A new computer, book, dress, phone, or movie, each item has a purpose in life, but also a certain amount of power over the beholder. J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Return of the King, described a specific object in his novels and the supremacy it held over certain characters. The One Ring of Power, The Ring of Sauron, plays an essential role in The Return of the King as a source of power, trial of will, and symbol. From Sauron to Isildur, the river to Gollum, Gollum’s cave to Bilbo’s pocket, Bilbo to Frodo, the Ring of power fought to control the minds and wills of many (Pattern 5). The Ring of Sauron exerts resilient power over various characters, but especially Gollum.…
Analogously, Lucifer himself pleaded to live after not bowing down before Adam; his existence till this day causes harm among humanity as did…
After Malcolm’s father passes away, Malcolm needs to decide whether or not he’s going to become king and show that he realizes how the influence of power and greed can negatively affect people. In the first act, the motif, “The prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down or else o’erlap.” (1.4.55-56) Malcolm’s father passes away, and the people in the kingdom expect that Malcolm will become king.…
“There is a sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed” ~Mahatma Gandhi. Take a glance at the world around us, our society now consists of grounds of greed and avarice. Individuals have other dreams regarding social life, money and aesthetics rather than focusing on relationships, respect, reputation and trust. The world can’t provide any more than our necessities: nature, food, fresh water and oxygen, yet people ask for more.…
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need but not every man’s greed.” Regardless of how trustworthy you may think a person is, the thirst for power can always overcome that feeling of trust. In order to gain authority and dominance, people can forget relationships and responsibilities, and turn into something that even they could never imagine themselves as. William Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’ and Roger Allers’ film ‘Lion King’ demonstrate that a lust for power will always lead to one’s downfall. This is shown through the characters Macbeth and Scar, whose ambitions for power lead to the demise of both at the peak of their power.…
Wormtongue is a malevolent traitor who exemplifies J.R.R. Tolkien’s belief that power is corruptive in The Two Towers: Book One. Wormtongue is not an influential character alone, but he leeches onto the power of Theoden and uses the force of betrayal to attempt his own personal gain. While Wormtongue’s ultimate loyalty remains to Saruman, he manipulates King Theoden to weaken the power of Edoras. While Wormtongue’s method of manipulation and strategic influence over Theoden gain him some temporary power as an advisor, his objective to take Ewoyn as a prize and help Saruman increase the influence of Saruman prove futile to his ineffective devices.…
This lead to his own self destruction as he faced a cruel punishment for his own creation…
In the text, an example of this is “They took their weapons, the massive axes, the massive knives, the quivers, the bows” (p.103). This portion of the story introduces Enkidu’s quest to kill the monster Humbaba with his friend Gilgamesh. Along this journey, he gets tested in multiple ways, including the responsibility of physically and emotionally supporting his overwhelmed friend and fighting the bull of heaven. He also completes the “return” portion of the Hero’s Journey by becoming the master of two worlds- he leads the kingdom of Uruk with Gilgamesh and is master of his mind by confronting his fate. By completing all of the steps in the hero’s journey, Enkidu has proved that he is, in fact, the true…
In their own realms, Dumbledore and Gandalf are known to be one of the strongest wizards and most influential characters, but which of the two is the better character? In comparison, Dumbledore and Gandalf share many attributes such as their characteristics, leadership skills, and their magical powers. In most cases, both wizards are only compared by their powers, but there is more to a character than just power. The fictional characters Gandalf and Dumbledore will be compared on their human nature, leadership skills, and powers.…
Definition of an ideal society Valmiki’s Ramayana and Confucius’ Analects provide a powerful illustration of an ideal and functional society by demonstrating what a ruler or government should do in order to make an ideal society. The two rulers described by Confucius and Valmiki, both have power/sovereignty over the society and the ideal society is defined as having righteous behavior with each other, having no poverty and crime, being dutiful, and respecting elders. Society based on changeable actions and moral character is the appropriate way people should live and rule under Confucius. Conversely, birth status and inherent duties to a society define the ideal living under the Ramayana.…
In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare highlights the corrupting power of unchecked ambition. The downfall of Macbeth lies ultimately upon a fatal flaw in himself; ambition. However, fate in the form of the witches and prophecies is partially accountable for his undoing as they impose his evil. Lady Macbeth also plays a role in the annihilation of Macbeth due to her ambition for power. She uses manipulation as a driving force behind Macbeth to influence him to kill Duncan and fulfil her own desires, all contributing to the downfall of Macbeth.…
There’s at least some fulfillment to be attained as Gollum meets his purpose, and subsequent demise made a “deserved” product of his own treachery, as Frodo has gotten permission to be allowed past a temporary lapse in his otherwise staunch resilience to being coerced, not just being let to live, but further pass along to the professedly heaven-like Gray Havens, alongside the Elves and other ethereal beings of Middle-Earth. Though in an innate tragedy in itself, like Vassányi’s opinion, there’s an equally thematic deftness through these godlike beings vacating of the world, after their reserved role for so long was one of gentle guidance with the “lesser” species, in preserving the best kind of equilibrium, or at least one keeping the darkness…
“Power is dangerous, it attracts the worst and corrupts the best” Edward Abbey once said on how addictive power can be. In William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, Shakespeare demonstrates how the lust for power can make anyone lose their identity in order to achieve power. Because of the desire for power, people will betray anyone in their way, even if they’re close. They disregard their conscience, which leads to immense guilt, thus a part of their humanity is stripped away. In addition, power makes people greedy.…
Others see him as a monster thus he begins to take the role. “I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind? You, my creator, would tear me to pieces, and triumph; remember that, and tell me why I should pity man more than he pities me?” (Shelley 144).…
In The Ramayana, duty and fulfilling one’s obligations is important. The story of Rama is the story of a man fighting evil as part of his natural mission as an incarnation of Vishnu. Dharma, the principle of cosmic order, plays a large part in this because the characters have their duties and roles in this world that must follow through with in order to assure the balance of the universe. As a method of teaching in the ancient Indian society, The Ramayana teaches its audience to accept their responsibilities and carry out their duties. Dharma, by definition, means law.…