Hamlet - historical and political context Essay Example for Free

Hamlet historical and political context Essay The political and religious upheavals before and after the death of Henry VIII had left their mark on the people of England. The King had done previous un-heard of things: He had divorced two wives and had had two executed. In the brief reigns which followed, persecution, first of the Catholics and then of Protestants, split family allegiances and brought very real danger of imprisonment, torture, even execution. Claimants for the thrown jockeyed for position. Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558 the first successor to her father, Henry Viii had been his young son Edward, ten years of age. As he was still very much under age, he had to rule through Regents. They persisted with the Protestant reforms instituted by his father after his break with the Roman Catholic. Edward died six years after coming to the throne. He was succeeded by his half-sister Mary (Tudor), who died childless after five years as Queen. She had tried to reinstate Roman Catholicism as the state religion. Elizabeth, Marys half sister, although not considered a legitimate heir to the throne, became Queen in 1558 and ruled for 45 years. Although she had been brought up as a Protestant she understood that in view of the recent religious upheaval some compromises some compromises had to be made. The country needed stability and a strong ruler. Her life had been in danger before she became Queen and there were the inevitable conspiracies to usurp her position. The tragic figurehead of one of these and the object of Elizabeths suspicion and jealousy for many years was Mary, Queen of Scots; Elizabeth at first kept her under arrest but eventually had her executed in 1587. Late in her reign, in 1601, the Earl of Essex, formerly her favorite, made his bid for power. He failed in his attempt to cause a popular up rising, was imprisoned and executed. It is not difficult to trace this atmosphere of suspicion and treachery in Hamlet, nor the reassuring promise to royalty contained in the suggestion at the end of the play that strong and humane rule will be reasserted. There were also serious threats from abroad. In 1588 Phillip II of Spain sent the Armada, a large fleet of ships, sailing up the Channel in an attempt to conquer England by force. Another foreign threat was marriage. Elizabeth constantly resisted attempts by her counselors to contract any politically advantageous marriage and she died unmarried, naming James, her Scottish cousin, already established for many years as King in Scotland, as her successor. Social and Context Elizabeth I built on the foundations laid by her father and grandfather until her power, the power of the Crown, was almost unquestioned. To help achieve the security which she and the country, needed it was important to encourage an articulate and educated aristocracy. Education and in particular classical scholarship assumed a fresh importance. In the grammar schools it is assumed that Shakespeare attended the Stratford Grammar school- Latin Language and literature were studied; prose and verse, composition, rhetoric, orations and declamations. Much was learnt by heart and in the upper school Greek was added. Shakespeares knowledge of the classical theatre, poetry and legend is evident throughout his whole body of work. How does this relate to Hamlet? The Players speech, which Hamlet has remembered, is part of the Dido and Aeneas story, the sack of Troy and the slaying of King Priam. Also, Hamlet and Horatio have been fellow-students at the University of Wittenberg. The others, to address the ghost, call upon Horatio. Hamlet clearly wanted to return to Wittenberg, to turn his back on the whole situation at the castle, and possibly to become a perpetual student and scholar until his father demands the revenge which he is unfitted to deliver. Exploration There was vitality; a fresh interest in foreign countries in the sixteenth century and exploration by sea had led to an increase in foreign trade. European foreign countries hardly seemed far away. Laertes lives very happily in Paris, away from his fathers influence. Hamlet is casually packed off by his uncle to a planned death in England. There was an extension of experience and an opening up to fresh influences, which included a new vocabulary of classical and foreign words. Printed books and pamphlets circulated more widely, so that information was more easily obtained. The Elizabethan age was establishing a feeling of national community and confidence. At the same time an increase in prosperity and a raising standard of living for many. This prosperity was also reflected in the newly built theatres and the audiences who flocked to entertainments of all kinds This is not to say that dissent and uneasiness did not exist. There will still disputes over religion and new ideas can be worrying as well as exciting. Persecution of religious minorities of the mainland caused a large influx of refugees from France and the Netherlands. It is also important to remember that some of the entertainments mentioned above were public executions. Bloodthirsty pastimes such as bull- and bear- baiting were popular. The streets were filthy and away from the main thoroughfares, in the poorer parts of the city, they resembled open sewers and rubbish dumps. The plague, spread by black rats, struck in 1592 when it ravaged the city for two years, and again in 1603, wiping out whole families and forcing those Londoners who could afford to do so to flee to the country. Theatres and all public places of entertainment were closed down. This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level Hamlet section.

Taking the Test :: Essays Papers

Taking the Test Many essays have been written that one could describe as touching, or something one could easily relate to. A very good example is â€Å"Taking the Test† by David Groff. He writes about taking an AIDS test, and records all his feelings and emotions as he waits for, and receives, what could be something that may lead to a death sentence. This essay is enjoyed by many people, because it is touching, it is easy to relate to the pressure, and stress that is connected with taking a test, and it is a new, recent subject that could, or does, affect people now. This essay is very touching. The reader feels very sympathetic towards the man taking the test. Even more so because the author announces that he is gay. The way he describes his emotions and feelings, fear, confusion, and loneliness, is very moving. He notices very small things because he almost believes he is infected, and it makes everything that much more precious. The way he makes everything sound very beautiful, as he describes it, is understandable, despite the fact that he is awaiting his sentence, â€Å"life or death,† because even though HIV does not mean death, it means an inevitable pain, and suffering, if not physically, then mentally, and if not for you, then for the loved ones. Had he told the reader the outcome of the test, the reaction to the story would have been different. If he was positive, the reader would become overly sympathetic, overlooking the reason for the story which was not sympathy, but to teach a lesson, â€Å"As long and as well as you can, live, live.† (Groff 75) Had the author been negative, the reader would have pushed the essay away, again overlooking the lesson, and thinking that the author worried for nothing. Groff pushes all the right buttons, keeping his audience begging for the outcome of the test. A reason that this essay is touching to many readers is because it is easy to relate to. Many people understand the pressure and stress that is connected with taking a test, even if it is a pop quiz in math. Unfortunately, many people know how it feels to take, and fail, an AIDS test. Many people know someone close to them who has taken the test and â€Å"failed.

A Talk About Oral English Teaching Problems and Solutions Essay

As a result, spoken language becomes more and more important. Nowadays, almost everyone knows the importance of learning English, it is taught as a compulsory subject at elementary school, secondary school and university in China. A lot of people consider that vocabulary is the key to learning English, so they prefer to memorize words as many as possible. It is true that one cannot communicate effectively or express his ideas in both oral and written forms without a sufficient vocabulary. However, we all know that the effect of learning language is marked by the students’ communication ability. There is a phenomenon which we called â€Å"Dumb English† in China, which means a large number of students can only read and write instead of speaking. Although vocabulary is an indispensable element in learning foreign language, a more important one is how to speak that language out. However, after several years of learning, students’ spoken English is also poor. They cannot express their thoughts in English in daily life. They are afraid of communicating with native speakers in English. What’s worse. They even cannot figure out what others say in English. Why did these phenomenons happen? Three reasons are introduced. The first one is that there are still many problems existing in spoken English teaching, such as absence of English learning environment, the Grammar-Translation Methods, and teachers paying much attention to vocabulary and grammar. The second one is the subjective reason: students are afraid of speaking English. They are scared of being laughed at by others if they say something wrong. There is a saying: â€Å"Practice makes perfect. † They are lack of practice, so their spoken English is poor. The third one is the objective reason, for example, the non-English environment, the different culture between China and western countries. This paper will only focus on the problems existing in spoken English teaching in High school and suggests some teaching strategies to deal with these problems to help improve students’ spoken English and communicative competence. Theoretical Framework 1 1. 1 The requirements of the New English Curriculum Standard The overall aim of the New English Curriculum Standard is to develop students’ overall language ability. Such abilities are grounded in the development of language skills, language knowledge, affects, cultural awareness and learning strategies. Language skills contain listening, speaking, reading and writing. And the requirements of speaking skills in junior high school advocate what students can do in the speaking process as following listed: the third level requires students can tell some simple and short stories. The fourth level requires students can use simple words to describe his own or others’ experiences with the teacher’s help. And the fifth level requires students can exchange ideas and complete tasks corporately. New English Curriculum Standard,2001). It has six designing principles: Firstly, it aims for educating all students, and emphasizes quality-oriented education. Secondly, it promotes learner-centeredness, and respects individual differences.

Climate Change Is A Serious Reason For Nervousness

Climate change is a serious reason for nervousness. It touches all parts of life on our planet. Mostly every scientist claims that anthropogenic global warming is to blame for climate change. Nevertheless, there is a small fraction of people that deny the very presence of global warming. Their arguments carry a certain amount of influence in some groups, but they lack the scientific proof for their arguments. Global warming is the escalation of Earth’s average temperatures due to the effect of greenhouse gases. Such as carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossils fuels and the disforestation of our forest and jungles, which trap the heat that would eventually escape from earth back to space. This is a method of greenhouse effect. Global climate change is already beginning to transmute the presence of life on earth. Also, climate change is transforming the landscape, the rising seas, stronger storms, increased risk of floods and droughts, higher temperatures, more heat-related illnesses with in humans and the economy. Wild animals are facing new challenges for survival because of climate change. More common storms, droughts, heat waves, melting glaciers and warmer oceans, can directly harm the animals, and destroy their habitat. For example, the giant panda from China is being threatened by loss of habitat and the lost of the bamboo by climate change. According to the article, â€Å"Climate Change Threatens Giant Pandas’ Bamboo Buffet and Survival† from the â€Å"Targeted NewsShow MoreRelatedTaking a Look at Bullying690 Words   |  3 Pagesover time.†says U.S. Department of Health Human Services. 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