Tragic Hero Of Shakespeares Great Tragedies Essay Example for Free

Tragic Hero Of Shakespeares Great Tragedies Essay A tragic hero was defined by Aristotle as one who makes an error of judgment that eventually leads to their own destruction. Aristotle once had said that â€Å"A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.† In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the protagonist Macbeth is a true example of a tragic hero as he had countless noble qualities coupled with several tragic flaws. He holds an importance to his society; in the beginning, a fearless nationalist, fighting for his country and then eventually he became king. Macbeth did have some major character flaws such as his great ambition, him being haunted by superstition and he had made many grave errors in judgment, one of them being the murder of the King of Scotland. For the duration of events in the plot, Macbeth progressively becomes more and more miserable. There were outside forces which contributed to his corruption; the main force would be the three witches. A Shakespearean tragic hero contains all or most of the following qualities: providing a moral example to the audience, suffering public embarrassment, and meeting his doom with courage and dignity which Macbeth did all of. With it taken into consideration, Macbeth is most definitely a tragic hero. With Macbeth becoming more important in the plot is one of the crucial reasons to why he became a tragic hero in the end. Macbeth was a Scottish general, who was a fearless man and his performance in Scotland’s battle was celebrated greatly in the beginning of the play. Macbeth’s performance was described by the Captain as â€Å"Cannons overcharged with double cracks, so the doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe† (1.2.41-42) With Macbeth doing so well and receiving such positive feedback, King Duncan couldn’t help but be so overjoyed with Macbeth. With all of the valiant news, Duncan’s only response was to upgrade Macbeth’s title from Thane of Glamis to Thane of Cawdor. â€Å"No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive Our bosom interest. Go, pronounce his present death, and with his former title greet Macbeth† (1.2.73-76); â€Å"What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won.† (1.2.78). Many of Macbeth’s major character flaws were displayed along with his weaknesses and serious errors in judgment in the duration of the play. After he received all the recognition from his success in battle along with his title being upgraded, the ambition he had to become king couldn’t help but rise. His ambition to become King was too heavy and they overtook his morals in the end after meeting the witches’ and hearing his prophecies. When his ambition was combined with the witches’ prophecies it was as if he no longer had morals since he was easily persuaded into what he’d like to hear. When Macbeth is thinking of murdering Duncan to become King his ambition takes control for a moment, but then his morality takes back over. â€Å"Why do I yield to that suggestion Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs against the use of nature?† (1.3.147-150). When Macbeth recognizes that he is opening up to his tempt ation, he begins to question himself as to why. But, he begins to persuade himself into believing that the temptation of committing murder can’t be as daunting as he thinks it is, â€Å"Present fears are less than horrible imaginings† (1.3.150-151). In layman’s term, his only fear is fear itself. Macbeth is portrayed as this brave man, whose wife manipulates him by insulting and accusing him of being cowardice, which he believes he has to prove to be false. He won’t allow a single thing get in the way of his future as king. As soon as Macbeth made his final decision, after changing his mind five times, to kill Duncan; eventually it escalated into a sea of many problems both big and small; this is what brought Macbeth to his tragic end. The roles that played the biggest part in Macbeth’s deteriorating character would have to be the three witches. â€Å"FIRST WITCH: All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! SECOND WITCH: All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! THIRD WITCH: All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!\ (1.3.51-53) The witches had no effect on anyone except Macbeth. Macbeth was completely captivated by the witches. If Macbeth had never met the witches or was told his prophecies he would have gone on through a life of no excitement. Due to being told the prophecies his curiosity of how he would be able to become King of Scotland began to grow immensely and the importance he holds for Scotland increases. Macbeth fast-tracked from Thane of Glamis to Thane of Cawdor and eventually reaching what he wanted the most, the title of the almighty King of Scotland. In Act 4, scene 1, the three witches appear to Macbeth again and they conjure three apparitions for him. The first being (appears in 4.1.77) an armed head and told Macbeth to â€Å"Beware Macduff!† (4.1.81). Macbeth’s reaction to the witches after seeing the apparition was simply thank you. However, I already knew to do that. The second apparition (appears in 4.1.88) a bloody child that said to Macbeth that no man born of a woman could ever harm him. After seeing the second apparition Macbeth thought to himself why must I be aware of Macduff? Everyone is born of a woman. The third and final apparition that appeared to Macbeth (appears in 4.1.98) is a crowned child with a tree in his hand which told Macbeth that he must relax and forget about his troubles because â€Å"Macbeth shall never be vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.† (4.1.105-107). But Macbeth vetoed it off as a possibility because it seemed completely ri diculous and impossible for a forest to be able to move. However, unbeknownst to Macbeth was that Macduff actually had not been born of a woman. The doctors had to slice her open (cesarean birth) to remove the baby. Macbeth had been tricked by the three witches, due to Macbeth being so confident nothing would ever happen to him because of his prophecies he did not take the necessary precautions to protect his well-being and his title as King. Macbeth was a victim of superstition due to his avid imagination. His superstition is what made it so easy for him to not question the promises that the apparitions made. His superstition is what made him strongly cling to his belief in the promises made even when circumstances became strenuous. His imagination is so strong that when it was left to run uncontrolled his â€Å"function/ Is smother’d in surmise.† As seen in the â€Å"dagger† scene and in the panic Macbeth had suffered after Duncan had been murdered. It was also seen in the scene which Macbeth saw Banquo’s ghost at the banquet. Undoubtedly, Macbeth incarnates the attributes of Aristotle\s tragic hero in many ways. He had become very important to his society and dreamed of being the most powerful ruler. His ruin was led by his overcoming ambition, superstition, and moral cowardice. It led to an ocean of problems from which there was no possible solution to and from that came his inevitable doom. Macbeth started as a nobleman who was hailed as the savior of this country, a â€Å"valiant cousin,† a â€Å"worthy gentlemen,† but changed to a man of unending cruelty. There should be no skepticism about this, Macbeth is indeed a tragic hero.

Pride and Prejudice :: English Literature

Pride and Prejudice One of the first Novels written in English, Jane's Austen's Pride and Prejudice which has been around for about 200 years. Published in 1813 during a time when England were at war with France. Pride and Prejudice offers a story in which the upper-middle class society are the setting for the relationship of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. In a time when Women's main aim is to find a husband against financial snobbery and class prejudice, Austen's Novel celebrates the love over class prejudice and financial snobbery. This novel was set in 1797-1815 in Longbourn, rural England. The novel is told from Elizabeth Bennet's point of view. At the time it was written, women had to get married before twenty six otherwise they would have no where to live or have to live with a relative, and not be important in the house, or asked any questions. So women had to go around trying to catch young men's attention before they got too old, this is shown in Charlotte Lucas who marries Mr. Collins who is a fool, she married for a home later on in life which overrules all over considerations. This shows how much pressure was on women to marry so they could be secure later on in life. A young gentleman called Charles Bingley has rented the manor of Netherfield Park. This gets the Bennet's girls excited who have five unmarried daughters - Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia. Mrs. Bennet is desperate to get them all married so she can live somewhere later on in life when Mr. Bennet dies. After Mr. Bennet goes to see Mr. Bingley, the Bennet's attend a ball at which Mr. Bingley is there. He is dancing with Jane and spends much of the evening dancing with her. His close friend, Mr. Darcy is less pleased with evening and proudly refuses to dance with Elizabeth. "Which do you mean?" and turning round, he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said, "She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me." These words tell us that he is proud and doesn't think that the people at the ball are worthy enough to dance with him. The rudeness with which Darcy treats Elizabeth creates a bad impression of him in her mind. An impression which will remain for half of the novel, until the truth of Darcy and

Benefits of a cashless society Essay

It cannot be denied that there is a wide variety of benefits to be gained by a society from a cashless system. In a society where time is as important as money, going cashless can be a big help since the main benefit that a society can get from a cashless system is convenience. A cashless system can be convenient when doing transactions in banks, restaurants, hospitals, airlines, shopping malls, supermarkets, and even in vending machines. Who would have thought that a small piece of plastic card can do wonders for men? Instead of having a hard time finding the exact amount of coins or cash in one’s pocket to pay for a cup of coffee or a can of soda in a vending machine, a person can just insert this piece of plastic card through the slot. Instantly, the exact amount of his purchase is deducted accurately from the amount on the card. Can one imagine how dirty money is? The money that keeps on passing from hand to hand is dirty. Numerous hands will handle this money until it becomes worn out and be recalled and replaced by the government. The handling of money from one individual to another provides an easy way for bacteria to spread quickly. Cashless transactions in restaurants will provide for proper hygiene since the staff will no longer have to handle cash and at the same time handle the food being served. Instead of falling in line and paying for food that has gone cold due to having waited so long to be served, an employee can now enjoy his break from office, and will therefore be encouraged to go back and patronize the restaurant. Likewise, a person will no longer suffer the inconvenience of falling in line in supermarkets, shopping malls and hospitals to pay their bills at the cashier. Since there will no longer be cash to steal, bank and store robberies will cease to occur. There will also be a decrease in attacks on cashiers, storekeepers, taxi drivers, and shoppers. There will be a decrease in crime rates, and so society will no longer have to pay huge amount of tax dollars to go after the criminals. There is no more reason for society to worry about these crimes. The change from cash to electronic money payment will also help the government in their collection of unpaid taxes. The taxes can be automatically deducted from a person’s account. The government will no longer have to spend much money in tracking down tax evaders. Income tax rates can be lowered as a result and the national debt will be greatly reduced. Drug trafficking will also cease to occur since anomalous transactions will be detected electronically. It will also be difficult for some people to launder money since a cashless system will be able to tell how much money was debited or credited in a particular bank account. Not having to print money will prove to be advantageous to the government since it will mean security and cost savings. Counterfeiting of paper currency will now be a thing of the past. In a cashless society, printing of paper money will no longer be necessary. When previously a person will have to buy stamps and envelopes to mail checks as payments, a person can now easily complete cashless transactions. Even on days when the banks are closed, a person can make transactions provided he has internet connection. A person can also make purchases without the use of cash. He can buy products through the internet when he is at home or with the use of credit cards when he in a shopping mall. In a cashless society, instead of paying with cash, employers can have the amount credited to their employees account. This is being done with the use of the Automated Teller Machine (ATM). The employer is then spared from the expense, added time, and inconvenience of going to the bank to withdraw the salaries. It has been said that cashless transactions have been around since the 1960’s. But it has been more prevalent in today’s society. Today, people benefit from cashless transactions through the use of ATMs, debit and credit cards, prepayment cards, the smart cards, or the mobile cash. A handful of people who are against a cashless society have brought up a number of disadvantages such as security and privacy being lost. With proper analysis and study, these drawbacks can be solved. Despite their concerns, it seems obvious that the advantages to be gained from it far outweigh the disadvantages. For in a society that prefers convenience and cost savings, having a cashless society will prove to be more beneficial. REFERENCE Our cashless Future†¦ (27 June 2007). TadpoleNet. Tadpole Technews News and Politics. . . Accessed 29March 2008.

Conflict in The Masque of the Red Death - 920 Words

Conflicts affect the mood of the main characters in a story, by expressing the insecurities, Death,† a couple of conflicts are exposed throughout the piece. In the story â€Å"The Masque of the Red,† a couple of conflicts are expressed throughout this piece. The conflicts man versus fate and man versus himself are the conflicts that are displayed several times within this story. From major conflicts to minor conflicts, this story clarifies the problems that Prince Prospero faces within himself. In addition to Prince Prospero’s problems with himself, this story also explains the conflict of how death is uncontrollable. The overall conflict of the story â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death,† has to do with how death†¦show more content†¦Liz Brent states, ‘Edgar Allan Poe’s short story ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ may be interpreted variously as a parable for man’s fear of death.’ This specific quote gives gre at description on the feelings of the main character in this story. The conflicts overall play a major part in the story. As Kenneth Graham says, â€Å"If time is the destroyer of all things material, so, too, is the pendulum the destroyer in the pit, and the ebony lock in.† The critic is explaining the overall conflict of this story, and displays how the ebony clock is the symbol for death. In all, conflict is important to the story, as it ties back to the themes and describes the problems occurred. Work Cited Graham, Kenneth. â€Å"Criticism by Kenneth Graham.† Discovering Authors. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center- Gold. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death.† Short Stories for Students. Ed. Ira Milne. Vol. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2000. 232-260. Short Stories for Students. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. Miline, Ira Mark. Short Stories for Student. Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Short Stories Volume 8Virtual Reference Library. Detroit, Mich: Gale. Web. 13 Jan. 2010. Thompson Gale, 2000. 232-260. 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