Jealousy in Shakespeares Othello Essay -- Othello essays

Jealousy in Othello Shakespeare is well for his ability to compose plays full of deceit, revenge, and jealousy. Othello, one of Shakespeare’s most recognized tragedies, was consistently evolving around the central theme of jealousy. As these lies are unraveled the central theme of his play became distinct, and clearly visible. Furthermore the theme of jealousy goes hand in hand with love, as often is the case in real life. Love consumes all those who take part in it, and in Othello's case his flaws lie in his loving Desdemona so blindly. It is for that single reason that Iago knows that such a naà ¯ve man as Othello, who loves his wife so blindly and unrealistically, can be corrupted. Just as Othello's flaws lie within his inability to see past his jealous feelings, so does many of the other characters, no matter what social ranking they are classified in. Even from the well-developed characters, such as Othello, to the lesser figures, such as Roderigo, envy and lust are feelings all of Shakespeare's characters are accountable for holding at one time or other in the play. Within each of the characters in Othello is a level of jealousy, which Iago creates by testing their pressure points for his benefit. In Act 1 scene 1, Shakespeare opens up to his audience a level of jealousy that goes hand in hand with feelings of greed. This is the moment in which Iago expresses his animosity for Othello. Iago is sub... ... Works Cited and Consulted Bradley, A. C.. Shakespearean Tragedy. New York: Penguin, 1991. Di Yanni, Robert. â€Å"Character Revealed Through Dialogue.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Literature. N. p.: Random House, 1986. Mack, Maynard. Everybody’s Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1993. Shakespeare. Othello. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Ed. Rossi. New York: Longman, 1999. 312-379. Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.

The function of setting in the presentation of Jane Austen’s main concerns in Emma

In Jane Austen's novel Emma, the function of setting is to demonstrate life as it would be in Highbury around the same time as Austen was writing the book (around 1815). The setting mostly refers to the period the is set in story as well as the place, which of course also bears much relevance. However, Jane Austen's main concern in the book was to convey social convention, an aspect of life which would have a major affect on the characters in the story as it did Jane herself, in context to the period it is set. Also the themes of marriage and wealth also tie in with social status in the book as it would be of importance in the early 18th century that it is set in. The character that to help all these themes together as well as Emma herself is Harriet. Not only is the power of status shown by Emma's control over Harriet,( not even by force but Harriet's freewill, as she admires and aspires to Emma)but she also takes the theme of marriage with Emma's mischievous behaviour as she tries to match make Harriet to suitors of seemingly higher class. Harriet also ties in with the education being a parlour boarder at Mrs Goddard's school. We are able to see a glimpse of what education is like as Jane Austen bring s in her description of Mrs Goddard the mistress of a school â€Å"not of seminary, or an establishment†¦but, a real, honest, old-fashioned boarding school†¦where girls may be sent out the way and scramble themselves in to a little education, without any danger of bringing back prodigies† We are shown the kind of education girls would have received at the time, a middle class education. Jane evokes a warm sense to the ides of school though the last line is a little shocking it brings in the real world, a world where contraception were not available and pre-marital sex was still a shameful act in the eyes of society. The â€Å"scramble† for education also shows the type of education the girls may receive. Not a full education but whatever the girls could grasp. In this way we can already see the kin d of education that society of the period were growing up with. However for Emma, a member of higher class this was different, as it is shown, she was educated by Miss Taylor as would all member s of upper class be tutored at home. Through out the novel there are marriage agreements and suitors made and discussions between characters of â€Å"equal marriage† this refers to marrying a person in the story of equal wealth and status. By the end of the novel it seems all characters seem to have found their equal in marriage, with Emma it is the gentlemanly Mr Knightly who if not just equal in status is equal by intellect as is evident through their many long conversations they hold, conversations on a level we never see Emma talk to Harriet with. Harriet also marries Mr Martin who after all turns out to be the right match for her. Though it would seem the message from the writer is that one should marry within ones own status, it is interesting to acknowledge the marriage at the beginning of the book. Miss Taylor, Emma's nanny therefore middle class, marries Mr Weston, of upper class, and there seems to be no evidence of criticism from the writer or characters of their marriage. In fact there are so many occ asions in the book where the couple are described well together and perfectly married it seems they are almost a role model to other married couples at the time. However though there is a happy ending, Jane Austen uses Emma, with her mischief and interfering nature to demonstrate the importance of social class and equal marriage within society at the time. As she takes Harriet and manipulates her feelings towards Mr Elton, the occurrences only reveal the nature of class to us. When Mr Elton realises Harriet has affection for him he is disgusted at the thought of it, even wise Mr Knightly comments on Mr Elton's views as Mr Elton said he would marry richly. This is revealed even further when he turns his attentions on Emma, the richest female in the story. His desire for Emma or rather Emma's money in turn disgusts her, and the feeling is evident and her â€Å"astonishment† shows how unequal she feels her self to him and how superior. An unequal marriage seems the most shocking of all things in the story, as it would in context. However after being rejected Harriet only turns her attentions higher to Mr Knightly, the richest man in Highbury; however the reader does not feel this is arrogance on the part of Miss Smith, believing that he may requite her feelings but the fault of Emma who builds up Harriet's vanity through the book. The importance of marrying for money seems far more important than marrying for love and it is only then when the idea of marrying for love enters Emma' head. The only reason it seems Mr Knightly could marry Harriet would be for love, for Harriet has nothing of possession to offer. Though this idea is introduced, marrying for love, two central characters Emma and Harriet marry into equal relationships, and though they do love their partners, it is the equality that is expressed so importantly. It is simply that Jane Austen has idealised their relationships with their love for their partners and equality both being present to the characters. The marriages contrast to the marriage of Mr Elton and Mrs Elton, as is commented by a character that in marry Mrs Elton, Mr Elton received twenty thousand pounds, an equal marriage but not one for affection to each other. In the novel Jane Austen only shows their judgemental characteristics and superficial attitudes, perhaps the example of a bad marriage, though equal in status? Though the term setting in fiction also applies to period, an important factor in this book the setting, in referral to place is also important. Highbury is a rural environment almost cut off from the world. This small town helps us understand the narrow mindedness of some characters, and also the reason of so little action. The central action to the story is conversation, the lack of action means that to keep the reader entertained Jane Austen had create something else to keep the readers interest. Through such detailed language and description we receive such vivid characters and receive a lot information from their speech and others speech about them. This also ties in with the period as presentation of a person would be very important and so what you say was also important, this is reproduced in Emma, as everything each character says reveals something about them. Also by setting the story in a remote rural area there can be more attention to new characters that enter the life of Emma. The conversation and excitement created by the awaited arrival of Frank Churchill creates a lot of excitement between characters in the book as it is not often visitors would come. Importance is added on this figure as he is a bachelor of Emma's age and so expectations of the reader and other characters are raised. Therefore in the setting of Emma, Jane Austen's main concern with period was to show the social convention of the time, the way it affected marriage and also the importance of marriage in the context of the story. Jane uses Emma and Emma's treatement and views of other characters to show the three main themes of money, status, and marriage within the 18th century period it was set.

Maya Bloodletting Rituals - To Speak to the Gods

Bloodletting—cutting part of the body to release blood—is an ancient ritual used by many Mesoamerican societies. For the ancient Maya, bloodletting rituals (called chahb in surviving hieroglyphs) were a way that Maya nobles communicated with their gods and royal ancestors. The word chahb means penance in the Mayan Cholan language, and may be related to the Yukatekan word chab, meaning dripper/dropper. The blood-letting practice usually involved only the highest nobles who would perforate their own body parts, mainly, but not only, their tongues, lips, and genitals. Both men and women practiced these types of sacrifices. Ritual bloodletting, along with fasting, tobacco smoking, and ritual enemas, was pursued by the royal Maya in order to provoke a trance-like state (or altered state of consciousness) and thereby achieve supernatural visions and communicate with dynastic ancestors or underworld gods. The trances were to petition their ancestors and the gods for rain, good harvests, and success in warfare, among other needs and desires. Bloodletting Occasions and Locations Bloodletting rituals were usually performed on significant dates and at scheduled state events through the Maya ritual calendar, especially at the beginning or end of a calendar cycle; when a king ascended to the throne; and at building dedications. Other important life stages of kings and queens such as births, deaths, marriages, and the beginnings and ends of war were also accompanied by bloodletting. Bloodletting rituals were usually carried out in private, within secluded temple rooms on the top of pyramids, but public ceremonies celebrating the bloodletting rituals were organized during these events and masses of people attended them, crowding into the plaza at the base of the main pyramid of the Maya towns. These public displays were used by the rulers to demonstrate their ability to communicate with the gods in order to obtain advice on how to balance the world of the living and to ensure the natural cycles of the seasons and stars. A statistical study by U.S. archaeologist Jessica Munson and colleagues (2014) found that most references to bloodletting on Maya monuments and in other contexts are from a handful of sites along the Usumacinta River in Guatemala and in the southeastern Maya lowlands. Most of the known chahb glyphs are from inscriptions that refer to antagonistic statements about warfare and conflict. Bloodletting Tools Stone Seat with Polychrome Reliefs Depicting Self-Sacrifice (Zacatapalloli), House of Eagles, Templo Mayor, Mexico City, ca. 1500. De Agostini / G. Dagli Orti / Getty Images Piercing body parts during bloodletting rituals involved the use of sharp objects such as obsidian blades, stingray spines, carved bones, perforators, and knotted ropes. Equipment also included bark paper to collect some of the blood, and copal incense to burn the stained paper and provoke smoke and pungent odors. Blood was also collected in receptacles made out of ceramic pottery or basketry. Cloth bundles are illustrated on some of the murals, thought to have been used to carry around all the equipment. Stingray spines were definitely a primary tool used in Maya bloodletting, despite, or perhaps because of, their dangers. Uncleaned stingray spines contain venom and their use to pierce body parts would have caused a great deal of pain, and perhaps include deleterious effects ranging from secondary infection to necrosis and death. The Maya, who regularly fished for stingrays, would have known all about the dangers of stingray venom. Canadian archaeologist Haines and colleagues (2008) suggest that it is likely that the Maya either used stingray spines that had been carefully cleaned and dried; or reserved them for special acts of piety or in rituals where references to the necessity of risking death was an important factor. Bloodletting Imagery Late Classic Limestone Lintel at Maya Yaxchilan. Arild Finne Nybà ¸ Evidence for bloodletting rituals comes primarily from scenes depicting royal figures on carved monuments and painted pots. Stone sculptures and paintings from Maya sites such as Palenque, Yaxchilan, and Uaxactun, among others, offer dramatic examples of these practices. The Maya site of Yaxchilan in Chiapas state in Mexico  offers a particularly rich gallery of images about bloodletting rituals. In a series of carvings on three door-lintels from this site, a royal woman, Lady Xook, is portrayed performing bloodletting, piercing her tongue with a knotted rope, and provoking a serpent vision during the throne accession ceremony of her husband. Obsidian blades are often found in ceremonial or ritual contexts such as caches, burials, and caves, and the presumption has been that they were bloodletting tools. U.S. archaeologist W. James Stemp and colleagues examined blades from Actun Uayazba Kab (Handprint Cave) in Belize and compared the microscopic damage to the edges (called use wear) on the archaeological blades to those produced during experimental archaeology. They suggest that they were indeed bloodletters.   Sources DePalma, Ralph G., Virginia W. Hayes, and Leo R. Zacharski. Bloodletting: Past and Present. Journal of the American College of Surgeons 205.1 (2007): 132-44. Print.Haines, Helen R., Philip W. Willink, and David Maxwell. Stingray Spine Use and Maya Bloodletting Rituals: A Cautionary Tale. Latin American Antiquity 19.1 (2008): 83-98. Print.Munson, Jessica, et al. Classic Maya Bloodletting and the Cultural Evolution of Religious Rituals: Quantifying Patterns of Variation in Hieroglyphic Texts. PLoS ONE 9.9 (2014): e107982. Print.Stemp, W. James, et al. An Ancient Maya Ritual Cache at Pooks Hill, Belize: Technological and Functional Analyses of the Obsidian Blades. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 18 (2018): 889-901. Print.Stemp, W. James, Meaghan Peuramaki-Brown, and Jaime J. Awe. Ritual Economy and Ancient Maya Bloodletting: Obsidian Blades from Actun Uayazba Kab (Handprint Cave), Belize. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology  (2018). Print.