Antigone is more heroic than Creon, she takes risks and she is brave. When her own blood brother is sentenced to eternal suffering by being denied a burial, Antigone decides to break the law and risk her own life for her brother; “But I will bury him; and if I must die” (1.55) said Antigone, all for the sake of Polynesis’s eternal rest. Creon, on the other hand has no heroic traits apart from wanting the best for the people; he humiliates Antigone and her sister in public. This value and importance Creon has for the people’s opinion is destroyed when the people protest Antigone’s death, and he does not decide to follow what the people believe. Gentlemen, I beg you to observe these girls: One has just now lost her mind; the other, It seems has never had a mind at all (1.150) said Creon.
ENG 2800 Honor and Brutality: The Essence of War War has undoubtedly been a staple of human nature in recorded history. The brutality of war is made evident on the physical battlefield, and also has a predominantly adverse effect on the human psyche. The atrocities of war are manifested through the warriors amidst the bloodshed, by innocent civilians caught in the crossfire, as well as the mental anguish that presents itself to an individual seeing their kith and kin slaughtered. During the era of the Trojan War in Homer’s epic, “The Iliad”, glory and honor are the presiding ideals adopted by warriors of either side, overshadowing even familial bonds. Often accompanied by rage and malice, these ideals are truly the fuels that incite the ferocious flames of war.
They are both selfish men, led by irrational motives. Macbeth killed a good king; he speaks greatly of Duncan when he reconsiders murdering Duncan due to his good heart; “Besides, this Duncan hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been so clear in his great office that his virtues shall plead trumpet-tongued against the deep damnation of his taking off. "(1.7.16-20) Macbeth also happened to be related to Duncan but that still didn’t stop him from murdering him and fulfilling his prophecy. Under Macbeth’s rule, people were in constant worry due to the numerous assassinations and experienced food shortages. The narrator in ATTH, killed because he claimed the old man’s eyes resembled that of a vulture’s and that he felt uncomfortable because he also claimed that whenever they fell on him, his “blood ran cold”.
From first view two epics “The Iliad” and “Bhagavad-Gita” looked so entirely different for me. Two completely distant cultures, huge difference in religion, Achilles, who has very little pity for man who will be dying because of his desire of revenge and Arjuna, who is opposing his fight for grief and compassion for people he is fighting against. What kind of motivation each of them has to fight? What glory and honor mean for Achilles and Arjuna? Can it be that they start their fights from different direction but end up fighting with the same purpose, for the same idea?
Hamlet: Justice or Revenge In the era portrayed in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, justice is mostly carried out by oneself and not the court of law, and it is a thing of honor to avenge the death of a loved one. However, Hamlet’s quest for justice over his father’s murder does at some point turn into personal revenge, as he wants to have vengeance on his uncle in ways that become more personal. Hamlet loses track of the main reason for wanting his uncle dead and hatred grows for Claudius, his uncle, such that he wants to make sure that Claudius does not go to heaven when he dies. His uncontrollable emotions show when he kills Polonius and does not care about his actions. Hamlet even seems to have forgotten the main reason why he is avenging his father’s death.
Later on, while in battle, Brutus kills himself. He saw the ghost of Caesar many times and now tells the ghost to be still, because Brutus did not have a will as strong as Caesar. Brutus tells Strato that he is a man of good respect and wants him to kill Brutus so he can die an honorable death. “I prithee, Strato, stay them by the Lord. / Thou art a fellow of good respect; / Thy life hath had some smatch of honor in it.
“Death at the Palace” suggests Ancient Greeks considered violent revenge adequate. In conclusion, “The Odyssey” reveals that violence in Ancient Greece prevailed as entertaining and as a reasonable way to solve problems and take revenge. Though mankind developed in many ways since then, unfortunately many still share these common beliefs with the Ancient Greeks. Through violence and bloodshed, “The Odyssey” exposes our similarity to societies of ancient
He had decided to kill Agamemnon but Athena came to him, sent by Hera, and told him to get his anger under control. With that he left in anger and stayed by his ships drowning in sorrow. Here was the fearsome warrior brought to his knees by the loss of a woman, a prize, a piece of property, taken from him by another. He did not fight in the war for a time due to his anger and humiliation but when his best friend Patroclus was slain by Hector he was driven by revenge and rejoined the fight. Hector was considered the warrior-champion for the Trojans, who had persuaded the Trojan warriors to leave Troy and the safety it provided while Achilles was not taking part in the battle.
Owen also seeks to expose the betrayal of the authorities throughout poems such as ‘Disabled’ and ‘The parable of the old man and the young.’ He expresses how they acted with a disregard for the lives of their countries young men. Religion and its betrayal during the war is also emphasized by Wilfred Owen in ‘Anthem for doomed youth.’ He shows how the belief in religion did nothing to dampen the grim realities of war and he even begins to question his own beliefs. Another way Owen feels he has been betrayed is through the way society treated those soldiers who had suffered both mental and physical injuries. They were labelled as cowards and looked down upon. This is best shown in the poem ‘Disabled.’ Owen was ultimately driven by the betrayal of the authorities, religion and society and he used his horrifying experiences of the war to exemplify this betrayal.
Throughout the course of the play we see how he changes from ‘Valour’s minion’ to his death and a ‘Butcher’. He was not given the chance to repent like Faustus was yet he was easily influenced by his wife showing his lack of willpower. We feel more respect for Macbeth as his death was more dignified with him fighting to the last. ‘Why should I play the roman fool and die on mine own sword?’ this contextual reference is showing how he will not commit suicide as it was customary for the roman generals to do so in the face of defeat. His wives death was an omen of his ultimate death as she was always there on his rise to power and without her he is not as powerful as he thinks he is.