College

Mac Flecknoe

In Dryden’s satirical poem Mac Flecknoe mock heroism is used to convey a scathing view of dullness specifically as it pertains to writers, authority figures such as monarchs, and the unintelligent masses. This technique allows Dryden to convey an...

12th Grade

Othello

In his 1604 play ‘Othello’, William Shakespeare criticizes the damaging effects of patriarchy during the Jacobean era, using the relationship between Desdemona and Emilia as a route to expose the corrupting influence of men. The male characters’...

12th Grade

King Lear

The patriarchy denotes a system within society whereby men are provided with a dominant role over their female counterparts. Shakespeare composed his critically acclaimed play ‘King Lear’ in 1606, a time when society was deeply engrained within a...