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Interpretation
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In literature, a “foil” is a character that shows qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of another character, may also be used for any comparison that is drawn to portray a difference between two things. “Throughout the stories of Beowulf, The Tragedy of Macbeth, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are Beowulf Vs. Grendel, Macbeth vs. Duncan, and Dr. Jekyll vs. Mr. Hyde the protagonist encounters literary foils. One example of a literary foil is the story of Beowulf. Although the fights between the protagonist Beowulf and two antagonists construct the main plot of Beowulf, they merely serve as static background for the narrative. As the only human hero in the story, Beowulf the character fits into a conventional, …show more content…
The Elizabethans viewed the universe, in its ideal state, as both orderly and interconnected. They believed that a great chain linked all beginnings, from God on the lowest beasts and plants. They also believed that universal order was based on parallels between different realms (“Shakespeare, William”). These beliefs of the people in Macbeth cause conturversoury and hatred toward one another. Shakespeare takes many liberties with history, for King Duncan was not a particularly evil one. Shown from Act one, Macbeth is at the moment of decision, the interim between desire and action, debating within himself weather to go ahead with the plot he devised with his wife to murder the king, their guest. He is weighing the benefits that act would bring him against the powerful reasons for not doing it (“Shakespeare, William”). Macbeth thinks on it long and hard, but even know Macbeth is not really a bad person, the fame and fortune gets to his head and makes him do bad and crazy things. His wife, Lady Macbeth is in reality not a good person and she talks Macbeth into doing all these bad things and little does anyone knows, it is too late and he is killing his way to the throne. Throughout the story it is hard to tell between fact and legend, especially with the witches. They proclaim that he will soon be king and that corrupts his mind and soul into doing bad things to get what he wants. Macbeth …show more content…
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Some attention has been given to Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He claims that the brain was composed of several faculties, and that the brain and mind were connected in mysterious ways of madness. A trestle on insanity becoming a source of systematic perversion of the natural feelings, affections, inclinations, temper, habits, moral disputations, and natural impulses. Dr. Jekyll knew what he was doing when he made Mr. Hyde but he did not think about the consequences of making a duplicate of his insane side. As the story goes on, Dr. Jekyll becomes anti-social in some way for example, morbidly depressed or angry with everyone. Utterson soon knew that Dr. Jekyll was not telling him something when he read his will left up to a man name Mr. Hyde. Throughout the story Dr. Jekyll’s friends try and find out little by little who this man is and why are these crimes occurring and no names lead back to anyone. Even though Jekyll and Utterson are two totally different people, they are still somewhat the same because Jekyll is driving himself insane trying to keep Hyde alive but yet a secret to everyone. Mr. Utterson is also driving himself insane by trying to find out who Hyde is. These two men were obsessed with something made up and their obsession just grew stronger until neither of them could take it anymore. At the end of the story both Jekyll and Hyde become reckless as he locked up in the
If you have the Harry Potter series, or almost any other story you have been introduced to this literary device that instantly makes your story attention-grabbing, and page-turning. This writing tool is known as a character foil. A character foil is a character that displays contrary, or opposite character traits. An example of a character foil is Draco Malfoy, and Harry Potter. Their rival relationship and other conflicts are the perfect example to showcase foils at work. To continue, in the iconic “Romeo and Juliet” written by William Shakespeare, there are two known character foils in the first Act: Benvolio and Tybalt, and the Nurse and Lady Capulet.
(Whether we read about different people in literature to broaden our knowledge about others, or whether we do it as an interest, we cannot overlook the use of foils in stories. While many people can be similar to each other, others can be complete opposites. One character may do something virtuous, while the other may do something heinous; this in turn makes the virtuous character seem exceedingly better than the other character.) (In literature, many writers use foils to highlight one’s true nature and make it more noticeable; when characters are compared side by side, one character is always superior to the other. In the classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee undoubtedly uses pairs of characters to emphasize and demonstrate the themes of prejudice, racism and inequality of characters.)(This writing technique is especially evident with the characters: Atticus and Mr. Gilmer; Miss Maudie Atkinson and Miss Stephanie Crawford; and, finally, Walter Cunningham Sr. and Bob Ewell.)
A foil is when a characters differences contrast with another in order to show the main characters traits clearly. By using certain parts of their personalities, the reader sees the other characters opposing qualities. When an author uses foil in a novel the main character is thoroughly developed because the reader can gain more information about the characters own reactions. Mary Shelley’s use of foil characters in Frankenstein Or, The Modern Prometheus enhances the story greatly. Shelley’s way of comparing Victor, the Creature, Robert Walton and Clerval is what leads to the readers greater understanding of who Victor is. The most obvious foil throughout the novel is the Creature and Victor, child and father figure. Shelley uses their similarities
Batman and the Joker, Jeff Goldblum and dinosaurs, Republicans and Democrats; all these pairs of heroes and villains are most likely influential and well-known characters in your life. The question is would they be the same if they hadn’t existed in the same movie or book .Would Jeff Goldblum be a heroic person if he was never in the same story as the man-eating T-Rex ? Would any of your favorite characters be considered good or evil, had they not been the direct opposites of each other? In many movies we see pairs such as those who serve as foils (which defines as a character who contrasts with the protagonist to highlight the qualities of him or her) that bring out the deepest characteristics of one another. Besides foils in movies, in books there are many characters that compliment one another. One example is in Edith Wharton’s novel, Ethan Frome. The two main female characters in the novel hold many differences and similarities, bringing out each other’s most dominant qualities and traits. Unquestionably, in the novel Ethan Frome, the characters Mattie Silver and Zeena Frome are literary foils.
Be it in films, television series’ or works of literature, it is true when one says, “[the] Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations” ( Bradbury 139). We always bear in mind the characters that bring us the essence within the storyline; the ones that we most often remember are the heroes and their villains. Character “foils” allow us to differentiate between the good and the evil present within the storyline. The classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, consists of several opposing characters, who inform us of the good, and the bad of Maycomb County. This includes Boo and Nathan Radley; Walter Cunningham Jr. and Burris Ewell; and Miss Maudie Atkinson and Miss Stephanie Crawford.
A foil is a character who serves as a contrast to another character. Writers often use foils to emphasize differences and traits of characters. Such an author would be William Shakespeare, author to many plays, including “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet”. William Shakespeare uses foiling to emphasize one of the main character’s traits and differences. This “ foiling” relationship is between the main character Romeo and Paris.
Homer uses many literary devices in The Iliad, including the use of foils. A foil is a character whom possesses qualities that are in contrast to the qualities of another character. Foils are often used to highlight traits of characters. In The Iliad the foils are adversaries. An adversary is an opponent or a rival. In the following paragraphs, I will show how both of these terms relate to Achilles and Hector in The Iliad.
Within the text of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson portrays a complex power struggle between Dr. Jekyll, a respected individual within Victorian London society, and Mr. Hyde a villainous man tempted with criminal urges, fighting to take total control of their shared body. While Dr. Jekyll is shown to be well-liked by his colleagues, Mr. Hyde is openly disliked by the grand majority of those who encounter him, terrified of his frightful nature and cruel actions. Throughout Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson portrays the wealthy side of London, including Mr. Utterson and Dr. Jekyll, as respected and well-liked, while showing the impoverish side as either non-existent or cruel.
In “Saving Sourdi” by May-Lee Chai, the author uses foil characters in the relationship of two sisters, Nea and Sourdi. Their contrasting personalities are at the center of the plot. In fictional stories, “The main purpose of a character foil is to highlights the opposite traits of the main character”(Development of Characters). The foil character is Sourdi, her personality traits are opposite of the main character, Nea. The contrast allows Nea, the protagonist, to stand out more distinctly. The author shows the reader that Nea is headstrong, impulsive, and immature. In contrast, Sourdi is more laid back and mature. Examples of the foil are evident throughout the passage. In the scene where Nea stabs a man in the arm for tormenting her sister, her Ma states to Nea,“You not thinking. That your problem. You always not thinking!” (Meyer pg. 83) Nea wanted to protect her sister, but Nea does not think of the consequences for stabbing the man. In contrast, Sourdi always thinks of consequences. Sourdi's response to Nea, “They could take you away. The police, they
Foils serve a great purpose in literature by enhancing the work. In Khaled Hosseini’s, The Kite Runner, Rahim Khan serves as a foil for Baba through his attitude/actions toward Amir, revealing that good friends have their differences.
1. Plays have foils to help the audience understand important characters in the play. Foils are minor characters that have similarities and differences with a more important character in the play. Sometimes the minor character is just there for the character to talk to; this is the basis for being a foil. In the play "Hamlet," [Titles] by William Shakespeare, the character Ophelia is a foil to Hamlet.
Hyde. All this began when Jekyll just wanted to be a regular and humble person. He decided to construct a potion where he can turn into someone else. in chapter 10, Jekyll said, " Man is truly one but truly two" ( Stevenson 61 ). This is an important quote throughout the book, and it also symbolizes an eerie part of being Dr. Jekyll. What this quote means is that people can have many personalities. One personality can be a symbol of evil just like Mr. Hyde. The two main characters, which are Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, have their own representation of who they are. The officer in chapter 4, states " Particularly small and particularly wicked-looking, is what the maid calls him" ( archive.org). This quotation announces that Mr. Hyde is a short and deformed guy who is ugly as a shaved dog. On the other hand, Dr. Jekyll is a very brilliant scientist who made the potion to diversify into a malevolent man. Terror is another word to put in the word grotesque. The facial expression Dr. Jekyll had when Mr. Enfield
Random House Webster's dictionary defines a foil as "a person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast." This essay will focus on the use of the foil to contrast another character. The characters of Nora and Mrs. Linde provide an excellent example of this literary device. Mrs. Linde's aged, experienced personality is the perfect foil for Nora's childish nature. Mrs. Linde's hard life is used to contrast the frivolity and sheltered aspects of Nora's life. Nora's optimism and belief in things improbable is an opposite to the rationality and down-to-earth mentality of Mrs. Linde. Finally, the rekindling of the flame between Mrs. Linde and Krogstad is a direct contrast to the burning down of Nora and Torvald's "doll's house."
“We’ve all got both light and dark inside of us. What matters is the part we choose to act on – that’s who we really are.” In Harry Potter, the theme of light and dark plays a large part in the plot; so does the book The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Would the main character of the latter book agree with this? It would be half and half.
Have you ever watched a movie and thought “Wow! Those characters are so very different, but they are in two very similar situations?” That is just what the creator of the work wants you to see. They have used what is called a character foil. A character foil is a double or a mirror of characters. This allows you to see alternative versions of the story play out and help intensify the work. Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” and Bernard Shaw’s “Arms and the Man” both use character foils to highlight the conflicts and themes which help intensify the drama for the audience.