Relevance of Julius Caesar to Contemporary Society
Symbolism is a major aspect of writing. Whether obvious or subtle, authors use it as a way to extend their works beyond just the time period they're writing their piece in. Also, it allows the reader the opportunity to substitute his own ideas into the story, which makes the story more personal. The characters and situations in Julius Caesar can be twisted to tell of contemporary society.
The persona of Julius Caesar represents many things in Shakespeare's play, among which are ambition, power, and impending disaster. In today's society, he can stand for the Human Genome Project. Although the Genome Project promises to spawn cures for genetic diseases, it also carries the fear of genetically enhanced humans. Like Caesar, the Genome Project seems to be boasting of benevolence while quietly ushering malevolence at the same time.
Caesar's foils, Cassius and Brutus, can be found in the opponents of the Genome Project. Not only do individuals oppose the Genome Project, but also whole groups of peoples do. The main argument is that the Genome Project will allow scientists to genetically enhance humans and animals beyond what would be the average. They completely overlook the positive factors, such as the cure for genetic disorders. The way modern opponents of the Genome Project turn a blind eye to the helpfulness of the scientific breakthrough is like the way Cassius and Brutus turn away from the help Caesar might give Romans. Brutus differs from Cassius in that he genuinely weighs the profit of letting Caesar have rule over Rome.
"It must be by his death: and, for my part,
I know no personal cause to spurn at him,
But for the general." II.i.10-12
However, he ultimately decides that the danger Caesar imposes is too great the risk.
History is said to repeat itself. If the modern Julius Caesar is killed, many suffering people will never get the chance to live a normal life. However, perhaps genetically altered babies will be spared the pain of living a life branded as a science experiment. In the same way, Brutus and Cassius acted on the belief that the suffering of many people would be spared if they killed Caesar before the man had the opportunity to make Romans endure pain.
John proctor changes drastically from a dishonest man to an honest man. To begin, John commits a sinful act of adultery against his wife Elizabeth with their former maid Abigail. He covers up this lie in order to protect his
Arthur Miller writes about the tragic results of human failings in his play, The Crucible. He presents characters from the past and infuses them with renewed vitality and color. Miller demonstrates the horrifying results of succumbing to personal motives and flaws as he writes the painful story of the Salem witch trials. Not only do the trials stem from human failings but also from neglect of moral and religious considerations of that time. Characters begin to overlook Puritan values of thrift and hope for salvation. Focusing on the flawed characters, they begin to exhibit land lust, envy of the miserable and self-preservation.
“It takes a man with real heart to make beauty out of the stuff that makes us weep.” –Clive Barker. Everybody makes mistakes, but only the people who recognize the good in those mistakes are the people who can be redeemed from them. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, many characters are put in desperate situations. Each person learns new things and further develops from each experience. Proctor learns how important his name is, Hale experiences extreme guilt over his actions and Giles learns to think before he speaks. In conclusion, in desperate situations individuals who possess insight are able to experience redemption.
The Crucible is a novel based on the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts, written by Arthur Miller. The Crucible demonstrates forbidden temptation between John Proctor and Abigail Williams, honor and dishonor in the town of Salem, ruthless revenge, and the strive for high social status. The narrative style of this play is standard 1950s everyday language. The Crucible is set in a theocratic society of Puritanism in 1692.
The play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, took place in Salem, Massachusetts during 1692. The people of Salem were known as Puritans, which were people who followed God, the commandments, and were required to read the Bible in their spare time. Elizabeth Proctor was known as a “good” Puritan woman, while Abigail Williams was known as what a Puritan should not be. Elizabeth and Abigail were known in the Salem community for their attitude, personality, and their actions.
After Mr. Proctor confesses to lechery with Abigail, to which she won’t respond to the charge, Hale is certain that she is a liar. Soon after, Elizabeth Proctor (John Proctor’s wife) is brought into the court and is told that she is forbidden to even look at her husband. During the questioning with Mrs. Proctor, she lies to protect Mr. Proctor, saying that the affair between John and Abigail never happened. Hale then instantly jumps to Elizabeth’s defense, saying, “...Excellency, it is a natural lie to tell; I beg you, stop now before another is condemned! I may shut my conscience to it no more--private vengeance is working through this testimony!" At the end of Act 3, as Giles Corey and John Proctor are arrested and taken away to jail, through Abigail’s manifested machinations, Hale’s confidence is destroyed and, in anger, says, “I denounce these proceedings, I quit this
For example, Reverend Hale, being condescending, enters the play to investigate who is and is not involved in witchcraft. Reverend Hale, sent by Parris due to his niece being under a cast of spells, approaches and greets the strangers standing before Betty with “books weighted with authority” (34). Reverend Hale relies on his books to guide him through this investigation, and hopes the books will be his way into not drawing to conclusions based on the sensitivity of the townspeople. Reverend Hale appears to be knowledgeable in witchcraft as he mentions that “…the devil is precise: the marks of his presence are definite as stone…” (Miller 35). Hale is very much respected by the townspeople, and is truly eager to begin his job in Salem, Massachusetts.
At first, Arthur Miller characterizes Hale to be one that jumps right to conclusions without any sort of evidence. Hale is a so called “witch hunter,” so even the slightest unusual tait, and you’re a witch. Hale quotes to Tituba, “You have sent your spirit out upon this child, have you not?” (44). Since he had come to Salem to find witches, witches are what he’ll find. Hale is pressuring the people of Salem to confess to a sin the have not commit, shoving words in their mouths. As the play progresses, Hale starts to come to his senses and realizes the events are all false. Hale preaches to the constable and surrounding villagers, “Let you counsel among yourselves; think on your village and what may have drawn from heaven such thundering wrath
In the beginning of The Crucible Reverend Hale is originally called down to Salem to look over Betty--Reverend Parris’ daughter-- for signs of the Devil. Hale is convinced the Devil is in Salem. When Hale is observing Betty, he seems to suspect the Devil is around. When asked if ridding Betty of the Devils influence will harm her, he says, “I cannot tell. If she is truly in the Devil’s grip we may have to rip and tear to get her free.”(Act 1, pg 154, line 800) showing his suspicion is growing. Finally, he confirms his suspicions and tries to wake Betty. He believes the Devil is near and Betty has been the victim of witchcraft. Also, when he is trying to get Tituba to
Reverend Hale – He accepts that there is good and bad, God and Devil. He doesn’t ignore the Devil, rather he believes in finding the Devil and getting rid of it. He’s not just in Salem for witch hunting, he’s also there to know about the factions in the village. He is a disciplined and a fair man. He is proud of the work he’s done in getting rid of witches.
After many of the people are convicted of witchcraft Hale can see there is something wrong. He knows all the girls are lying when they pretend to be attacked by the convicted people's spirits. Abigail starts the stories and she being a strong leader is followed by the young er and weaker girls. Eventually the wives of John Proctor, Giles Corey, and Francis Nurse are convicted.
In the very beginning of this play, Reverend Hale starts off being very calm and collected about the situation. As he enters the Parris household he is described as: “This is a beloved errand for him; on being called here to ascertain witchcraft he felt the pride of the specialist whose unique knowledge has at last been publicly called for. Like almost all men of learning, he spent a good deal of time pondering the invisible world, especially since he had himself encountered a witch in his parish not long before. That woman, however, turned into a mere pest under his searching scrutiny, and the child she had been allegedly afflicting recovered her normal behavior after Hale had given her his kindness and a few days of rest in his own house” (Miller 1146). This quote shows that
Symbolism is one of the most effective and powerful elements in writing. We see various examples of this all throughout "The Things They Carried." Symbolism enables us to tell a story one way, while all along trying to say another. I believe Tim O'Brien has achieved success in doing so in "The Things They Carried."
Gaius Julius Caesar is one elect person in history whose image does not tarnish with time and whose fame has lasted for centuries. He was not only an outstanding commander, but also an incredible political leader, and a versatile. Caesar entered history in the frame of these epithets and in the splendor of such assessments. Indeed, the Roman dictator Julius Caesar has become one of the most famous figures of world history, and his name is usually associated with the concepts of a great man, leader and politic The historical role of Caesar's is great and multifaceted, as his militant, political and literary career, outstanding abilities, and finally, his bright personality has attracted historians for years.
Sakespear's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar holds two possible candidates for a tragic hero, however Brutus fits the persona best. The true definition of a tragic hero, as found by Aristotle, is a character who falls from a high standing to a low standing. They suffer enourmous loss, but are eventually enlightened of their own flaw or flaws. Initially the play begins with Caesar returning to Rome from defeating Pompey. Meanwhile, the first seeds of conspiracy are begining to take root. Although Brutus ignores Cassius's chiding to join the conspirators his tragic flaw of being easily molded and persuaded lead him to fall prey and join. As time progresses Brutus makes many grievous errors, and his flawed logic leads him to become bereft of all he once held dear. In the end, preceding his death, Brutus grasps the fact that he has no one to blame for his loss but himself; thus the enlightenment. All of these characteristics classify Brutus as the tragic hero of this play.