Essays and Research Papers on All Shakespeare

A 3 page paper which examines gender roles in Elizabethan times as seen through Othello. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 5 page essay discusses the role of gender in Shakespeare's "Othello," and its interaction with race and class. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 5 page paper discusses "Assaulted and Pursued Chastity" by Margaret Cavendish and "The Taming of the Shrew" by Shakespeare and how they use dress to represent human sexuality and gender relationships. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 6 page essay that argues that Shakespeare's portrayal of women in The Merchant of Venice and in Much Ado About Nothing shows that he considered women to be capable of showing intelligence and loyalty to equal any man. Beatrice through her loyalty to Hero and Portia in her dramatic defense of her husband's friend, ...

An 11 page paper which analyzes the character of Lady Percy in "Henry IV: Act I," and Queen Margaret in "Richard III." The paper argues that they are not your traditional female characters, in terms of gender definition of the Renaissance period, as was often the case with Shakespeare's women. The paper provides an examination of gender concerns in Shakespeare ...

This 4 page paper considers the gender roles in “Twelfth Night” and “Much Ado About Nothing,” and argues that the non-traditional couples seem to be much happier and better suited than the couples who followed the “rules” of society. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

In four pages this paper examines the representation of gender in this Shakespearean tragedy. Two sources are listed in the bibliography.

A 6 page essay that discusses women and gender within two of plays, As You Like It and Twelfth Night, focusing on the roles of Rosalind and Viola. The writer explores what these roles tell modern audiences about Elizabethan gender expectations and the writer argues that Shakespeare sidestepped such societal conventions through the device of ...

This 5 page report discusses Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and compares the degrees of madness experienced by both the characters of Hamlet and Ophelia. It may have been the appearance of madness that truly drove both characters crazy. They may have also been driven insane by all the evil and treachery surrounding them. Of course, Hamlet pays heavily for creating the madness ...

The comedies of Shakespeare are often the forum for comment concerning the assignment of gender roles that were true for the Elizabethan society of which he was a part. Under the auspices of the pen and the play he was able to portray women in ways that were not generally acceptable. The characters of Rosalind ...

A 3 page essay that discusses gender relationships in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The writer discusses how, for the sake of love, Hermia defies her father’s wishes and risks death and Helena risks social ostracism. This contrasts sharply with the behavior of the men in the play, who tend to either uphold the societal status ...

A 5 page research paper that investigates how Shakespeare's use of tone in these plays demonstrates his opinion of honor and the Elizabeth gender responses to it. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 10 page paper examines the role of women in Virginia Woolf's novel "To the Lighthouse" and Shakespeare's play "Hamlet," and argues that in each work women are portrayed in both traditional and non-traditional gender roles. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 3 page essay on the theme of love in Twelfth Night and how it is not particularly selective of gender. The writer argues that the play is Shakespeare's attempt to show us "what we are versus what we think we are." Specific examples relevant to Orsino, Olivia, and Viola, are used to illustrate points ...

A 5 page paper analyzing the twin motifs of blood and land in Shakespeare's Richard II. The paper shows that the play was really designed to argue that lineage was not necessarily the best determinant of good government in order to uphold his own sovereign's legitimate title to the throne. No additional sources cited.

This 6 page paepr is a close examination of two speeches in Shakespeare's history play, "The First Part of Henry IV," one by King Henry and one by Prince Hal. It examines the speeches and what they tell us about the two men. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 3 page paper discusses the history of the First Folio of Shakespeare's works and the controversy surrounding it. Includes short expository speech. Bibliography lists 12 sources.

A seven page paper which takes a New Historicist critical perspective on Shakespeare's history plays, with particular reference to the Henry plays and Richard III. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

This 5 page paper looks at David Scott Kastan's piece entitled "'The Duke of Milan/ And his brave son': Old Histories and New in The Tempest" and opposes it. The importance of politics and colonialism in Shakespearean literature is discussed. No additional sources cited.

A 5 page paper which examines how Shakespeare recounted the history of Richard III in his play. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 3 page essay that analyzes the role of Caliban in Shakespeare's The Tempest. Throughout the play, Caliban is relegated to sub-human status in the European perspective. Examination of Shakespeare's use of Caliban provides insight into the European mindset of this period, while also showing that while Shakespeare was a product of his era--in that ...

A 4 page paper which examines the shared flaws of these plays’ protagonists – King Oedipus, Othello, Willy Loman, and Vivian Bearing – the warning signs of these flaws, and how they manifest themselves. No additional sources are used.

This 3 page paper discusses the way in which their honesty ruins Cordelia, Kent and Gloucester in Shakespeare’s “King Lear.” Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines how the play can be regarded as a commentary on the law and its limits and also as a political allegory. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page analysis of a short passage in the second act of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”, in which Gonzalo outlines his ideas for the ideal kingdom. The paper argues that Gonzalo’s ideas are completely unworkable, not only because they go against the laws of physical nature, but because they violate human nature as well. ...