Background and Summary of King Lear :: Essays Papers

Background and Summary of King Lear Background of King Lear King Lear was written between 1603 and 1606, and is considered to be Shakespeare's greatest tragedy. The main plot was drawn from an old chronicle play called The True Chronicle History of King Leir and his Three Daughters, supplemented by treatments of that story in Raphael Holinshed's Chronicle of England, Scotland, and Ireland, Spenser's The Faerie Queen, and perhaps others. The subplot of Gloucester and his two sons comes from Sir Philip Sidney's popular romance The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia. Shakespeare also makes considerable use of Samuel Harsnett's Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures (1603) for Edgar's language of demonic possession as Poor Tom and the mock exorcism he works to cure the blinded Gloucester's despair. The play was performed December 26, 1606, for King James, as part of the court's Christmastide celebrations, as well as on the public stage at the Globe. Recoiling from the bleakness of the play's tragic vision, Naham Tate revised it in 1681, providing interpolated love scenes between Edgar and Cordelia and a happy ending in which Lear and Cordelia survive: his version held the stage for a century and a half. Dr. Samuel Johnson and the Romantic poets testified to the original play's greatness--Shelley terming it "the most perfect specimen of dramatic poetry existing in the world"--but they also began a critical tradition that judged the work too large and sublime for the stage. Lear has, however, proved notably successful in the modern theatre, accustomed to nonrealistic stage techniques and Samuel Beckett's apocalyptic dramas as well as to the contemporary horrors of concentration camp and Gulag. - Norton, 888 Summary of King Lear ACT I This tragedy play tells of the downfall of King Lear and the death of his daughter Cordelia. The play begins with the old Lear, deciding to retire, plans to divide his kingdom between his three daughters Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia.. With his daughters and men gathered around him, Lear asks his daughters, "Which of you shall we say doth love us most?" (Act I, Scene 1. 43). Both Goneril and Regan reply with flattering words of love which satisfied their old father, in turn he gave each of them a third of his kingdom. Cordelia, Lear's favorite daughter, answers with words from her heart, saying that she loves him as much as he loved her and as she should. However, Lear sees her words as disrespectful and demands Cordelia to reply again like how her sisters did, with flattering words.

Conflict Can Have Tragic Consequences for Ordinary People Essay

As humans, conflict pervades every aspect of our lives; it is inevitable. However, conflict varies on a scale. With a minor conflict being an argument between two friends, which therefore has a minor outcome that soon becomes forgotten, or it can be a severe conflict, such as war, which results in a large life-changing result. The most tragic consequence of war is the impact on innocent parties. The brutalities in history, which ordinary people have faced as a result of conflict resulting into war, are repulsive. People caught in such conflicts face death, mutilation, rape, starvation, homelessness, poverty, disease and the breakdown of families. Even more of an act of violence is that these people who are affected are not even involved in the politics of why the war is occurring. They are simply innocent victims of war who must face the consequences of their countries actions, not their own. Because of Japans attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 which killed 2,403 people (68 of which were civilians) America retaliated and decided to put an end to the war by forcing Japan to surrender. To do so, American forces, dropped two nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This attack eventuated to the death of an estimated 200,000 Japanese civilians. Racial, ideological, political and religious conflicts that arise in countries often result in war, with many innocent people being killed in the process of fighting over who is ‘right’. The Holocaust, which was a result of many societies who envied or distrusted Jewish people, and Hitler, who exploited this hatred, secretly attempting genocide in the disguise of subjugating the race which resulted in the death of just under six million Jews. Although the Holocaust is not regarded as a conflict of war because there was no fighting apart from in a few cases, it is considered a racial conflict because of the mass murdering of innocent people who didn’t do anything. Everyone around the world is affected by wars and conflicts because it destroys homes and also drives up the cost of living. The cost of certain items has gone up because the cost of producing them has increased but the labour has decreased due to many being killed or sent into the army. In addition, citizens are affected by having their family members sent off to fight in the war. The change in income can be positive or negative, depending on what job you left behind. For some, being called back into active duty means leaving a 6 figure salary behind. For others, it’s a chance to save up and/or pay off some debts. Another detail often forgotten is that some young families have babies on the way when the father is sent off to war, or very young children. They change so quickly! The fathers are deprived of the joy of watching them grow up, and the children don’t have the advantage of having both parents around to raise them. Conflict created by wars have tragic consequences for ordinary civilians, it could be a positive or negative consequence.

Business Communication Trends - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 848 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/09/21 Category Business Essay Type Analytical essay Tags: Communication Essay Did you like this example? Business Communication Trends University of Phoenix Business Communication Trends Communication is essential for life in general but in business settings, it is absolutely critical. Communication is commonly assumed to consist of just speaking and listening and this is true in most cases. However, there are other elements that make up this seemingly simple, yet very complex process. If these other elements are not taken into consideration the ability to communicate, or transfer information from one source to another will be greatly impaired. The importance of communication to an organizations ability to perform its daily business functions cannot be overemphasized, and the effectiveness of those communications can either help bring success or lead to failure. Communication plays a much larger role in the daily activities of a business than many people realize. The manager manager cannot get work accomplished by his or her employees unless what needs to be done is effective ly communicated, and the manager cannot properly manage if his or her subordinates aren’t communicating with them. Which personnel are at work, who is working on what, estimated time of completion, and budgeting and accounting are just a few examples of the information that communications can provide to both employees and management. Many management problems have arisen because of misunderstandings or misrepresentations. However, with the help of effective communication, these management problems can be eliminated, or at least greatly reduced. Communication can also greatly enhance motivation and improve the morale of employees. Inappropriate or faulty communication between employees or between managers and subordinates can cause conflict and low morale in the workplace. Managers must clarify what employees are expected to do, how well they are doing, and what can be done for better performance. Effective communications can also help maintain good human relations in an organization by encouraging ideas or suggestions, and implementing them whenever possible. Communication and business communications are changing on an almost daily basis and management must adapt to these new trends in order to keep things running smoothly. Most of the biggest changes come in the form of technology changes. Advancements in technology have contributed significantly to increased productivity and cost savings. Technology has provided businesses with instant communication capabilities to just about anywhere in the world, which makes it seem like everyone is much closer. Most employees are expected to know how to navigate on the internet, use word processing, e-mail, spreadsheets, databases, and presentation software. Locker Kienzler, 2008, p. 14) Employees must use computers daily for clocking in, accounting of man-hours, and accessing the company intranet to retrieve information such as: specifications, instructions, forms and reports, phone numbers, and e-mail. W hile e-mail may be appropriate for routine correspondence, more urgent matters are better handled via cellular phone or other handheld wireless devices. Increasing globalization is a trend that has also had an effect on business communications. As the business grows internationally and expands evermore into the global marketplace, the company must show commitment and responsibility to the various countries with which they have ties. Factors such as time zones, language barriers, and cultural and societal norms and expectations must be addressed. (Heiss Fraser, 2000) Another trend is the emphasis that the organization now places upon employee engagement. Successful businesses, and those who wish to become successful, are working to increase employee engagement through various methods. The extensive use of teams to help solve problems and make decisions is a big one. Allowing all employees to provide input for changes to processes or the development of new ones is another good method that is used. Employees also attend monthly meetings to review the past months data, discuss current business climate, look at the scheduled production for the upcoming months and next year, review customer issues and complaints, and any other items of concern to the managers or employees. Because the business has become more global, the use of electronic communications such as e-mail, text messages, and wireless transfer of reports, pictures, and documents is not only a convenience, but a requirement. Teleconferencing is also relied upon heavily to get groups of people together for important meetings, even at a moment’s notice, without having to resort to traveling large distances. Message types used to help employee engagement consist of e-mails, meetings, and boards that are located in the various departments that contain graphs, charts, and other nformation that details accomplishments and how they compare to the established goals. Many managers believe that suc cess is directly tied to his or her ability to focus on the business fundamentals, fundamentals such as discipline, accountability, strategic alignment, managing his or her values, and empowering employees. While these are all essential elements that contribute to the achievement of goals, the way to ensure success is through the use of communication. (Froschheiser, 2008) References Froschheiser, L. (2008). Communication, Communication, Communication the Most Important Key to Success in Business Leadership. Supervision, 69(10), 9-11. Retrieved May 10, 2009, from EBSCOhost database. Heiss, B. , Fraser, E. (2000). Is Your Company Ready to Go Global?. Communication World, 17(6), 29. Retrieved May 9, 2009, from EBSCOhost database. Locker, K. , Kienzler, D. (2008). Business and Administrative Communication. (8th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Business Communication Trends" essay for you Create order