Duchess of Malfi Essay Example for Free

Duchess of Malfi Essay The Duchess of Malfi written by John Webster was first performed around 1613. A dramatic tragedy, the play is about a forbidden marriage between the Duchess and Antonio her steward, and the wrath of her brothers which leads to many of their deaths. Webster focuses on the role of rank to detail the emotions between relationships in an aristocratic family in a time when class was all important. He uses many distinctive features to convey the substance of the play and its characters, and give the actors playing the roles cues for stage performance. This extract is part of the proposal and marriage scene, one of the biggest emotional dramatic scenes of the play. The duchess is marrying in secret against her brothers wishes; their fear is that she will demean the family’s honour by remarrying. It also forms the most positive aspect of the play, using one of the traditional stage conventions of love, defiance and disapproval (Pacheco and Johnson (2012) pg. 93). This serves to provide a ‘lift’ to an otherwise dark play, and compares the lighter side of the Duchess’ sexual desire to her brother Ferdinand’s. The extract is set at the second half of Act 1 scene 1, the first half being to set the backdrop for the audience and give them a good idea of each character and a good indication of things to come. Specifically, the extract is between the Duchess finding out how Antonio feels about marriage and their union itself; here, the Duchess is convincing Antonio that he is worthy of her, that she is woman enough despite her brothers, her rank and her status as a widow. This is achieved by the features of Webster’s distinctive language and the stage directions (both written and performed through reading). The Duchess uses double meaning in her dialogue, ‘So now the grounds broke/ you may discover what a wealthy mine/ I make you lord of.’ (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.432-33). She is referring to her own wealth and the value of his rank when they marry. This wordplay is also in the line ‘we are forced to woo because none dare woo us:’ (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.446) she is again referring to her rank and playing on the word ‘woo’ to mean ‘woe’ (and the irony being that she is wooing him). These are very persuasive lines for Antonio, who feels unworthy of the Duchess despite the traditional gender roles being swapped, and the dominance of the Duchess being prevalent. He realises this with the line ‘These words should be mine,’ (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.476). There is also wordplay in ‘All discord, without this circumference, / Is only to be pitied and not feared.’ (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.473). The Duchess is referring to the situation they are in (secret wedding and/or the room), the wedding ring she has given him and to the confinement her brothers wish for her. There could also be reference to how Antonio will be should they marry – a higher rank, but it will be a secret for some time. The duchess is trying to assuage the fear of it all by saying without it there is only pity (for her). The metre and rhythm of the speech in this extract is another distinctive feature. It is un-rhyming blank verse and follows the rules of iambic pentameter except where Webster wants a character to pause, for example, ‘You were ill to sell yourself’ (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.435) is only three feet of the full five feet line, leaving two for pause before the next line. This puts impact on that line but also on the ones following it. This technique is also echoed in the ‘woo’ line (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.446); the metre of the line is slightly too long, which shows the Duchess’ unwillingness to follow orders. Likewise, the line ‘You have left me heartless, mine is in your bosom’ (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.453) is too long, giving emphasis on the line and a cue for the actress playing the Duchess to use it for stage direction. The Duchess and Antonio’s dialogue overlaps through most of this extract; it makes them sound as if they are thinking together – giving the audience a feel for the emotional charge between the two characters. We have already seen from earlier in scene 1 that the Duchess is clearly defiant of her brothers, so it is little surprise to see that in response to Antonio’s fear of them she shrugs them off with the line ‘Do not think of them.’ (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.472). this confirms the audiences view of her as being strong and resilient but also somewhat naive, and also gives them a clue of what is to come, especially when she follows with the lines ‘Yet, should they know it, time will easily/ scatter the tempest.’ (Webster, (2010 [1623]) 1.1.476). This dramatic irony confirms what the audience knows but Antonio does not: that her brothers are unaware of their impending marriage. Indeed, with these lines Webster is inviting the audience to fear the brother’s reaction too after hearing their earlier death threat to the Duchess. (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.298-344) The depth of each character and difference of rank is shown in this extract by Webster’s use of figurative language. The Duchess continuously shows her determination and sprit, something which continues throughout the play – even to her death. And poor Antonio, who despite being honest and loyal, is overwhelmed at the turn of events and the metaphoric swapping of gender roles to the point where he is seeking solace in the Duchess’s words and is happy to be deluded ‘Would not have savoured flattery’ (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.478). He is painfully aware that he is not equal in rank but will be in marriage, and his fears exaggerate her strength ‘These words should be mine,/ And all of the parts you have spoke, if some part of it/ Would not have savoured flattery.’ (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.476-8) As for performance, the extract only provides one written key stage direction ‘(she kisses him)’ (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.468). However, there is plenty in the reading of the extract to relate to performance. This also leaves room for interpretation in relation to performance possibilities. The pace of the dialogue changes depending on which character is speaking, for example, lines 445-462 are full of short syllables which quicken the rhythm of the metre to make it energetic and erratic, ‘And fearfully equivocates,’ (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.448). It could serve to make the Duchess sound tense yet determined, and she could be sort of ranting in her attempts to convince Antonio. These lines also provide many words that can be used as stage direction, for example while she is speaking between lines 445 and 451 she could be pacing the stage and using her hands to emphasise her point ‘The misery of Thing it is not’ (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.445-52). Also in ‘Go, go brag,’ (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.452), she could point off stage as if inviting him to leave, either in an angry or defeated way. After, in ‘You have left me heartless’ (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.453), her hands could go to her heart, and then onto his with ‘mine is in your bosom’ and leave them there for ‘you do tremble (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.453-54). She could shake him at ‘awake, awake, man,’ (Webster, (2010[1623]) 1.1.459). The pace slows down again after Antonio has promised to protect her reputation; the syllables become longer and more even and written commas slow the dialogue to make it measured. This follows to the end of the extract so we can see that the Duchess is calmer and happy now that Antonio has accepted her proposal. This should reflect in the way that the person playing the Duchess should perform, especially when she is shrugging off the fear of her brothers, as it is almost nonchalant. The stage set up should have enough room for there to be complete focus on the characters and no superfluous scenery – perhaps only what is required to make it obvious what the room is, plus the table and chair for Antonio and the curtains for Cariola to hide behind. If the Duchess is pacing the stage while she rants there should be adequate room for this, and Antonio could follow behind her. Indeed, if he is seeking solace in her words, the actor may wish to appear meek (and therefore filling the gender and rank role) by following her blindly but also allowing her to turn to place her hands on him where necessary. In all, we can see how the distinctive features of Webster’s language have brought the play into being. The use of dramatic irony, metre and rhythm, imagery and figurative language to convey emotion, bring scenes to life and help the audiences perception. Webster also especially does this in his use of figurative language to create stage directions for the cast, which in turn helps them to set and convey the scene. With the play only having little written stage directions, Webster leaves the play open for the actor’s interpretation, and its possibilities onstage.

The Science Of Superstitions :: essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites The debate between realism and anti-realism is, at least, a century old. Does Science describe the real world – or are its theories true only within a certain conceptual framework? Is science only instrumental or empirically adequate or is there more to it than that? Jose Ortega y Gasset said (in an unrelated exchange) that all ideas stem from pre-rational beliefs. William James concurred by saying that accepting a truth often requires an act of will which goes beyond facts and into the realm of feelings. Maybe so, but is there is little doubt today that beliefs are somehow involved in the formation of many scientific ideas, if not of the very endeavour of Science. After all, Science is a human activity and humans always believe that things exist (=are true) or could be true. A distinction is traditionally made between believing in something’s existence, truth, value of appropriateness (this is the way that it ought to be) – and believing that something. The latter is a propositional attitude: we think that something, we wish that something, we feel that something and we believe that something. Believing in A and believing that A - are different. It is reasonable to assume that belief is a limited affair. Few of us would tend to believe in contradictions and falsehoods. Catholic theologians talk about explicit belief (in something which is known to the believer to be true) versus implicit one (in the known consequences of something whose truth cannot be known). Truly, we believe in the probability of something (we, thus, express an opinion) – or in its certain existence (truth). All humans believe in the existence of connections or relationships between things. This is not something which can be proven or proven false (to use Popper’s test). That things consistently follow each other does not prove they are related in any objective, â€Å"real†, manner – except in our minds. This belief in some order (if we define order as permanent relations between separate physical or abstract entities) permeates both Science and Superstition. They both believe that there must be – and is – a connection between things out there. Science limits itself and believes that only certain entities inter-relate within well defined conceptual frames (called theories). Not everything has the potential to connect to everything else. Entities are discriminated, differentiated, classified and assimilated in worldviews in accordance with the types of connections that they forge with each other.

Performance Appraisal – Running Over Town-Terry Popple, A Little Time- Beautiful South, and Sweet Georgia Brown- B.Bernie/M. Pinkard/K. Casey

The three pieces I have studied are: 1. Running Over Town-Terry Popple 2. A Little Time- Beautiful South 3. Sweet Georgia Brown- B.Bernie/M. Pinkard/K. Casey I have decided to perform Running Over Town for my performance piece. This song is a country- rock. The main feature of this piece is the changing mood of the song. The drum kit makes an impact with the well- placed fills and the different beats used. The fills used paradidles and double strokes. The song has a good ABAC structure. The use of a rim click and the bell of the cymbal adds to the feel of the piece and makes it stand out. When I performed this I added three stroke ruffs in the fills and adapted them to how I thought would sound best. This is what the composer tells you to do in the piece Using a drum kit, bass guitar, lead guitar and a keyboard gives the song a fairly thick texture and a range of instruments. The dynamics used on the drum kit emphasise the main parts of the song, where the theme changes and where the song is developed. In this piece I think that the range of my instrument is fully explored because a variety of fills are used. Also, more than one voice is played. These voices are: * the cymbal – as well as hitting it normally the bell of the cymbal is used * the snare drum – it is hit with the snare on and a rim click is also played * the hi-hat – it is played closed and open. Therefore the drum kit has been explored and various different sounds are produced. Three special performing techniques are used in this piece. The first is the opening of the hi-hat which produces a splash sound which cannot be made anywhere else on the kit. The second is the playing of the bell of the cymbal which adds to the different sounds coming from the cymbals. Lastly the rim click is used which helps convey the mood and theme of the piece. This piece is originally composed for the drum kit and has not been arranged for it. My instrument relates to the others in the ensemble by playing the rhythm and keeping the time. It adds to the texture of the piece and influences the whole sound when all the instruments play as one. It is vital to the piece as it would not sound right with out it because someone needs to play the rhythm. The links between my performance piece and the others that I have studied is that they all use rim clicks throughout the song to enhance the sound of the piece. This is also a performing technique that is required to give the desired effect while playing the piece. In my performance piece I also had to splash the hi-hat, use varied fills, play on the bell of a cymbal and add dynamics. All these are performance techniques that the composer has decided to use. The first two pieces use regular eighth note grooves with a backbeat on 1 and 3. This is common of rock music. But the third piece is a jazz piece which uses an advanced jazz groove which involves triplets, as all jazz grooves do. The expectation of the pieces affects the way they are composed. If the audience was expecting a slow piece performed by an orchestra then the composer would have to change his or her ideas and add more instruments. For example, the composer might slow the piece down and replace the drum kit or guitar with a string section of the orchestra. The pieces would also be performed differently in that the performers may feel like playing the piece faster because the audience prefers energetic music. All of my chosen pieces are notated in the same way but not composed in the same way as they are all different styles of music. The first piece is a country- rock piece so is played with a jerky guitar and has quite a fast tempo (allegro). Also it has a piano playing the main melody. The second piece is rock and sounds a lot like the first but it uses string instruments instead of the guitar and it also uses a keyboard to play the melody. Unlike the others the song has two singers. At the beginning it sounds like the first piece as it uses a keyboard, a rim click and a groove similar to the drummer in the first piece. The third piece is a lot different as it is a different style of music. It is a jazz piece so the drummer uses a jazz groove which is played using triplets unlike the two other drummers. A keyboard is used in this piece but is used in a different way to the others, and it doesn't play the melody all the way through. There is a double bass in this and a saxophone along with a keyboard and a drum kit. My Performance When I performed my piece under exam conditions in front of the two music teachers I think that it went well, because when I played the grooves in the piece I played them smoothly and correctly. Also, when I performed I played confidently and made few mistakes although, to keep the rhythm perfect I thought that I would have played better with the backing track so I could hear when the rhythm changed by listening to the other instruments. I also think that I added the dynamics well and played at the right tempo. The fills that I added also fitted the piece and added extra to the overall sound of the piece. I think my performance was played as the composer intended it to be played as I had played along with a backing track while practicing and this helped me to play the right sort of style. I also think that this was played in the same style and theme as the composer had intended. There were a few special features in my performance piece. There was a rim click which was used in a certain groove which enhanced the piece as it suited the country style. Along with this I played the bell of the ride cymbal. Another technique I used was splashing the hi-hat. This is when you take your foot off the hi-hat and play it with your hand as the hi-hat is being released. I think that I handled the difficult bars with ease as I decided to play a piece that I could handle instead of one that I would make mistakes in because it was too hard. I might have improved the piece by playing it with headphones to help me keep in time as I didn't have the backing track on and therefore I could have enhanced the sound because I would be playing with a better rhythm and style. Overall, I think I performed my piece well and gave a memorable and convincing performance, but there is room for improvement. Composition Brief My composition brief is to compose a piece that shows the different uses of a rim click in three or more genres of music. I also hope to show that the drum kit has been explored in my composition and that it has been used to its full potential. I am going to use rim clicks in: basic quarter, eighth and sixteenth note rock grooves; shuffles; Latin and jazz grooves. Along with the grooves I am going to add some fills. I am also hoping to add dynamics and texture to the piece as at the beginning it will start with only one hand playing the kit and then increase to using all my limbs. I am going to use techniques that I have studied and liked. This brief relates to the pieces that I have studied as it uses a rim click which is what my three chosen pieces have in common. I am going to expand, develop and explore this technique in my composition. This is in all the three pieces I have studied but I particularly liked it in the first piece (Running Over Town). I am going to use this technique in jazz and shuffle grooves which both revolve around triplet feels. I have used the jazz grooves from the third piece but have made them simpler and added my own style to them. The rock grooves are played straight and do not need as much care as the other grooves. These I have taken from the second piece I have studied as I think that they are very affective. Also, the Latin bossa nova groove does the same thing. This is just something I want to add because I think that it will give the composition a wide range of genres. I intend to use a few special techniques in my composition which include using ghost notes (which is when you play a note quieter than the others), a rim click, splashing the hi-hat and hitting the bell of the cymbal. Using these techniques would help me fulfil my composition brief as it would show how the drum kit is being used at its full potential.

An Analytical And Personal Review Of Jung Typology Test

This is an analytical and personal review of Jung Typology Test. I defined and analyzed the four letter typology and two letter temperament resulted from test with a personal reflection on the results. I compared the personal reflection and how it applied to and affected organizational behavior and worldview. Step 1 Test Results I was tasked with an assignment to complete a personality test and discuss the results. The test was a Jung Typology Test conducted by Humanmetics website. The Jung Typology Test is based on the Jung, Briggs Myers typology of personality traits which returns a four letter result. I completed the test, and the result I was given was Introvert Intuitive Thinking Judging (INTJ) (Humanmetics). What does it mean to be INTJ? According to Joe Butt and Marina Margaret Heiss, â€Å"INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest† (Butt Heiss). Butt and Heiss also claimed that INTJs have a combination of traits such as being reliable and imaginative that â€Å"INTJs are known as the â€Å"System Builders† of the types† (Butt Heiss). The Personality page in the article, â€Å"Portrait of a INTJ – Introverted Intuitive Thinking Judging,† used words such as natural leaders, ambitious, and long-range thinkers to describe INTJs. I - Introverted Breaking down my four letter type I was not surprised to notice I was introverted. I often spend a most of my time thinking internally. I believe this assessment was veryShow MoreRelatedEssay on Theory of Analytical Psychology2821 Words   |  12 PagesRunning head: Theory of Analytical Psychology Research Paper PSYC 341 Carl Jung’s Theory of Analytical Psychology Psychology of Personality By A. M. Barnett January 17, 2006 Abstract Carl Gustav Jung was bone July 26, 1875 (Feist and Feist, 2002). He was blessed to be surrounded by an educated family, including clergymen. 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