ENG2200 Shakespeare

Happy Father's Day to any dads in ENG2200!  And hope everyone else is doing well on their Paper #2! (Hoping to finish mine in the next couple of hours!)

this quote pretty much began the events involving the handkerchief which would lead to the plays tragic climax.

This was one of Shakespeare's plays whose plot and themes I was familiar with because of modern adaptations in other media.  Following the reading of this play I came to the same conclusion I had about its other versions, and that is these are some of Shakespeare's most gullible collection of characters that he's written in one play.  Don't get me wrong, I think Iago is very manipulative, but it struck me how easily he was able to manipulate those around him.  For a seemingly strong character, Othello proved to be quite weak minded.

Richard's own self views are so delusional that he tries to defend his acts of evil and brutality.

Richard lll was definitely a change of pace from our previous readings. I felt much of the first half of the play read like a political thriller. It was unique in how Richard was able to be both the play's protagonist and its main villain.  To an extent, his character reminded me of the Frank Underwood character in the Netflix series House of Cards. Although Richard is a much more brutal character, whereas Frank Underwood is much shrewder.  However, they both share the same taste for power and stature.  Another shared aspect of these two characters is that neither of them are one-dimensional villains.  Like Underwood, Richard's character is written with such charisma that even though he does such evil and heinous acts, there are points at which you almost come to sympathize with him.  I really enjoyed this play, especially the political undertones.  If you have not yet seen the Netflix show House of Cards, I highly recommend that to take the time to do so.

Going in, this is one of Shakespeare's plays that I had no reference to before hand.  I found it to be quite a pleasant read. For me, I loved the way the character of Portia was written.  Early on in the play, you almost assume she playing the role of a damsel who is waiting for her true love to claim her hand. OF course, it turns out, her character really drives the story and is the glue that binds everything together,  As someone pursuing a future in law, I was fascinated by the legal aspects of the story. Portia's character truly impressed me when she used Shylock's exactly worded contract against him. It was quite a bold move.  Does anyone know if there are any modern adaptions of this story, in film or other medium?

This quote spoken by Ferdinand to Miranda shows his willingness to perform the tasks set for him by Propero for Miranda's sake.

I enjoyed the overall tone of The Tempest, as it had a whimsical and almost fairy tale feel to it.  Many of the main characters were well written, as none of them felt one dimensional. I really felt for Prospero's character, above all else he came across as a loving father.  I also like that although the play has a happy ending, not all of the character arcs are wrapped up in a nice little bow. Prospero's wicked brother Antonio, for example, is ultimately forgiven by his brother but never makes up for any of his misdeeds.  Trinculo and Stefano provided great comic relief as minor characters, and I've enjoyed this touch in the last couple plays that we have read.