We are also told how contagious conflict and the 'ancient grudge' can be, ‘civil blood makes civil hands unclean’. The choice of the word 'civil' shows that the 'grudge' has gone beyond private and spread into society, highlighting how infectious it can be. Moreover, the word 'blood' implies death, proving the dangerous consequences of conflict both physically and mentally. Furthermore, the word ‘unclean’ reminds the audience of blood stains which yet again remind us of the deadly consequences of conflict, and also the long term effects of conflict, like the scars and the lingering guilt. The prologue inevitably ends with a Shakespearean rhyming couplet just as the tragedy will always end in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, 'Death-marks of love'.
He is nervous yet scared and disgusted at the out come of his long toil. The author shows this with the quote “with an anxiety that almost amounted to agony”, again this really brings out the gothic image using pain and suffering to make sure the reader realises the full extent of the horror that Frankenstein has unleashed on the quite country around him. When the creature is finally brought to life Frankenstein’s
She does this by dissecting the humanistic view of a monster and what kind of characteristics a creature needs to posses in order to be defined as a monster. Halberstam begins the chapter with a section entitled “Monster Making,” Halberstam suggests that it’s important to rethink the Gothic genre and look at the making of a human being before analyzing the making of a monster (28). Halberstam picks apart the true meaning of monstrosity and what or who actually scares humans (28). She suggests that Mary Shelley’s novel really implies that people are afraid of people because humans are supposedly the depicters of what is good and what is evil (28). Halberstam infers to keep an open mind to what really is the object of terror (28).
One could argue that “Macbeth” is Shakespeare’s most excessively violent and horrific play as it is “more imaginative, subtle and complex than any other plays” (Spurgeon), validated by the fact that there are over one hundred references to “blood” throughout. Additionally, the protagonist is tarnished as a “butcher” by Malcolm due to his savagery and violence exhibited throughout the course of the play, ultimately inflicting fear onto the audience- both contemporary and modern. Technically, “Macbeth” is regarded as a pre-gothic text as it was published before the term “gothic” was first used. However, Shakespeare has incorporated many gothic elements throughout to inflict the same effect on the audience as what a pure gothic text would, like Dracula. Shakespeare initially exposes the audience to violence in the opening Act, as the “weird sisters” inform us about the existing conflict between England and Scotland.
He describes death as being, "the profile of night Ortiz 3 slanted against morning"(590)”. This metaphor causes death to become something unknown, unseen and unfamiliar. Komunyakaa suggests that death is like nighttime; it is dark and, therefore, has a feeling of unfamiliarity about it. As a result, Yusef Komunyakaa presents death as something we should fear and fight against, while Woody Allen presents death as a natural inevitability we must all face. In the short story, “The Red Convertible,” by Louise Erdrich, death is represented in an unexpected situation.
Comparison of Death by Insanity within Edgar Allen Poe’s Short Stories Insanity is able to create horror and decay in one’s life. In Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories: ‘The Black Cat’ and ‘The Fall of The House of Usher’ the idea of insanity is accompanied by death or decay in some way. The decay of the unnamed narrator in the ‘Black Cat’ into insanity allows the reader to understand his murderous actions. Similarly, in ‘The Fall of The House of Usher’ the use of words such as melancholy and decay establish the idea of death through insanity. Ultimately, in both stories, the use of symbolism and diction is fundamental in establishing the theme of death through the insanity of the characters.
In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth guilt strongly affects Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as it is shown through the emotions, the murder and the suicide. The changes of Macbeth’s emotions demonstrates how guilt develop within him. Through Macbeth aggressiveness he demonstrates the cause of his guilt. Macbeth, no longer acts like his past self, and violently kills Duncan. This betrayal that he demonstrates,
Poe Essay Many tragedies in Edgar Allan Poe’s life left him lovesick and depressed, and compelled him to write about tales of beauty, love, and loss. In two of his short stories, The Tell Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado, Poe demonstrates his depression with murder, revenge, and madness through his writing. The theme of The Tell Tale Heart might be guilt or madness, also containing the theme of a corpse interred in a house. In The Cask of Amontillado, the narrator’s theme was about his ability to carry out a chilling plot of revenge against his offender. While the Poe stories are different in several ways, the similarities of the text are greater.
Death and Mental Illness In Literature Gary Boudrie English 125: Introduction To Literature Bernadette Anayah October 12, 2009 Death and Mental Illness in Literature Death seems to be a common theme within the forms of literature. Whether it be written in a literal form , symbolic form, or metaphoric form, The authors seem to weavea pattern of expression which describe their feelings, true or not, describe the journey by symbolism, or use metaphoric phrases to describe the misunderstanding and a descent into madness over the death of a loved one. There are many different types or forms of literature. Poems, stories, and plays of all different types and genres portray the authors focus on death, sometimes as a beautiful thing and sometimes as an ugly thing, but portrayed none the less. Many such works can be connected by this literary element of mental illness and death.
Still some go insane from the idea of it, drowned in sorrow or misery, leading ultimately to their madness. There are many authors that stay true to the gothic style of poetry and drama. One of the most prevalent in this literary style is Edgar Allan Poe. There are few examples in which this author uses death as a focal point in order to get an ideal across. In “The Raven” the black, feathered messenger of the dead seems to approach the narrator with the intent of letting him know that “nevermore” will the narrator be able to see his loved one, Lenore.