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crime and violence versus social inequalities
social psychology aggression theory
social psychology aggression theory
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Best Reaction to Violence
Throughout Bond's plays there is an analysis, sometimes implicit, of
the nature of violence, its causes and its consequences. Each of the
plays takes the analysis a step further. I have chosen to concentrate
on Lear because it is one of the most representative pieces of work
about violence in our society. In this play Bond's humanistic
philosophy is clear : "aggression is an ability but not a necessity".[1]
He condemns our society which uses violence supposedly for the
wellbeing of people, but without worrying about the disastrous
consequences. In this paper, I shall argue that violence is not the
best reaction to aggression. And I shall describe its causes and its
consequences throughout Lear; though giving some examples from The Sea
and Narrow Road to the Deep North to demonstrate all the facets of
this aggressivity.
The violence that Bond condemns is not violence in general but
specifically social injustice and war. It is present from the very
beginning of the play in the summary execution of a worker accused of
sabotage. This already sets the tragic mood of the play. One of the
great debates of Lear is the question: "do the ends justify the
means?" This is one of the big problems of our society. The play
mainly shows that the nature and interaction of social and personal
circumstances are the leading element of any action. Indeed, people
have good intentions but their means to achieve them are often based
on violence and thus lead to war.
In Lear the symbol of this violence is the construction of the wall.
In fact, Lear claims that what he is doing is good and correct. Lear's
actions are thos...
... middle of paper ...
...y, which gives it an important weight.
Bond's philosophy is clear: violence is not an antidote to it. We must
act to change the world to have a better future. But this means a
fundamental change: we live in a world where the roots of almost any
action is violence and it should be motivated by a pacific spirit!
Bibliography
Bond, Edward. Plays:2. London: Eyre Methuen, 1978.
Coult, Tony. The Plays of Edward Bond. London: Eyre Methuen,1977.
Hay, Malcolm and Roberts, Philip.Bond a Study of his Plays. London:
Eyre Methuen,1980
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[1] Edward Bond, Plays :2 ( London: Eyre Methuen, 1978), p.4. All
further references are to this edition.
[2] This idea is also developed by Tony Coult in The plays of Edward
Bond (London: Eyre Methuen,1977).
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Through previous years, philosopher’s have tested numerous theories that help us in defining the nature of our being, often these are stalled by the nuanced thought behind our heart and mind. Philosophers often believed that we were slaves to our passions despite our reasoning, even now this could be proven by acts of love, but more than often proven it can be seen through our desire for revenge. Unlike it’s counterpart [avenge], revenge is both a verb and a noun that can be not only acted upon but attained. Revenge is what one seeks after being wronged and often an action never thought through by reason, but a fight of a person’s passions towards a self declared justice. Portrayed in a copious amount of movies, songs, and art, the theme of revenge has been held iconically within Shakespeare's most famous play, Hamlet. Centered around corruption of the mind, body and soul, Hamlet is seen by many as the embodiment of revenge through it’s characters (Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras); it is within their actions and development that each character portrays the dichotomy of their passion and reason to prove that we are slaves to our passions until reason catches up.
In King Lear, Shakespeare portrays a society whose emphasis on social class results in a strict social hierarchy fueled by the unceasing desire to improve one’s social status. It is this desire for improved social status that led to the unintentional deterioration of the social hierarchy in King Lear. This desire becomes so great that Edmund, Goneril, Reagan and Cornwall were willing to act contrary to the authority of the social hierarchy for the betterment of their own position within it. As the plot unfolds, the actions of the aforementioned characters get progressively more desperate and destructive as they realize their lack of success in attaining their personal goals. The goals vary, however the selfish motivation does not. With Edmund, Goneril, Reagan and Cornwall as examples, Shakespeare portrays the social hierarchy as a self-defeating system because it fosters desires in its members that motivate them to act against the authority of the hierarchy to benefit themselves. A consideration of each characters actions in chronological order and the reasons behind such actions reveals a common theme among the goals for which morality is abandoned.
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