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How does shakespeare present the theme of fear in macbeth
How does shakespeare present the theme of fear in macbeth
How does shakespeare present the theme of fear in macbeth
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The Power Of Fear Fear has drastically changed the course of events throughout history. From Brutus to Stefano, fear has often been used in literature to shape how a work develops. Fear even changes the way you think, making you more nervous, scared, and often very irrational. For example Brutus killed his best friend out of fear and Stefano wasted his whole life running from something out of fear. Brutus was a one of the Roman elite who had everything he could ever want. Yet, Brutus was so easily swayed by Cassius because he was afraid of the power he thought Caesar was hungry for. Despite all of evidence arguing against Cassius's claim that Caesar was ambitious, Brutus still chose to kill Caesar because his fear caused him to think
Fear is a powerful emotion. Wikipedia.com describes fear as “an emotion induced by threat perceived by living entities, which causes a change in brain and organ function and ultimately change behavior, such as running away, hiding or freezing from traumatic events.”Most people tend to avoid fearful situations, not realizing that something positive may come out of the event or experience. Victor Villaseñor focuses on the topic of fear in his novel titled Burro Genius. Villaseñor demonstrates to readers how growing up he was extremely fearful of any situation. Victor also tells his readers how he turned his fear into motivation into motivation to keep going and reach his ultimate goal of becoming a published author.
Brutus was tricked into believing that Caesar would not be fit to be king, and would destroy the place Brutus loves, Brutus killed Caesar to protect Rome. Despite what Brutus did, he did only what he thought was the only thing he could do to save Rome. He thought not about his position he thought about the people. Yet he killed Caesar off
Fear motivates many people to act upon matters, right or wrong. This emotion has been important in many events in both works of literature, and in the real world. It has forced military geniuses into retreat, and influenced them to plan another method of attack. Fear can be both a positive and a negative acting force in one’s life, a quality that can motivate one to success as well as to downfall.
Fear influences people to make irrational decisions and take extreme measures. Often times, these actions are done to protect one’s reputation. Fear causes people to lie and manipulate to those they care about in order to escape what they are scared of most. Fear of failure has caused higher levels of anxiety, and has made society put blame on each other, rather than owning up to their mistakes. Fear can also cause one to forget one’s true identity and lose one’s values. There are two options that one can take when being faced with a fear: run away from the fear, or go through it and learn a valuable lesson in the end that will make you a stronger person. Fear is a harmful emotion that everyone has to go through in order to succeed.
He has two opposing desires that he has to choose between. These are killing Caesar to preserve democracy in Rome and to save Caesar, since he is a friend of Brutus. A quote from J.L. Simmons that summarizes this well is, “Certainly the material lends itself to a conflict between private and public affections” (Simmons 64). Brutus wants to kill Caesar for Rome because the citizens of Rome want to preserve democracy and Caesar is preventing that by being dictator for life. A quote that puts this in other words is, “The ultimate factor in persuading Brutus to join the conspiracy is his belief that his countrymen wish him to act on their behalf” (Shalvi 71). Killing Caesar would be a choice made for not himself, but the citizens of Rome while saving him would be for himself and to preserve his friendship with Caesar. Saving Caesar would be a deed for himself and would strengthen his relationship with Caesar. He could have warned Caesar of the conspirators’ plans and put a stop to them. Brutus ultimately makes the choice of following through and assassinating Caesar. His plan was for this to be a honorable action, but it ended up negative on his behalf. The majority of the citizens in Rome did not take this lightly and wanted revenge for his actions. This is the main mistake made by Brutus that lead to his own
Fear can motivate people in a positive way and a negative way, it can make you choose between right and wrong. In The Crucible And The Pact, it is shown that fear can influence people into action.
Brutus murdered Caesar for the good of Rome. Although he killed Caesar, he did not do it for himself, but for the entire society of Rome. Mark Antony, an enemy to Brutus, also thought that he was a hero. “This was the noblest Roman of them all / All the conspirators save only he / Did that they did in envy of Caesar / He only in a general honest thought” (V.v.74-77). Antony is saying that all the other conspirators killed Caesar because they despised Caesar. He was able to declare the truth regarding Brutus. Brutus, actuality loved Caesar, so he could not have done it for himself. Caesar and Brutus were extraordinary friends that would do what was best for each other. “Et, tu, Brute – then fall Caesar” (III.i.85). Caesar says this in astonishment of Brutus stabbing...
Throughout most of the play Brutus is constantly internally conflicted. Does he do what he believes is best for Rome or stay loyal to his friend and leader? Should he assist in the murder of one person to benefit many? Although killing Caesar was in the end a bad choice, Brutus always tries to do what is best for Rome and for the people. However even though all of Brutus’ motives are good he still has the tragic flaw of pride, which ultimately leads to his downfall. The reason that Brutus gets caught up in the conspiracy is because Cassias appeals to his pride and flatters him with forged letters from the Roman people saying he is a greater leader then Caesar.
In order to prevent this from occurring Cassius chose to conspire to kill Julius. Unfortunately,this plan of his to kill Caesar could not be accomplished without Brutus. Even though Brutus decided to betray his dear friend, his motives however were pure. He did it in order to prevent the downfall of the Roman government. Despite this fact, it wasn't all that easy to come to this understanding.
In the words of Bertrand Russell, “Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom” (Russell). Fear causes many problems in our lives. Fear influences many of a person’s actions and decisions. However, people usually regret the decisions or actions they made out of fear. Also, these actions and decisions can cause problems for those people in their future. Fear is a harmful emotion, for it clouds people’s judgement, disables them from taking action, and causes them to make decisions that they will regret later.
Brutus was one of many Romans with noble bloodlines. Although Brutus was noble, he never used it to get ahead. There are many times when Brutus could have used the fact that he is truly noble but he didn’t. Many people argue that a noble man wouldn’t have killed Caesar. In some ways that is true, but Brutus’ case was different. A noble man would only for the good of others and that is what Brutus did. He killed Caesar because 7he was afraid of how powerful he could become. Even then he had a hard time doing it, and that is what separates Brutus from the other conspirators. Every other conspirator had little or no reason to kill Caesar. Brutus was willing to do anything for Rome. During his speech about Caesar’s murder Brutus stated “I have the same dagger for myself when it shall please my country to need my death” (III.ii.45-46). This shows how Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more” (III.ii.20-22). He was too passionate about his country to let Caesar turn it into a dictatorship. Mark Antony and Octavius recognized that Brutus was the one noble roman. In his final speech mark Antony said “This was the noblest roman of them all. / All the conspirators save only he/ Did that they did i...
Brutus shows his honorability among the other conspirators. When he becomes the leader of the conspiracy, he suggests that they kill Caesar for the benefit of Rome, not out of hatred or selfless means. Brutus says to Cassius, “Let us be sacrificers but not butchers, Caius… And, gentle friends, let’s kill him boldly but not wrathfully. Let’s carve him as a dish fit for the gods, not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds,” (II.i.173, 178-181). Brutus respected Caesar and was his friend, therefore he believes they should honor him in his death. Brutus wanted to kill Caesar in order to prevent his country from becoming a
Fear is created by your perspective of a situation, object or topic. You fear something based on the way you perceive it, evaluating whether it as a threat to you or not. Once a fear is born it continues to shape your perspective intensifying the fear and guaranteeing that it will remain. When these perspectives become distorted the fear that drives them has the potential to take control over a person’s life. As the fear grows clear observation is limited and obsessive behavior can occur. Once a person’s perspective is controlled by their fear their quality of life diminishes which contributes to pessimism and a lack of social connections. In the article Seeing by feeling: Virtues, Skills, and Moral Perceptions one of Aristotle’s famous quotes is used to associate perception with decision making. “When it comes to thinking about what to do, ultimately the decision rest with perception.” Fear is created by perspective.
Brutus’ leadership and compassion for others make him a popular figure amongst the Roman people, and it is his reputation that establishes him as an influential individual. For example, despite the fact that Brutus loves Caesar like a brother, he warily joins the conspiracy to assassinate him. He does this because he believes that Caesar’s ambition would become tyranny and that Caesar’s death is a necessary evil in order to preserve the liberties of the Roman people. In his own words Brutus claims, “It must be by his death; and for my part, I know no personal cause to spurn at him, but for the general.”(Act 2, Scene 1, Page 1116). In addition, Brutus takes the reins of authority from Cassius and becomes the leader of the conspiracy. He gains this prerogative because of his convincing tongue and powerful influence. His leadership is evidenced when he begins to challenge Cassius’ ideas. When Cassius asks the conspirators to “swear our resolution”(Act 2...
Brutus is considered an honorable man by all those who live in Rome. He is a close friend of Caesar, husband of Portia, and is also a Senator. Brutus is drawn into killing Caesar by Cassius, who was jealous of Caesar's degree of power. Brutus was pulled into the scheme by letters brought to his house by Decius to make him think that the people of Rome wanted him to replace Caesar. Brutus also feels that Caesar is being given too much power and will destroy Rome's democracy. Brutus' reason for killing Caesar is to benefit Rome, he proves this when he states"If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more." After losing to Mark Antony and Octavious, Brutus runs onto his own sword. He sticks to his beliefs, not altering them for others.