April 23rd is National Shakespeare Day. William Shakespeare’s plays contain descriptive words, phrases and clichés that we currently use in in our language. Can you match these descriptive words, phrases and clichés with the plays in which they are included? The answers will appear at the end of this article.
I have always been amazed at William Shakespeare’s insight into human nature. Shakespeare’s plays reveal his deep understanding of human inner moral conflicts, vulnerabilities to people that they trust, and dark emotions that could drive them to commit unspeakable acts. Three of Shakespeare’s plays that especially contain these elements are Julius Caesar, Macbeth, and Othello. Each main character in these plays faces a moral conflict and is manipulated by people in whom they confide. These people, in whom the characters confide, use these dark emotions to potentially push them off the moral precipice. Read the following three plays to learn whether the main characters will or will not overcome the manipulations of the people whom they trust.
About the Plays
The Roman senator Brutus is the main character in the play Julius Caesar. Brutus has an unsubstantiated concern that his friend Caesar will become despotic if he accepts offers to become the emperor of Rome. Brutus believes that his concern about Caesar stems from having Rome’s best interest at heart. Brutus confides to fellow senator Cassius that although he loves Caesar, he feels that he is a threat to the Republic. Cassius is secretly envious of Caesar, so he flatters Brutus about his honorable character. Will Brutus prove that he truly is honorable or will Cassius weave Brutus into in a dangerous assassination plot?
The Scottish General Macbeth is the main character in the play The Tragedy of Macbeth. Macbeth and his friend Banquo successfully defend Scotland and King Duncan from Norwegian invaders and Scottish rebels. Macbeth currently holds the title Thane of Glamis. Macbeth and Banquo later encounter three witches known as the Weird Sisters. These three witches tell Macbeth that he will eventually become the Thane of Cawdor, and later he will be King of Scotland. Macbeth later learns that King Duncan awarded him the title of Thane of Cawdor for his remarkable bravery. Macbeth has a fleeting fantasy about murdering King Duncan, but dismisses it. He later confides to his wife, Lady Macbeth, about the witches’ prophecy. Lady Macbeth tells him that he is a coward if he does not murder King Duncan. Will Macbeth continue to honorably serve King Duncan, or will he allow his wife to talk him into something that he will regret?
Othello is the main character in the play Othello. Othello is a Moorish general who serves the Venetian Republic. He chooses Cassio to be his chief lieutenant instead of Iago who felt like he was worthy of the position. Iago’s’ jealousy of Cassio, and anger at Othello drives him to hatch a nefarious plot. He schemes to convince Othello that his loving wife Desdemona may not be the loving wife that he believes her to be. Iago pretends to be Othello’s concerned friend as he attempts to make him think that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair. Will Othello give his Desdemona the trust that she deserves, or allow Iago to deceive him?
Books about Shakespeare
Nine Lives of William Shakespeare
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