Sondheim is known for including moral ambiguity in his shows. There were many characters the showed good and bad moral characteristics. The first character with mixed morals is Benjamin Barker a once honest man, loving husband, and father, who spend the last 15 years of his life in prison. Now wants to start all over becoming Sweeney Todd by returning to his old job a now driven by grief and overcome with desire the revenge. Another character is Mrs. Lovett a pie Mrs. Lovett suspect Sweeney Todd as being Benjamin Barker she tells him the story of what happened to his wife. That his wife poisoned herself, but fails to tell the whole truth when she doesn’t mention that the poison did not kill his wife, leading Sweeney to think his wife is dead.
Moral ambiguity is lack of sense in ethical decision-making. This means morally ambiguous characters are difficult to classify as either good or evil, as they contain strong aspects of both. These types of characters generally have real problems, causing their inner conflicts, which also makes them sympathetic. Stories that have morally ambiguous characters usually create built-in tension, because there is always the question of whether their conniving nature will be able to take hold, causing them to fail in their pursuit. In the play The Crucible, an example of a morally ambiguous character is Mary Warren.
... morals and personality towards his goals and at the same time trying to pass those values onto his sons, making him lose their respect, which is one of the many reasons that ended up taking his life. For the most part one can see that issues like Willys cannot only be seen or heard of in a play but also in the real world. Everybody in general wants to conform and be liked in today's competitive society, which is one of the reasons why many people don't get to accomplish the things they want to accomplish because they are either to scared or don't have the courage to step out of the social norms and achieve what they what to achieve. If anyone learns anything from this tragic character, one can say that truly knowing ones-self can really help in the long run because if one doesn't know who they are, they can end up leading a miserable life, in a miserable world.
Arthur Miller's All My Sons is a well-made play in every sense of that term. It not only is carefully and logically constructed, but addresses its themes fully and effectively. The play communicates different ideas on war, materialism, family, and honesty. However, the main focus, especially at the play's climax, is the issue of personal responsibility. In particular, Miller demonstrates the dangers of shirking responsibility and, then, ascribing blame to others.
... sets fire to burn down the barn that belongs to the house, he thoroughly despairs of his father. He not only destroys the barn, but also shatters Sarty¡¦s hope. Sarty decides to leave his family and find his own way of life.
...s: Claudio, Prospero, and Hamlet experienced moral judgments and dilemmas and then they made choices which were considered as virtuous. However, the morality of those three characters are all different in a way. For example, Claudio’s penance for his mistakes, Prospero’s forgiveness to his enemies, and Hamlet’s evasion from his revenge. It was very fascinated to see all different kinds of morality, whether brave or week, on the Shakespeare’s stage.
One reason that this play is well known is because many of the characters are identifiable with ourselves. Willy is a burnt-out businessman with no special talents or qualities. Linda is a kind and dedicated housewife, but she has not accomplished anything noteworthy. Biff has a habit of theft and a number of pent-up frustrations. Happy tries to smooth out the tensions in the family, but he is also unsatisfied. The only “successful” major character in the play is Bernard, but even he was considered “liked, but not well-liked” by the Lomans when he was young. There are not any heroes or bad guys in the play. The characters are all very human, and very flawed.
correlates to the condition of society during the fifties, and conveys a momentous idea that the people living during this time should have faith in God and hope for the betterment of society in times of hardships, and should not focus on the injustice in the world. First, the reference to the death of millions of innocent people in the bombings of London, Hiroshima, and Dresden outrightly relates to the suffering that people have experienced both during and after the war, because many people innocent perished in WWII for no reason. In addition, David’s death also parallels to the post-WWII era, and relates to J.B. and Sarah’s responses to his death to the pain and devastation that families suffered when their young children who served as soldiers died in World War II. J.B. and Sarah’s discussion during their Thanksgiving meal is yet another parallel to the postwar era and portrays the two different outlooks that people had on life after the war. Finally, MacLeish uses J.B. to relate to the people living during the postwar era by concluding the play with J.B. and Sarah finding comfort in love and rebuilding their life together as a family to convey the message that they should try to alleviate their hardships and sorrow by viewing the situation optimistically and by seeking love in the
Based on a series of Brothers Grimm fairy tales, Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods (1987) focuses on fairy tale characters such as Cinderella, Jack and Little Red Riding Hood’s wish of life fulfillment. Numerous fairy tales are intertwined with one new tale in attempt to carry the childhood stories into an adult realm without ridding of their child-based sensibilities. (Knapp, 2009.) Little Red’s song, “I know things now” is performed after she escapes the wolf’s belly. It is a reflection song on what she has learnt from the experience of speaking to strangers. Sondheim cleverly integrates musical devises such as key, modulation, pitch, accompaniment, dynamics, motif and rhythm alongside language and literary devices to contribute to the development and growth of the character and story.
..., and the importance of her actions. However, Amanda is not the protagonist because of her negative characteristics, her pessimistic reasons, and her selfish behavior. Tom is another candidate as the protagonist because he narrates the play, making his thoughts appear most throughout the performance. But, he is not the protagonist because he chooses to desert his family for his own selfish reasons. Some people feel Laura is the protagonist because she is most likely to change and is the center of the ongoing conflicts. Laura is indeed the best choice as a protagonist because she breaks through her wall, becoming a sophisticated lady. Tennessee Williams gave protagonist-like qualities to all of the main characters to let the audience be independent readers. The critics deciphered the difference between three main characters to determine the best suited protagonist.
In many works of literature, authors place morally ambiguous characters in their work to allow the readers to decide on the character’s true morality. In Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, Shelley inputs a morally ambiguous character, which takes on an extreme significance to the work, allowing the reader to understand the emotional journey that occurs throughout the novel. The morally ambiguous character in Frankenstein is Victor Frankenstein, which is displayed through the way he treats his creation, his arrogant personality, and his obsession with natural philosophy.
In the story of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is one of the main characters. At the beginning of the play Macbeth is very loyal and honorable. By the end of the play Macbeth is insane and has no remorse for the sin he commits against the king.
Tennessee Williams and Beth Henley both use elements of tragedy in their plays in order to introduce the characters’ problems while also attempting to lighten the mood. Tennessee Williams introduces the conflict along with some humor, but Beth Henley’s use of comedy in a tragic moment makes the situation even more tragic. The humor she introduces in a tragic situation evokes pity from the audience because it seems as though all the sisters can do is laugh at their pain. Williams uses comedy in order to introduce the tragic situation and comedy doesn’t have to be funny in his plays; the way that he introduces tragedy in such a comedic manner allows the audience to relate to the characters. On the other hand, Henley’s way of joining comedy and tragedy in the same moment makes the audience uncomfortable because it confuses their emotions; they don’t know whether to feel pity or not. In this sense, Tennessee Williams does a better job at showing tragedy through the characters’ actions.
The play centers on Willy Loman, an aging salesman who is beginning to lose his grip on reality. Willy places great emphasis on his supposed native charm and ability to make friends; stating that once he was known throughout New England, driving long hours but making unparalleled sales (something true only because of his philandering with secretaries), his sons Biff and Happy were the pride and joy of the neighborhood, and his wife Linda went smiling throughout the day. Unfortunately, time has passed, and now his life seems to be slipping out of control.
Willy, the protagonist of Miller’s play, has a brother, Ben. Ben is much older and long dead when this play begins. Ben, or Benjamin, is a religious name that refers to the “Son of the right hand,” or the most beloved son. In Willy’s case, Ben is already implied as the favored son. Ben is more successful “I have many enterprises, William, and I have never kept books” (47; Act 1). Ben also has the luck that Willy has always wanted. Willy wants his boys to follow ben’s example as he attempts to with sales:
Shakespeare's comedies can be recognized in terms of plot, structure and characters. We can see that Shakespearean comedies follow the same structural pattern, a basic plot on which the play is based. For example, a key feature of all comedies is that they depend upon the resolution of their plots. However, Shakespeare's comedies are distinguishable, as some are classed as comic dramas and others as romantic comedies. In comic drama, there is usually a motif of a place where reality and the unreal merge, the roles of characters are reversed and identities are mistaken or lost. This place may take on the form of a feast or celebration, or it may be presented as a place segregated from the normal society, such as the wood in A Midsummer Night's Dream. When scenes are set in this place, the ordinary rules of life and society do not apply. There is always an experience of chaos, which must be resolved in order for the play to become a true comedy.