Exploring Sexuality with William Shakespeare Essay Example for Free

Exploring Sexuality with William Shakespeare Essay The presence of homoerotic references in the works of William Shakespeare was a direct result of the Elizabethan attitude towards sex during the English Renaissance. Within the privacy of the sonnets, Shakespeare could effusively express a passion that the Elizabethan Era, with its social mores, stifled greatly as it frowned upon homosexuality. Given the freedom to express himself uninhibitedly, Shakespeare cast aside the homophobia of his age and inscribed love sonnets for another male, Mr. W. H. This unrestricted honesty created great tension and drama between Shakespeare and his adversary, the dark lady as well as fueling some of the greatest love poems of all time. Over hundreds of years, it comes to no surprise that many scholars have found the sonnets effective in revealing insight into the biography of William Shakespeare. The emotional pressure contained in many of the sonnets and the fact that many, if not all, are dedicated to a man named ? Mr. W. H. , provide important clues to Shakespeares life. It begins with the sonnets dedication, a passage written by Shakespeare that opens a world of controversy amongst scholars. The dedication runs as follows: To. The. Only. Begetter. Of These. Ensuing. Sonnets. Mr. W. H. All. Happiness. And. That. Eternity. Promised. By. Our. Ever. Living. Poet. Wisheth. The. Well. Wishing. Adventurer. In. Setting. Forth. T. T. (Shakespeare, 1490) The initials T. T. at the conclusion of the dedication refer to Thomas Thorpe, the original publisher of the sonnets (http://andrejkoymasky. com/liv/sha/sha00. html). However, one question remains, who is Mr. W. H? During the English Renaissance, it was customary for members of high social standings to hire established writers and poets to create masterful love sonnets and other works of literature for their entertainment. For a large portion of his adult life, Shakespeare spent his time writing sonnets for an upper class family, specifically for a young man (Rowse, 96). The beginning sonnets describe a ? lovely youth and it is believed that over time, Shakespeares sonnets became more personal as the relationship between him and his patron intensified. Scholars have professed that this patron could in fact be the only begetter of the sonnets, Mr.  W. H, or William Hughes. The majority of the sonnets were written between 1593 and 1596, however, they were not published until 1609 and then further edited in 1640, long after Shakespeares death (Auden, 86). The randomness of their order leads scholars such as Northrop Frye to question their validity in accurately capturing real life happenings (Fleperin, 96). The publisher who replicated the sonnets in 1640 actually changed the pronouns in sonnets 15 through 126 to make it seem as if the poems were addressed to a woman. The question now at hand is; are the feelings expressed in the sonnets a celebration of homosexual love? And if so, how could such feelings emerge in a time where homosexuality had no place in social life (Taylor, 39)? The sixteen hundreds were a time of strict values and high standards of living. At this time, embracing sexuality was not encouraged and questioning ones sexuality was not an option. During the English Renaissance it was common for men to wear their hair long and dress in silks and ruffles (Taylor, 45). World renowned professor, Edward Hubler, published his book, The Sense of Shakespeares Sonnets, in which he points out the Elizabethan men used the term lover between men without embarrassment (Hubler, 17). Author C. L. Barber, in his essay on Shakespeares Sonnets, reminds us that the suppressed roles of women in Elizabethan society kept them out of the theater, forcing men to play the roles of women in many of Shakespeares productions at the Globe Theater. This openness is most attributed to Shakespeares sexual curiosity, and because his masculinity was never in doubt, his sexual awakening quickly progressed. To truly grasp Shakespeares feelings for Mr. W. H, we must refer to sonnet twenty, which is the first in the series to address the mysterious love affair. Despite the fact that male friendships were openly affectionate, the sonnets powerful emotions are indicative of a deeper love (Cross, 1,490). Line two of the poem describe the subject as the master-mistress of his passion. Right away we sense a conflict between the love for a man and the love for a women. Shakespeare makes it known in lines eight and nine of the sonnet, that W. H was in fact created for a womans love and affection, telling his readers that his subject is male. Further into the poem he describes his acceptance of that fact that he was defeated by nature, but continues to acknowledge their love (Cross, 1,4940). Shakespeares persistence in his attempt to win over the heart of his acquaintance is noted in sonnets 135-137 (Cross, 1511,1512). It is here that Shakespeare emphasizes the name ? Will as seen in italics in nearly every line. It is at this point in the series where it is suspected that the poets love for W. H is being threatened by a woman. In attempts to re-establish the ? dark lady in relation to Mr. W. H, scholars have studied specific sonnets in which her character is revealed. We find that the twenty-five sonnets dedicated to a woman, the dark lady, dwell on her imperfections and falsehoods (Barber, 16). For example, in sonnet 127, Shakespeare devotes his energy to expressing a lower love toward the woman and a higher love toward the man. It is not until the later sonnets that Shakespeare begins to feel threatened by the dark lady, and begins to depict a competition for the heart of W. H. In sonnet 138, Shakespeare is almost trying to convince W. H that this woman could never love him in the manner that he was willing to (Cross, 1,870). Shakespeares main concern, in the midst of anguished humiliation, is to keep the mans love, not the womans. Shakespeares inner conflict expressed in his works evidently developed during a time when his life, outside of the ? dark lady and W. H, was relatively normal, and this is another reason as to why the sequence of the sonnets is so important. As we know, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in 1582. She gave birth to his children soon after. Was this heterosexual fantasy life all a cover up for the love he shared with W. H? Because no one has been able to figure out the correct order of the sonnets we will never know precisely when these love affairs took place. To label Shakespeare a homosexual would be ignorant, only because the consummation of the love between the poet and his muse was never proven. We can only base our knowledge of his curiosity on the contents of the sonnets, and with that we can gather that Shakespeare was involved in affairs, not necessarily physical, with both a young man, Mr. W. H, and a reticent woman, the Dark Lady. The conflict involving these two characters sparked the fire that fueled the ingenious works of one of the greatest poets of all time, Mr. William Shakespeare. Auden, W. H. Lectures on Shakespeare. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. 2000. Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. New York: Riverhead Books. 1998. Cross, Wilbur, L. The Yale Shakespeare. New York: Barnes and Noble Books. 1993. Hubler, Edward. The Sense of Shakespeares Sonnets. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. 1952 Hugh, Calvert. Shakespeares Sonnets and Problems of Autobiography. Braunton: Merilin Books, 1987. Holland, Norman. Psychoanalysis and Shakespeare. New York: McGraw Hill Book Company. 1966 Pitt, Angela. Shakespeares Women. New Jersey: Barnes and Noble Books. 1981 Rowse, A. L. The Elizabethan Renaissance: The Life of the Society. New York: Charles Scribers Sons. 1971. Taylor, Gary. Reinventing Shakespeare. New York: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. 1989. Internet Sources http://www. onlineshakespeare. com/sonnetsabout. htm http://andrejkoymasky. com/liv/sha/sha00. html http://infopt. demon. co. uk/shakespe. htm http://www. shakespeares-sonnets. com/wilde. htm http://aspirations. english. com. ac. uk/converse/essays/cgonda/loves. acds http://eserver. org/emc/1-2/halpern. html.

The Scarlett Letter :: essays research papers

Symbolism at it's best is limitless in conveying a feeling, mood, or atmoshphere that words alone can not define. It can trigger emotion, persuade the reader to question everything they know thus far, or inflict thoughts that, in the most twisted sense of the story, would seem barely justified. Symboloism reaches out to the reader in numerous ways, but no matter what the effect, it's almost always starts as something subconscious. In Nathanial Hawthorn's novel, 'The Scarlet Letter,' there is an immense ammount of symbolism; the structure and flow of progression are both held back by this element. The subtle way Hawthorn uses this is incredible; he takes us to such a place where everything and everyone is suspect and subject to thorough examination, as things are not always what they seem. Other times, however, they are in fact exactly what they seem; usually too little too late. By the time the truth is laid outright, the truth had already been known; symbolism is subconscious. At t imes when there is no truth to be uncovered, it is the world created by this world of various entities, in a matter of symbol, that lies dormant in the back of the readers head. Being fully and inescapably aware though, from a place deep inside, of the uncertanties and illusions that are not being focused on, instead only hinted at. The mind's eye is where symbolism wraps it's ugly tentacles of doubt and discretion, whether realized by the reader or not. 'The Scarlet Letter,' demonstrates this characteristic impecibly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The scaffold where Hester stands in front of the public is symbolic of penitence and God's judgement. Dimmesdale on the other hand, can not bring himself to stand on the platform and confess his sins, because of it's comparison to judgement day. The first time he brings himself to stand upon the scaffold, seeking relief from his secret sin is under the cover of night, as if he could hide his sin from the people, or even God. In the end Dimmesdale does stand on the scaffold in the light of day to public confess his sins. This took courage, as the platform represented weakness in the eyes of God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Across from the prison Hester was sentenced to there is a rose bush; the single beautiful thing in a world of sin and shame. In the book when Pearl was asked where she came from, she states that she was plucked from the rosebush.

Represents human nature Essay

The conscious decisions of people to act upon negative emotions, damages and ultimately destroys our relationships with fellow human beings. Gray explores this idea through ‘Poem to my Father’, a personal and confessional letter directed towards the persona’s father, whom is believed to be Gray’s father; a man who neglected Gray as a child as a result of his drinking, indifference and gambling. The persona believes that his father destroyed the paternal relationship and represents this through emotive language and words with negative connotations evoking emptiness and disconnection within ‘Poem to my Father’. ‘In you, now signifying nothing;†¦ That’s all there is to say. ’ The word ‘nothing’ displays the completeness of the disconnection while ‘all’ connotes an all-consuming idea. Thus when used together create the idea of all-consuming disconnection between the persona and his father. (Can talk about the use of punctuation. Full stop creates finality. )Gray contrasts the elements of nature with human nature in order to show humanity’s intrinsic destructive nature. This juxtaposition reveals the idea of nature destructing for replenishment, whereas humanity destructs subconsciously for satisfaction and self-fulfillment. Consequently the issue highlighted is that of human nature not allowing for complete satisfaction, resulting in a cycle of destruction for both the individual and the environment. Gray’s poem ‘Flames and Dangling Wire’ vividly explores the destruction of the natural environment due to humanity’s actions. ‘It is a man, wiping his eyes. Someone who worked here would have to weep†¦ Knowing all that he does about us, how can he avoid a hatred of men? ’ The imperative and emotive language tugs upon the reader’s heartstrings as the guilt of this man is placed upon the reader. The harsh imagery used earlier in the poem cumulates until this point of the poem, when responsibility is seen through the man’s pain. As a responder to the text, I believe that Gray recognizes this man’s innocence individually, as he tries to help through his work. Yet this man is still seen to be feeling the pain caused by the destruction of the environment, reflecting humanity’s responsibility as a whole and not simply a portion of the population. Gray therefore uses the didactic nature of his work to impart his value placed on the respect and protection of the environment. The selfishness of man is seen in the tenth stanza. ‘This is how it shall be after men have gone. It will be made of things that worked. ’ The future tense of this stanza assists in creating textual integrity and understanding within the poem. No matter the context of the reader, the future tense causes them to reflect upon their actions, furthering Gray’s didacticism within the text. The one phrase reflecting on the past within the stanza however, is ‘made of things that worked’. The idea portrayed by Gray is one of comparison. He compares the things ‘that worked’ – human’s creations which they have dumped – to nature’s creations and processes – things that will continue to work. Thus the comparison used by Gray is effective in exemplifying humanity’s short-term view and ultimately the intrinsic and often subconscious nature of destruction.

Marital Rape Of Indi Current Legal System Essay - 2004 Words

Marital Rape In India: Current Legal System ï  ¶ Introduction â€Å"Marriage is the intimate union and equal partnership of a man and a woman. It comes to us from the hand of God, who created male and female in his image, so that they might become one body and might be fertile and multiply. The free consent of the spouses makes a marriage. From this consent and from the sexual consummation of marriage a special bond arises between husband and wife. This bond is lifelong and exclusive. The marriage bond has been established by God and so it cannot be dissolved†. Marriages in India are filled with ritual and celebration that continue for several days. During the wedding, the bride and groom are told about their duties and responsibilities in married life by the priest. Husband takes up 7 vows in which he promises to look after the wife, and that he will never express dissatisfaction about any shortcomings in his wife and also that he will be affectionate and treat her like a friend. â€Å"Raptus†, is the generic term of rape which implies violent theft, applied to both property and person. It is synonymous with a woman’s abduction or sexual molestation, merely the theft of a woman against the consent of her guardian or those with legal power over her. The harm, ironically, was treated as a wrong against her father or husband, women being wholly owned subsidiaries. Marital Rape is an unwanted intercourse by a man with his wife which is done with force, or physical violence, or when sheShow MoreRelatedVictimization due to an Abus ive Relationship2876 Words   |  12 Pagessociety also has a tendency victim blame. Victim blaming is both a philosophical and a theological belief system based upon the Just World Outlook which follows that bad things only happen to bad people. Individuals like to feel that they have some sense of control over their destiny. Therefore they develop the concept that bad things happen to bad people. (Karmen, 2007) Additionally the U.S. legal system’s basic doctrine is based upon personal accountability which enables victim blaming. (KarmenRead MoreMedicare Policy Analysis447966 Words   |  1792 PagesC—PUBLIC HEALTH AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT TITLE I—COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS TITLE II—WORKFORCE Subtitle A—Primary Care Workforce Subtitle B—Nursing Workforce Subtitle C—Public Health Workforce Subtitle D—Adapting Workforce to Evolving Health System Needs TITLE III—PREVENTION AND WELLNESS TITLE IV—QUALITY AND SURVEILLANCE TITLE V—OTHER PROVISIONS Subtitle A—Drug Discount for Rural and Other Hospitals; 340B Program Integrity Subtitle B—Programs Subtitle C—Food and Drug Administration Subtitle