The first two characters that share similar qualities are Judge Pyncheon from The House of Seven Gables, and Mable’s uncle, Cap from The Pathfinder. Judge Pyncheon was the owner of the House, and simply called, “the Judge. He is the novel’s most visible antagonist, and is a living example of the cruelty and ambition that brought the Pyncheon family such misfortune. The most important feature he had, was his deceiving smile, which gave the reader a better understanding of how his personality was. The judge wanted everyone to think he was so innocent, but in fact, he was overwhelmingly selfish.
John is a vainglorious man, but love makes him brave to face his sin. This is also one of the biggest severe tests John confronts. John died for his name, and many other reasons. He is a man of pride. John is given a chance to confess himself of witchery.
I personally believed that Creon had the most moral conflict. He was very cruel and selfish. Ismene and Antigone’s conflict fell more towards whether it was right or wrong to follow the god’s word or the ruler’s word. On pages 1070 and 1071 in our textbook, Antigone and Ismene discuss burying their brother that Creon has sworn no one should bury him. That is the beginning of all the moral conflict throughout this entire story.
In a tale of epic proportions, where gruesome monsters meet valiant heroes, it is a surprise that human nature is a topic that is expressed so excellently in Beowulf. The reader is introduced to multi-dimensional characters that possess god-like strengths, but also typical human-like mistakes. These mistakes are what make Beowulf so relevant and relatable to the common man and are what acknowledge the age old saying that nobody’s perfect. Even Beowulf, the superhuman man who could kill a monster with his bare hands is susceptible to these weaknesses. Human flaws are portrayed numerous times through characters in the poem, by both monster and by man.
But have you ever thought of an evil doer to be just someone who messes with your thoughts and emotions? Most of us would answer no, but by reading the Scarlet Letter we see a truly evil man. His name is Chillingworth. He is an example of how one can be truly dastardly without physically harming somebody personally. From the beginning of the story we sense that Hawthorne emphasizes the deformed man in the crowd.
DANTE’S PURGATORY “O Christians, arrogant, exhausted, wretched, whose intellects are sick and cannot see, who place your confidence in backward steps…why does your mind presume to flight when you are still like the imperfect grub, the worm before it has attained its final form?” (Purgatorio 10. 121-128) Dante and Virgil take visit the first terrace which is revolved around pride and as we know pride is recognized as one of the most terrible sins that will lead one to hell (Inferno) because pride is revolved around the concept of greed and loving oneself to the extent of being oblivious of the accomplishments of others. Not only is pride one of the most notorious sins in both the Inferno and Purgatory but recognized as one of the most seven deadly sins according to the
Golding placed important on Ralph’s innocence and the value he placed on good. Opposite of Ralph is Jack who is the main example of evil in the book and is the perfect example of how man is naturally sinful. He breaks off and forms his own group of boys because he is mad about Ralph being the leader and desires more power. Jack is the representation of Satan and has no moral compass to live by (Kopp). “Jack was tall, thin, and bony...his hair was red beneath the black cap.
Osiris was exposed to metaphorical blindness because in the story Osiris’ brother, Set, is very jealous of his position and very well attempts to take it away from him. In the story Set puts together a small group of people who feel the same way about Osiris. They decide to hold a great feast of honour when he had come back from one of his trips. First of all, Osiris was exposed to metaphorical blindness because in the story Isis stated “Do not go my beloved. Set, your brother, is an evil man, who hates you and will do you harm (Osiris and Isis, 205)”.
According to Brown, “The dramatist depicts incidents which arouse pity and fear for the protagonist [Antigone], then during the course of the action, he resolves the major conflicts, bringing the plot to a logic and foreseeable conclusion (Brown, para 5). The tragic hero in Antigone is Creon. Tragic heroes are not all good and not all bad. Creon suffers a great deal due to his tragic flaw and destructive pride. Creon believes the gods make him suffer the loss of his wife and son as punishment for his pride.
The over-arching conflict of Shakespeare’s Othello taps into the very darkest corners of the human psyche. The most poignant of these, Othello’s moral quandary over the faithfulness of his beloved provides an insight into the tragic and emotional limits of humanity within a greater plot that cannot be controlled, an inexorability that suffocates the protagonist in this tale and draws upon the empathy of a captivated audience. Conversely, the audience may be forced into feelings of contempt for Othello’s adversary, the quick-witted and shamefully sly Iago. Iago seems to be driven by an extreme form of jealousy, a kind that provokes him to seek weaknesses in his perceived enemies, and cause destruction. It would be reasonable to assume that the individual actions of these characters and the interaction between these characters would expose the most base of emotions, and due to this, their intentions.