'Twelfth Night' is an elusive play. It is a combination of both comedy and melancholy but cannot be classed as just one or the other. There are parts such as the letter to Malvolio, which are amusing but then lead to the reader feeling pity for him when he is cruelly treated. Feste is an ...

There are likely as many similarities between these two plays as there are dramatic differences. And yet, both are extremely well- written, both allow the audience to peek into the living rooms and lives of interesting people, and both also put a microscope on socie...

The world was devastated by four years of war in the fall of 1918. Suddenly, a puzzling and fatal plague added to the devastation. The Spanish flu struck people of all ages, and hastily proceeded toward death for its victims. The plague managed to bring home some of the horrors of the war with th...

The Comedy of Errors There are several themes that Shakespeare uses which are only loosely related to the actual comedy. The conflicts between bondage and liberty, law and sympathy, death and rebirth all form a very serious undertone within the play. There is also the serious effect of time. Shake...

Twelfth Night Ben Bonoma As a comedy, Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, is not only meant to entertain its audience but also bring attention to problems in society. One must let go of several realistic concepts before they can truly understand Shakespeare's intentions. The audience...

WILLY RUSSEL'S BLOOD BROTHERS I am writing this essay on how well Willy Russell explores the effect of the class system in Blood Brothers. The play is set in Liverpool in the 1980's and it is about a poor, single mother who has seven children and is heavily pregnant with what she thinks is one b...

What does Malvolio contribute to the play? 'Twelfth Night' is often described as a good-humoured comedy, which features entertaining and humorous characters, like Malvolio. Throughout most of the play Malvolio is seen as a figure of laughter and his contribution to the play is to add e...

The tension of illusion and reality present a tremendous problem for the characters in Moliere's Misanthrope. Another tension, to a lesser extent, is that of love and principle. Throughout the play the characters are saying or thinking one thing, but saying or doing the complete opposite...

Amidst the tone of war around us, and speak of possible defeat, the festival of Dionysos will be held the fall of this great year, 411 BCE. Many ideas of entertainment have been suggested, most of which plays from various credible playwrights. One that has caught my eye in many ways is a work by ...

"To what extent can 'Under Milk Wood' be considered a 'play for voices'?" Under Milk Wood When most people think of a play, they think of dressing up and going to the theatre; costumes; romance and comedy; ice cream at the interval and, of course, pantomimes. D...

Woyzeck, I thought all in all was quite a dry play, regarding its plot and movement. The only really interesting aspect was that of some of the actors, namely "Captain" played by William Heafer and Karl played by Sean Connealy. William did a wonderful job playing the part of Captain. From the fi...

A Feminist Perspective on Measure for Measure "Measure for Measure," is a play about a woman on her knees. It is quite bothersome that her status in the play, socially, morally, and physically, only touches few sympathies. Marcia Reefer would share this bother. In her feminist essay ent...

I think the author was trying to write a drama with some comedy added into it. I think he was trying to say how love prevails over all evil. In the movie two people fall in love and are to be married. A bad character tries to prevent the wedding by setting the girl up. He makes it look like she i...

In Shakespeare's comedy, Taming of the Shrew, Katherine and Bianca are different in their own ways. Katherine is the protagonist of the play and the shrew referenced in the title. She is the daughter of Baptista and the older sister of Bianca. She has no suitors because of her plain appearance...

Amanda Nunn Much Ado about Nothing Comment on the significance of Act IV scene 1 to the rest of the play. How effective do you think it would be on stage? Act IV, scene 1 is the most significant scene in the play, where a sharp comedy turns to near tragedy. The scene can be split into t...

Shaw's comedy Pygmalion presents the unlikely journey of an impoverished flower girl into London's society of the early 20th century. Professor Higgins proposes a wager to his friend Colonel Pickering that he can take a common peddler and transform her into royalty. Eliza Doolit...

Signor Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing Each character in Shakespeare's plays, whether he is a prominent figure or someone who is not even present, serves to add a significant meaning to the plot. All of the characters lend to the variety of emotions present, sparking anger, betrayal, hat...

American Buffalo is a funny play. It doesn't overflow with jokes, but develops sustained humour from the rhythm of the dialogue, a rolling punch line that builds for an hour and a half. It's hard to nail down. Imagine someone who doesn't understand English listening to Lenny Bruce on a riff. The...

The play that I chose to critique for my out of class performance is "On Golden Pond" by Ernest Thompson. This particular version of the play was directed by Michael Oberfield. The Company that acted in this play was not specified, but the actors were mostly community veteran actors and acting stu...

The play that I chose to critique for my out of class performance is "On Golden Pond" by Ernest Thompson. This particular version of the play was directed by Michael Oberfield. The Company that acted in this play was not specified, but the actors were mostly community veteran actors and acting stu...

Real Women Have Curves Real Women Have Curves by Josefina Lopez is a great comedy. It is the story of Mexican-American, named Ana who is an 18 year-old teenager and is at the turning point of her life. In Real Women Have Curves we see how they address the relationship of Ana and her mother in dif...

NEOCLASSICISM Millamant and Mirabell, as coquette and beu, engage in the witty sparring typical of the lover's in Comgreve's Restoration comedies. However, their discussion of marriage strikes an unsually serious note. What is their concept of marriage? How does this conception func...

Comradeship is a very important theme in Journey's End determining much of the atmosphere of the play and the interrelations between characters. Throughout the play Sherriff explores how differing backgrounds and roles within the army can affect the feeling of closeness and trust between the so...

The main character in this play is Shelby a woman who usually falls for the wrong type, romantically linked to Tyrel, a promiscuous man. Also supporting characters are Debra, friend to Shelby, married to Leonard, friend to Tyrel. The play was written in 1999 as a subsequent to the successful novel...

Evaluation Of The production Blood Brothers The production I went to see was Blood Brothers. The version I saw was performed at the Regent Theatre and written by Willy Russell it was a scripted piece and was written for young adults as some concepts would be unsuitable for children. We watched thi...