This is definitely the better of my recent A grade essays, being a near-perfect A* grade. Apparently. Anyway, I'm not going to publish it all here as it is stupidly long; I'll pick out some good paragraphs for you :)
How do the playwrights portray characters in hostile worlds through literary and linguistic techniques?
INTRO:
In both Shaffer's 'Equus' and Shakespeare's 'Othello', the protagonists are demonstrated to live in worlds which are hostile to them as individuals. Through contemporary references, dramatic devices and linguistic techniques, both playwrights illustrate this for their audiences, and show this to be the cause of the protagonists; respective crimes: Alan's blinding of the horses and Otehllo's murder of Desdemona, as peripateias in both tragedies.
CONTEXT PARAGRAPHS:
From the beginning, both playwrights present socities which are clearly hostile to outsiders. 'Equus', set in 1970s Britain, presents a conservative society under a Conservative government, which is facing the strain of Cold War, anti-outsider politics. In the second scene, Hesther describes two psychiatrists who can be seen as metaphors for society as a whole and for its treatment of Alan. She uses the phrase "immovably English", with "English" used in this case as a synonym for conservatism and unkind values. The adjective "immovably" premodifies this and allows it to seem harsher than it might have done, adding to the audience's understanding of the way society is likely to treat Alan before he, himself is mentioned by name or seen on stage at all. This is therefore a dramatic device used to set the scene, and is perhaps more poignant to modern audiences than contemporary ones as we are now evidently unfamiliar with the political or societal constraints of the tiem in which it was written.
The same can be said of 'Othello', in which the title character is immediately presented as an outsider because of the way his fellows perceive his race. Although most historians accept that the Elizabethans did not have a concept of 'race', and could therefore not be termed 'racist' for their treatment of Othello, the fact that Shakespeare chooses to refer to him cataphorically throughout, seldom ever allowing a character to refer to him by his name, demonstrates the way in which they all perceive him to be different. This is added to by the fact that he is constantly referred to as "the Moor", as though suggesting his race is an acceptable way of setting him apart. To modern audiences, with our concepts of political correctness, this will seem even harsher; although it can't be doubted that this presentatio of Othello has always seemed to place him in a hostile, foreign environment.
EXAMPLE OF GOOD 'EQUUS' PARAGRAPH:
The control exerted by the fictional character of Equus within Alan himself also plays a large part in Alan's understanding of the world, and consequently in his fear of every day circumstances which contribute to this. Through the use of capitalisation in this section, Shaffer turns "Merciful" and "Kind" into proper nouns, in a way similar to that utilised by the catholic church to illustrate their God as omniscient and forgiving. This turns the character of Equus from an abstract concept illustrated to the audience through Dysart's sue of scientific and psychiatric jargon into a real being in which we can believe, given the references back to the world in which we live. The effect of this is not only to portray hostility in Alan's world but also to allow the audience to draw parallels with the constraints and hostilities they see in their own, allowing them to buy into Alan's fear and comprehend it more readily.
EXAMPLE OF GOOD 'OTHELLO' PARAGRAPH:
Iago's deception - and the audience's understanding of it - builds throughout the play, with the hostile world which finally leads Othello to murder his beloved wife being created by his supposed friend more and more rapidly towards the end of the play. The hostility in the character of Iago is shown through what critics describe as his "complete and unexplainable evil", and through the juxtapositions in what he says about Othello in soliloquy and face-to-face. These ideas juxtapose entirely, and are often oxymoronic, showing the extent of the deception being woven and suggesting to the audience the extent of the traditional tragic fall Othello will face, when it comes. For example, in soliloquy in the first Act of the play, Iago uses the declarative "I hate the Moor", utilising the hyperbolic stative verb "hate", which creates an oxymoron when compared with the stative noun "love" which is utilised in a fyrther declarative by Iago later in the same Act, still in reference to Othello. The way that this deception creates a hostile world is then exacerbated by the way in which Shakespeare weaves the semantic field of jealousy through the whole play, specifically in Iago's lexis, through utterances such as "green eyed", showing the audience how the control exhibited by a character such as Iago then leads Othello to begin to believe in this manipulation, and eventually to make it real.
CONCLUSION:
Ultimately, the hostilities of the worlds around them cannot be wholly responsible for the crimes of Alan or Othello: however in both cases this was a significant factor, perhaps best explained by Dysart in Act Two of 'Equus' - "he is a modern citizen for whom society does not exist".
MARKS:
AO1 - 9 (/10)
AO2 - 10 (/10)
AO3 - 37 (/40)
56/60 = 9?% = A*
Showing posts with label Iago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iago. Show all posts
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Essay Examples: A Grade Essays (Part One)
To help you see how to construct a good A-Grade essay, I'm going to provide you with a couple, and then with the marks they recieved at the end. This helps me to remember essay technique, too, so it's all good :)
How do Shakespeare and Shaffer explore the importance of self-awareness in presenting characters as individuals in society?
In both Shakespeare's 'Othello' and Shaffer's 'Equus', the theme of self awareness (and the lack thereof) is crucial to driving the plot and creating characters. Although it plays a crucial role in the downfalls of both protagonists, it is perhaps most interesting in the cases of Iago and Dysart, who are both presented as highly individual because of their uniquely acute self awareness, and the ways in which they deal with this.
In typical Shakespearean style, Iago's self-awareness is presented through regular and repetitive soliloquy, including regular use of the first person pronoun "I" to demonstrate the extent of his self-obsession to the audience in a less evident manner. Through statements such as "I hate the Moor. My cause is hearted" he demonstrates an acute awareness of his own passions and motivations as a character while never explicitly explaining them to the audience, presenting him as somewhat of an individual because of the air of intrigue which this surrounds him. The extent of his emotional awareness is illustrated through the hyperbolic use of stative verbs such as "hate", as well as through repetition of "I" and the possessive "my" to personalise emotions.
Through this presentation of him, the audience is lead to see him as an individual: in a society as polite and diplomatic as Shakespeare presents Venice to be, Iago's passions and the brutality with which he openly expresses them cause him to stand out. The fact that he evidently does not feel the need to explain these passions further ostracises him, in that he is thius breaking further social conventions/
This is only illustrated further by his fervent repetition of the phrase "I hate" throughout Act One, during which he also tells the audience exactly what he intends to do, showing him as not only uniquely aware of his emotions but also as self-obsessed: his need to voice his plans shows a degree of pride in them which breaks from the expected, given their nature.
Soliloquy is also a technique employed by Shaffer to illustrate Dysart's self awareness at the beginning of the play. Through the narration of his dream, metaphor is used to show a subconscious self-awareness at this point in the play, which then grows to become conscious later - linking in with the audience's understanding of Dysart and a psychiatric professional, which will be very different now given that psychiatry as a form of mental help has more or less been dropped. The metaphor "the mask is slipping" is used here to suggest Dysart;s growing realisation that he has no faith in his profession, with him thereby being presented as an individual in society because most would agree that curing a child would be a worthy cause. This also leads the audience to question the morality of Dysart's profession, in parallel with the character himself, something which is stated as one of Shaffer's final dramatic intentions for the play.
In Dysart's closing monologue, he speaks the line "There is now, in my mouth, this sharp chain. And it never comes out." The metaphor in this illustrates his uderstanding of the restrictions which society has placed upon him, in terms of expectations, and his final simple sentence shows, thorugh bitterness implied, exactly how he feels, as well as demonstrating that such societal expectations are eternal. Use of present tense in this soliloquy, where so many others have been in the past tense, shows understanding of the eternal nature of these restruictions, highlighting how they occurred and will always happen. Dysart's unique understanding of the way society works, which is here presented, shows him to be almost omniscient; truly an individual in society.
Elements of spoken language are also used by both playwrights to present their characters as individuals in society, and as uniquely self aware. Dysart, for example, uses simple sentences in his confession to Hesther in Act Two: "I'm jealous Hesther. Jealous of Alan Strang". The greater pause implied by the grammatical choice of a full-stop here shows Dysart's distaste for his own feelings, a notion echoed in the fact that he feel the need to speak them aloud, as though this might rationalise them. The use of stative verbs to express emotion is a regular device used to show self awareness, and Dysart's use of "jealous" in this case further demonstrates his own emotional choices, despite how evidently "other" they are. The audience are thus guided to question and sympathise with Dysart, subtly guiding them to potentially make his moral decision later in the play.
One notable element of spoken language employed by Shakespeare in the presentation of Iago as an individual in society is premodification. In this soliloquy in Act Two, Scene One, he speaks the line "That Cassio loves her, I do well believe't", with the intensifier "well" being used as premodification. This could be used to argue against Iago's self awareness, as everything he has spoken so far contradicts this statement, making this initially appear as self-deception. However, it could also show Iago's awareness of the irrationality of his passions, and that he is therefore trying to justify them. The use of premodification shows complex thought being given to a line, thus suggesting a continued awareness of the irrationality of his beliefs, and a continued need to justify them.
A similar situation occurs in Act One Scene Six of 'Equus', when Dysart first discusses his dream with Hesther. His use of the second person pronoun "you" shows him trying to persuade Hesther to take the floor, perhaps implying a lack of understanding of the true nature of his dream. However, it could also be argued that it demonstrates a clarity of understanding of the dream, and shows Dysart's unwillingness to accept this, in the knowledge that it will make him an individual in society.
MARKS -
"This is a mature and well developed response with an impressive level of technicality and understanding"
AO1 - 9 (/10)
AO2 - 8 (/10)
AO3 - 35 (/40)
52/60 = approx 90%
High A grade.
Really? To me, this isn't brilliant at all... it's one of the worst I've written! What do readers think?
HistGrrl x
How do Shakespeare and Shaffer explore the importance of self-awareness in presenting characters as individuals in society?
In both Shakespeare's 'Othello' and Shaffer's 'Equus', the theme of self awareness (and the lack thereof) is crucial to driving the plot and creating characters. Although it plays a crucial role in the downfalls of both protagonists, it is perhaps most interesting in the cases of Iago and Dysart, who are both presented as highly individual because of their uniquely acute self awareness, and the ways in which they deal with this.
In typical Shakespearean style, Iago's self-awareness is presented through regular and repetitive soliloquy, including regular use of the first person pronoun "I" to demonstrate the extent of his self-obsession to the audience in a less evident manner. Through statements such as "I hate the Moor. My cause is hearted" he demonstrates an acute awareness of his own passions and motivations as a character while never explicitly explaining them to the audience, presenting him as somewhat of an individual because of the air of intrigue which this surrounds him. The extent of his emotional awareness is illustrated through the hyperbolic use of stative verbs such as "hate", as well as through repetition of "I" and the possessive "my" to personalise emotions.
Through this presentation of him, the audience is lead to see him as an individual: in a society as polite and diplomatic as Shakespeare presents Venice to be, Iago's passions and the brutality with which he openly expresses them cause him to stand out. The fact that he evidently does not feel the need to explain these passions further ostracises him, in that he is thius breaking further social conventions/
This is only illustrated further by his fervent repetition of the phrase "I hate" throughout Act One, during which he also tells the audience exactly what he intends to do, showing him as not only uniquely aware of his emotions but also as self-obsessed: his need to voice his plans shows a degree of pride in them which breaks from the expected, given their nature.
Soliloquy is also a technique employed by Shaffer to illustrate Dysart's self awareness at the beginning of the play. Through the narration of his dream, metaphor is used to show a subconscious self-awareness at this point in the play, which then grows to become conscious later - linking in with the audience's understanding of Dysart and a psychiatric professional, which will be very different now given that psychiatry as a form of mental help has more or less been dropped. The metaphor "the mask is slipping" is used here to suggest Dysart;s growing realisation that he has no faith in his profession, with him thereby being presented as an individual in society because most would agree that curing a child would be a worthy cause. This also leads the audience to question the morality of Dysart's profession, in parallel with the character himself, something which is stated as one of Shaffer's final dramatic intentions for the play.
In Dysart's closing monologue, he speaks the line "There is now, in my mouth, this sharp chain. And it never comes out." The metaphor in this illustrates his uderstanding of the restrictions which society has placed upon him, in terms of expectations, and his final simple sentence shows, thorugh bitterness implied, exactly how he feels, as well as demonstrating that such societal expectations are eternal. Use of present tense in this soliloquy, where so many others have been in the past tense, shows understanding of the eternal nature of these restruictions, highlighting how they occurred and will always happen. Dysart's unique understanding of the way society works, which is here presented, shows him to be almost omniscient; truly an individual in society.
Elements of spoken language are also used by both playwrights to present their characters as individuals in society, and as uniquely self aware. Dysart, for example, uses simple sentences in his confession to Hesther in Act Two: "I'm jealous Hesther. Jealous of Alan Strang". The greater pause implied by the grammatical choice of a full-stop here shows Dysart's distaste for his own feelings, a notion echoed in the fact that he feel the need to speak them aloud, as though this might rationalise them. The use of stative verbs to express emotion is a regular device used to show self awareness, and Dysart's use of "jealous" in this case further demonstrates his own emotional choices, despite how evidently "other" they are. The audience are thus guided to question and sympathise with Dysart, subtly guiding them to potentially make his moral decision later in the play.
One notable element of spoken language employed by Shakespeare in the presentation of Iago as an individual in society is premodification. In this soliloquy in Act Two, Scene One, he speaks the line "That Cassio loves her, I do well believe't", with the intensifier "well" being used as premodification. This could be used to argue against Iago's self awareness, as everything he has spoken so far contradicts this statement, making this initially appear as self-deception. However, it could also show Iago's awareness of the irrationality of his passions, and that he is therefore trying to justify them. The use of premodification shows complex thought being given to a line, thus suggesting a continued awareness of the irrationality of his beliefs, and a continued need to justify them.
A similar situation occurs in Act One Scene Six of 'Equus', when Dysart first discusses his dream with Hesther. His use of the second person pronoun "you" shows him trying to persuade Hesther to take the floor, perhaps implying a lack of understanding of the true nature of his dream. However, it could also be argued that it demonstrates a clarity of understanding of the dream, and shows Dysart's unwillingness to accept this, in the knowledge that it will make him an individual in society.
MARKS -
"This is a mature and well developed response with an impressive level of technicality and understanding"
AO1 - 9 (/10)
AO2 - 8 (/10)
AO3 - 35 (/40)
52/60 = approx 90%
High A grade.
Really? To me, this isn't brilliant at all... it's one of the worst I've written! What do readers think?
HistGrrl x
Essay Plan: Courage
How do the playwrights use the theme of "courage" to portray individuals in society?
In Shakespeare's 'Othello' and Shaffer's 'Equus', the playwrights use the theme of courage to portray two very different characters: Dysart, who is seen as an individual in his unwillingness to follow social expectations and treat Alan, something which he later over-comes, thus illustrating his courage; and Othello, whose courage is used to describe him from the start so that his tragic fall more rapidly isolates him.
OTHELLO
- SF courage, Act 2 ("the man commands like a full soldier", "the warlike Moor Othello", context that actually lost Cyprus wars)
- Honourability - "Not I: I must be found", Act One (unexpected of a lascivious Moor)
- Compares his death to former acts of courage, making him seem somewhat redeemed in death (imperatives "Set you down this"; metaphor "the circumcised dog"; context of wars & victory = courage)
DYSART
- Hedges "Maybe" and "possibly" show unease at what has to do (link changing nature of psychiatry and American anti-psychiatry movement) - makes eventual choice more courageous
- Elogy at end (soliloquy reminiscent of Shakespearean epilogue) - shows will do what has to do, despite not wanting to
- Perenthesis - "alright! I'll take it away" - shows pressure & pain at what he has to do
The opposite is then true of their counterparts, arguably the antagonists whom the playwrights present as individuals through their cowardice: Alan, who feels the need to seek revenge against a repressive God, and Iago, who critics argue is a character of pure evil, and this can be seen as cowardly through his easy manipulation and deception of Othello, who is presented as both courageous and vulnerable because of his race.
IAGO
- "I hate the Moor, and it is thought" - audience won't believe, making assertions to provide rationale for the plan only makes him seem more cowardly
- Exploitation of Othello; "O, beware, my Lord, of jealousy"
- Use of soliloquy = inability to admit plans = keeping things hidden = cowardly
- Lies and dramatic irony exacerbate this
ALAN
- Use of jingles = backing away (link // 70s materialism)
- Refusal to speak
- Simple sentences show fear; exclamatories towards the end (link Catholic God)
Remember: much of this exam is pretty contrived, and the theme of courage is especially so. Define your terms and back your points up: in English, you're ability to argue and use terminology is key. You could be completely wrong, but if you assert your argument well you could still be right...
Does that even make sense?
- HistGrrl x
In Shakespeare's 'Othello' and Shaffer's 'Equus', the playwrights use the theme of courage to portray two very different characters: Dysart, who is seen as an individual in his unwillingness to follow social expectations and treat Alan, something which he later over-comes, thus illustrating his courage; and Othello, whose courage is used to describe him from the start so that his tragic fall more rapidly isolates him.
OTHELLO
- SF courage, Act 2 ("the man commands like a full soldier", "the warlike Moor Othello", context that actually lost Cyprus wars)
- Honourability - "Not I: I must be found", Act One (unexpected of a lascivious Moor)
- Compares his death to former acts of courage, making him seem somewhat redeemed in death (imperatives "Set you down this"; metaphor "the circumcised dog"; context of wars & victory = courage)
DYSART
- Hedges "Maybe" and "possibly" show unease at what has to do (link changing nature of psychiatry and American anti-psychiatry movement) - makes eventual choice more courageous
- Elogy at end (soliloquy reminiscent of Shakespearean epilogue) - shows will do what has to do, despite not wanting to
- Perenthesis - "alright! I'll take it away" - shows pressure & pain at what he has to do
The opposite is then true of their counterparts, arguably the antagonists whom the playwrights present as individuals through their cowardice: Alan, who feels the need to seek revenge against a repressive God, and Iago, who critics argue is a character of pure evil, and this can be seen as cowardly through his easy manipulation and deception of Othello, who is presented as both courageous and vulnerable because of his race.
IAGO
- "I hate the Moor, and it is thought" - audience won't believe, making assertions to provide rationale for the plan only makes him seem more cowardly
- Exploitation of Othello; "O, beware, my Lord, of jealousy"
- Use of soliloquy = inability to admit plans = keeping things hidden = cowardly
- Lies and dramatic irony exacerbate this
ALAN
- Use of jingles = backing away (link // 70s materialism)
- Refusal to speak
- Simple sentences show fear; exclamatories towards the end (link Catholic God)
Remember: much of this exam is pretty contrived, and the theme of courage is especially so. Define your terms and back your points up: in English, you're ability to argue and use terminology is key. You could be completely wrong, but if you assert your argument well you could still be right...
Does that even make sense?
- HistGrrl x
Saturday, 5 June 2010
Dramatic Intentions
'Dramatic Intentions' are a concept which may well be alien to non-theatre students, but which are crucial to the understanding of any play - especially given the number of marks given in this exam to the understanding of the plays as plays.
An outline of dramatic intentions within "Basic Drama Theory" is given in Wikipedia.
So, what are they?
They're what the playwright or director wants an audience to get out of a play; for example the dramatic intentions in a comedy would be to amuse.
In some plays they are more evident than others; for example, in 'Equus', it can be seen fairly easily that Shaffer wants his audience to question psychoanalysis and the justice system, as well as the role of nurture and environment in the personality and psychosis of a child.
In 'Othello', however, dramatic intentions are harder to decide; they could be to lead the audience to question the role of race, or Iago's motives, or the nature of evil. None of these has a truly solid grounding, the way that the intentions for 'Equus' seem to, and so a degree of hedging in thus necessary so as not to generalise or make wild assertions with which the examiner could easily disagree.
Questions? Ask :)
- HistGrrl x
An outline of dramatic intentions within "Basic Drama Theory" is given in Wikipedia.
So, what are they?
They're what the playwright or director wants an audience to get out of a play; for example the dramatic intentions in a comedy would be to amuse.
In some plays they are more evident than others; for example, in 'Equus', it can be seen fairly easily that Shaffer wants his audience to question psychoanalysis and the justice system, as well as the role of nurture and environment in the personality and psychosis of a child.
In 'Othello', however, dramatic intentions are harder to decide; they could be to lead the audience to question the role of race, or Iago's motives, or the nature of evil. None of these has a truly solid grounding, the way that the intentions for 'Equus' seem to, and so a degree of hedging in thus necessary so as not to generalise or make wild assertions with which the examiner could easily disagree.
Questions? Ask :)
- HistGrrl x
'Othello' Synopsis
Othello, by William Shakespeare, is a traditional tragedy telling the story of a Moorish (black) general, Othello, of the Venician army, who defies convention when he woos and marries the "fair" (white) Desdemona, daughter of a Venetian dignitary. Her father is ruffled by this, and, upon learning she married Othello of her own free will, warns him of her potential deception later in the marriage.
Othello is then sent to defend the Venetian colony of Cyprus from the Turks; Desdemona goes too, in the care of Iago, Othello's standard barer.
Iago reveals himself to be grossly jealous of Othello for his status, and to be angered by the fact that he was not promoted to Lieutenant, with a young Florentine, Cassio, receiving this honour in his place; thus begins his plan for vengeance.
He provokes a 'friend', Roderigo, into starting a drunken brawl with Cassio, who fights and is disgraced. Cassio turns to Desdemona for help; she promises to do all she can to get him back in Othello's favour.
Iago uses this to persuade Othello that Desdemona is in love with, and committing adultery with, Cassio - proof of which is seen when Desdemona's handkerchief is found in Cassio's possession (when, truthfully, Iago placed it there).
Reluctantly, Othello agrees that Desdemona must surely be a whore, and breaks down, allowing Iago to point him towards revenge. He asks Iago to kill Cassio; Iago stabs Roderigo in the fray, with Cassio surviving. Othello then turns his sights on Desdemona, strangling her in her bed, but insisting too that she prays first - proving that he has not stopped loving her.
Emilia (Iago's wife and Desdemona's maid) comes to tell Othello about the brawl and Roderigo's death, instead finding him in the process of killing Desdemona. She calls for help, and Venetian senators arrive, eventually unravelling Iago's plot thanks to her quick wit and evidence.
Iago kills her for this, and is taken away, presumably to be tortured.
Othello commits suicide, taking justice into his own hands and going to join his wife.
Cassio is left as General.
Synopsis (c) TheHistoryGrrl 2010
Themes are woven throughout the synopsis
For a more detailed synopsis, see wikipedia.
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