Shakespeare Tic-Tac-Toe Themes

Choose three activities from the tic-tac-toe board. The three themes must form a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line (one that you could use to win a game of tic-tac-toe).

Hamlet:
Appearance vs. Reality
In Act 1, scene 2 of Hamlet, Gertrude asks why Hamlet is still in mourning two months after his father died: "Why seems it so particular with thee?" Hamlet responds: "Seems, madam? Nay, it is, I know not 'seems.'" (1.2.75-76). The difference between "seems" (appearance) and "is" (reality) is crucial in Hamlet. Every character is constantly trying to figure out what the other characters think, as opposed to what those characters are pretending to think. The characters try to figure each other out by using deception of their own, such as spying and plotting / Hamlet: Women
There are two important issues regarding women in Hamlet: how Hamlet sees women and women's social position. Hamlet's view of women is decidedly dark. In fact, the few times that Hamlet's pretend madness seems to veer into actual madness occur when he gets furious at women. Gertrude's marriage to Claudius has convinced Hamlet that women are untrustworthy, that their beauty is a cover for deceit and sexual desire. For Hamlet, women are living embodiments of appearance's corrupt effort to eclipse reality. /

Hamlet: Religion, Honor, and Revenge

Every society is defined by its codes of conduct—its rules about how to act and behave. There are many scenes in Hamlet when one person tells another how to act: Claudius lectures Hamlet on the proper show of grief; Polonius advises Laertes on practical rules for getting by at university in France; Hamlet constantly lectures himself on what he should be doing. In Hamlet, the codes of conduct are largely defined by religion and an aristocratic code that demands honor and revenge if honor has been soiled.

Othello: Appearance vs. Reality

The tragic plot of Othello hinges on the ability of the villain, Iago, to mislead other characters, particularly Roderigo and Othello, by encouraging them to misinterpret what they see. Othello is susceptible to Iago's ploys because he himself is so honest and straightforward. As Iago puts it: "the Moor is of a free and open nature/ That thinks men honest that but seem to be so; and will as tenderly be led by th' nose/ As asses are" (2.1.391-4) /

Othello: Womanhood and Sexuality

Two contrasting images of womanhood dominate Othello: the virtuous and loyal woman, or Madonna, embodied by Desdemona; and the whore, embodied, to a certain extent by Bianca. Yet over the course of the play, it becomes clear that these two different ways of describing women don't actually apply to real women. Instead, they are male fantasies imposed on women—ideals that men want woman to fulfill, and roles that women therefore purposefully play for men. For instance, Desdemona often describes her devotion to Othello in front of other people, underscoring that, even though she does love him very deeply, she is to a certain extent playing the role of the virtuous wife. Iago then stokes Othello's jealousy in part by forcing Othello to realize that there is no way for a man to tell the difference between a truly virtuous wife and one who is just playing the role of virtuous wife while actually acting as a whore and being unfaithful.

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Othello: Jealousy

Iago refers to jealousy as the "green-eyed monster." As this metaphor suggests, jealousy is closely associated with the theme of appearance and reality. For instance, at one point Othello demands that Iago provide "ocular proof" of Desdemona's infidelity—he demands to see reality. But Iago instead provides the circumstantial evidence of the handkerchief, which Othello, consumed by his jealousy, accepts as a substitute for "ocular proof." Othello's jealousy impedes his ability to distinguish between reality and appearance. While the prejudiced characters in the play denigrate Othello as an animal or a beast based on his race, Othello's obvious honor and intelligence makes these attacks obviously ridiculous. Yet when Othello is overcome by jealousy, he does become beast-like, falling into epileptic fits that rob him of the ability to speak intelligibly.
Merchant of Venice: Appearance vs. Reality
This play emphasizes appearances because Bassanio used his appearances to impress not only the people of Venice but also Portia of Belmont. One reason this play accentuates appearances is because Bassanio emphasizes his appearance all through his life. He wants to appear rich to gain a good reputation around Venice. For instance, when Bassanio says, “‘Tis not unknown to you, Antonio, / How much I have disabled mine estate, / By something showing a more swelling port / Than my faint means would grant continuance” (Act I, Scene 1, lines 122-125) he confesses that he uses all his money in his fancy appearance for the obvious reason that he wants everyone to like him.
Another reason that proves that this play emphasizes appearances is that Bassanio uses his appearance to impress Portia who lives in Belmont. He wants Portia to think he is rich and impressive so that she would want to marry him and help him pay off all his debts to Antonio and his other investors. For example when Bassanio says, “…had I but the means / To hold a rival place with one of them, / I have a mind presages me such thrift, / That I should questionless be fortunate.” (Act I, Scene 1, lines 173-176) he tells Antonio that if he had enough money, he would give gifts to Portia and appear to be a good person, therefore causing Portia to want to marry him. Throughout the play, Bassanio works to make himself appear different then what he actually is, placing appearance over reality / Merchant of Venice: Women
Portia has shown resourcefulness, power, and intelligence by protecting all that she regards to be important. “Everything turned out exactly as Portia had planned. That part of the law which would bring injury to Antonio was quibbled away by Portia. That part of the law which would ruin Shylock was so construed as to become enforceable in a case where it had no excuse of being used at all. And before Shylock was aware of what was transpiring the case was over and he had been crushed” (Shaking 156). Portia, a woman, has managed to save Antonio's life by outsmarting an opponent that he himself was not able to get the better of (Lee 2). This in itself shows strength and power that the typical Renaissance woman was said not to have.
Throughout the Renaissance period, men encompassed all of the power in relationships, on the battlefield, or in the given society, but in the Merchant of Venice it is clear that Portia possess more power than the people she comes in contact with, especially men. This power becomes evident with, “Her resourcefulness to accomplish her purpose, had showed itself at the close of the trial scene, when she manages to get from Bassanio the very ring she had given him with instructions never to part with” (Griston123). /

Merchant of Venice: Law, Mercy, and Revenge

Both the central action of The Merchant of Venice—Shylock's attempt to revenge himself on the Christian Antonio—and the romantic subplot—between Bassanio and Portia—explore the relationship between law, mercy, and revenge.
Shakespeare's contemporary, the philosopher Francis Bacon, defined revenge as a "kind of wild justice." When one private individual decides to revenge himself on another, he is going outside the official justice system. And yet, as the phrase "wild justice" suggests, the revenger is responding to what he sees as a "higher law." The revenger takes the law into his own hands when he feels that the state is not capable of or refuses to enforce justice. Therefore, while law and revenge are technically opposed to each other, since revenge is illegal, they also overlap. Shylock, pursuing Antonio's "pound of flesh," exposes the intimate connection between law and revenge. He seeks vengeance against Antonio precisely by sticking to the letter of the law within the Venetian justice system.