Plays Essay Examples and Topics

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641 samples

William Shakespeare and the Renaissance Period

These people noticed that the few people of the upper class were using the law and religion to their advantage, which led them to benefit more from the available resources as compared to the other [...]
  • 3.6
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1140

“The Merchant of Venice” as a Comedy

It is quite comical that one of the conditions in the case of a default of the loan taken from the Jewish Shylock by Antonio is the repayment of the loan in form of one [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 862

Othello as the Outsider

In the play, Othello strives to emphasize that his blackness is insignificant impediment and highlight the advantages of his origin revealing the positive features of his character and behavior.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1356

“The Fate of a Cockroach” by Tawfiq Al-Hakim

Still, it is difficult to decide whether the author wants to satirize all the vices of the people and Egyptian people in particular or it is the bright example of the introduction of absurd in [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 853

The Downfall of Macbeth

Nonetheless, he goes on to murder the king and his character takes a turn for the worst as he kills the chamberlains who would give witness of the king's death and he claims he killed [...]
  • 5
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 802

About Oedipus and Blinding Himself

In spite of the arrogance that led Oedipus to ignore the oracle and think that he could change things, Oedipus truly was a loyal king to his people and wanted the best for them.
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1865

Beach Description Essay

These include; the plantation along the beach and inside the sea, the animals, the waters and the people found in the beach.
  • 4.3
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 826

Examples of Hospitality in The Odyssey by Homer

While the tale has various mythical and magical motifs in the form of Gods, Goddesses, nymphs, witches, and magic; one of the most interesting and a rather unusual aspect of the story was the astounding [...]
  • 4.2
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2463

Resilience of Hamlet and Oedipus

The plot of the tragedy of Sophocles is built on a chain of accidents, which are in fact the fatal will of the powerful gods.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1116

William Shakespeare’s Othello

Othello leaves Venice in the company of his wife, Iago and Cassio and Desdemona's attendant known as Emilia. Othello's love for Desdemona is a major weakness that leads to his downfall.
  • 3.7
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 837

Hamlet’s Renaissance Culture Conflict

The death of Hamlet as the play ends indicates that though he was the definite answer to all the questions before him as he faced death, he was not in any position to give any [...]
  • 3.3
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1562

Father-Son Relationship in The Odyssey by Homer

In Odyssey therefore, it is expected that the relationship of Odysseus and Telemachus is as admiring as it is; the father is proud of his son, who is courageous and the son is proud of [...]
  • 4
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 825

“The Other Shore” by Xingjian Gao

Although the play had a religious connotation, it highlighted the government's failure and the inherent struggle by the people which aggravated the leaders, thus leaving the country and becoming a French citizen.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1108

The Theme of Revenge in Shakespeare’s Hamlet

The latter, after seeing his father's ghost and learning the truth, feels that he is taken over by revenge and sets up a performance that copies Claudius's, the murderer's, plan and results in a tragic [...]
  • 4.5
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1081

“The Piano Lesson” by August Wilson

The main theme of the play under consideration is the importance to understand, accept and cherish our past, which is symbolized by the family heirloom piano.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 570

Lying, Acting, Hypocrisy in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”

This paper will argue that, although the concepts of hypocrisy, lying, and acting are brought up directly only a few times in Hamlet, the manifestations thereof can be found throughout the poem, the Dutch prince [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1313

“The Swamp Dwellers” by Wole Soyinka

The swamp dweller "talks about the urban and remote society, the confrontations between the older and younger people, the battles between the old and the new in the society, love for modernism, the existence of [...]
  • 1
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1123

The Significance of the Handkerchief to Othello

The main reason for the discord is that Othello slept with his wife and justifies all the negativity toward Iago. The handkerchief is the best proof that Desdemona has entered into an intimate relationship with [...]
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 347

Civil Disobedience and Pride in “Antigone” by Sophocles

The play effectively depicts the theme of civil disobedience through the personality of Antigone, who is willing to break the rules to satisfy her morals standards and conscience. Therefore, the author uses the characters of [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 878

Oedipus as a Tragic Hero

By the end of the paper, the reader should be able to identify a strong correlation between Oedipus and the tragic hero outlined by Aristotle in the Poetics.
  • 3.4
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1778

Theatre of Absurd: Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf

Written in the 1960s, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is an expansive, one-of-a-kind, and utterly honest depiction of a family life rife with disappointment. George and Martha's marriage defies the idealized American family.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 673

“Desire Under the Elms” by Eugene O’Neill

Besides all differences between the three sons of Ephraim Cabot, the owner of a large and prosperous farm in New England, they have much in common, and this is hatred, resentment, and envy for their [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1352

“Anthony and Cleopatra” by William Shakespeare

It would be correct to add though that Cleopatra is the dominating presence in the play, however, Cleopatra, Antony and Enobarbus have tragic elements of grandeur, nobility, fateful misjudgments and a fall from the heights [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1838

The Downfall of Othello

The properties of Othello are given to Cassio who also assumes position that had been held by Othello The downfall of Othello is evidenced by death of his wife, loss of property and his own [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1687

Hamlet and Forgiveness: A Personal Reflection

Some of the most prominent themes in the story are the ideas of mutual forgiveness, people's motivation to be proactive and take risks, and their willingness to forgive and ask for forgiveness.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 607

Literary Analysis Susan Glespell’s Trifles

It can therefore be justly concluded that Susan Glespell's 'Trifle' is indeed a feminist work and seeks to engage in feminist objectives through the plot and the characters.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 565

Deception in “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen

It is important to note that the topic of deception and self-deception in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" is of paramount criticality in order to understand the underlying message and characters' actions.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 280

The American Dream in Arthur Miller’s Plays

Willy has a distorted vision of the American Dream, and he has such blind faith in this inaccurate vision that it leads to his mental disturbance when he is not able to accept how the [...]
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2776

Modern Tragedy

An analysis of trends in tragedy from the time of Sophocles and Euripides to modern times is therefore important. This could explain the absence of features such as oracles and ghosts in modern tragedy.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 637

“The Wolves” Play by Sarah DeLappe

Before the last game, the mother of the deceased girl approached the girls and made a delirious speech about her daughter and the team's cohesion.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 957

Hamlet’s Parental Relationships

The death of his father, the actions of his mother and his existing relationship with his uncle all have Hamlet confused regarding the true nature of the world.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1716

The Ghosts in Homer’s The Odyssey

I find the ghost one of my favorite because of the hope and information he gives Odysseus."The ghost reveals to Odysseus that Poseidon was busy punishing and killing the Achaeans ". From the encounter with [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 565

Critical Analysis of Oedipus Rex

The advancement of art in the Greek cities cannot be compared to any in the other civilizations that existed at the time. Most of Sophocles' plays emphasize the tragedies of life and the pain inherent [...]
  • 4.3
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1189

Betrayal in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”

The betrayer, Macbeth betrays the King, friend and other subjects in the kingdom. However when Macbeth is told he has just been chosen as the Thane of Cawdor, scenes of the possibilities of him as [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 887

Shakespeare: Hamlet

The scene that is the subject of this report refers to a scene in the play that takes place at the graveyard following the death of Ophelia.
  • 5
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1446

The Literature of the Renaissance Period

The main features of the Renaissance culture which also determine the elements of the Renaissance literature are the philosophy of humanism, the secular character of the art pieces, and the orientation on the antique patterns.
  • 2
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1383

“The Odyssey” by Homer

Throughout the story, there is a constant struggle of the growing Telemachus to imitate the actions of his father and then eventually become like him that he comes to an end of his journey.
  • 4
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 605

Minor Characters in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”

Some of the stories that the reader comes to know, about some people or events in the play, come inform of narrations from the minor characters. The minor characters give most of the information known [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 929

Hamlet’s Choice of Fortinbras as His Successor

Choice of Fortinbras is an act to usurp his place as the rightful king and avenge for the injustice done to Fortinbras, as well as him. Another reason could be an act to reconcile with [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 948

Drama Analysis: A Doll’s House

This paper analyses the position of a woman in society, the aspect of social life as well as the importance of responsibility in the drama A Doll's House.
  • 5
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1938

The Play “All My Sons” by Arthur Miller

As a result, the play depicts a family in which a son, Chris Keller, is dissatisfied with his father and unable to regard his father, Joe Keller, as a responsible citizen for the country to [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 554

Shakespeare versus Olivier: A Depiction of ‘Hamlet’

The presentation of the Ghost in the film builds the main theme of revenge and tragedy. Olivier shows that the Oedipus complex is a crucial aspect in understanding the play especially the character of Hamlet [...]
  • 4.5
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2683

Hamlet & Laertes: Fathers’ Death Reactions

King Hamlet's ghost then informs prince Hamlet of the person who killed him; consequently, Hamlet accepts the ghost's demands, swears his accomplices to secrecy and reveals to them his intention of killing the king to [...]
  • 4
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1266

The Play “Fences” by August Wilson

It is hard to disagree that different historical and cultural contexts in literary works allow for a better understanding of the meanings and plots implied by the authors.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 942

Concept of Power in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”

While The government is the system that makes laws and ensures that they are followed, it is the person who wields power who is responsible for the equality and impartiality of its enforcement.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 825

“The Other Shore” Play by Xingjian Gao

Despite the many themes that can be highlighted in The Other Shore, it should be considered primarily in the context of the cultural and political events in China at the time of writing this work.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 859

“The Zoo Story” by Edward Albee

The final part of the play shows some sort of fight for the "bench domination" which is started by Jerry and when he takes knife out of his pocket and tries to stick it into [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1316

“Under Milk Wood” Play by Dylan Thomas

One of the interesting structural points of the play is that narration in the play is being led by two voices: one presenting the listener with the real day life activities of the character and [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 553

Trifles by Susan Glaspell

Through the drama, it is possible to see the attitude of the author to the issue as well as her views since her literature presents her feelings and her opinion on the sensitive social matters.
  • 5
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1900

“Trifles”: Mrs. Peters Character

Peters reveals and enriches itself throughout the play: initially embodying the quality of obedience, with time she demonstrates the power of observance and attention to small things and consequently achieves a triumph over the male [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 658

Comparing Dr. Faustus and Hamlet

Hamlet kills numerous characters in the play and this goes to show his excessive pride or in other words his sin of pride.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 783

“She Stoops to Conquer” by Oliver Goldsmith

The further development of the art of theatre took place in the Roman Empire that brought this art to a higher level of development and gave the basis for the history of the European medieval [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1056

The Play “Fool for Love” by Sam Shepard

The following paper aims to analyze themes from the play, identify the connections to the concept of identity, and determine whether the reality they are dealing with offers them a possibility to live the American [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2228

Mystery in “Trifles” Play by Susan Glaspell

But the gentlemen who are actually supposed to find out the motive and solve the case are not able to succeed in reaching the depth of the matter, as they lack the sympathetic view which [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1455
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