Wyl.p5.t9 Romantic Era Synthesis

Audrey Ford, Nicki Quiles, Gus Shettleroe, Misael Navarro Team 9

The romantic era was a time of rebelliousness, similar to what we studied in the Renaissance Era. Interestingly, they also shared the desire to stand up for freedom and embrace imagination, aesthetic beauty, and the pastoral beauty of nature. The thing that sets them apart is the ennobling of the common man during the Romantic era. We can see this with many of the art works during this period; take for example the story of Withering Heights. A young boy who was left as an orphan was taken in and went through rough patches in his life as he was growing up, in the end he ended up rich and even bought the town where he grew up. Also, during this time the French Revolution was occurring, peasants were pushing their way up in society, and the ones helping lead the rule were educated parents. Also in the painting by Jacques Louis David titled Bonaparte Crossing the Alps in which a man is on a horse as though he just conquered a battle. So all in all, we see that through this era, many people are rising from the bottom and taking it to the top of society and during this era, we do not question why these events occurred, we simply accept them as they are.

Period 5 Team 1 Synthesis Question

1. In the Romantic Era, the reaction against reason and the newfound emphasis on imagination ennobled common men in secular ways. Writers and artists began to portray the movement of the common man by turning towards scenes of nature, the beauty of nature, and scenes of experiences and strong emotions. For example, Caspar David Friedrich’s painting, Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, shows the emphasis on nature and personal reflection as a man is shown staring into a foggy landscape. This emphasis on nature and profound thought shows how people in the Romantic Era turned toward their inner emotions, to the beauty of nature, and away from the industrialism ideas from the previous era.
Another example would be Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. This novel again shows the love of nature that the Romantic era is defined by, as the characters pay attention to the weather and the weather seems to sometimes be similar to the mood of certain characters. The main character in this novel, Heathcliff, is a perfect example of a Byronic hero, one of the romantic elements of literature. Heathcliff has almost every single one of the characteristics of a Byronic hero: He is rebellious, passionate, isolated, has mysterious origins, lacks family ties, and he seeks to resolve his isolation through love. He is a perfect example of a common man being represented secularly, and he can be considered a common man because he was adopted into his family.

Justin Cornford, Fedor Kossakovski, John Farnworth, Charles Salumbides

Asher.P4.T8.Romanticism

Yee-Lum Mak
Clair Fuller
Laurel Kitada
Alex Tranquada
Jodi Shou
Period 4
AP Lit
Asher


Romanticism Synthesis


Romanticism developed as a response to the sociopolitical standards of the Enlightenment Era and against the development of cold reason and science in that same era. Romanticism sought to discover and reveal the emotion in man’s appreciation of aesthetic beauty and drew on nature images and supernaturalism to convey that emotion. It strongly reflected the Renaissance, yet presented a completely antithetical view by focusing on religious influence by on secular perception.


During this period, choral music, traditionally a religious genre, shifted into a secular genre due to rising patriotism and interest in folk music. Opera composer Carl Maria von Weber used German folk stories rather than religious stories as the basis for many of his works, and other operas drew from the medieval romantic epics that told of heroism and valor. Writers such as Percy Bysshe Shelley and Ralph Waldo Emerson looked to Greek writing and philosophy, adopting the view that inspiration did not have structure; it was irrational and unpredictable. 


Notable painters Thomas Cole and Frederic Edwin Church demonstrated Romantic sentiment in their depictions of ancient ruins, connoting the distinctly Romantic themes of ruin and death. While the more religious color of previous artistic and literary eras might have used these images to suggest a higher destiny for man after death, but the Romantic artists illustrated the idea that time and nature would inevitably overwhelm man, and that humanity was transient. Other painters like Alfred Bierstadt visualized people coexisting peacefully in nature, like his famous paintings of the “noble savages” that were Native American. In Romantic art, the highest reverence described was not God or even Man, but Nature or Emotion.

Asher.P4.Yee-Lum Mak.Misanthrope Timed Essay

Yee-Lum Mak

Period 4

Asher

Timed AP Essay: The Misanthrope

From The Misanthrope, choose a scene that or a character that awakens "thoughtful laughter" is the reader. Write a carefully organized essay in which you show why this laughter is "thoughtful" and how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

Moliere's The Misanthrope is a masterpiece of Restoration satire, disguising pointed criticism of high society and human folly in general under a lighthearted comedy. Though all of the play embodies the evocation of thoughtful laugher that Meredith cites as the "true test of comedy", Scene vii of Act III is a particularly notable exactly. As old, hilted Arsinoe attempts to manipulate Alceste, the titular misanthrope, the laughter evoked prompts deeper thought into Moldere's message.

The conversation in the scene focuses on Arsinoe's offer to help Alcest rise in the eyes of the court, in which she claims to have some standing. Through previous scenes, it is realized in Arsinoe harbors tender feelings for Alceste. Combined with the sheer absurdity of attempting to win affection by offering to curry favor for Alceste with the court, Arsinoe's established "prudishness" makes the development of this unrequited love ludicrous and thus humorous. Yet the laughter draws the reader to an observation of the nature of power as discussed in The Misanthrope. Arsinoe exemplifies the power play present in the entire work, which symbolized the self-centered, self-glorifying use of power that Moliere so criticizes in the French society. By enacting such a conniving plan, and by so willingly abusing influence to her own advantage, Arsinoe lowers herself to the moral level of the hated Celimene, even as she seeks to bring Celimene's iniquities to light. The irony illustrates Moliere's dissatisfaction with the hypocrisy of the French society while presenting it in a humorous context.

Another of Moliere's criticisms of the court is its homogeneity—its production of individuals who unthinkingly adopt the mores of their environments, who are hardly individuals at all. This loss of self is also touched upon in this scene as Arsinoe vehemently denies Alceste's suspicions that she is romantically interested in him, and as Alceste denies Arsinoe's accusations against Celimene. The biting language and indignant asperity of Arsinoe's rebuttal invites laughter, but that laughter leads the observer to note that Arsinoe's denial of her own true desires symbolizes a social malaise that The Misanthrope poignantly addresses. Alceste's determination to perceive only the best of Celimene is an example of the same condition, as it runs counter to the "misanthropic nature" that is so central a point of the play. The irony of the situation draws attention to the loss of identity amid the pervasive pressures of the court and the society, the devaluation of a natural self in preference to a 'self' dictated by others.

Though the scene is short and the characters few, Moliere draws parallels between the petty problems of these high-society caricatures and the more pressing problems of their real-life counterparts. Through their squabbles, he criticizes their perceptions of power and personal determination by evoking laughter that is followed by deeper examination of his symbolism. For this reason, The Misanthrope is considered a cornerstone of Enlightenment satire, and Moliere's one of its most prominent pens.

Wylp1.t3 Romatic Synthesis Question

During the time of the Enlightenment, though much new ways of thinking and ideology had come about, much of it was different from that of the Romantic era. The Enlightenment focused much around religion and many of its bouts while Romantics did not focus on religion at all. Romantics concentrated more on the metaphorical relationship between man and nature and the superficial. Artists like American Thomas Cole portrayed a unique relationship between man and nature in his artistic series “The Voyage of Life”. The heavy contrasts between dark and light colors and the depiction in the art of nature and man clearly exemplified the Romantics way of ideology. Konstantin Batyushkov was one of the famous Romantics writers of the era, his work included many references to nature and unlike the writing of the Enlightenment age, did not deal with religion.

Libby Rainey - P3 T6 Macbeth Essay

Fate is merely an idea until human action fulfills its prophecy. Playwright William Shakespeare exposes this truth through characterization in Macbeth. Lady Macbeth’s stubborn persistence and drive to fulfill the witches’ predictions and Macbeth’s paranoid attempts to escape his own supposed fate drive them both to unfortunate ends, thus proving that belief in fate often pushes it to be true. Shakespeare’s characters illustrate the undeniable tie between human nature and fate’s implementation, and the dangerous situations that this link can lead to.

From her moment of introduction, Lady Macbeth is portrayed as a strong character of questionable integrity; she will twist her husband’s arm as much as she needs to in order to get her way. In this case, this means plotting murder to insure that the prediction of Macbeth’s kingship becomes reality. She recognizes her powers of persuasion, and even says in an apostrophe directed at her husband, “Hie thee thither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear, and chastise with the valour of my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round, which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem to have thee crowned withal.” She plans to direct her weak husband in order to gain power for both of them. Her comments clearly indicate the pure force of her personality, and her knowledge of that force. Her determined and ruthless attitude allows Shakespeare to drive the plot quickly to Duncan’s murder. This initial act of violence leads to a subsequent tangled web of conflicts, all which are shaped and propelled by Lady Macbeth’s perception of her husband’s fate. Lady Macbeth’s iron will and power-hungry disposition take a shaky assumption and make it an assured reality, and thus Shakespeare illustrates that fate is nothing without humans that believe in its existence.

This message of fate’s frailty without belief is further enforced later in the play, when Macbeth’s future takes a turn for the worse, according to the witches, and he responds to their predictions with paranoia and panic. Acting to avoid his fate, as it no longer looks favorable, Macbeth plays right into the hands of his prescribed future by ordering Banquo’s and Fleance’s deaths. Not only do his actions lead to Banquo’s death, therefore making Fleance the next in line for the throne as the witches predicted, but he also provokes those beneath him with his unhealthy behavior, causing them to plan to revolt against him, exactly what he was trying to avoid. His complete belief that fate is unavoidable causes him to catalyze his unfortunate end, and thus his fearful and obsessed state of mind enable Shakespeare to both cement his message of fate’s dependence on humanity and bring Macbeth to a startling and dramatic end point.

Lady Macbeth and Macbeth both are fooled by the temptations of fate, and therefore act in ways that undoubtedly illustrate Shakespeare’s message: man’s perception of fate drives men’s action, and in turn proves that fate to be true. Their character flaws and the actions that result from their shortcomings drive Macbeth’s plot and message.

Macbeth Essay..Asher Period 1 (Amanda Chiu)

In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses the characters’ actions to clarify the perception of fate affecting man and driving the plot. The witches inform Macbeth of his future title which ultimately leads Macbeth to create a plan to get the crown. The witches’ prophecies have also influenced Macbeth to drive the plot forward because he believes and trusts in them wholeheartedly. Macbeth’s perception of fate has affected his own actions and the plot.

In the beginning of the play, Macbeth encounters three witches who tell him about his future. They tell Macbeth that he is the new Thane of Cawdor, one day he shall be king, and one day Banquo’s children shall be king as well. Macbeth believes the witches, after their first prediction comes true. However, with the belief of him gaining the crown, Macbeth’s judgment becomes clouded as he begins cross boundaries. Automatically, Macbeth devises a plan to become king by killing the current King Duncan. He believes in the idea of predetermined fate, that he is almost certain that the witches are correct. This leads him to murdering King Duncan and intensifying the drama. This scene was the first significant murder because it opened the way for Macbeth to become king. After this horrible deed, Macbeth knows that he cannot stop there. Macbeth must also kill Banquo and his son to ensure that Macbeth’s family line will remain on the throne. Macbeth orders three murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance, to guarantee Macbeth’s safety for the crown. However, only Banquo is killed and Fleance is able to escape. This murderous deed plays guilt on Macbeth’s conscious because from then on, Macbeth starts to see Banquo’s ghost wherever he walks. With Fleance escape, it gives hope for the future in which Macbeth shall someday be overthrown. This action was all stimulated from Macbeth’s actions to confide in the witches on the first day he meets them.

When Macbeth became king, he wanted to make certain that no man should take the throne away from him. He revisited the witches to gain more knowledge of the future. They tell him different prophecies: one informing him that no one born of woman shall harm Macbeth and another that Macbeth won’t be defeated until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Hill. With these prophecies in mind, Macbeth feels invincible because he thinks every man is born from a woman and there’s no possibility that a forest could pick its roots up and march to his castle. With this, Macbeth feels overly confident but when Macbeth receives a letter that Malcolm has come with the English army, he starts to feel uneasy. He looks out across his castle land and sees the trees begin to move closer to him. The English army has chopped down the trees of Birnam Wood and used them to march with as a disguise. Macbeth soon realizes that his days or rather hours are numbered. In the final moments of Macbeth’s life, Macbeth fights Macduff and learns that he was taken from his mother by a caesarean section. Macduff finally slaughters Macbeth and his tyranny is over. All of these actions were driven by Macbeth’s action to seek guidance from the witches.

Macbeth was extremely curious. He sought security from the witches which ultimately cost him his life. Because Macbeth chose to confront the witches several times in the play, it led him to his brutal rise and fall. Macbeth believed that the witches were telling him his predetermined future but it was his belief in fate that drove him to do unspeakable actions. Macbeth’s actions were affected by his perception of fate which led him to drive the action forward as well.

By: Amanda Chiu

Asher P1 T4