Controlling Conscience People’s conscience’s guide their actions, behaviors, and decisions on a daily basis, but is a person’s conscience powerful enough to determine whether they will live or die? Shakespeare would argue that it is. According to his writing, he would even go as far as implying that a person’s conscience is the reason that one might choose to kill himself. Two of Shakespeare's most famous plays, Hamlet and Macbeth, are prime examples of how a character’s guilty conscience,…
In both life and literature, love exists as a hidden force that secretly drives all lives, propelling people's greatest desires and pushing them to extreme lengths if it means that they will get what they want. Love, in whatever form it comes in, will make people crazy. In fact, it will make them so crazy that centuries after a work has been written, students analyze the insanity behind the actions and the all powerful drive — love— that caused it. In Plato's Symposium, characters examine not…
one person from recent history who closely resembles the devilish character based on character traits. This one person is Yolanda Saldivar. Macbeth was a Scottish soldier who was promoted to the Thane of Cawdor. Because of the prediction that witches gave Macbeth about his future, he became greedy and killed the king, Duncan, to earn a spot on the throne of Scotland. Guilt slowly overcame him, but he did not let it show.…
personality to fit the author's vision of who she should be. Morgan is a complex legend and that is exactly why Hebert claims that to limit her as either a witch or a goddess would be undermining who she is. Her wide range of behaviour is what makes her a three-dimensional myth, and it makes her more relatable to the reader of the stories. Because she is from Celtic origins, her complexity should be expected, as Celtic culture embraced versatility and opposition.…
In William Shakespeare's play, Henry VI, Part 1, he wrote, “Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind” (Henry VI, Part 1, William Shakespeare). While originally describing the suspicions of an imprisoned king, the meaning of this quote has adapted and can be applied to many situations in storytelling today. In The Haunting of Hill House, Eleanor’s mind is heavy with the guilt of her past, and leads her to suspicion and paranoia. Eleanor is a broken woman, brought up in a dysfunctional family and…
be easily influenced by others. The false prophecies of the Witches and the persuasiveness of Lady Macbeth blocked Macbeth's own judgment. Duncan's murder is also a factor to consider as it became a point where Macbeth believed that there was no turning back because he had already destroyed his sanity. In Act 1 Scene 3, for the first time, the world of witches and the world of men have been brought together. One of the witches describes how she will "give thee a wind" in order to…
Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth”, was too once seen as a hero to his country and king in Scotland. Although because of the witches and wife who told him he could be king, his ambition to be king, and the paranoia to keep his place on the throne Macbeth transforms into a tyrant who his own kingdom hates. Due to this the writer is able to show…
changing as the story progresses, be it small changes, or extraordinary ones, that alter the course of the story itself. Reverend Hale is one such character that makes changes that alter the story. At the beginning he truly believes that there are witches running amok in Salem. During the middle of the play, he is starting to question the authenticity of the trials. And finally, at the end, he is against the trials and openly declares that he is through with the court. During The Crucible by…
Obsession Leads to Destruction The myth of Pandora’s Box and Tolkien’s Gollum showcase how temptation over an object can lead to something tragic. Obsession leads to tragedy whether it is an individual or societal matter; the mythological Pandora obsesses over her box, while Tolkien’s Gollum obsesses over his “precious”, yet both attachments bring irreversible misfortune. The mythological Pandora and Tolkien’s Gollum obsessions led to catastrophe. Their temptation for their…
In the play Macbeth by Shakespeare, Macbeth is given a prophecy by the witches who say he will become one who is praised by the people and later become the King. When told these things, he went from being a hero and noble to greedy and murderust. Throughout this play, there are multiple ways in which it was evident that Macbeth is tragedy. The elements of tragedy shown were: tragic flaw, tragic hero, antagonist, and a catastrophe. A tragic hero appear in tragedy such as this one. In act one,…