Nothing that is so is so. Comment on this and th Essays - Theatre

"Nothing that is so is so". Comment on this and the idea of Appearance versu s Reality in the play. "Nothing that is so is so" , says Feste . He says so ironically, talking to Sebastian, who he is convinced is actually Cesario. This is said for a specific situation, but it might actually be relevant for the whole play: Indeed, this apparently absurd quotation raises the question of illusion, which takes a big place in Twelfth Night. It highlights the paradox between appearance and reality. It can also be seen as the echo of anothe r quotation by Feste, which is. That, that is, is? But Feste has not become crazy, he may even be wittier than we could expect because the answer to the question of illusion of theatre is probably between these two sentences. To what extent? To what extent does illusion masters theatre? There is illusion at the level of the characters themselves, but also to the level of the audience, but it is probably not enough for the whole play to be summed up by illusion: illusion is only possible because the roots are real. Appearances versu s reality are a recurring theme in William Shakespeare's play, Twelfth Night. Appearances hide an important reality and sometimes can get in the way o f a character from attaining his or her goal. The problems that happen involve disguises and dishonesty of one form or another and create tension amongst the characters. The reason Shakespeare has this recurring theme is because of the comedy that comes with it. Disguise causes confusion and confusion leads to comedy . Appearance vs. reality is the theme that illustrates a different picture from two perspectives; there are many characters behind their masks and disguises. Some are hiding love behind these disguises and some are trying to show their love through a different disguise. Due to a mistake of identity, more precisely the mistake of identity created by Viola: she pretends she is a boy, so everyone in the play sees her in her boy's clothes, and only the audience is aware of Viola's real gender: the other characters have the illusion that Viola is a boy, Feste has the illusion that Sebastian and Cesario are the same person. In the same way, the audience attends to Malvolio's misunderstanding and illusion, but this time at another level, because some characters are also aware of the illusion: When Maria writes the letter and puts it on Malvolio's way to make him believe that Olivia loves him, she knows that he is going to be a victim of appearances, she is even going to be the actre ss of this illusion, by writing a letter full of allusions to him, flattering his ego: she is going to lie in a way, to create and maintains this illusion. Even the feelings of these characters are not real: Orsino's self-love, Olivia's sorrow, Malvolio's desire of revenge, Viola's love for Orsino are not spontaneous, they are not even genuine, they are only roles, only an illusion of feelings: since the characters are not real, their feelings cannot be real either, and if the audience laugh when Malvolio shows his yellow stockings, when Sir Toby makes puns or when Orsino makes hyperboles, if the audience feel pity for Malvolio on being tricked or for Antonio being left alone at the end of the play, this is only due to illusion, to the appearance of reality that theatre tries to present; but it needs the connivance of the audience itself: for a while, the spectators believe as if what they saw was real, they accept what are actually not very plausible things, thanks to conventions, sometimes so usual that they are not even aware of them: it has become normal for the audience to see everything take place on a stage, on the very same stage whereas the action is supposed to take place at different places: At Olivia's, at Orsino's, on a shore; the scenery may change but the stage itself does not; in the same way, spectators are used to seeing women played by men. Malvolio is misleading at one point of the play by Maria and Sir Toby.

Free Essays on Oil Spills

The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: the Harm That Followed Almost 14,000 oil spills are reported each year. The Exxon Valdez oil spill is one these reported and also one of the world’s most known. It was not the largest spill, but it had the most detrimental environmental effects known today. The Exxon Valdez spill is also the most expensive spills to date. The spill occurred in Prince William Sound of Alaska. This is a large commercial fishing industry, plus it is home to migratory birds, sea otters, and many other marine mammals. The Exxon Valdez spill sadly could have been prevented. Because of the negligence of the captain of the Exxon Valdez, the tanker struck a reef with detrimental effects. The Exxon Valdez tanker was loaded with 40 million gallons (952,000 barrels) of oil in Valdez from the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The captain of the ship, Captain Joseph Hazelwood, came on board after having drinks with a friend at the port. Once the ship was filled they wasted no time and began their journey to the refineries in Long Beach, California after dark on the evening of March 23, 1989. When the captain boarded the ship, he knew many things about the ship. For example, when the 987 foot long ship is fully loaded it rides five stories deep in the water (Blashfield, 17). Bligh Reef, which they would be passing by is only 40 feet below the surface of the sea. This massive ship takes at least two miles to stop. Knowing all of this information Captain Hazelwood decided to cut it close by trying to turn the tanker in the narrow space between the ice and the reef. (Schoowe, 11). With all of this known, the captain did three strange things. He ordered the helmsman to put the ship on automatic pilot, he ordered the engines accelerated to a speed normally used only in open seas, and he left the bridge, with a junior officer, third mate Gregory Cousins, in charge while he went to his cabin. What happened next will later be a ... Free Essays on Oil Spills Free Essays on Oil Spills The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: the Harm That Followed Almost 14,000 oil spills are reported each year. The Exxon Valdez oil spill is one these reported and also one of the world’s most known. It was not the largest spill, but it had the most detrimental environmental effects known today. The Exxon Valdez spill is also the most expensive spills to date. The spill occurred in Prince William Sound of Alaska. This is a large commercial fishing industry, plus it is home to migratory birds, sea otters, and many other marine mammals. The Exxon Valdez spill sadly could have been prevented. Because of the negligence of the captain of the Exxon Valdez, the tanker struck a reef with detrimental effects. The Exxon Valdez tanker was loaded with 40 million gallons (952,000 barrels) of oil in Valdez from the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The captain of the ship, Captain Joseph Hazelwood, came on board after having drinks with a friend at the port. Once the ship was filled they wasted no time and began their journey to the refineries in Long Beach, California after dark on the evening of March 23, 1989. When the captain boarded the ship, he knew many things about the ship. For example, when the 987 foot long ship is fully loaded it rides five stories deep in the water (Blashfield, 17). Bligh Reef, which they would be passing by is only 40 feet below the surface of the sea. This massive ship takes at least two miles to stop. Knowing all of this information Captain Hazelwood decided to cut it close by trying to turn the tanker in the narrow space between the ice and the reef. (Schoowe, 11). With all of this known, the captain did three strange things. He ordered the helmsman to put the ship on automatic pilot, he ordered the engines accelerated to a speed normally used only in open seas, and he left the bridge, with a junior officer, third mate Gregory Cousins, in charge while he went to his cabin. What happened next will later be a ...

Western civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Western civilization - Essay Example This paper seeks to explore the shifts in concepts and ideologies that occurred leading to western civilization. Renaissance illustrates a period of cultural movement and its spread to the rest of Europe whereas Italy is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, which saw the outlook and institutions of the middle ages merge. Therefore, during this period radical change would be experienced at all levels of the society, giving rise to the European civilization, which later transformed to the modern western civilization. The central government within the political organization grew stronger in the wake of the rebirth but at the expense of feudalism. Feudalism was an arrangement in which persons regarded as nobles exercised public power, formerly held by kings since the existing monarchs could not guarantee the safety of their subjects. The notion that those regarded as the wellborn can influence policies and rule over others behind closed doors is still among the western civilization where stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process. Commercial and industrial activities expanded significantly, which introduced new and more efficient products to the society. As a result, capitalism in most city-states replaced most primitive forms of economic organization (Perry et al 293). This is a defining characteristic of the modern western civilization whose commercial activities are based on capitalism. The adoption of capitalism by the earlier civilizations enhanced pre-existing social inequalities, which for instance widened the gap between the rich and poor. At the height of the booming commercial activities, people in the middle-class level of the society increased in number as they amassed wealth, which played a crucial role in the economic and cultural life. In addition, religious reforms were introduced following the fragmentation of unity in