Taylor Barton

English 5460

Final Exam

Final Exam: Shakespeare

Antony and Cleaopatra

3) To believe that a character cannot be considered a ‘tragic hero’ simply because he never

fully committed to a country he loved, or the woman that he loved just as much as his country, is

arrogant indeed. Antony’s flaw was that he loved both too much to commit to one or the other.

He was a roman, born and raised, and served in the roman military for his entire life. Loyalty to

and love of country was all he knew. Meeting Cleopatra changed his views, but he is still torn

between his love of the queen and his love of his country.

His character is called into question, stating that he “never becomes great enough to

earn the title of ‘tragic hero’.” He is however the most tragic and conflicted of the characters in

this particular play. Cleopatra is firm in her love for Egypt and has no doubts as to where her

loyalties lie. She is not torn between he love for Antony and her country because she is her

country. She rules Egypt with no one to question her. Antony, being only a general and not the

ruler of Rome, is questioned and challenged about where his loyalties reside, Cleopatra or

Rome.

His tantrums, are juvenile, but using them as the basis for an argument against his entire

character and discounting everything else about his struggles is a weak argument and relies on

a single character flaw to determine the basis of a ‘tragic hero’. This is far too narrow a mindset
to use when evaluating Shakespearean characters, who are diverse and complex. This would

be similar to trying to force a real life human being into a single archetype.

Aristotle defines the ‘tragic hero’ as the literary character who makes a judgement error

that inevitably leads to his or her own destruction. While Antony may be flawed, as the

evaluation states, he is also tragic in his indecision. This is what leads to his downfall and

makes him the tragic hero.

The Winter’s Tale

2) The category of ​Romance ​is vague and broad. There are several plays that fall into the

romance category and all of them have similar themes. The forgiveness, unity, and

reconciliation found in The Winter’s Tale makes it a perfect fit into this category. It simply doesn’t

fit in the comedy or tragedy genres due to the subjects and ideas found at the end of the play.

Hermione’s resurrection and forgiveness of Leontes’ antics and jealousy, which ultimately killed

her, is one of the major points that disqualify this play as a tragedy.

Hermione’s death, which takes place towards the middle of the play, leads to the feelings

of isolation, misery, and loss on the part of her husband. These feelings are common in the

genre of tragedy and are the main themes found in most tragedies. However, coming back to

life, as odd as it is, is not consistent with these common themes. Neither are the feelings of unity

and contentment that comes with the conclusion of the show. The blind acceptance that

Hermione shows when she is resurrected is baffling. As is the seemingly random union between

Camillo and Paulina.

These unions, present the themes that are present in all of Shakespeare's final

romances. Affirmation, unity, forgiveness, and reconciliation. The missing daughter, Perdita, is
found. Hemione comes back to life. Leontes is forgiven. Paulina and Camillo get engaged.

These actions are typical of the later plays that Shakespeare wrote and carry all of the points

that make them romance plays. It calls into question what Shakespeare’s outlook on life was

when he was nearing the end of his career.

Othello

2) To say that race plays no role in the play is to turn a blind eye to the constant slurs and

derogatory comments made about Othello that litter the entirety of the play. He is constantly

referred to as ‘The Moor’ instead of by his name and in the first act, he is called “an old black

ram” (1.1.89). When in the court of the duke in scene 3 of act 1 Barbantio claims that

Desdemona feared Othello because he was different from them. He claims that it is against her

nature to love someone like him. While Iago may not hate Othello because of his skin color,

though even that is debatable, it certainly plays a role in how Iago talks about him and how he

treats him.

While yes, Othello is criminally jealous and insecure, which leads to the death of

Desdemona, there are so many racial barbs that are thrown around in the play that it is hard to

ignore. It is racially charged and because Othello is a different color, it leads to the reader to

pick up on the racial descriptions and discriminations more than any of the other remarks.

Iago’s psychological manipulation are directly responsible for all of the events in the play.

Could he have targeted anyone? Yes, but for reasons that are never revealed, Iago chooses to

manipulate Othello. He says blatantly, “I hate the Moor,” and then goes on to say that he

believes that Othello has slept with his wife, but doesn’t know for sure. This may be a reason for
why he chooses to take his revenge so far, but it is difficult to believe that it is the sole reason

that he hates him (1.3.374).

To say that race is not an issue in the play is ignorant at best, and insulting at worst. It

speaks to an insensitivity and blindness when reading the material. Race plays a huge part in

the show, and is believably a reason why Othello is hated so much. Othello is a deeply flawed,

complex character and has his emotional insecurities, which Iago easily preys on. The color of

his skin is written on almost every page and plays into everything that happens and every

character’s interactions with him.

Measure for Measure

3) The character of Isabella was justified in turning down Angelo when he asks for her

virtue in return for her brother’s life. She is in no way a selfish sibling or a religious bigot for

denying the deputy the chance to rape her. Claudio got himself into the mess he was in, he was

the one who broke the law. It is unfair to slander Isabella for choosing to stay true to her morals

and her beliefs, rather than give up everything that made her who she was in order to save his

life.

She is however a victim of exploitation in the sense that Angelo sees her virtue and

wants it for his own, without thought to her desire to become a nun and her upcoming vow of

chastity. To attempt to force her to give up her close ties to religion and give up her virginity,

simply because he wants to have sex with her, is reprehensible. His desire is selfish and

malicious in nature. He doesn’t want her for his wife, he just wants to sleep with her, which is

exactly what he arrested her brother for, so the irony is not wasted there.