheric ozone research: tropospheric ozone in the regional and sub-regional context. Michigan: Springer. Titus, G. J. (1986). Stratospheric ozone. Regensburg: Environmental Protection Agency.

to thine own self be true: The Conflict between Son and Self in Hamlet :: Shakespeare, Hamlet

"to thine own self be true": The Conflict between Son and Self in Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚   A name is a very important aspect of a person. It helps to define who that person is and what is important to that person. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the use of the same names for fathers and sons creates a dilemma that is not easily overcome. Laertes does not have the same name as his father, but he is controlled by his father all the same. Not only does this rule apply to characters in the play, but also to the play itself. Shakespeare's Hamlet was preceded by Thomas Kyd's play Ur-Hamlet and Shakespeare had to work hard to differentiate his play from the original. Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, shares his name with his father, Hamlet, the former King of Denmark. This sharing of names blurs the identity of the Prince with the King. Since the King precedes the Prince, he is able to develop his own distinct identity. He is "a goodly king" (1.2.186), a noble, brave, and self-assured man. Thus it falls on Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, to define himself beyond the confines of his father's name. Abraham Fraunce suggests the definition of someone consists of two parts, "the generall and the difference†¦ A man is a sensible creature endued with reason, where sensible creature is the generall, and endued with reason is the difference" (Qtd. in Calderwood 10). Hamlet is genetically related to his father as are all sons to their fathers. However, Hamlet is even more closely related due to their common name. Hamlet also inherits the act of filial obligation when the ghost returns and demands revenge for his murder. When he swears to avenge his father 's death, he is promising to "relinquish his personal identity and to unite with his father not merely in name but in actional fact" (Calderwood 10). Hamlet "adopts his father's cause- to make his father's enemy his own enemy, to assume his father's motives, goals, and pains- is to adopt his father's identity" (Calderwood 10). Prior to the ghost's appearance Hamlet is beginning to define himself as an individual person instead of as the son of his father. He has been away at school forging his own path in life. When his father's ghost demands him to exact revenge on Claudius, Hamlet struggles trying to decide if he will take the role of "son" and blend with his father or to become the "self" and breakaway from his father.