Thursday, July 2, 2015

When Iago stabs Roderigo in Act 5, where does he stab him?

The text doesn't actually tell us. We know that Iago wounds Cassio in the leg from behind, when Roderigo fails to kill him:



ROD:
I know his gait; 'tis he. Villain, thou diest!


CASSIO:
That thrust had been mine enemy indeed,
But that my coat is better than thou know'st;
I will make proof of thine.


ROD:
O, I am slain! 
[Iago from behind wounds Cassio in the leg, and exit.]
 
CASSIO:
I am maim'd forever. Help, ho! Murder! Murder! 



Roderigo is wrong, though. He isn't slain. He lies on the floor crying out for help, but no-one dares come in case he's a faker trying to set a trap so he can hurt them:



ROD:
O wretched villain!


LODOVICO:
Two or three groan; it is a heavy night:
These may be counterfeits; let's think't unsafe
To come in to the cry without more help.


ROD:
Nobody come? Then shall I bleed to death.



Roderigo lies there in the dark. Until Iago steps in with a light to see what is going on - and finishes the job:



IAGO:
O treacherous villains!
What are you there? Come in and give some help.


ROD:
O, help me here!


CASSIO:
That's one of them.


IAGO:
O murderous slave! O villain!


ROD:
O damn'd Iago! O inhuman dog! 



And that, stabbed in the dark, is the end of Roderigo.

What are the principles of Blithedale as a community in "Blithedale Romance"?That is--what do its inhabitants claim they want from the experiment?

Blithedale as a community is an experiment in socialism.  Its supporters are seeking "a better life", and hope through their endeavors to achieve "the reformation of the world", changing its "destiny".  In a spirit of cooperation, they plan to learn "the art of husbandry", so that, with each individual doing his or her share, they might live off the land, establishing a system better than "the society that shackled (them)" (Chapter 2).

The experiment is being undertaken to break "through many hindrances that are powerful enough to keep most people on the weary tread-mill of the established system".  The participants resolve to step "down from the pulpit...(fling) aside the pen...shut up the ledger...(throw)...off indolence", for the express purpose of "showing mankind the example of a life governed by other than the false and cruel principles, on which human society has all along been based".  They determine to "divorce (them)selves from Pride...to supply its place with familiar love...to lessen the laboring man's great burthen of toil, by performing (their) due share of it...to profit by mutual aid, instead of wresting it by the strong hand from an enemy, or filching it craftily from those less shrewd than (them)selves...or winning it by selfish competition with a neighbor".  Instead, they will each selflessly "offer up the earnest toil of (their) bodies...for the advancement of (their) race" (Chapter 3).

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

What was the purpose of the Knights of the Round Table?

The Knights of the Round Table, in King Arthur's Court were a group of 150 knights who swore loyalty to the king, observed the code of chivalry, which required them to be brave and courteous.  They were to fight injustice and evil.  They were a force for good, protecting the weak and the underprivileged.

The Knights of the Round Table were expected to be true to their lady loves, and to rescue damsels in distress.

Above all, they were champions for the King, seeking to fight cruelty and to courageously face the enemy even unto to death.

The most celebrated Knight of the Round Table was Sir Launcelot.  He was known for his bravery in battle, his courage and his skill in fighting. However, he disgraced himself. He could not undertake the most precious task of a Knight of the Round Table, to seek the Holy Grail or the Sang-real.  This was literally thought to be the chalice that Jesus Christ used at the Last Supper.  In the Middle Ages it was thought to be lost.  Sir Launcelot fell in love with King Arthur's wife, Queen Guenevere, and she with him, after he rescued her from one of King Arthur's most hated enemies.  

The Knight remembered for seeking the Holy Grail was Sir Galahad, a pure Knight, untainted, the son of Sir Launcelot.

In Grendel, what is the outcome of Beowulf's battle with Grendel?

The answer to this question can be found in the final chapter of this book, Chapter Twelve, which details the long-awaited battle between Grendel and Beowulf and what happens as a result. One of the great aspects of this book is that it re-tells a tale from the perspective of the character traditionally thought of as being the evil character. Grendel's character and personality dominates this story and allows us to see things from his point of view, which makes us feel sympathy for him. Having for so long thought that he was invulnerable, Grendel is therefore very surprised when he attacks Beowulf and finds that Beowulf is much stronger than him. The battle is certainly won decidedly when Beowulf rips off Grendel's arm. Note how Grendel reports this event:



The room goes suddenly white, as if struck by lightning. I stare down, amazed. He has torn off my arm at the shoulder! Blood pours down where the limb was. I cry, I bawl like a baby.



Grendel, wounded mortally, is left to flee Hrothgar's home and return to his cave to die in agony, shouting out his defiance against an uncaring world. Beowulf has triumphed over Grendel.

I need a detailed paragraph of everything that happend in Calpurnia's dream in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.

In Act II of the play Calpurnia begs Caesar to stay home from the Roman Senate. Terrible and supernatural events have happened in Rome during the stormy night, and Calpurnia has had a disturbing dream. During her dream Caesar heard her three times call  out, "Help! Ho! they murder Caesar!"


The content of Calpurnia's dream, as Caesar explains it to Decius who has come to take him to the Senate, is a terrifying image. She sees a statue of Caesar bleeding from many sources, with the blood flowing freely like a fountain with many spouts. In her dream, "many lusty Romans / Came smiling and did bathe their hands in [Caesar's blood]." Calpurnia's dream foreshadows Caesar's assassination a few hours later in the Roman Senate.

What is the Globe theatre?

Incidentally, the timber and material for The Globe was "stolen" from London's oldest and very famous venue, named, appropriately enough, "The Theatre."


The company of shareholders of which Shakespeare was a member, armed with tools, and weapons -- props borrowed from another theatre, "The Curtain," stormed onto property owned by Giles Allen, on December 28, 1598. Led by Richard and Cuthbert Burbage, they tore down the edifice of The Theatre, and carried it toward The Thames. It is unknown if Shakespeare participated.


Later, in spring of 1599, it was that material, which was sometime transported to Southwark, that used to build The Globe.


Richard and Cuthbert's father, James, entered a lease agreement with Allen. James cleverly worded a clause, specifying that while Allen owned the land, James owned The Theatre (that is the building itself).


Allen refused to renew the lease, when Burbage died, forcing the company out of The Theatre, rendering them homeless.


The shareholders quickly formed, pooled their money, and secured a 30 year lease on a parcel of land in Southwark on Christmas day, 1598. The site of The Globe.


With knowledge of the clause in the lease with Allen, and hoping the legal interpretation would side with them, they proceeded to tear the building down, with the intention of recycling the timber for their new theatre, The Globe.


Allen sued the shareholders to prevent them from using the timber, but they prevailed. Public records of these events still exist.

What does the Jungle symbolize in "Lord Of The Flies"?

The entire story is a allegory. In other words, the story represents abstract ideas through, in this case, characters and setting. Golding wants the reader to consider whether or not humans are born evil and are civil only because the consequences and restrictions of law and religion. Therefore, the jungle -- a place completely exempt of societal order -- is an ideal setting to analyze human behavior in its most natural state.

What is the main function of the fool in "King Lear"? What is the secondly function?

The fool as a character is confusing, but part of this is the difference between the 1600s and today, as well as the difference in place. If...