What would you do if you were to be given great authority and power? There are those who would be responsible and treat such power with the utmost care, and yet there are those who would use their authority for personal gain as if it were a child’s play toy. Corruption is everywhere; there is no limitation to where or when it can happen. One of the most notable examples of the abuse of power, and the catastrophe that can occur from the aftermath is during the Elizabethan era in England. While the Elizabethan era may be regarded as the golden age for English literature, the political treachery and mistreatment of the poor was by far more significant to the history of England. During this era lived a well-known playwright and poet by the name …show more content…
Firstly, Hamlet is a play of a man by the name of Hamlet, whose father was murdered by Claudius, his uncle. Claudius murdered the king by pouring poison in his ear to claim the throne for himself. Hamlet is then told by a ghost to murder Claudius for revenge, and he struggles within himself for the length of play whether to do it or not. When Hamlet begins to hesitate it does more damage than good and causes a chain reaction of tragic events, and makes the readers question whether Hamlet is truly sane or not. Claudius’s corruptness begins to show when he uses his authority to order those around him to rid of Hamlet. In the end Hamlet steps up to plate, killing Claudius and putting the fate of Denmark in good …show more content…
As said earlier, Elizabeth forbid any books or opinions from considering her an illegitimate queen and expressing that her sister had more of a right to the throne. No one will truly know how Shakespeare felt about Queen Elizabeth’s choices during her reign, but one can assume that Shakespeare implicitly conveyed his thoughts of England’s government through his plays. In Hamlet, Claudius is seen as a corrupt character that uses shameful tactics to get what he wants, and lies to those around him to use them as spies and pawns in his game. The Duke in Measure to Measure also uses spying as a way to get the information he needs. Macbeth went on a murderous rampage when he was threatened by others who attempted to steal his position and power as king. Queen Elizabeth used spies in similar ways as the characters did in Shakespeare’s plays as well as using violent ways to protect herself and her
Sarah Wang #3 2/6/2023 Period 6 Sophomore English 2023/Fairman The power of power Power. We all aspire to have power over the world, but what happens when we gain it? In many cases, it leads to the abuse of said power. Macbeth from Shakespeare's book Macbeth is an example of how those that achieve power will never be satisfied.
Hamlet’s quest for justice begins when the ghost of his father comes and tells him how he truly died. Originally, everyone thought he was bitten by a snake, but the truth of the matter is that he was murdered by his brother. Hamlet’s father’s ghost told him to kill his brother, Claudius, and so he listened. Once Hamlet is told this by the ghost, he decides he must first find out for himself. So Hamlet pretends to be crazy for quite a while, until he can get the justice he seeks.
In life, power has a way of leading and misleading people. It can also be said that once an individual receives power there is an overall shift in their character. This specific shift can lead to detrimental decisions and obsessive emotional and intellectual distress for a person. It is apparent in the play, Macbeth that gaining access to power unfairly leads to corruption in the mind, actions, and daily life. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is seen as noble and loyal Thane to Scotland.
Hamlet is a story about revenge and power, due to the recent death of the King of Denmark. The following events include madness, which leads to Hamlet killing King Claudius’ advisor, Polonius. Word about the death of his father got to Laertes who was in England. Laertes returned to Denmark to find his sister distraught and drove to madness. Shortly after his return, Ophelia is found dead by the cause of drowning.
Macbeth’s unnecessary evil and abuse of power by William Shakespeare, to what control does Macbeth have over his actions? His wife Lady Macbeth has influenced Macbeth throughout the book, He continues to murder because of his wife’s actions and her feel for power. Macbeth has little control of his actions, love is a powerful thing and makes people do foolish things and Macbeth “pursuing to murder those people because of what his wife” is a perfect example of that. Lady Macbeth has been an influential character throughout the story portraying the manipulation of Macbeth. Macbeth was a great hero loved by most and hated by some
Logan Pieper Mrs. Lloyd English 4 21 February 2023 Entertainment of the Elizabethan Era Today children and adults can entertain themselves at the click of a button on televisions, phones, and computers. The technology of today was not available during the Elizabethan Era. The entertainment choices also changed according to one’s financial status. Compared to the lower class, the wealthy had many more opportunities. Due to the lack of modern technology, the upper class of the Elizabethan Era spent their free time playing cards, hosting meals, dancing, going to festivals, participating in tournaments, hunting, and other activities.
Even today, people look back fondly on the Elizabethan Era as one of the times when England was very close to achieving a golden age. While living under Queen Elizabeth did bring about troubles, such as an extreme system of punishment and quarrels with the Catholics, the Elizabethan Era was a time of peace and prosperity, contrasting life before and after Elizabeth’s reign. When Queen ELizabeth died, ending her reign, Catherine Bush states that “No king or queen before her had ever received the nationwide show of grief that England now gave Elizabeth”. (106) In a time when England was almost about to tear itself apart, Queen Elizabeth I came to power and improved the situation.
It also talks about religion, education, and travel into the new world. Evaluation: This is a great website and resource. This website not only has articles about daily life but also about the Elizabethan Era in general. From food to clothing to
In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the dead king’s son Hamlet avenges his father’s murder, but his madness and indecision takes its toll on everyone. Hamlet’s father, the King Hamlet, was murdered by Claudius because he was ambitious for the throne and Queen Gertrude. In Act 3 of the play, Hamlet begins to test Claudius for any sign of guilt in the murder of his father. After watching a play disguised as a reenactment of the murder of King Hamlet, Claudius begins to confess his sins to God. In Claudius’ confession soliloquy, Shakespeare reveals Claudius’ inner duel between his rational desire to act virtuously by relieving his guilt and his gravitation toward material gain and selfishness by following his ambitions through the use of
The story of Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a story of betrayal, revenge, and intrigue. Hamlet, the title character discovers that his uncle killed his father and married his mother effectively stealing the throne. Hamlet decides he must kill his uncle Claudius as revenge for what he had done. However, as the new king, Hamlet isn't sure how to get to him, so he decides to fake madness, but his plan backfires as Claudius doesn't trust him and makes sure he is always watched. In his fumbled plan for revenge, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, forces Polonius's son Laertes to seek revenge against him, and drives Ophelia crazy causing her to kill herself.
As if what Hamlet was living was not extreme enough, the ghost of his father begins to appear to demand revenge for his death. Hamlet found out through his father’s goth that he was murdered by Hamlet’s uncle. It is very difficult to imagen the level of pain, anger, and desire of revenge after losing both parents under so bizarre circumstances. The evil actions of the uncle to take control of the throne, I have no doubt,
What drives apparently good men to become ruthless, ambitious, jealous and greedy? We see an example of this in the play “Macbeth” performed at Pop Up Globe, directed by Tom Mallaburn, was written originally by the well-known author, William Shakespeare. Macbeth is based upon a big tragedy, where the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, inevitably were forced to do evil things due to their ambition; taste the sweetness of victory and then downfall again. Although the play was written by an English author, Shakespeare smartly sets his story based upon the idea of ambition, a concept that relates to all of us, no matter where we are from. We have to admit that in our minds, the concept of power and ambition is linked to men.
ABSTRACT From past to present, many leaders, politicians, scientists, or even common peoplehave experienced and tasted the absolute power. At the very beginning of this ownership, everything seemed usual and innocent. However; it has been observed that people who have absolute power fell into error thinking that corruption of power would never give rise to their end. The objective of this essay is to examine the reasons behind two literary protagonists of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus’ downfall.
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (I.v.90). Hamlet is about a young prince who is mourning the loss of his father. He then tries to seek revenge on his uncle Claudius because he poisoned his father. Throughout the play Hamlet’s behavior starts to change which causes him to become mad. The theory about all this is a Psychological Approach.
A Golden Time: The Elizabethan Period of the Renaissance During the years 1558 to 1603, the age of the Renaissance had reached its peak. Many art forms bloomed and flourished, as did the trade and the economy. But this is mainly for England, the place from whence the Elizabethan period, the literary height of the Renaissance, had begun.