Wit and Humor in Shakespeares Twelfth Night free essay sample

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare is a romantic comedy set in Illyria during the Christmas season. The article analysis is a critique on the elements of folly and foolery in Shakespeare’s twelfth night. We will write a custom essay sample on Wit and Humor in Shakespeares Twelfth Night or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As defined in the critique, a fool can be â€Å"a silly or foolish person† or â€Å"one who professionally counterfeits folly for the entertainment of others, a jester, a clown†. In the analysis of the subject in twelfth night, the writer highlights that although Feste is the only professional fool in the play, many others are also subject to foolery. He then goes on to discuss the importance of Feste as a figure of comedic truth in the play and his relationships with the other characters such as: Malvolio who is seen as his antagonist, Maria who is described as his companion and Sir Toby Belch like Feste has a tendency to encourage mischief. The writer’s intention in the piece was to evaluate the idea of there being more than one fool in Shakespeare’s twelfth night. It is as a result of their combined humour and wit why the play works. He sees that during the festive season in Illyria most of the main characters are subject to foolery. Critic Stephanie Chidester in her article Twelfth Night: Motley Medley agrees with the critic as she says that â€Å"The actions and words of almost all the play’s characters fit the recognized behavior of a fool†. In my opinion the author makes a logical deduction as using his definitions of a fool I could classify all the main characters as being foolish or subjects to folly. Other than the four characters highlighted by the writer in the analysis Orsino, Viola, Olivia and Sir Andrew are all fools in some way or another. For example Orsino is foolish in his pursuit of Olivia appearing to be more in love with love itself than the woman he claims to be in love with. He does not know her, has never met her yet he declares his deep love for her. He is in love with the idea of her. Viola is foolish because of the situation her cross dressing has gotten her in as she finds herself in love with a man that she cannot tell she loves due to her disguise. Olivia like Orsino is also proven to be foolish as her promise to mourn a dead brother for seven years is excessive and abnormal. Sir Andrew Aguecheek also qualifies as the only natural fool in the play, which is seen through his slow-witted speech and foolish behavior. An example of this is seen in Act 1 scene 3 where Sir Andrew bemoans his lack of wit by saying maybe it’s because he eats too much beef. However, the writer of the analysis fails to explore all the other characters in the play that were subject to foolery instead he focuses mainly on Feste who most critics refer to as the easy and obvious fool and therefore missed the opportunity to justify his point thereby spoiling its effectiveness. In the critical piece the writer makes some valid points although most of them lack supporting evidence. In the first paragraph he makes the point that â€Å"Feste and the other characters in the play combine their silly acts and wits to invade other characters that evade reality or rather realize a dream. † This establishes one of the playwright’s main theme appearance vs. reality as when characters try to escape from reality it is up to the other characters in the play to correct this by bringing them back to reality. An example of this is found in Act 2 scene 3 where Sir Toby, a nobleman, scolds Malvolio and reminds him he is just a servant when Malvolio rebukes Sir Toby a nobleman for his unruly behavior. This shows Sir Toby brings Malvolio down from his â€Å"dream† of acting above his station, reminding him of the status quo and gives him a reality check by reminding him that he is simply a servant. However it is my belief that Shakespeare uses the disorderly, uncivil drunkard Sir Toby as a foil to Malvolio who represents self discipline and Moderation. While his foil Sir Toby represents self indulgence and excess and Shakespeare shows the downsides of both qualities through Malvolio and Sir Toby. According to critic Lauren Stranahan â€Å"Shakespeare uses the contrasting characters of Sir Toby and Malvolio to display the battle between excess and restraint, ending with the final idea that leaning too far to either direction will eventually end in displeasure† Shakespeare shows in Twelfth Night that being too restrain like Malvolio can lead to a individual being loathed by his companions like Malvolio who was loathed by the other servants. While being to indulgent, like Sir Toby, can cause out of control situations where someone gets hurt. For example Sir Andrew who was injured after being goaded into fighting Cesario by Sir Toby. In his third paragraph the critic makes the point that Feste is â€Å"the comic truth of the comedy† In my opinion this is indeed a logical statement as Feste is the one who is able to revel the truth of their actions to the characters in a humorous way. According to Alan S. Downer â€Å"Feste is allowed to speak freely and peel away the pretenses of the characters. The critic uses the example in Act 1 Scene 5 to prove his point where Feste reveals to Olivia the foolishness behind her decision to mourn her brother for seven years while her beauty fades. Feste believes that since Olivia thinks her brother’s soul is in heaven she should mourn no more. Feste is also the first person that suspects viola of her disguise and makes her aware of his suspicions. Based on the definitions given by the writer, Feste in my opinion is not the â€Å"stereotypical fool† or what you would expect a fool to be he is in fact a wise character. He is a source of laughter but not at his own expense, he amuses the audience at the expense of the other characters. Conventionally he reflects the role of the fool in the Elizabethan period. Feste is sensitive of his profession and is always aware of the circumstances he is in and the appropriateness of his folly. An example of this is seen in Act 2 scene 4, where we see Feste using his wit to subtly insult Duke Orsino who fitting the profile of a fool, lacks the intellect to realize he has been insulted. Feste reveals to both the audience and Duke Orsino that he is inconsistent in his thought, though Orsino does not realize this. This is an example of Feste bridging the gap between the audience and the characters in the play as although he is in the scene and plays a character is able to look on and comment as if he were actually in audience observing the other characters. With Feste’s help, we are able to attain a better understanding of the other characters in the play as he reveals their true personalities, which are ambiguous, not only to us, the audience, but also to the characters themselves. Therefore bridging the gap between the audience and the characters in the play and also breaking the barriers of class and convention. The writer’s comment that Malvolio is â€Å"Feste’s worst nightmare† is an unclear and unsupported statement and this gives the reader the impression that Malvolio has a personal vendetta against Feste. Malvolio is the prototypical puritan who threatens to wipe out folly altogether, in himself and in everyone else; he represents the â€Å"rationale man† who is unable to understand the fool that he has made himself out to be. The writer’s comment about Malvolio being the only character to experience â€Å"dignity reversed† is unproven in the text as the writer has not taken into consideration Olivia who threw herself at Cesario a servant and Orsino who continue to pursue Olivia despite her obvious message of not being interested. The writer doesn’t even begin to describe Sir Andrew Aguecheek who is the only natural fool in the play. Shakespeare uses these characters to symbolize the essence of twelfth Night as a time where the rules and normality of the society are cast to the wind. The critic accuses Maria of being an â€Å"undercover fool† who uses others to do her bidding. While Maria did get Feste, Fabian and Sir Toby in her plan she was not just a bystander since it was her forged letters that played I a key role in the prank. However if Maria is considered a fool because of these actions then why isn’t Viola whose disguise causes the confusion and the love triangle in the play not also considered a fool or Olivia who forgets her dignity and pursues a servant when a duke is trying to woo her. The writer gives the impression that the play resolves around the prank when in reality the prank is apart of the subplot. In my opinion not only does Shakespeare use Maria to bring out a key aspect of humor in the play with the prank but he also uses Maria as a balancing character. Maria is able to not only chastise Sir Toby and Sir Andrew for their drunken behavior but also to take part in their festivity. She is able to show the reader the balance between excess and moderation. The writer illogically concludes that at the end of the play â€Å"No harm is done as reviewers of this text we know that at the end of the play Antonio and Malvolio do not receive their happy ending. As Antonio is arrested in the end and Malvolio is ridiculed by the entire household. However, in true Shakespearean style the overall structure of the play as a comedy remains constant as Malvolio and Antonio’s unhappiness is overshadowed by the fact that Orsino and viola are married as well as Olivia and Sebastian are married. Despite the validity of several of the writers points his lack of supporting evidence lead to the points losing their effectiveness. Also, despite his in-depth analysis of Feste he doesn’t discuss the characters use of wit or what was humorous about the characters actions that according to him â€Å"made the comedy work† he could gave justified his point by using examples such as the witty word play between viola and Feste or Sir Toby’s coarse humor. However, in my opinion the success of the play is brought about by the humorous situations the characters find themselves in for example the love triangle that forms as a result of viola’s disguise. This is a common plot element in most of Shakespeare’s plays the characters must overcome the obstacles and situations that are stopping them from reaching their dreams. Shakespeare under the guise of humorous language and witty characterization is able to present the dangers of human shortcomings, relationships and love in an Illyrian setting where characters are free to reveal their true selves without normal social limitations. He is able to present the dangers of self indulgence through the characters Olivia and Orsino. He is able to warn about the folly of ambition through Malvolio. It is Shakespeare’s ability as a creative genius to use humorous language and complex witty characters to create a romantic comedy that also reveals dark truths about society that makes the play a success. In Twelfth Night most of the characters are subjected to some level of foolery. In an Analysis of fools the writer explores the way the play is controlled through comedic actions by the so called â€Å"fools† of the play. The writer’s evaluation of folly and foolery in the play is somewhat logical and sound. Twelfth Night takes the routine of ordinary life and moves it to the realm of folly. As Feste said â€Å"Foolery, Sir, does walk about the orb, like the sun, it shines everywhere† and we the reader see this all throughout twelfth night.

The History of the Valentines Day Origins

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Health and Life Sciences - 8000 word Dissertation 'To Investigate the Essay

Health and Life Sciences - 8000 word Dissertation 'To Investigate the Spiritual Significance Walking has for Older People' - Essay Example The researcher also had to wade through many previous literatures, online articles, journals, and so on to help support this research. The thesis of this research supports the spiritual significance of walking and it writes thus, â€Å"The proposed research claims that walking as a physical exercise exerts a predominant influence in people and it causes for inculcating spirituality among older people.† This is a secondary research based on a qualitative study for which various diagrams and the view points of physiologists, psychologists and other writers have been included. Another notable thing that the researcher attempts to convey through this dissertation is that the term ‘spirituality’ has undergone changes during the course of time and as such, nowadays we do not entirely connect it to religion, as practiced in ancient times. The post-modern concept of spirituality is different that it now describes spirituality as ‘connectedness to nature’ or ‘connected to environment.’ The proposed study is based on the post-modern concept of spirituality on religious grounds. The researcher has attempted his best to justify the topic through different diagrams and the perceptions of the members of different walking groups. All through the research, the researcher has endeavored to keep the morality of the research. The researcher has assured the participants that all the information collected for the purpose of this research will be kept highly confidential. An official document will be prepared for the researcher. The st udy also ensures that the researcher is aware of his/her right to keep and maintain collected data with its significance. This paper adopts the traditional style of dissertation papers and the study is concluded by stating that walking as a physical exercise exerts a predominant influence in people and it causes for inculcating spirituality among older

HIV in Nursing Issue according to Different Research Works Annotated Bibliography

HIV in Nursing Issue according to Different Research Works - Annotated Bibliography Example Even if the study of Taher and Abdelhai (2011) refers to a specific part of the population, the nurses, it could be effectively used for controlling the expansion of HIV in various social and professional groups. The research conducted by Taher and Abdelhai (2011) was divided into three phases: in the first phase, the two nursing groups were asked to complete a questionnaire (p.145). During the ‘health education intervention’ (p.145) that followed, nurses were given material related to HIV. After the completion of the above program, nurses were asked to complete another questionnaire (p.145). The comparison of the pre-session and after-session questionnaires helped the researchers to identify the role of IEC programs in controlling the expansion of HIV among nurses. It was proved that the intervention led to the increase of awareness of nurses in regard to HIV. An important increase of the general knowledge score was reported: From 7.29 before the intervention to 8.01 after the intervention (p.146). Also, undergraduates seemed to be more benefited by the intervention than the postgraduate nurses (p.146). The IEC programs can be effective in controlling the expansion of HIV within various social groups. The perceptions of nurses on caring and communicating with people that suffer from HIV can influence the performance of nurses in regard to the above activities. It is probably for this reason that Stavropoulou et al. (2011) have decided to focus on the particular subject. A key issue, also explored in the study mentioned above, is a potential effect on education on caring for people with HIV. The research has been conducted through a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to nurses of the Technological Educational Institution of Crete, Greece. In total, 100 questionnaires were completed (p.291). A high percentage of the participants, about 40%, stated concerns for caring people with HIV (p.291).  

Five different sources of risk capital financing Research Paper

Five different sources of risk capital financing - Research Paper Example One of the most common sources of risk capital financing has been the angel investing. Most small companies that are starting have endeavored to in various online platforms with the aim of raising money. Ordinarily, an angel investor which involves equity finance uses their individual disposable finance to make their personal decision about making the investment. Normally shares are taken by the investor into the business in return for providing equity finance. This is with the aim of not only providing business with money to grow, but also bringing their experience and knowledge to help the company achieve success. This is the most significant source of investment in start up and early stage businesses in search of equity to grow the business and other investments. (Anonymous, 2010) Another source includes the venture capital. Normally venture capital aims at adding value in addition to the capital, towards the companies in which they invest. This reveals efforts of these investors to help the business grow and realize a greater return on the venture that has been undertaken. Ordinarily, venture capital is a type of equity financing that addresses the funding needs of entrepreneurs and companies that fails to seek capital from more traditional sources that includes public markets and banks. (SBA, 2012)This could be because of size, assets, and stage of development of the business. As discussed it can be noticed that angel investment differs significantly from venture capital finance that invests in businesses via managed funds that has been raised either through private or public money.Normaly,the venture entrepreneur director will invests the money on behalf of the fund. The capitalist should ensure that the investment is profitable and that it makes returns for the fund’s investors.Normaly,venture capital funds are more risk averse compared with angel investors’ and thus make fewer small investments in start

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Impact of Demographics on Population Health Santos, Juan Nicholas V. 12000773 The demographics of a population have significant impacts on health planning, implementation, and evaluation of health interventions. One of the relevant factors that affect the following is age. 20% of New Zealanders are aged 0-14 and 25.7% are 55 years old and above. These age groups are the age groups that are more in need of healthcare and they comprise 45.7% of the New Zealand population. This means that the healthcare planning of New Zealand likely revolves around these age groups without overlooking the needs of the other age groups as well. The political climate in New Zealand is relatively stable compared to the Philippines. The New Zealand population see their government as a body that is protecting them and their interests. The New Zealand government protects the population by providing free healthcare for residents and citizens. They also give benefits and housing to residents who are unemployed, and this also affects the health of the population. The healthcare facilities in New Zealand are accessible to every member of the population and they do a very good job in taking care of the population especially people who belong to the workforce through the ACC. New Zealand is very tolerant towards the religious beliefs of the population. This affects the health planning, implementing, and evaluation because most religions have some sort of restriction on their followers. For example, some religions do not allow blood transfusions and this directly affects the health of the individual especially in a life threatening situation. The tolerance of New Zealand to different beliefs has a positive impact on health because you will feel accepted within the society. This leads to a positive outlook and will lead to improved self-esteem, which will then lead to increased productivity at work or in school. This affects the health planning of New Zealand because of religious restrictions. Since New Zealand is very tolerant and respectful of the religions of the population, they formulate a plan around these restrictions in order for the intervention to be available to all. Human Values that are being applied in New Zealand affect the overall health of the population. Honesty, equality, and fairness are enduring values in New Zealand. This affects the implementation of health interventions because nobody is trying to get a leg up on other people. New Zealanders believe in equal opportunity for the population and this is also related to health because there is an equal opportunity for access to healthcare. This affects the implementation because it makes the implementation phase easier for the healthcare professionals in making sure that everybody who needs healthcare is addressed. In comparison to the Philippines, when there are 100 blister packs of medicine for 100 people, more often than not there will be a shortage towards the end of the line because people who get theirs first tend to get more than what they are supposed to get. Ethnicity plays a major role in health because there are diseases that are more prevalent among specific ethnic groups. For example, sickle cell disease is more prevalent among Africans than any other ethnicity. This affects the health planning because even though they are a minority in New Zealand, we still have to give consideration to their being at risk to specific diseases. For the Maori people, they give importance to their language and land and they believe that the land and their language protect them from illness. This may affect the health planning and implementation because we have to adapt our interventions to the Maori way in order to be respectful of their culture. It will be easier for us to simply adapt our interventions to their culture rather than adapt their culture to our interventions. Traditions are very important especially with regard to health intervention evaluation. This is because traditional beliefs related to health are often contradictory to western medicine. Muslims, for example, refuse to take their medications from 6am to 6pm during the Ramadan. This hinders our ability to evaluate the effectiveness of the medicine because the timing of the intake of medications is very crucial in determining the effectiveness. They also traditionally believe that they should not disclose their medical history because they may have a less chance at marriage. This hinders our ability to properly assess and identify genetic predisposition to illnesses. A B The public concept of health and illness is shaped by proper health education. The public generally views health as just a state of physical well-being rather than a holistic view on health. Because of this, people tend to disregard symptoms of mental distress or social exclusion without realizing that these also contribute immensely to their health. This also affects the way the public views an illness. The public will view illness as just a state of physical sickness or disease. These misconceptions affect our planned health interventions because what we may view as important to their health, they may not place any importance on. For some people, as long as their bodies can function, they are healthy without taking into consideration the health of their mind or their inclusion within a community. CD The importance that the public puts into health is vital in getting our interventions across to the population because even if we put all our effort, if the population is not interested in what we are doing, our planned interventions will fail. Here in New Zealand, the Maori population places an importance on health. However, according to the ministry of health, 23% of Maori adults fail to see a physician due to the cost. It is somewhat contradicting because 41% of Maori adults are smokers in spite of the fact that 23% of them cannot go to a physician when they need to. Their attitude to healthcare professionals is also a factor on their health because when they have a good doctor-patient or nurse-patient relationships, it encourages them to come back again for a follow-up and enables them to trust their healthcare providers with confidential information that may have an effect on their health. Though New Zealand is a developed country with one of lowest rates of corruption in the world, inequalities still exist especially when it comes to health. There are still people and ethnic groups here in New Zealand that does not have proper access to healthcare. I think culture has the biggest impact on the planning and implementation of health interventions in New Zealand. The Pakeha, Asians, Maoris, Pacific Islanders, and other ethnicities all live in New Zealand as one thriving population. But of all these, the Maori and Pacific Islanders have the highest prevalence of smoking adults, and the lowest life expectancy among all the ethnic groups present in New Zealand. According to the National Health Committee, 39% of all Maori students leave school without earning their qualifications. This is an alarming figure because this only happens to 14% of students from all of the other ethnic groups combined and we all know that if the population has a proper education, this will lead to better socioeconomic status which will then play a major role in determining an individual’s health status. â€Å"References Goodyear, M. (2008) The Significance of Demographic Changes for the Health of the Population and its Need for Health and Related Services. Retrieved from http://www.healthknowledge.org.uk/public-health-textbook/health-information/3a-populations/demographic-changes CIA World Fact Book. (2014) Age Structure. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2010.html The National Advisory Committee on Health and Disability. (June, 1998). The Social, Cultural, and Economic Determinants of Health in New Zealand: Action to Improve Health.

Bi sexuality of emily dickinson Essay examples -- essays papers

Bi sexuality of emily dickinson The inner-workings of Emily Dickinson’s mind continue to be an enigma to literary scholars, worldwide. Dickinson’s agoraphobia caused her to live a solitary and secluded life in her Amherst, Massachusetts home for a large portion of her life. â€Å"She rarely received visitors, and in her mature years she never went out† (Ferguson, et. al.; 1895). It is also known that she was in love with a married man (no one knows for sure exactly who this man was) who eventually ended their relationship and this left her very distraught. Some scholars believe that at one point in her life, Dickinson suffered a nervous breakdown, possibly caused by the break-up of the relationship. A woman named Rebecca Patterson exposed the most dramatic and shocking revelation about Emily Dickinson’s life. Patterson’s discovered that many of the emotional love poems that Dickinson wrote were addressed to women. She published her findings in a 1951 book entitled The Rid dle of Emily Dickinson. It was later found out that Dickinson wrote many letters of sexual fantasy and longing to several women. The most notable of these women was her good friend and sister-in-law, Sue Gilbert. The discovery of Dickinson’s affection for woman does not contradict the fact that she was deeply in love with a man at some point in her life. There are many love poems that Dickinson wrote to men. In today’s society, Emily would probably be considered a bi-sexual. Homoerotic thoughts and tendencies were not a possibility during Dickinson’s time because the idea of homosexuality had yet to be socially constructed. That is the reason she had to hide the true intentions of her poetry. The love poems that Dickinson wrote to men are distinc... ... life. The last four lines in the poem specify the seeking of an emotional attachment to a woman. Dickinson’s reference to the other woman’s heart as a home implies that fact. Other examples of her poetry show that Dickinson was not receiving the emotional support she needed from heterosexual relationships, so she looked for it elsewhere. Emily Dickinson’s poetry not only contributed extensively to the world of literature but it also helped inspire the female voice to break free from the shackles of oppression that society placed upon it. Her writing told women that it was o.k. for them to express their feelings, hardships, and desires no matter how taboo the subject might have been or how negatively society would have perceived them. For these reasons Emily Dickinson’s writings and poetry will continue to be studied and admired by women for generations to come.