Noelle Matteson
eNotes Educator
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About
A recent graduate of the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon, my background is mainly in writing and editing. I worked for a publisher and bookstore for several years, wrote a book about the civil rights movement, and lived in various places around the world. My final paper in college was on The Merchant of Venice, and my dissertation in graduate school was about Coriolanus.
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Recent Activity
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Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
Venice is not described, but we can glean certain information about the city from the characters. Venice appears to be a diverse and thriving area that is also an important trading site. Antonio... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet explores a number of rich themes. It is most famous for being a love story, so of course one of its most prominent subjects is love. Romeo and Juliet feel an intense passion for... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
Whether Romeo is a careless and selfish young man depends entirely on an individual’s interpretation. His youth is perhaps the only certainty here, and it does seem to lead to impetuosity. Like... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
A number of characters contribute to Romeo’s banishment. Tybalt intends to challenge Romeo for attending a Capulet party. He instigates a number of fights, telling Benvolio in the first scene,... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
This is a big topic, but I will try to keep the answer brief. One reason why the play has endured is because there is so much to learn from it. Many can connect Romeo and Juliet to their lives... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
Many wonder about the title, since Shylock stands out as the play’s most dynamic character. He is crafty and cruel but sympathetic due to the antisemitism with which he contends. Second to him is... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
At the beginning of the play, Antonio expresses sadness. He does not know “What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born.” His friends entertain and talk with him, wondering if his “mind is tossing... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
Actually, Portia and Antonio have much in common. They are both wealthy and initially melancholy, and they both love Bassanio. Our introduction to Antonio is him saying, “In sooth, I know not why I... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
Portia’s first line in the play is, “By my troth, Nerissa, my little body is aweary of this great world.” Though she is very wealthy and is described as beautiful and virtuous, she seems to be... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
In act two, scene two, Macbeth and his wife meet to kill King Duncan. It is nighttime, and almost everyone else is asleep. A number of people are in a drunken stupor, aided by Lady Macbeth drugging... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
The comedic moments in Romeo and Juliet provide a counterpoint to its tragic plot. Instead of making the play lighter, these moments highlight the story’s heartbreaking elements by providing a... -
Answered a Question in Julius Caesar
In Julius Caesar’s first scene, Marullus and Flavius interrupt a group of celebrating commoners. Marullus first interrogates them, likely in an attempt to both intimidate and glean information. His... -
Answered a Question in Othello
Sweeping statements like this can be difficult to prove. For one, what is the definition of romantic? What characteristics define a Shakespearean hero? Also, one would have to prove that Othello is... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
Shakespeare presents his female characters in a variety of ways in both tragedies and comedies. It is easier to specifically compare Macbeth to Much Ado About Nothing than to make generalizations.... -
Answered a Question in King Lear
In King Lear, there is a recurring theme of blindness and sight. This creates a unity in the text because it is a recurring subject that thematically connects a number of characters to one another.... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
The Prince of Morocco refers to his complexion when wooing Portia. He is aware of the racism against men with his skin color. Earlier, Portia expressed frustration at having to face yet another... -
Answered a Question in The Winter's Tale
Hermione is Queen of Sicily, wife to Leontes, and mother to Mamillius and Perdita. She is a gracious and friendly host who tries to convince Polixenes, Leontes’s best friend, to extend his stay in... -
Answered a Question in The Winter's Tale
King Leontes of Sicily is the central character in The Winter’s Tale. In the play’s first half, an irrational jealousy possesses the king. He accuses his wife Hermione of having an affair with his... -
Answered a Question in Julius Caesar
Though the conspirators are likely thinking of how tyrants will be overthrown around the world in years to follow, this scene also demonstrates the importance of ritual. The senators have not... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
As the prologue states, Romeo and Juliet is set “In fair Verona, where we lay our scene.” The subject of star-crossed lovers dates back for thousands of years, and the plot itself at least for... -
Answered a Question in William Shakespeare
In sixteenth century France and England, to “die” could also mean to orgasm. Both are a climactic conclusion, one to life and the other to sex. This connection between sex and death can be seen in... -
Answered a Question in William Shakespeare
It is difficult to know which of Shakespeare’s plays were controversial when they first came out. Troilus and Cressida was likely very contentious during its time because it parodies classical... -
Answered a Question in Much Ado About Nothing
Beatrice and Benedick’s relationship changes throughout the play. Before we even meet Benedick, Beatrice asks pointed questions about him. Leonato reveals that “There is a kind of merry war... -
Answered a Question in The Tempest
Caliban and Prospero see their rancorous relationship differently. Their first conversation reveals how they both view themselves as victims of one another. Prospero claims Caliban’s father was... -
Answered a Question in Coriolanus
Coriolanus is an excellent example of a tragic hero because his flaws bring about his destruction. He is unquestionably a heroic individual in the sense that he is self-sacrificing, brave, and an... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
In many ways, Portia is indeed the real hero of The Merchant of Venice. In spite of the fact that she's a woman, she claims more agency than almost any other character in the play. She initially... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
Macbeth’s reluctance to kill King Duncan demonstrates his respect for order. He worries about justice visiting him not just in the afterlife but here on earth: “this even-handed justice / Commends... -
Answered a Question in King Lear
Both scenes introduce essential plot elements to King Lear. The opening scene is especially important, as it sets up the entire play. King Lear gathers members of his court to divide his kingdom... -
Answered a Question in A Midsummer Night's Dream
In the first scene of the second act, Helena chases Demetrius through the forest. She makes a number of statements that express her attraction to him. She says that he draws her like a magnetic... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is named after Antonio, but he is not the character who saves the day. He certainly plays an important role in the plot: he borrows money from his enemy Shylock in order to... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
This scene takes place in a court of law. Shylock calls upon the court for justice and insists that his bond with Antonio be redeemed. Shylock says, “I stand for judgment.” He insists that he get a... -
Answered a Question in Julius Caesar
We do not know how Julius Caesar and his wife Calpurnia interact when not under stress or in the public eye. What the audience sees suggests a strained relationship. She obediently replies, “Here,... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
Love in Romeo and Juliet is tempestuous and intense. Romeo refers to love as “a madness,” comparing it to the forces of smoke, fire, and the sea. Love can be both beautiful and painful: “Is love a... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
Before the play even starts, Antonio and Shylock have a very antagonistic relationship. It drives the play’s most suspenseful plot elements. Antonio disapproves of Shylock’s financial practices and... -
Answered a Question in Julius Caesar
We first see Mark Antony when he runs the race at the Lupercal. He is an athletic, lively young man. Brutus describes him as being “gamesome” and having a “quick spirit,” suggesting Antony enjoys... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
Portia is being honest but ironic. She has not been interested in any suitor aside from Bassanio. She makes fun of one man for talking about his horse too much, another for being too serious, and... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
Romeo’s exclamation shows that he is an impetuous and strong-willed young man. After hearing of Juliet’s death, he immediately decides to commit suicide. By doing this, he is going against social... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
Juliet is more innocent than nearly any of the characters in Romeo and Juliet. Romeo kills two men, Tybalt incites Romeo by killing Mercutio, and Mercutio starts the fight with Tybalt. Lord Capulet... -
Answered a Question in Julius Caesar
You could focus on the irony and contradiction in Brutus’s character and fate. Cassius steers Brutus into conspiring to assassinate Julius Caesar, who would not suspect Brutus’s involvement:... -
Answered a Question in The Tempest
Prospero and his daughter Miranda have been trapped on an island together for almost her entire life. He is the only man, or even person, she can remember. Only the spirit Ariel and the creature... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
Bassanio says, “To you, Antonio, / I owe the most, in money and in love.” Bassanio has “disabled [his] estate” by spending more money than he has. He wishes to repay Antonio, to whom he is in debt.... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
Antonio never actually reveals the reason for his sadness. The audience must infer it from his behavior. He seems to believe his melancholy is innate and mysterious. It frustrates both Antonio and... -
Answered a Question in Othello
Because the audience knows Iago’s plans from the beginning, Othello is a suspenseful work full of dramatic irony. One of many examples of irony is when Brabantio tells Othello to worry about... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
When the nurse looks for Romeo to deliver Juliet’s message of love, Mercutio immediately begins to mock her. She asks her servant Peter for a fan, and Mercutio makes fun of her looks: “Good Peter,... -
Answered a Question in Julius Caesar
Cassius appears to envy Julius Caesar, while Brutus is fearful for the Roman Republic. Cassius points out that Caesar has grown too powerful, though he is not more worthy than anyone else: “Brutus... -
Answered a Question in Julius Caesar
Octavius speaks the final words in Julius Caesar. He and Mark Antony praise Brutus’s memory and plan to give him “all respect and rites of burial.” Though they mourn Brutus’s death, they also... -
Answered a Question in Much Ado About Nothing
Don John is the prince Don Pedro’s illegitimate brother. The two have only recently become reconciled, but Don John still deeply resents Don Pedro. He feels trapped: “I had rather be a canker in a... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
The trial is perhaps the most crucial scene in the play. In Act IV, Scene I, Shylock demands the right to cut a pound of flesh from Antonio’s body. The court’s decision determines Antonio’s fate.... -
Answered a Question in A Midsummer Night's Dream
In act 1, Duke Theseus directs Hermia to marry Demetrius. He has her father Egeus’s permission, but Hermia and Lysander are in love. The duke says she must marry the man of her father’s choosing,... -
Answered a Question in A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night’s Dream follows several threads which sometimes intertwine. The four lovers, the fairies, and the rude mechanicals are the three main storylines. The rude mechanicals are less...
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