Hamlet Intro and Thesis

In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, the protagonist Hamlet is a strong young man who seeks revenge on Claudius, the new king. Claudius married his mother shortly after his father's death, which angered Hamlet greatly. In the presence of other people, Hamlet displays himself with confidence and assertiveness. But when he is left along on the stage for a soliloquy, he reveals his real persona.At first glance Hamlet is portrayed to be a confident man who is seeking revenge; however, below the surface his true emotions are displayed through his broken up speech patterns within his soliloquies that reveal his insecurities and uncertainty.   

To His Coy Mistress Analysis

The poem, To His Coy Mistress, is written in iambic tetrameter with rhyming couplets. The purpose of these literary devices is to effect the rhythm of the poem. This rhyme scheme brings attention to the idea that the poem is not meant to be taken seriously. On the surface to his coy mistress is interpreted as a love letter from a man to his love interest. However, the real purpose of the poem is to seduce his mistress into having sex with him. The poem suggests that we can not know what lies ahead because the human mind can only experience the present. Thus, introducing the theme Carpe Diem (seize the day). 

In the first stanza the speaker attempts to seduce his mistress with flattery. He says how if they had more time, shyness would not be an issue. The speaker also explains that if they had more time, he would spend years admiring her and loving her forever. Starting off sweet and praising his love interest is why the poem is perceived as a love letter at first glance. However, the mood of the poem shifts in the second stanza when the speaker dismisses everything he said previously. The speaker explains that time passes too quickly to wait. His patience is running out and he can not love her at such a far distance. The romantic feel moves toward a sexual feel when he states that he does not want to wait to seek his desires (sex). He tells his mistress how life is too short but death is forever. And he explains that if they don't have sex now, then when she dies worms will come into her coffin and take her "virginity." In the last stanza the speaker appears to be confident of his persuasive argument when he says "Now therefore, while the youthful hue.." He concludes that due to the reasons he just listed, they should therefore have sex now. He acts as if he knows his argument was successful and that she is going to listen to his commands. But on a lighter note, he ends the poem by complimenting her youth and beauty. Ultimately, the poem suggests that people must not wait to meet their desires, rather they should seize the day! And in the speakers situation this pertains to having sex with his "coy mistress."

To His Coy Mistress

Lines 11 - 14:
"My vegetable love should grow
Vaster than empires, and more slow;
An hundred years should go to praise
Thine eyes and on thy forehead gaze"


In these lines we begin to see the speakers love for his mistress. He claims he would wait till the end of time for her.. "everlasting love." He starts to describe his love for her by saying he will dedicate one hundred years to her eyes. But then you can see his attention shift towards sex rather than love when he says, "Two hundred to adore each breast.." (Line 15). He starts off being sweet and then nonchalantly sneaks in his real concern being sex. Not only are his intentions not what they initially seem to be, but in the next stanza you begin to see his patience running out as well. He attempts to be deceitful by misdirecting the readers opinion of him in the beginning.. hoping the reader wont notice his sexual remarks.. but do not be fooled!!

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D. W. Harding: Funny or Nightmare?

In the novel Pride and Prejudice Mr. Collins can be described as a nightmare in the way he treats women. He judges a woman based on social norms and general consensus. More specifically, he judges Elizabeth in this way. An example of this "nightmare" that he represents is when he proses to Elizabeth. She rejects his proposal with a lucid explanation, however, he continually asks to marry her. Elizabeth has to refuse several times before he gets the hint. In Pride and Prejudice everything Mr. Collins says is exaggerated so that Austen can attack the society without upsetting the reader. Woman are forced to marry based on wealth and status of the man, not love. In today's reality, this situation would be a nightmare but Austen's ability to exaggerate his character disguises him has a comic relief. Thus, in my opinion, Mr. Collins is a funny nightmare.