Antigone, Second Shepherd and Everyman Plays

The Sophocles drama Antigone

The Sophocles drama Antigone illustrates how individual acts affect society as a whole. Antigone adamantly objects to Creon's decision. Despite the fact that she was by herself, she overcame all obstacles to bravely bury her brother Polynices, who was destined to perish in the conflict without a proper funeral. Antigone was prepared to accept death as her sentence. She serves as a model for positive transformation in the globe. The audience gains knowledge about obeying the law and the repercussions of breaking it. She was viewed as wrongdoing in ancient Greece since women were expected to submit to men.

In Second Shepherds play

In Second Shepherds play, the three shepherds in the play struggle with starvation and sleep deprivation throughout the story. However, they were honest on their job; this teaches people on the virtue of honesty and the rewards that come from it. However, Mak reveals his dishonesty by stealing a sheep and disguising it as a baby, but his colleagues found the sheep and they punished him. The play teaches audience on how honesty creates respect, and it warns of greed selfishness as it leads to lack of respect. In ancient Greece, what Mak did was evil, and he deserved his punishment.

Everyman

Everyman is a play that is centered on the Roman Catholic basis that salvation is achieved through repentance and good deeds. The play shows Everyman being getting a visit from Death to take him to heaven to face judgment. He was neglected by Good Deeds and he when he saw Confession, he repented and punished himself, and all sins were forgiven. The play teaches the importance of doing penance and in doing good because one will be arbitrated by God based on their deeds. The Greek issue relevant in this play is how people valued earthly goods only to realize that nobody can enter heaven with them after death.

Dr. Faustus and A Midsummer Night's Dream

A subplot refers to a subordinate strand of the plot and which supports the side story of the main plot or for any story. Subplots are very significant in plays especially as a means of adding dimension to the main storyline in addition to allowing the author expand the theme by demonstrating the other side of the coin, so to speak.

In Doctor Faustus

For instance, in Doctor Faustus, the comic scenes play a vital function as a kind of loose sub-plot whereby, it comments on events in the main plot through repeating them but in a slightly different way. These comic scenes also show up the triviality of the achievements and behavior of Faustus. Furthermore, the choice of vocabulary and the language echo satirically Faustian plot’s thematic concerns. When placed in the context of the devilish contract of the surrounding scenes, the simple colloquial speech becomes heightened in significance and thus metaphoric. A case in point is the Horse-courser’s casual way of saying goodbye and hello in scene 10 ‘God b’y Sir’ (line 113) and ‘God save you, master doctor’ (line 95). These take on a special emphasis and rather than a merely unimportant and light-hearted, these comic scenes can be seen as a vital part of the play.

In A Midsummer Night's Dream

Similarly, in A Midsummer Night's Dream, the author skillfully develops two major subplots and juxtaposes them in a way that serves the function of reiterating some of the principle themes of the main play. For instance, the lighthearted and comic tone of the players as they fulfill and prepare for their roles in Thisbe and Pyramus serves as a welcome contrast to the more dramatic circumstances between the women characteristics and Demetrius, Helen, Lysander, and Hermia. It also serves as a more fanciful plot that involves the faeries. Furthermore, the play of the mechanicals brings out a number of important questions about love, life and creative performance and production.

Emergence of women during Restoration period

18 years before the restoration comedy, public performances had been banned by the regime of Puritan. Actors were not safe and worst of all was the absence of drama inspirations. However, in 1660, there was a massive re-opening of theaters which signaled the rebirth of English drama. As a result, the survivors, among them Thomas Killigrew and William Davenant were provided with playhouses. During the restoration period, women appearance on plays was as a result of indignation among the English in 1629. However, London had accepted the idea of letting the actresses on the drama. For instance, during one of the entertainments, Mrs. Coleman an actress took part in the play Siege of Rhodes.

Rover play

Rover play written by Aphra Behn was a revision of Thomas play by Thomas Killigrew of 1664. John Dryden, a restoration poet, argued that the former lacked the vitality of Thomas Play although it depicted refinement of appearance. The Rover plays demonstrate many plot lines which deal with ardent adventures of Englishmen in times of Carnival. Florinda desires to marry her true love, the Captain instead of the man her brother has selected. The play shows Colonel Belvie together with Captain Willmore traveling to distant climes in a foreign land during the carnival season to look for love and have a good time. However, The Siege of Rhodes, designed by Davenant, was arranged with a different view that evaded the theater play restrictions that were there. The play marked the introduction of women on English theater stages. The innovation behind the play was the use of machinery which was movable. The view of the play offers five different scenes which present the great Solyman’s fleet, army, Rhodes' island and various attendees to the city of siege.