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Tragic women in Shakespeare's works
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Shakespeare and his characterization
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In every Shakespearean tragedy there is always something called the “fatal flaw”. This flaw is seen in the main character or hero of the play. The hero always has the ability to overcome or control this flaw, however, if he can not control this flaw he reaches a point of doom. A point in the story where he has no choice but to continue downward through the spire of entropy. This leads to the tragedy. His or her end. The flaw is usually a master passion. This passion controls the hero’s thoughts and actions, and, if unable to control this passion it will lead to his doom.
In Shakespeares “Macbeth”, Macbeth is an anti hero. He is very ambitious and courageous. However, he is also a moral coward, this is Macbeths fatal flaw, which in the end leads to his doom. Shakespeare defines Macbeth as a hero very clearly. His valor in defense of Scotland is significant in the opening scene. However, he is very ambitious to be king. At the beginning of the play, he was loyal to the king. While he did imagine the murder his mind rejects it and said, "Why, if chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me," (1.3.12-13). Yet his ambition increasingly defeated his good nature.
In the play, everyone seems to want power. Usually, men are the ones who are outward and aggressive about it, and women are more subdued about it. Lady Macbeth has a great deal of power over Macbeth the power which she holds over him, is the fact that she possesses more of the "manly" quality than Macbeth himself. Because of this, Macbeth is ashamed of himself. Macbeth constantly tries to disprove Lady Macbeths doubt of his manhood. "When you durst do it, then you were a man, And, to be more than what you were, you would, Be so much more the man." (1.7.22). As you can see in this quote, Lady Macbeth has her doubts.
However, the three witches control the most power, or the “ultimate” power in the play. "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be king hereafter." (1.3.8-9). If they had not informed Macbeth about this, Lady Macbeth would never of found out about it and would not has expected Macbeth to murder the king, ultimately leading to Macbeths doom.
People usually expect to see paintings and sculptures in Art Galleries. Imagine the surprise one finds when they are presented with a man stitching his face into a bizarre caricature, or connected to a machine which controls the artist’s body. These shocking pieces of performance art come under the broad umbrella that is Postmodernism. Emphasis on meaning and shock value has replaced traditional skills and aesthetic values evident in the earlier Modernist movements.
It is generally said that the cause of death of Marilyn Monroe on August 4th, 1962 was an sleeping pill overdose on her part and therefore a suicide. However, substantial evidence found at her house, in the guest bedroom, and in her personal bedroom where Marilyn Monroe allegedly committed suicide along with the fact that she was sexually involved with a lot of powerful people (and knew a lot of secrets of said powerful people) points to something more sinister. Which leads to the question, did Marilyn Monroe really commit suicide, or was her death made to only appear as if she did? And if so, who killed Marilyn Monroe and how did they kill her without being caught or punished? There are many theories that could possibly answer this question, but only the two most believed theories as to what really killed Marilyn Monroe are mentioned in this paper. One is that Robert Francis Kennedy, Peter Sydney Ernest Lawford (Robert Francis Kennedy’s brother-in-law), and Dr. Ralph Greenson
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is an ideal father, who sets a great example for his kids. A picture of Atticus is important to Scout because Atticus teaches Scout many important life lessons about life. Firstly, as Atticus talks to Scout about Miss. Stephanie, he states “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee,30). Scout realizes that one can never feel someone’s pain, happiness, or glory until she looks at their point of view of things; she learns to consider other people’s situation and feelings. She also understands that she will never know what goes in other people’s lives, and therefore she cannot judge anyone. Scout matures as she learns to apply Atticus’ wise advice to understand Mrs. Dubose and Boo Radley, who are individuals that are misunderstood by the community. Furthermore, as Miss Maudie talks to Scout, she states “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” (Lee, 46). Miss Maudie knows about Atticus’ personality quite well. Miss Maudie explains to Scout Atticus is a man with moral principles, he does what he believes is right even if others are not there to praise him. Through Atticus’ exemplary role, Scout understands the importance of integrity, and strong moral values. Finally, when Scout questions her father about the possible outcome of the trial, Atticus states “simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us to try to win” (Lee, 76). Atticus teaches Scout toleration, determination and moral courage. He already knows he is going to los...
Macbeth rejects conformation to traditional gender roles in its portrayal of Lady Macbeth’s relationship with her husband, her morals and their effect on her actions, and her hunger for power. Her regard for Macbeth is one of low respect and beratement, an uncommon and most likely socially unacceptable attitude for a wife to have towards her spouse at the time. She often ignores morality and acts for the benefit of her husband, and subsequently herself. She is also very power-hungry and lets nothing stand in the way of her success. Lady Macbeth was a character which challenged expectations of women and feminism when it was written in the seventeenth century.
Consequently, Atticus Finch acts justly, loves tenderly and walks humbly through his job and his family. Ultimately, he acts justly through his acts of kindness and understanding. Also, he loves tenderly by showing the ones that he cares about their worth. Lastly, he walks humbly by not caring about other people’s opinions but himself. Atticus Finch is a man with full respect and love given to. He is a role model for his family and to all of his town people.
He was the first man in the Finch family to leave their homestead, called Finch’s Landing, and he went to practice law in Montgomery (Lee 4). He later settled down in Maycomb, about twenty miles from the Landing. Atticus’ family is so extended that he is related to mostly everyone in the town in some way, be it by blood or marriage (Lee 5). The towns people respect him and see Atticus as a good man, although some question his parenting techniques at times. Atticus treats his kids, Jem and Scout, as equals and nothing less. Scout says about her father “Jem and I found our father satisfactory: he played with us, read to us, and treated us with courteous detachment” (Lee 6). This shows that his kids acknowledge that he is a good father to them and that they have a mutual respect with him. Atticus is a very loyal person and very courteous to everyone that he sees. He treats his neighbors and fellow townspeople with respect and they respect him back. To sum it up, Atticus Finch is a good man, father, and man of
After Atticus shoots Tim Johnson, a dog that’s gone mad, Jem and Scout are shocked. Ms. Maudie tells them “Atticus Finch was the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time,” and that “his nickname was Ol‘ One-Shot when he was a boy.” Ms. Maudie thinks that “he decided he wouldn’t shoot till he had to,” because “[p]eople in their right minds never take pride in their talents” (Lee 98). Even though Atticus is talented in shooting, he doesn’t pride himself in it because it is an unfair advantage over other beings. He believes that “[t]he one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.” Atticus models honour for his children through the Tom Robinson trial. He tells Scout that “before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself,” (Lee 105) which means that he has to be able to live with his own decisions before he can live with other people. Atticus also believes that “[i]t’s not okay to hate anybody,” (Lee 246) no matter who they are and what they have done. Atticus’ humility and high moral principles make him an honourable man - a quality that sets him apart from the community and raises him above
Atticus Finch is a man with high moral standards and values. This creates him as a compassionate man to all
Many people’s perceptions of their own skills, strengths, and weaknesses are different, more some than others. Everyone’s personality is a bit different: Some have very high self-esteem, some are very egotistical, some don’t believe in themselves, etc. Most of the time, my self esteem is usually within a delicate balance of “you aren’t as good as you seem” and “you’re doing fine, relax, you’ll turn out just fine.” However, there are a pair of people that will believe in you no matter what you do: your parents. They will always be there for you, to help you succeed, and instill into yourself more self-esteem. My self-esteem has wavered throughout my academic career, always somewhat lower or higher each day. Many people are there to lower your perception of your skills: some of your peers, adults, maybe a
Coming of Age. What does that mean to you? What comes to mind when you think of it? Well, this term can have multiple definitions and example for different people. To me, this term means growing up and reaching a certain age when you gain more freedom but have greater responsibility and consequences.
There are many symbols used in Macbeth that help us to better understand the play. In the following paragraphs I will explain them in depth. There are four symbols that I will discuss below, they are light and darkness it represents the good and bad things that take place throughout the play. The second symbolism is blood. The blood represents murder and guilt like the blood on the dagger and the blood on Lady Macbeth's hand. The weather represents the different tragedies that take place and another symbolism is the dead children.
The social identity theory is a person’s sense of who they are based on their social
In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, symbolism plays a prominent role to emphasize the theme of corruption of power. Throughout the play there are several main symbols repeatedly used to emphasize this theme. The contrast of light and dark representing good and evil, blood representing guilt, murder, and pain, and the archetypal pattern of purification by using water represents removal of guilt, cleansing and peace. Symbolism is used repeatedly to emphasize the theme of corruption of power.
Have you ever thought of what coming of age means? Depending on a person's past experience and circumstances that can change. To a person living in the average American household coming of age could possibly mean: getting a car, going to college, or getting a job. But for a person living in a third world country that could mean going to work in a factory or cooking food for their family. Moreover coming of age means growth and with that growth comes ample other hurdles such as new challenges, responsibilities, and expectations.
Throughout the play of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is supposed to be a likeable character until he kills the king. By committing this heinous act, Macbeth instantly becomes a villain and continues to commit murderous acts, all stemming from his first terrible mistake. One of his motives consists of choosing power over integrity, therefore he kills the king. Another reason why Macbeth is a villain is because he continued to kill innocent people to hide his doings. Lastly, since Macbeth is a villain and murderer, he deserves to be condemned and disdained.