Symbol

A symbol is usually something small that represents something else in the larger scheme of things. Symbols could be reoccurring or they can simply be present once. However, the most important aspect of symbols is what they really represent. In a lot of poetry and longer works, symbols can be as simple as a repeated color, word, phrase, or feeling. For example, the repetition of the color white in the novel The Great Gastby sheds light to Daisy's seeming purity and her quiet and dainty personality. Moreover, although it may seem that the color white is just a description of Daisy's clothing and other personal objects, a closer look reveals that the color symbolizes the depth of Daisy's character while shedding light to her true persona. Unlike in novels, when a symbol is repeated multiple times throughout the work, symbols in poetry are usually mentioned once or referred to very little throughout the poem. But, symbols in poetry tend to have a much deeper meaning than it may seem on the surface. Therefore, symbols in long and short works may not appear to be the same, but in reality the two function the same, revealing a deeper meaning through a simpler word or phrase.

Setting

The setting of a play, novel, poem, or short story becomes a huge role in the story itself. Setting contributes to the story as a whole, creates tension, and ultimately sets the mood for the whole story. For example, Hamlet's dark, mysterious setting of Denmark ads to the tragedy of the play, and makes the tragedy come to life. Also, the subtlety of Pride and Prejudice's vast countryside sets a very obeying and light tone to allow characters to outshine the lack-of-detailed setting. In poetry, setting is usually described with vivid imagery which usually sets the tone and creates a story for the reader. Moreover, when watching a play live, the audience will usually notice the setting and will feel they are in the setting with the actors, as the setting always comes to life with the play itself. When a setting is dark and mysterious, the play will seem to have a tragic ending. However, when there is a colorful, vivid setting, the play will tend to end in a happy marriage or other exciting event. Therefore, setting becomes a huge contributor to the overall plot and storyline of a novel, play, poem, or any other work, and contributes the audience or reader's feelings while reading or watching the story unravel.

Character

Characters bring tension, conflict and personality to any story. Moreover, characters allow a reader to engage more in a story because of relatability and similar or contrasting traits. One of the most powerful characters that we have seen this year is Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth's head-strong personality provides an interesting contrast from the other obeying women in the English society. Elizabeth brings tension and provides to most of the story line and plot. Her different outlook on society and love creates a modern, fresh, and relatable character for readers. In a fiction, characters tend to stand out through personality traits that differ from other's personalities. Like fiction characters, characters in dramas also tend to stand out because of their contrasting  personalities, however dramatic characters tend to have more extreme attitudes that conflict and outshine the rest of the supporting characters. Moreover, characters truly provide the interesting plot changes that occur throughout a story. For example, in Hamlet, the climax of the play is made possibly by Hamlet and him stabbing Claudius. Also, the climax in Pride and Prejudice is when Elizabeth finally agrees to Darcy's marriage proposal. Therefore, characters make a story interesting and also create interesting changes in plot.

Plot

Plot becomes the most important aspect of a story. Explained through characters, events and conflicts, plot is what tells a story and brings a story meaning. Moreover, plot comes to life through the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. All of these major story points bring together the points that inevitably become the plot. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the exposition (or the background information) begins right at the start of the play with the explanation of the death of Hamlet Senior and Claudius' rise to power. The exposition continues to explain the depression that Hamlet expresses to himself only. Most of the story takes the role of the rising action - the events that lead up to the major conflict and climax - as Hamlet creates tension for himself and contemplates murdering Claudius. Also, Claudius orders Hamlet to be beheaded in England - this is also a rising action. Moreover, the true climax is in Act 5 when Hamlet finally kills Claudius. After the tension in the first 4 acts between Hamlet and Claudius, this action surely serves as the climax. However, the falling action is when Hamlet ultimately kills himself and the rest of his family and most of his friends end up dead. The plot finally ends with Horatio and Fortinbras discussing the honorable funeral for Hamlet and Fortinbras' future place as King of Denmark. Therefore, the plot brings an interesting mix to the story line. Without the subtopics of plot in any story, no story would be interesting or climatic.

turnitin.com comments - Hamlet Essay

I feel that I was able to accomplish a lot of great things in my Hamlet essay. I do have a few things to work on for my next essay:

1. Longer conclusion
2. Make sure to explain more than one trait of personality (or one common theme, etc)
3. Two part title with colon

The common theme of TIME in Coy Mistress and Ozymandias

To His Coy Mistress, a poem that expresses the importance of seizing the day when it comes to expressing love, and Ozymandias, a hopeless ode to the drastic changes that occur through time, both address the harsh effects that people face through the passing of time. Although the two poems seem to be drastically different because of the lengths of the poems as well as diction, the two poems both express the necessity of praising time. Therefore, while To His Coy Mistress and Ozymandias are two completely different poems and appear to have nothing to do with one another - as one focuses on snatching time while it is available and the other emphasizes the way a huge empire can crumble to pieces throughout time - in actuality, the two poems are very similar and express similarities through the strong tone changes in structures of the poems as well as the everlasting theme of time.

Prufrock v. Coy Mistress

Both Prufrock and Coy Mistress share the common theme of the incorrect way of expressing love. However, the two poems express the theme of love in completely opposite ways. Prufrock is the epitome of the modern man who has the inability to express or share love with another person, where as the speaker in Coy Mistress demands an urgent love in which emotions will not be truly expressed. Both speakers attempt at loving another person, however while Prufrock has the inability to love, the speaker in Coy Mistress does not know how to praise love and let it last. Therefore, both speakers attempt at love but because of Prufrocks personal lack of confidence and the speaker of Coy Mistress' overly pompous attitude, the two speakers do not have the ability to successfully carry out their feelings.

Ozymandias v. ponder these busted statues

The poem Ozymandias expresses the importance of time to the ancient king Ozymandias and his ruins. The poem goes on to describe the incredible empire that Ozymandias had created in the ancient times, and how it is currently shattered into pieces with "nothing besides remains" left over. The central point expresses that  something so vast can be destroyed in time. On the other hand, the poem ponder, darling, these busted statues by e.e. cummings compares a sarcastic love story to ancient ruins. The poem is a pun on other "seize the day" poems such as To His Coy Mistress. Moreover, the central theme of cummings' poem is the necessity to take advantage of the time that two lovers may have because just like an infrastructure of a city, love and emotion does not last forever.

Performance Choices

While preparing to perform the first scene where Hamlet talks to Claudius and Gertrude, we had to make many decisions on how to present the characters. The biggest decision was how to have Hamlet behave. In this scene, Hamlet can be a reserved but emotional character or he could be angry and aggressive. In order to show off his anger, we had created an angry version of Hamlet. We had Claudius talk in his usual kind-sounding tone, although he is not saying the kindest and dearest things, and lastly Gertrude had been talking in a most agreeing tone with Claudius. Gertrude's calm tone towards Hamlet would be one of the causes of Hamlet's anger.