The Role of the Ghost in Hamlet Essay Example for Free

The Role of the Ghost in Hamlet Essay The ghost is a symbol of instability in Denmark and it is the omen which signifies to Denmark that something is wrong. In Shakespeares play, to Hamlet, the ghost is a symbol of his father whom he has great admiration for, as he numerously refers to his father as a Greek God: Hyperion, and constantly measures the discrepancy between his father and Claudius: Hyperion to Satyr. The greatest juxtaposition of the two opposites serves to emphasis the salient differences between the two characters. * The ghost, who is a very image of Hamlet Senior: a figure like your father is able to take advantage of As a result of Hamlets admiration for his father. It is the ghost who encourages Hamlet to murder Claudius in order to avenge his fathers death: Revenge this foul and most unnatural murder! The pejorative words used to illustrate the ghosts opinion of murder highlight his disapproval of the murder. He dramatizes the moment, saying 0 list, list, 0 list1If thou didst ever thy dear father love. Shakespeare uses various literary elements to add-emFive power to the role of the ghost; for example, the ghost criticizes the murder, referring to ~tas most foul, strahge and unnatural. The groups of three M e r fuel Hamlet to murder the king. Ironically despite of his apparent disapproval of murder, he wants Hamlet to commit the same task. This may cause the audience to question the motives of the ghost, which seem hypocritical. The ghost continues with a battering of mixed messages when he condemns to Queen for her sexual depravity: thy most seeming-virtuous queen loved prey on garbage. However following this, he tells Hamlet to not think badly of his mother, as Heaven will deal with her actions: Taint not thy mind nor let thy soul contrive / Against thy mother aught, leave her to heaven / And to those thorns that her bosom lodge / To prick and sting her. The violent imagery he uses only further heightens Hamlets disgust at his mothers actions. The metaphor of thorns in her bosom is an antithesis because the bosom and rose are symbols of femininity, but the prick and sting2epict the idea of pain (as well as phallic references); and since Hamlet is so influenced by his father (in the fonn of a ghost), his hatred for his mother increases. These conflicting ideas haunt Hamlet later in the play, when he is confused to how he should treat his mother: I will speak daggers to her but use none. His ambivalence between acting violently but not actually using that violence is shownwhen Hamlets procrastinates in killing Claudius. Though he mentions that his thoughts are bloody he never manages to translate these thoughts into action, partly due to the contradicting views the ghost has planted in him. Overall, the role of the ghost is to encourage Hamlets obsessive thoughts about his mothers marriage to his uncle, as well as to foreshadow fateful events to follow.

Innocence in Daisy Miller :: Henry James, Daisy Miller

The story of Daisy Miller, by Henry James, is told by a male narrator. This male figure serves to reveal the deep seated stasis in much social interaction which existed in the Nineteenth Century. Winterbourne is the protagonist and 'filters' through his impressions of the heroine Daisy Miller so that we never see Daisy except through the qualifying prose of Winterbourne himself. Thus by the end of the tale, we feel we have not met Daisy at all. We have only caught glimpses of this transient 'flower' almost in spite of the suffocating prevarications of Winterbourne's 'frozen' eye! We feel thwarted by the elusiveness of this heroine! "Poor Winterbourne was amused, perplexed, and decidedly charmed. He had never yet heard a young girl express herself in just this fashion; never, at least, save in cases where to say such things seemed a kind of demonstrative evidence of a certain laxity of deportment. And yet was he to accuse Miss Daisy Miller of actual or potential inconduite, as they said at Geneva? He felt that he had lived at Geneva so long that he had lost a good deal; he had become dishabituated to the American tone. Never, indeed, since he had grown old enough to appreciate things, had he encountered a young American girl of so pronounced a type as this. Certainly she was very charming; but how deucedly sociable! Was she simply a pretty girl from New York State- were they all like that, the pretty girls who had a good deal of gentlemen's society? Or was she also a designing, an audacious, an unscrupulous young person? Winterbourne had lost his instinct in this matter, and his reason could not help him. Miss D aisy Miller looked extremely innocent. Some people had told him that, after all, American girls were exceedingly innocent; and others had told him that, after all, they were not. He was inclined to think Miss Daisy Miller was a flirt- a pretty American flirt. He had never, as yet, had any relations with young ladies of this category. He had known, here in Europe, two or three women- persons older than Miss Daisy Miller, and provided, for respectability's sake, with husbands- who were great coquettes- dangerous, terrible women, with whom one's relations were liable to take a serious turn. But this young girl was not a coquette in that sense; she was very unsophisticated; she was only a pretty American flirt.

Story of Medusa and Athena

Story of Medusa and Athena A long time ago, Once upon a time there was this beautiful Professor by the name of Harris. Harris stayed in the country by the name of Greece in the city of Athens. Professor Harris was considered the most lovely looking girl within a city full of pretty looking girls. Harris was exceedingly proud of her beauty, unfortunately and rarely talk or thought about anything else. Every day she would brag about how beautiful she is and how pretty she looks. Day after day her bragging became more and more out of hand.On one, Sunday, Professor Harris bragged to her friends about how her looks were better looking than the snow that has freshly fallen on the ground and trees. Monday, she was talking to the cobbler and told him that the sun was not as bright as her golden hair which glowed. On Tuesday, the son of the black smith overheard the commented made by her about the Aegean Sea and her eyes. Harris thinks her eyes are greener then the sea. By Wednesday, she was at again with her boasting, but this time it was not to one or even two but everyone at the public gardens.She told the public that the reddest of red roses does not have anything on her red lips. When Harris was not too busy sharing with everyone she came in contact with her thoughts on just how beautiful she is. Harris loved to gaze in the mirror at her lovely reflection. She would admired herself for hours each morning with her hand held mirror as she comb her hair. She would even admired herself in her darkened window each evening for hours as she got ready for bed. Professor Harris would even stopped every afternoon at the well to admire herself as she got her dad horses water. Forgetting often to fetch the water in her distraction.Professor Harris went on about how beautiful she was to everyone and anyone who would give her the time of day long enough to hear it from her. She went on and on until she made her first visit to the Parthenon one day with some friends. The Partheno n is where the largest temple for the goddess Athena in all the land. The Parthenon was decorated by the awesome painting and sculptures. The people who came to the Parthenon is awed by the beauty of the place. They could not keep from thinking of how grateful they were to Athena, which was known as the goddess of wisdom, for watching over their city of Athens and for inspiring them.Everyone, that is, except Harris. When Harris first saw the sculptures, she thought and said that i would have been a much better subject for this sculptor besides Athena. the artwork that she saw While she was there, made her comment to her freinds that the artist had done a superb job on the goddess bushy eyebrows considering they were not hers. harris could only imagine how much more astounding the painting have been if it was of someone as beautiful as professor Harris. And when Harris came to the altar Harris laugh happily and said, this is my gorgeous temple.This is a shame the temple was wasted on Athena, because i'm so much prettier than Athena is – perhaps may be some day people are to construct a grander temple to admire my beauty. the statement made by Harris made her friends turn green. Harris comments were overheard by the priestesses. The people began to Whispers throughout the whole temple and immediately the people began to exit the temple. the people that knew Athena. Knew that she loved watching over Athens Citizens and they became extremely afraid of what was going to happen after the goddess had overheard Harris rash remarks.Before long the temple was empty of everyone except Medusa, who was so busy gazing proudly at her reflection in the large bronze doors that she hadn't noticed the swift departure of everyone else. Theimage she was gazing at wavered and suddenly, instead of her own features, it was the face of Athena that Medusa saw reflected back at her. â€Å"Vain and foolish girl,† Athena said angrily, â€Å"You think you are prettier than I am! I doubt it to be true, but even if it were — there is more to life than beauty alone. While others work and play and learn, you do little but boast and admire yourself. Medusa tried to point out that her beauty was an inspiration to those around her and that she made their lives better by simply looking so lovely, but Athena silenced her with a frustrated wavâ€Å"Nonsense,† Athena retorted, â€Å"Beauty fades swiftly in all mortals. It does not comfort the sick, teach the unskilled or feed the hungry. And by my powers, your loveliness shall be stripped away completely. Your fate shall serve as a reminder to others to control their pride. †And with those words Medusa’s face changed to that of a hideous monster.Her hair twisted and thickened into horrible snakes that hissed and fought each other atop her head. â€Å"Medusa, for your pride this has been done. Your face is now so terrible to behold that the mere sight of it will turn a man to stone,â⠂¬  proclaimed the goddess, â€Å"Even you, Medusa, should you seek your reflection, shall turn to rock the instant you see your face. †And with that, Athena sent Medusa with her hair of snakes to live with the blind monsters — the gorgon sisters — at the ends of the earth, so that no innocents would be accidentally turned to stone at the sight of her.

The Civil Rights Era Of The United States - 1141 Words

Gandhi said, â€Å"Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.† (Gandhi). The Civil Rights era was filled with a slew of various protests attempting to bring equality to the African American race in the United States. During this period in history, African American people of all social classes and places across the country were racially oppressed and were denied basic rights that were available to their Caucasian counterparts. People began to protest this oppression and decided to fight back against the suppression held upon them by law and by societal norms. The injustice of these laws and acts was battled via a medium of peaceful protest, a way to cause the single voice of the masses not only to be heard, but for the voices of these people to make change and fight for change, not only to accept being less but to fight for what they deserved. These protests were not lim ited to just marches, people across the nation united to make a statement and to fight for what they knew was right in every way they could. They refused to leave restaurants when they were not served. These people refused to accept that they were treated as less, and they did not stop when faced with violence. In the face of bigotry, abhorrence, and loathing they stood tall and fought for the rights they deserved, so that they too could have the rights that the whites had. These protests were met withShow MoreRelatedThe American Civil War1418 Words   |  6 PagesGuns fired, smoke lingering in the air, people dying. The American Civil War had a huge impact on the United States. Two compromises took place before the start of the Civil War. These compromises include the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. The Missouri Compromise dealt with the crisis in 1819 over Missouri entering the Union as a slave state. 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Throughout the time period, three new constitutional amendments were created, education was expanded, and the black population was able to participate in politics at a notable level for the first time in American history. However, like all social movements, there was ultimately pushback to Reconstruction policies. Although the Reconstruction Era led to some changesRead MorePolicy Project : Women s Rights1603 Words   |  7 PagesPolicy Project Part 1: Women’s Rights Policy Analysis History The first public demand for the Constitutional Amendment of women’s rights began before the Civil War, however, the Amendment for it has still not been ratified in the United States Constitution. The introduction for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) began in 1848 with the Woman’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls. Over three hundred women and men met and eventually agreed that the resolution for women’s rights should be supported. Many supporters