William Shakespeare Group at eNotes

This is only partly related to this topic, but I just found out that...

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 19:45:05 PST

This is only partly related to this topic, but I just found out that Bill Bryson - famed travel author of the bestselling A Walk in the Woods - has written a book detailing the life of Shakespeare. I'm a little behind the times, as it was printed about a year ago, but I had heard no word of it. I checked it out from the library this weekend and am eager to delve into it. Maybe he'll have more info on Shakespeare's...

I can give you some pointers and some scenes to look at, but character...

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 13:35:22 PST

I can give you some pointers and some scenes to look at, but character sketches really depend on how you interpret each individual character and his/her actions. A key question in "Julius Caesar" is whether the characters' actions are morally justifiable. Caesar: physically frail, extremely arrogant, but kindly - and, in Shakespeare's play (though not in history), doesn't really do anything wrong. Brutus: called "the noblest...

Check out the links below for some more help. The second link below is...

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 08:43:23 PST

Check out the links below for some more help. The second link below is great! If you're researching this online, make sure your looking up the Shakespearian characters, as Shakespeare took some liberties with his story. In simple terms: Caesar: Though physically weak, he is an arrogant ruler who thinks highly of himself. He will do what he can to win the approval of the people. Brutus: A thoughtful, stoic man who wants to do what is...

I need to write character sketches of Brutus, Cassius, Antony and Caesar.

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 03:22:31 PST

I need to write character sketches of Brutus, Cassius, Antony and Caesar.

No one really knows what killed William Shakespeare. Speculation that he...

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:34:20 PST

No one really knows what killed William Shakespeare. Speculation that he knew death was near is evidenced by the rewriting of his will four weeks before his death. So, whether it was a fever, typhus or simply a combination of the effects of getting older, one source points out," We do know, however, that in a world where plague, syphilis, typhus, scurvy, tuberculosis, smallpox, malaria, dysentery and toothaches shortened a Londoner’s...

At the masked ball, Don John tells the young Claudio that Don Pedro...

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 03:27:31 PST

At the masked ball, Don John tells the young Claudio that Don Pedro is wooing Hero for himself, not for Claudio, which is a lie.Don Pedro and Leonato fix it so Benedict 'overhears' that Beatrice loves him.Don Pedro and Leonato fix it so Beatrice 'overhears' that Benedict loves her.Don John and his cronies fix it so that Claudio thinks Hero is sleeping with another man on her wedding night.The Watch overhear Borrachio and Conrade...

All four plays contain a hero whose stuggle for power and leadership of...

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:10:50 PST

All four plays contain a hero whose stuggle for power and leadership of his country ends tragically . All plays, in their various ways, examine the that stuggle, and the consequences of competing for control over others. "Macbeth" is so hungry for power that he kills the rightful king of Scotland and then both he and his wife suffer the consequences of his actions. "Hamlet" stuggles for power and revenge against his uncle, and, in the as a...

What do "Julius Caesar", "Richard the Third" ,"Hamlet", and "Macbeth"...

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:43:13 PST

My daughter has a homework question. What do "Julius Caesar", "Richard the Third" ,"Hamlet", and "Macbeth" all have in common?

I just saw a program about Shakespeare's death and burial and it was...

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:24:33 PST

I just saw a program about Shakespeare's death and burial and it was fascinating. It was on PBS, I think.

Not a bad way to go...drinking with pals and having a few months to...

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:05:48 PST

Not a bad way to go...drinking with pals and having a few months to reconsider your will...typhus would be no fun, but I'm sure he felt somewhat relieved knowing that he had given his "second best bed" to the right person!

6 acts of gossip and manipulation in the play

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:28:24 PST

In the play "Much Ado About Nothing"

By Shakespeare

It is also possible that Shakespeare had been ill for a while, perhaps...

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:12:34 PST

It is also possible that Shakespeare had been ill for a while, perhaps as early as two or three years before his death (which is around the time that he retired as a playwright). According to this page on eNotes (How did Shakespeare die?), the Bard rewrote his will twice in the months leading up to his death--a pretty good sign that he knew he was seriously ill.

According to www.shakespeare-online.com, Shakespeare died at the age of...

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:49:53 PST

According to www.shakespeare-online.com, Shakespeare died at the age of 52 in April of 1616. He was buried on the 23rd, and written on his tombstone are these lines:Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare,To dig the dust enclosed here.Blessed be the man that spares these stones,And cursed be he that moves my bonesThe cause of his death is a mystery. However, according to www.william-shakespeare.org.uk, a contemporary wrote in his diary that...

Shakespeare's Death

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:13:45 PST

How did William Shakespeare die?

Basically... it means Shakespeare was depressed when he wrote it, but...

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:01:17 PST

Basically... it means Shakespeare was depressed when he wrote it, but also he was in the mood for writing poetry because it is one of his finest!!! Macbeth's wife's just killed herself and he's out of his depth in a bloody, murderous, political campaign mainly organised by her, without her he is lost. He knows his life has just crashed in a major way and he is alone without his partner. Your quote is preceded by the...

Iago is a genius of psychology and manipulation. With the minimum of...

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:11:15 PST

Iago is a genius of psychology and manipulation. With the minimum of effort he sculpts peoples' lives as he wishes. Perhaps in reality he wouldn't be able to 'make his puppets dance' so perfectly, but it's fascinating watching him. And we reluctantly like him because while he shows us that he's surrounded by gullible idiots, he treats us (the audience) as intellectual equals. He takes us behind his 'good honest Iago' mask and says,...

My students always love Iago... although many love to hate him rather...

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:14:04 PST

My students always love Iago... although many love to hate him rather than actually loving him.I think part of the charm is that Iago is just so familiar. We'd all met someone who feels slighted, who feels left out, who feels like people are talking behind his back. Many times, we have been that person. But Iago does what most people leave in the realm of fantasy... he gets revenge. In many ways, I think Cassio almost deserves it. He...

One of the great questions in Macbeth is whether free will or outside...

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 09:27:13 PST

One of the great questions in Macbeth is whether free will or outside forces are responsible for the actions in the play. Do the events unfold simply because Macbeth chooses to become king, or does the supernatural influence his behavior.In my opinion, it is a combination of both. Macbeth had the seeds of desire within him to become king, so therefore, when given the prophecy, he seized the opportunity. His behavior is heavily...

"Others there are, who, trimm'd in forms and visages of duty, Keep...

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:26:18 PST

"Others there are, who, trimm'd in forms and visages of duty, Keep yet their hearts attending on themselves, And throwing but shows of service on their lords Do well thrive by them; and when they have lined their coats, Do themselves homage. These fellows have some soul, And such a one do I profess myself. For, sir, It is as sure as you are Roderigo, Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago.In following him, I follow but myself; Heaven is my...

It has often been suggested that Prospero in The Tempest is the most...

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:51:57 PST

It has often been suggested that Prospero in The Tempest is the most autobiographical of Shakespeare's characters and that the nearest we have to W.S.'s worldview are the opinions of Prospero.