Abstract
Analysis of Anton Chechov's play. Plot of courtship of Lomov and neighbor's daughter Natalya. Importance of land and money to the characters. Reasons for their constant fighting. Depiction of the rual social system and its relationship to the characters. The play as a metaphor for marriage as a continuing battle ground.

From the Paper
"In the short play "A Marriage Proposal," Anton Chekhov describes the odd courtship of Lomov, who seeks a marriage with his neighbor's daughter. Lomov and the woman he wants to marry fight before he can make his proposal, fight while he proposes, and fight after she agrees to marry him. They tend to fight every time they speak to one another, and while this alarms her father at first, he decides that the two just like to fight with each other. In the end, the father calls this last fight the "beginning of family happiness," though it is doubtful that a couple can fight all the time and achieve anything like bliss.

The meeting between Lomov and Tchubukov suggests one sort of neighborhood arrangement, for Tchubukov could not be friendlier and more delighted to see Lomov, happier being asked about the marriage, and more positive about Lomov's prospects."

Abstract
In the work, "Hedda Gabler" by Henrik Ibsen, the main character, Hedda, commits suicide, while still pregnant with her unborn child. This paper is a character analysis of Hedda Gabler. It examines the reasons for Hedda's behavior and justifies it in her mind. Ethical issues, such as suicide, are also addressed.

From the Paper
"In the last moments of Hedda's life thoughts of being mother, being trapped in a dull marriage, and the increasing threat of sexual assault and rape by Judge Brack raged through her mind. She could only see the bad things in life. She could not see the devotion to her from Tesman. She could not see the admiration the others had for her. She saw her life in a cage without control. That would not do. In her mind, suicide was the only way to escape the marriage, pregnancy, and impending affair."

Tags:norwegian, theatre, Elvsted, Judge, Brack

Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts the final scenes of "Everyman" and Christopher's Marlowe's "Dr. Faustus" by analyzing textual structure and contemporary religious innuendos. It looks at how the last scenes in both plays, though structurally similar, present final confrontations of two completely different personalities with the fate of their souls, while stressing how thin and fragile the line between heaven and hell is within the Christian belief.

From the Paper
"Dr. Faustus gives his last speech (the soliloquy in V, ii, 130-187) after the departures of Wagner, the three scholars, Mephistopheles, the Good Angel, and the Bad Angel. Everyman faces the hasty farewells of Beauty, Strength, Discretion, and Five-Wits. By the end of their moral introspection, Faustus is taken to Hell whereas Everyman descends into the grave. Following their exit, three scholars come onto the stage in Dr. Faustus while Knowledge and Angel appear in Everyman. These are the last characters to appear in the plays. The epilogue is constructed in Everyman by the Doctor (a theologian who concludes the play and explains its moral) and in Dr. Faustus by the Chorus."

Tags:allegory, medieval, miracle, morality, christianity

Abstract
This paper examines Henrik Ibsen's play "A Doll's House" to show how Ibsen illustrates his point that women have the potential to be independent and forceful, but in a society that is controlled by men, they have to make deep sacrifices in order to achieve their rights.

From the Paper
"A patriarchy is defined as a social system in which a community or society is governed by men. For centuries, women have been under the domination of men in patriarchal social systems. In these systems, women are dominated by the law and by repression. Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House shows how women are paternalistically dominated in a society that is governed by men. The protagonist, Nora, is treated like a doll child first by her father and then by her husband. She is never allowed to evolve as a person, and as a result, she is considered to be delightful, ignorant, whimsical, and foolish by the other characters. Yet beneath her twittering, girlish exterior is a woman who has the potential to be independent and forceful, but whose efforts are hampered by the male characters in the play. She is a virtual captive in a lovely dollhouse created by her husband, where her husband keeps her for his amusement."

Tags:women, feminism, independence, patriarchy

Abstract
This paper introduces Osvaldo Dragun, often described as Argentina's premiere playwright. It then analyzes his play "The Man who Turned into a Dog" about a man who applies for the job of a watchdog and literally turns into one. The paper shows how the absurdity in the play's storyline is actually a message to show the ridiculous importance society puts on a person's job.

From the Paper
"This also leads us to think about the meaning of employment and how we can be defined by our jobs. People everyday become what their job is, taking on a role as a teacher, a policeman, a soldier or any other occupation. In doing this they become something in this role. This occurrence in society is not really noticed because it is common and expected and because it is only a minor change in a person. In the play however, Dragun takes this occurrence to its extremes. The result is that we notice that this happens. We notice that to become a watchdog the man has actually given himself up as a human and become a dog. While this can be laughed off as absurd, we can think about it a little further and see that this is exactly what happens to all people, just in a less noticeable way. In this way then, Dragun makes us think about modern society and the place of employment in it. The simple play then has a much greater meaning than we realized."

Tags:realism, doghouse, parables, fables

Abstract
This research paper is an examination of the play Antigone by Sophocles. It proves how the author intended for both the characters Antigone and Creon to be tragic figures. Specifically, it expands on the themes of the play that contribute to both characters' downfall: Antigone's devotion to her family and her own internal character flaws and Creon's obsession with the state and his personal defects.

From the Paper
"A careful analysis of the play Antigone will show that Sophocles intended for both Antigone and Creon to be tragic figures. Antigone's devotion to her family combined with her character flaws lead to her death. Similarly, Creon's love of the state together with his own innate defects cause his downfall. The themes that permeate the play also illustrate the inclusion of both the main characters as part of the tragedy. "

Tags:flaws, sophocles, tragic, play, theme, character, symbol

From the Paper
"Playwright David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly is based on a true story. In 1964, a French diplomat stationed in China fell in love with a native Chinese opera singer, lived with her for twenty years, and believed he had fathered a child by her, and then discovered she was a man. One would expect Hwang's play to be a farce -- and yet it is not a farce at all. It is a deeply riveting study of not only the psychology of two individuals but of the way the West stereotypes the East and prefers its fantasies to the reality of a changing Orient."

Tags:butterflies, madame

Abstract
This essay analyzes the change in character of the protagonist, Nora Helmer, in Henrik Ibsen?s," A Doll's House". An alphabetized works cited is included, with reference to a critical review of the play.

From the Paper
"Everyone experiences change. One might move far away from the town in which they grew up, or a best friend's death could disrupt a person's comfortable lifestyle. Hardly any changes, however, are as dramatic as the transformation in character of Nora Helmer, the protagonist in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll House. Nora's transformation from doll-like puppet to real-life human being concludes with her decision to leave her family. By leaving, she becomes the evidence for Ibsen's idea that women should be free to discover their own true identities."

Tags:character, characterization, dynamic, english, henrik, literature, marriage, play, plays, rights, women

Abstract
This paper looks at Henrik Ibsen's play "The Doll's House" and how the theme of deception runs through it. The author shows how from the start the character of Nora seems too perfect-- perfect wife, perfect woman, but towards the end the truth emerges when Nora's true character is revealed.

From the Paper
"Nora is a sheltered housewife who is domineered by he husband, until circumstances force her to show her own independence. Nora was a perfect wife at the beginning of the play, but there were underlying deceptions beneath the perfection.

"From the start of the play, we realize that there was a general sense of falsehood in the Helmer house, brought on mostly by Nora's inability or unwillingness to accept the real world. Nora's desire to conceal the truth from Torvald and herself is further augmented by the patriarchal attitudes of Torvald towards her and her open acceptance and manipulation of such treatment in order to further suppress reality. Nora's departure, as well as being an escape from a house of lies is also an opportunity for personal growth and the means by which she discovers reality."

Tags:play, Henrik, Ibsen, truth, deception

Abstract
An analysis of Bertolt Brecht's play 'The Good Woman of Setzuan.' Throughout the play Shen Te juggles her promise to be good with the necessity to be bad. The author finds through the protagonist and the creation of her doppelganger, 'The Good Woman of Setzuan' portrays the struggle to be good while living in a corrupt society, and the delicate balance needed to survive within it as seen in Shen Te's struggle as a good woman leading the life of a prostitute.

From the Paper
"Shen Te, a good woman, a prostitute, and the only one willing to take three gods into her home is rewarded with 1000 silver dollars, with which she is to "above all be good"(712). This mission tears her in two. Shen Te and her doppelganger Shui Ta are in a delicate balance of power. Shen Te needs to keep her promise to the gods by being a good woman, helping those around her in need. Because Shen Te is too good, those she helps threaten to ruin her own survival. To remain a good woman Shen Te must create someone to fight for her. Like parents, both Shui Ta and Shen Te make up the whole of one unit. Shen Te is a nurturing, sweet mother-type while Shui Ta becomes a strict, disciplinarian, father-type. Through the protagonist and the creation of her doppelganger, Brecht's The Good Woman of Setzuan portrays the struggle to be good while living in a corrupt society, and the delicate balance needed to survive within it."

Tags:analysis, doppelganger, drama, good, play, shen, te, woman