Ruthlessly accusing others of witchcraft she changes her story as a desperate act of self-preservation, “I danced with the devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss his hand. I saw Sarah Good with the devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the devil!” Abigail develops a chant of names, becoming ‘enraptured, as though in a pearly light’ demonstrating her lust for power and attention. As early as Scene one, we learn of the motives behind Abigail’s actions as she tries to get the girls to agree on a story to protect herself.
The other option would be to not avenge his father and suffer the consequences in purgatory, Hamlet states, “Till the foul crimes done in my days of the nature/ Are burnt and purged away”. By selecting whichever of these options, Hamlet seals his fate in either the mortal world or the afterlife. Hamlet’s decision to kill Claudius ends up “damning” him, and unfortunately, everyone else involved. In this tragedy, it is clear that Hamlet’s actions have predetermined outcomes. Hamlet was destined to be damned the moment he was asked to avenge his father.
Al Johri Ms. Hamilton English III Honors 14 September 2009 In Arthur Miller's classic play, the Crucible, Act II, Scene II was deliberately removed. This scene largely consisted of a heated conversation between the two protagonists of the play, Abigail Williams and John Proctor. At first, Abigail believes that Proctor has finally come to marry her; however, this misconception is cleared when Proctor releases his wrath upon her due to Abigail's baseless accusation of witchcraft upon his wife, Elizabeth. As the scene progresses, the reader sees how Abigail becomes so wrapped up in her lies and witchcraft, consequently diminishing her intelligence, and what little respect she had in the reader's eyes. The reason the scene was cut from the play lies in both the significance of the conversation and what it revealed about the John Proctor in terms of his affair and his character.
In Arthur Miller’s most well known play, the Crucible, Miller relates the tragic hysteria of the 17th Century Salem Witch Trials to the hype of communism in the 1950’s. Miller demonstrates that when authorities become corrupted by fear of suspicion and fear of mistrust, members of society purge their emotions on others and use them as scapegoats. As the play progresses Miller illustrates that there is something to be gained from standing up for one’s beliefs, no matter what the costs may be. To ‘stand up’ is defined as one or more people siding with and defending a point of view or belief. This is shown through the fates of the falsely accused John Proctor, Giles Corey and Rebecca Nurse.
Guilt is constantly seen throughout the play Macbeth driving the characters to question their morals. To the responder it appears that Lady Macbeth is the driving force behind the initial killing of King Duncan influencing her husband Macbeth to commit the evil deeds by threatening him with his man hood by saying “when you do it, then you are a man”. Her tone portrays her dominant nature and her hunger for authority and demonstrates to the responder her strength as a character. However her over confident traits and clear and concise thinking is diminished once the guilt of the crime poisons her conscience. This is demonstrated by her imagining her hands stained by blood and her constantly trying to clean the “damned spot” away and rid her sole of the guilt.
The main representation of madness is within the character of the protagonist, King Lear. Through him, Shakespeare shows us true insanity and how it waxes and wanes due to outside influences such as love and rejection. At the commencement of the play, Shakespeare presents the seeds of madness through Lear’s vain demands for appreciation. Lear states that he was ready to express his “darker purpose” (I, i, ln36) when he begins to divide up his kingdom. From an outsider to the drama’s perspective, is obvious that the ‘darker purpose’ is related to Lear’s mad insecurities, which go
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is defined by its exploration of both great and provocative ideas. As a character of moral conviction, the revenge tragic hero, Hamlet, is isolated by the corrupt core that characterises the court of Denmark, his role as avenger and the morality of revenge, and the shifting notions of appearance and reality. It is these key themes that establishes the moral quandary and ambiguity that lies at the heart of the play. Moral quandary and the notion of revenge are key elements within Hamlet as Shakespeare draws on the conflicting codes of honour evident within Renaissance England. The dramatic device of the ghost, as a figure of Roman Catholic tradition, epitomises the theological tensions present within Renaissance England, accentuating the social paradigms of Shakespeare’s context.
The Madness that is Abigail Williams: Her Intentions in The Crucible “How hard it is when pretense falls! But it falls, it falls!” With these chilling and ominous words, Abigail’s twisted sense of revenge rings hollow in Arthur Miller’s terrifying play, The Crucible. A masterpiece of its time, The Crucible brings forth the true horrors man is capable of: deception and vengefulness. No character presents these values as well as Abigail, whose lust and heartbreak for John Proctor results in a homicidal goose chase. Because of her hate towards Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, Abigail creates demented tales, directed at abolishing the “problem.” Though Abigail’s wild canards seem quite obtuse in civilization today, at the time her acts fell to justification.
To some, Oedipus is more a subject to his fate than his actions which doesn’t let the character to be flourished as a tragic hero. The concept of “tragic hero” was conceived by Aristotle who gave a model of characterization that must be followed for being a tragic hero. According to Aristotle, the tragic hero must fall through his or her own error, or hamartia. Hamartia is a mistake in judgment committed by a tragic hero that stands for “error” in Greek. Oedipus, as a tragic hero, commits some sinful actions although unintentionally which make him fall from the crest of his nobility.
Thus, Hamlet is a tragic hero, as shown through an examination of tragic events, perseverance during certain circumstances and tragic mistakes. Hamlet is characterized as a tragic hero because of the way he deals with difficult circumstances (tragic events). Hamlet faces an interpersonal conflict. He shows three traits that reflect his assessment of self in Act 2, scene 2 of the play. “I will tell you why; so shall my anticipation prevent your discovery and your secrecy to the king and queen moult no feather.