Laurence Olivier

Biography: Laurence Kerr Olivier was born in Dorking, in Southern England, on May 22, 1907. His family was one with strong religious beliefs. He is known for his outstanding performances of Shakespearean roles that pathed the way for his stardom (Laurence Olivier, 2015). Despite him living in England, he gave many contributions to the Hollywood film industry. For instance, modern classics such as Wuthering Heights and Marathon Man (Laurence Olivier, 2015). Starring as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (1939)“grew into becoming an international matinee idol. Following up with, Rebecca and That Hamilton Woman, starring in Henry V (1944), and Hamlet (1948), winning best film and actor award for Hamlet from the Academy (Official Olivier Biography, 2012). He had appearances in over 100 stage roles, approximately 60 films, and various television shows. These performances triggered nominations for Academy Awards as an actor, producer, or director. He received two Oscar awards and honored with additional two Oscar awards(Laurence Olivier, 2015). He battled cancer and other illnesses, leading to his death on July 11, 1989. Dying at his place of residence in West Sussex, England.Over a…

Although, as Richard the Third, both Laurence Olivier and Benedict Cumberbatch speak straight to the camera in a fashion that makes the viewer feel as if they are complicit in their plots and schemes, and although both costumes show physical indications of Richard’s deformity, the two portrayals tell a considerably different story about Richard’s wicked origins. Laurence Olivier’s Richard is an infamous legend; the film does its best to tell a story about one of many in search of the English…

1. The title of the film I chose is called Rebecca. The film was founded in 1940 and produced by David O. Selznick. Principle characters: (Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine) The heroine, maxim de winter, Rebecca, Mrs. Danvers, jack Favel, Frank Crawley Beatrice, Mrs. Van Hopper, ben, Colonel Julyan, Lady Crowan, Baker, Firth, Clarice, jasper. 2. The conflict between Rebecca and the narrator were one of the important conflicts that stood out to me. From the begging of the film I was trying to…

Shakespeare’s comedies have always had a distinct subtext of tragedy as shown in Twelfth Night. It teeters on the brink of tragedian literature similar to his tragedies, such as Hamlet, through the ambiguity of the main characters and unfinished resolutions. Comedies are generally morally clear- the villains and heroes are clearly defined. Twelfth Night’s characters have a layer of ambiguity stemming from their use of illusion in the form of mistaken identity. A central theme of the…

One great writer by the name of Leo Tolstoy once wrote “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” In a similar light Shakespeare seems to have a similar view on family, if his plays are any reflection on his personal ideologies. As probably the most successful playwright in history, it is surprising to see that Shakespeare’s plays were not too different from each other. Once broken up into the there four genres, the tragedies are alike, the comedies are alike…

Based on her thoughts, and the effect it has on others, the reader can come to the conclusion that decisiveness is truly a prominent trait. In Act Four, Juliet takes up the offer to drink a poison concocted by Friar Laurence. However, the poison isn’t deadly, it just puts Juliet in a coma-like state. As Shakespeare remarks, “Shall, stiff and stark and cold, appear like death. And in this borrow'd likeness of shrunk death Thou shalt continue two and forty hours”(4.1.106-108). Friar Laurence and…

The settings of each of Shakespeare’s plays play a huge role in the plot and the play as a whole. For example, in Othello, the play starts off in Venice but takes place in Cyprus for a majority of the play. The people of Venice were mostly white, so Othello was definitely an outcast. If it weren’t for his position in the military and his service in the war, he more than likely would have been criticized by the Venetian people. When the setting shifts to Cyprus, known for its love, the love…

The presence of the supernatural is in The Tragedy of Macbeth, is common like the one to The of Tragedy Hamlet. Hamlet and Macbeth were both pressured into going against the natural social order that they lived in; Hamlet had the heavy task to cast justice with his own young hands, at the request of his deceased father. Macbeth was told his fate by three witches; as well was haunted by the ghost of Banqo. The presence of the supernatural influenced both of the actions of Macbeth and Hamlet. The…

Unfortunately, it is simply beyond the scope of this paper to analyze the entirety of these two productions of A Doll’s House. As a result, three scenes will be compared, contrasted, and analyzed through Butler’s theory in order to examine these gender performances. The three scenes chosen for this endeavor are as follows: Nora’s discussion with Torvald in the very beginning of Act I, Nora practicing the tarantella dance before the party in Act II, and Nora and Torvald’s final confrontation in…

of these plays are the same but presented in a different guise was discussed. He also talks about the overarching question through the tetralogy that is posed by Richard II of whether the qualities that the audience would see in itself can be unified with the qualities of political resourcefulness. In Henry IV this question is posed by looking at the qualities in Richard and Bolingbroke and asking if they can be united within Prince Hal. He talked about many of the stark differences in the tone…