(1.3.71)” Banquo also doubts the intension of the witches, he believes that evil always tells one part of the truth in order to earn one’s trust and lead him to destruction. Banquo warns Macbeth, ”But ‘tis strange./And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,/ the instruments of darkness tell us truths,/win us with honest trifles, to betray’s/In deepest consequence. (1.3.124-128)” On the other hand, Macbeth ignored his friends warning and believes in what the witches say. He is over whelmed by his ambition to be king, he said to himself,”Glamis, and the thane of Cawfor!/The greatest is behind. (1.3.118-119).””Two truths are told/,as happy prologues to the swelling act/of the imperial theme.
“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain,” advice that would have served Polonius well. Both L. Frank Baum's Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Shakespeare’s Hamlet had had a common theme, lying and deception. Lies and deceit affect each central character of Shakespeare’s Hamlet as they develop on social, psychological and moral levels. Prince Hamlet, the protagonist, is morally opposed to deception and constantly craves truth. Hamlet's apparent psychological state as the play progresses changes from that of a scholar, to that of a madman, though contradictorily this change is in itself a deceptive act.
The anonymity that exists helps to bring the priest down to earth from the “throne” that high-ranking religious figures seem to be perched upon. To me, his priestliness seems to be more of an occupation rather than a religious obligation. We can see throughout the book that he is an alcoholic and succumbs to sexual desires, which are obviously against the Catholic rule. The priest's predicament is so puzzling because he partakes in practices that precipitate the conflict between his principles and his desires. Although not necessarily influential upon his principles, his priestly status causes him to regret his actions.
His faithfulness is shown because the lord's wife tries multiple times to tempt Sir Gawain into doing things that would betray the lord and he does not fall into this temptation until the very last time when all he did was take the girdle that she had offered him. From the sixteenth century, “Doctor Faustus”was the story that seemed the most interesting when it came to heroism. It is not just a normal story about heroes because Doctor Faustus is perceived more as a tragic hero. The story of Doctor Faustus is completely different from what heroism is in British Literature. Since Doctor Faustus is a tragic hero he basically decides what is going to happen to him at the end of the store and since he sold his soul to the Devil the outcome is not very good for him.
His actions in speaking to the ghost show extreme bravery (it could be the devil in disguise) but also a disregard for his own safety because he is already experiencing suicidal despair “I do not set my life at a pin's fee” and does not care if he lives or dies. Act 2 • Eager to avenge his father “Haste me to know it that I may with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love sweep to my revenge” This can be interpreted as a good thing because it shows his loyalty to his father & his determination set things right in Denmark.
Character Flaw: Even though Oedipus is praised by his people for being a responsible and honest king, he possesses a major character flaw in his attitude towards the gods which causes the tragic torture he faces in the end. His incestuous ways are the outcome of anger from the gods for being intelligent and because the leader of the state is plagued with such a flaw the state must suffer for the wronging of the leader. Belief: This sense of contamination ultimately leads the gods to cleanse the state, household, and Oedipus by revealing the flaw to everyone and Oedipus at the same time. He is driven to the belief that he can control his own fate, and not leave it up to the gods. Lack of Belief: The people of the land are religious and live there lives according to what messengers and oracles tell them.
This forces Goodman Brown to rethink the Devil’s tales of his forefathers. This is one case of an "unknown" brought to light by the Devil, which damages Goodman Brown’s sense of what is true because it contradicts a past thought. The "truth" of his ancestors brought by the Devil only slightly effects Goodman's faith overall because the ancestors never showed signs of evil during their lifetimes towards him. Yet this one discovery of "truth" is truly significant towards the fall of Goodman's sanity, for it leads him to believe he may have other incorrect understandings of life. This is exactly what the Devil wanted to happen because now that he has broken a truth that Goodman Brown previously had, he suddenly gains faith in the devil.
The third, unfavorable trait of Macbeths came in the form of ignorance. As other characters pressure Macbeth into making quick decisions, he does not realize how ignorant and oblivious he is being. The consequences of his actions are hardly ever even considered, for example, after he saw the dagger, “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?” and ignorance took the best of him as he went to kill the king. After the witches spoke the four apparitions, Macbeth, being ignorant, believed that nothing
In a religious context, the word “evil” has connotations with devilry and going against the will of God. From purely this perspective, it can be strongly argued that Faustus is more evil than naïve. Through his attempt to “try the uttermost magic can perform” he makes a deal with the devil in order to give him powers above his biological and mental capabilities. Through making an agreement with Lucifer, Faustus is going against God’s will in the most explicit of ways – thus making him evil in a religious context. However, he doesn’t make this deal in order to achieve a certain goal: he is not attempting to find love or riches; he is purely attempting to gain power for what appears to be power’s sake.
We learn of his heroic actions in defence of the kingdom. We see Macbeth change from the valour character to an sinister blood thirsty murderer. Although, some might argue that Macbeth did not have evil intentions. In the play, when Macbeth has his first encounter with the Witches, he is with his good friend Banquo. At first Macbeth is taken back by the Witches’ appearances but when they finish their apparition, Macbeth yearns to know more about his future.