Disguise in Shakespeare

Characters often resort to disguise in Shakespeare plays. This is a plot device that the Bard uses over and over again ... but why? We take a look at the history of disguise and reveal why it was considered controversial and dangerous in Shakespeares time. Gender Disguise in Shakespeare One of the most common plot lines used in relation to disguise is when a woman such as Rosalind in As You Like It disguises herself as a man. This is looked at in more depth in Cross-Dressing in Shakespeare Plays. This plot device allows Shakespeare to explore gender roles as with Portia in The Merchant of Venice who, when dressed as a man, is able to solve the problem of Shylock and demonstrate that she is just as bright as the male characters. History of Disguise Disguise goes back to Greek and Roman theater and allows the playwright to demonstrate dramatic irony. Dramatic irony  is when the audience is party to knowledge that the characters in the play are not. Often, humor can be derived from this. For example, when Olivia in Twelfth Night is in love with Viola (who is dressed as her brother Sebastian), we know that she is in fact in love with a woman. This is amusing but it also allows the audience to feel pity for Olivia, who does not have all of the information. The English Sumptuary Laws In Elizabethan times, clothes indicated a persons’ identity and class. Queen Elizabeth had supported a law pronounced by her predecessor named ‘The English Sumptuary Laws’ where a person must dress according to their class but also should limit extravagance. People must protect the levels of society, but they must also dress so as not to flaunt their riches—they must not dress too sumptuously. Penalties could be enforced such as fines, the loss of property, and even execution. As a result, clothes were regarded as a manifestation of a persons’ position in life and therefore, dressing in a different way had a lot more power and significance and danger than it has today. Here are some examples from King Lear: Kent, a nobleman disguises himself as a lowly servant called Caius in order to stay close to the King to keep him safe and remain loyal despite being banished by him. This is a deception but he does it for honorable reasons.  The audience has sympathy for Kent as he debases himself in honor of the King.  Edgar, Gloucester’s son disguises himself as a beggar called Poor Tom after he is wrongly accused of plotting to kill his father. His character is altered as well as his appearance as he becomes intent on revenge.Goneril and Regan disguise their true intentions rather than wearing a physical disguise. They flatter their father in order to inherit his Kingdom and then betray him. Masque Balls   The use of Masques during festivals and carnivals was commonplace in Elizabethan society both among the aristocracy and the common classes. Originating from Italy, Masques appear regularly in Shakespeare’s plays. There is a masked ball in Romeo and Juliet, and in Midsummer Night’s Dream there is a masque dance to celebrate the wedding of the Duke to the Amazon Queen. There is a masque in Henry VIII, and The Tempest could be considered a masque the whole way through—Prospero is in authority but we come to understand the frailty and vulnerability of authority. Masque balls allowed people to behave differently to how they may do in everyday life. They could get away with more merriment and no one would be sure of their true identity. Disguise in the Audience Sometimes members of the Elizabethan audience would disguise themselves. Especially the women because even though Queen Elizabeth herself loved the theater, it was generally considered that a woman who wanted to see a play was of ill repute. She may even be considered to be a prostitute, so masks and other forms of disguise were used by the audience members themselves. Conclusion Disguise was a powerful tool in Elizabethan society—you could instantly change your position, if you were brave enough to take the risk. You could also change people’s perception of you. Shakespeare’s use of disguise could foster humour or a sense of impending doom, and as such, disguise  is an incredibly powerful narrative technique: Conceal me what I am, and be my aid for such disguise as haply shall become the form of my intent. (Twelfth Night, Act 1, Scene 2)

The Epic of Sundiata Essays - 619 Words

The epic of Sundiata pertains to the ancient kingdom of Mali in Africa. The king there has two sons and multiple wives. Sundiata was set to have taken the throne being the first born son but suffered from an severely impairing illness that would prevent him to walk yet rule a kingdom. When their father, the king, died his second son took over the kingdom as king. He turned out to be an awful leader and treated his people and Sundiata terribly. Sundiata struggled immensely but was able to eventually beat his illness which was preventing him to walk. When the current king observed this, he felt very threatened and in retaliation stated that Sundiata and his mother were to be banished from the kingdom. Shortly after leaving they were accepted†¦show more content†¦As stated by the griot, Everywhere I was able to see and understand what my masters were teaching me, but between their hands I took an oath to teach only what is to be taught and to conceal what is to be kept conceale d†. The Prince is essentially a guide book on how to acquire and maintain political power. We can think of it as a collection of rules and methods to achieve a level of superior authority. Its main focus is that the ends—no matter how immoral—justify the means for preserving political authority. While some may agree with this mindset of thinking many today dismiss Machiavelli as a cynic. The book shows rulers how it is that they should act to survive in the real world to maintain authority. While Niccolo Machiavelli’s ideas can be radical, they helped to spark a revolution in political philosophy. Although his ideas might have not been completely original, they were very different and unheard of at the time, The Prince, was published. Machiavelli uses many methods to convey his messages including biblical comparisons and of course metaphors. This character can be viewed in several manners. He is almighty and powerful, stopping at nothing to achieve his goals or have his ways. While this quality does qualify him to be a might leader it also raises the question of immorality. How far will one go to maintain order? Would you stop at nothing to achieve this task? Machiavelli shows this by saying, â€Å"it isShow MoreRelatedsundiata an epic of old mali816 Words   |  4 Pagesmany other things, the epic is implicitly an exploration of what qualities define Sundiata as a hero, and by extension, what virtues are heroic. The most glaring is his strength. Even when he is crippled as a child and cannot walk, the boy has strong arms. But when he finally stands, he surprises everyone, bending an enormous rod to a bow and pulling a tree up by its roots. Another quality is his bravery, most clearly illuminated by his skill and grit in battle. But Sundiata has more than animal strengthRead MoreAnalysis and Commentary on The Epic of Sundiata685 Words   |  3 Pages The Epic of Sundiata The Epic of Sundiata is a tale about the ancient kingdom of Mali in Africa and the legendary king and founder of the Mali Empire told by Djeli Mamadou Kouyate a griot, which is equivalent to storyteller. Before the griot begins the story he introduces himself as a â€Å"master in the art of eloquence.† He explains how his family had played an important role in preserving the history of the Mali Empire. By serving the princes of the Mali Empire. He says a griots job is to protectRead More Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali Essay1013 Words   |  5 PagesAfrican history, Sundiata, in D.T. Nianes book Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali. This book has become an entertaining, yet scrutinized, source about the history of Mali and its surrounding areas. 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In fact, there is not a true author for this epic due to the fact that it has been transmitted orally for many years. This epic justly showed the type of culture Africa had at the time taken place and has defined the type of people who use to reside there. Sundiata: an Epic of OldRead MoreSundiata Essay971 Words   |  4 Pages Epics Sundiata was written in Africa. Gilgamesh was the oldest one written. Other works include the Iliad and the Odyssey, which were written by the blind prophet Homer. What do all these works of literature have in common with each other? The similarity that all these works of literature have is that they are all epics. What does this mean? What is an epic? The definition of an epic is that an epic is a long, narrative poem with a hero that goes on a quest. What is the hero? Well, the characteristicsRead MoreThe Odyssey And Sundiat An Epic Of Old Mali1328 Words   |  6 Pagesinevitable or irresistible, course of events. (Google). Finally A journey is defined as an act of traveling from one place to another. (Google). While analyzing these two great epics I came across many similarities between the two main characters. In both epics The Odyssey and Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali Odysseus and Sundiata embark on destined heroic conquest to fulfill their destiny. All throughout the two main characters quest, they encounter obstacles, and foes they must overcome in order to

Hosting A Hunt Protect The Hunted Pros And Cons

Hosting a Hunt to Protect the Hunted: Pros and Cons The thought of killing an almost endangered animal to raise awareness to its vulnerable status seems insane to any normal human being, but what if there were several benefits to go along with the drawbacks? The scenario I am referring to is if a professional hunter sold tickets for $1500.00 a piece and maxed the amount of tickets to 100 tickets. The money he received from this hunt would go towards lion conservation only and not into his own pockets. The money the lion conservation efforts would receive would be approximately $150,000.00 (not including taxes taken out). The idea of this much money going towards lion conservation to an average american doesn t seem all that much considering how large the protected and reserve areas are in Africa. Africa is 14 times larger than the United States of America. The main problem with Africa is not the fact that it is so large, but the fact that their country is not as fortunate to have the revenue that the U.S has to put towards conservation efforts. The majority of the money they get to fund these reserves comes from hosting hunts like the one I mentioned above. Africa s government does allot some money to help the reserves, but definitely not enough to help with everything upkeeping a reserve entails, â€Å"The agency determined that the major threats to lions are habitat destruction, declines in the species they prey on, and increased conflicts between humans and lions (WallShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesseekers, holiday workers, tourists, temporary residents, guest workers, family migrants, immigrants, business travelers, illegals, undocumented persons, and so forth. It is commonly argued that these categorization and surveillance measures help to protect both the human rights of migrants and the interests of the nation.66 But they also generate the Byzantine red tape that so many observers complain about. In their preferences for wealthy and educated migrants, they also comprise one of the lastRead MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 PagesLarge supermarket chain Asda was distributing the Ministry’s albums to shoppers around the UK. The Ministry’s distinctive logo had become the basis for a large merchandising business, mostly for clothing. By 2001, the Ministry’s touring division was hosting 300 events worldwide, including China and India, and had regular summer 2 3 The Ministry of Sound was aiming for a stock market listing within a couple of years. Then things started to go wrong. The dance music on which the Ministry was based

Economic Geography and Multipolar Strategies †MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Economic Geography and Multipolar Strategies. Answer: Introduction: When strategic plans are formulated in an organization, it is sometimes hard to follow through the whole framework without the analysis of strategy implementation, the evaluation of the process undertaken and management control of the same. In Diageo Company; a producer of alcoholic drinks which include distilled spirits, experts came up with strategies that would include redesigning the whole Human Resource (HR) Operating Model, through incorporating technology. The HR operations were to be improved since they had been found faulty and needed an enhancement in proficiency. Apparently, it is impossible to enable strategy implementation without analysis, control, and management because factors like cost will not change unless they are analyzed and from this people can learn and make wiser decisions in the future. After experts analysis in 2003, Diageo was under pressure to increase profits, so it then focused on being more proficient. The HR department had to assess their operations; to pinpoint points of weakness that could be enhanced through proficiency and to formulating an improvement plan. The Diageo HR Operating Model consisted of three phases: Service Delivery, Business Partners, and Global that were all centralized under Business Units. The HR group decided to take less focus on service delivery and to concentrate on business performance which would cause a 33% increase in resource allocation, which was initially 21 percent. It would cause the HR group to reduce its members from 436 to 297(Adhikari Roy, 2017, p. 22). For the business partners phase, teams were categorized into ranges of knowledge like process ownership. For the global phase, a control panel was formed to cater for changes suggested by the human resource team. After benchmarking Colgate, Unilever and five other companies, the HR team came up with a new operating model. The model comprised of the single connected strategy, the unrivaled global strategy, streamlined delivery and leadership behaviors (Rosa, 2016, p. 8). The new model tends to reduce the range of language difference, to smooth costs and to recognize opportunities. The redesign of the HR operating model will lead to the decrease in costs and at the end of the day, improve efficiency just as was the objective of the strategy. On the technology part, there needed to be an implementation partner to implement the single platform. The Diageo Information Security team decided to partner with Accenture to organize the SAP development, IBM which provided infrastructure and Deloitte which provided systems incorporation of the original SAP enactment. However, Diageo team would encounter some constraints since when a technology agreement is signed by another partner, no alterations can be done to the system(Akkizidis Stagars, 2016, p. 15). Hence without a partner, the HR team would increase efficiency. With that in mind, the partnership was a setback for Diageo Company. Lessons Learnt Firstly, the Diageo HR group learned that selection of the best implementation partner is vital. The selection process entails identification of the company's key strengths, gaps, and abilities which in turn results in a choice of a partner that balances the company (Diageo, 2008). To ensure that the best partner is chosen, the team has to make sure that sponsorship is effective, it has to take time in defining the configuration, functions, and responsibilities. Also(Hanson et al., 2016) the team has to guarantee that quantifiable deliverables and results delineate success. Secondly, the primary driver for influence on budget and timelines is scope which must be well-defined and managed, and these changes require utmost attention (Wait., 2013, p. 26). If the company is unable to define it precisely, it will face problems of loss in investments in a project that had money and time injected into it. Thirdly, technology does not end at the point of implementation. One should make sure that technology changes continue to be implemented. As the years go by, technology advancements continue to increase (Sharma, 2013, p. 46). If the company does not embrace technology, then it is dangerous because it will continue to face challenges that come with competition from companies of the same industry. Lastly, the team in charge of changes in an organization should put equal emphasis on process, system, and data along with the business, people and change management requirement. Managing Change To manage the changes implemented, the HR team came up with Project Perfect Serve (PPS) which would be renamed later as First Serve after implementation of SAP. This group is managed by the team in charge of the effectiveness of operations. These are the sponsors of the same program as they have invested capital in it. The structure of PPS contains the operational efficiency (EWG), and under it, there is the programme board which is answered by the Global Human Resource Team (HRLT) and the Global HR Process Board. Under it, there is the Program Director (HR), who controls programme office, process, systems and data, Organization and people, Implementation Team UK and Ireland and Implementation Team North America. The PPS structure safeguards cooperative rights to project commitments, decisions, and procedures (Hupp et al., 2012, p. 53) Based on the above discussion, the processes of change adopted by Diageo human resource team earned them a few advancements like cost reduction and increased proficiency. The review of the human resource operational model enabled them to focus one of the most vital elements of business which is business performance and lessen the focus on less important details like service delivery. They learned different managerial skills in the sector of technology advancement (implementation partners), strategy implementation and change management. References (Firm), D., 1998. Diageo: a profile of the new business.. 1st ed. London: Diageo Plc. Adhikari, A. Roy, S. K., 2017. Instructor's manual for strategic marketing cases in emerging markets: a companion volume. 1st ed. Cham: Springer. Akkizidis, I. S. Stagars, M., 2016. Marketplace lending, financial analysis, and the future of credit: integration, profitability, and risk management. 1st ed. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley. Akkizidis, I. S. Stagars, M., 2106. Marketplace lending, financial analysis, and the future of credit: integration, profitability, and risk management. Chichester: Wiley. Hanson, D., Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D. Hoskisson, R. E., 2016. Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalisation.. 1st ed. Melbourne: Cengage Learning Australia. Hupp, T., Polak, C. Westgaard, O., 1995. Designing workgroups, jobs, and workflow. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass. Rosa Caiazza Affiliation: Parthenope University of Naples, N. I. Graziella Ferrara Affiliation: Suor Orsola Benincasa of Naples, N. I., 2016. Economic geography and multipolar strategies: an empirical analysis. 1st ed. s.l.: Journal of Management Development. Sharma, D. r. i. r. o. l. :., 2013. Guy Johnson, (Journalist); Francine Lacqua; Bloomberg News (Firm). 1st ed. New York: Bloomberg. Wait., B. B. -. D. G. T. C. t. T. W. W. B. -. D. G. T. C. t. T. W., 2013. Black Book - Diageo Good Things Come to Those Who Wait.. 1st ed. Sanford C: Bernstein Co.