Moral Ambiguous Characters Throughout Oscar Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the moral ambiguity of the central character, Dorian Gray, becomes more and more distinct. The story starts with Dorian being venerated by the artist Basil Hallward, and throughout the story the reader learns of Gray’s several wrong doings. Meeting Lord Henry almost straight away negatively influenced Dorian. He had started out blameless and innocent, but by the conclusion had been the cause of numerous deaths, all because of his selfish wish to stay beautiful forever. “His actions show a character who insists the soul is real, but loves the gaping chasm between the beauty of his body and the corruption of his soul” [ (Wilde 105-123) ].
How Jay Gatsby is Morally Ambiguous and its Significance In fictional literature, morally ambiguous characters cannot be characterized as purely good or purely evil. These complex characters play pivotal roles in many acclaimed novels, like the main character Jay Gatsby in F.S. Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. In this novel, the author portrays Gatsby as a morally ambiguous character whose pure desire for Daisy’s love may have progressively changed into immoral desires. Gatsby’s moral ambiguity helps express one of the novel’s critical themes: the corrupt American Dream of the 1920s, a false ideal that influenced people to futilely pursue dreams of wealth and status.
American Beauty is an extraordinarily powerful film with a variety of themes that tell the story of a dysfunctional modern American family and their efforts to conform to society’s obsession with portraying the perfect image to others and the desire for materialistic items to satisfy the need for happiness. The film gives a detailed insight of each character and their flaws through a voyeuristic point of view and shows the effects of their destructive behaviors which prohibit them from genuine happiness. The character we chose to analyze is Carolyn Burnham. The movie is about the Burnham family which include, husband and father, Lester Burnham, wife and mother, Carolyn Burnham, and their daughter Jane Burnham. Lester is a 42 year old advertising executive who is also the movie’s narrator.
The above quote is basically saying that women are inferior and should be treated as such. This mind set ruins his relationship with an actress, Sibyl Vane, when he completely shuts her out because she put her Heitzwebel 2 love for him above her love of acting. His rejection leads her to commit suicide, which Henry later says that he envy’s; he wished a woman would be so foolish as to kill herself for love. Undoubtedly, Dorian becomes the embodiment of Lord Henry’s philosophies of the artistic life. As Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Although his actions are very insane, they can be seen as rational to reader considering hedonism. Devotion to pleasure, hedonism, makes Dorian be deceitful about his true self by deflecting the attention of the public from the mad man to the beautiful and intelligent gentlemen. Dorian is, young, sensitive, and emotional, meaning that he is susceptible to manipulation. Lord Henry takes advantage of that opportunity and gives Dorian the yellow book; this book opens up the world of hedonism and aestheticism which eventually turns his young life into an eternal oblivion of misery. Dorian develops a fear of aging so he tries to live his life as if it was his last day on earth.
And so, Hester, I drew thee into my heart, into its innermost chamber, and sought to warm thee by the warmth in which thy presence made there!” (69). Chillingworth’s compassion and desire for love and good, over the cruel and evil atmosphere he later develops, reveals that he was not always wandering down the road of revenge, but was a man of virtue. His spiraling fall into malice and morally self destructive actions only occur after he sets himself down the road to find the other person who wronged him, the man who shares his wife’s sin, and take vengeance upon him. Roger continues his personal decline by betraying his human nature and turning to a more demonic nature. “The physician advanced directly in front of his patient, laid his hand upon his bosom, and thrust aside the vestment that, hitherto, had always covered it even from the professional eye.
It has been proposed that one reason people marry is because they desire a witness to their lives. How could we perform that act of love if we were aging in opposite directions? The movie's premise devalues any relationship, makes futile any friendship or romance, and spits, not into the face of destiny, but backward into the maw of time. It even undermines the charm of compound interest. In the film, Benjamin (Brad Pitt) as an older man is enchanted by a younger girl (Cate Blanchett).
Both the kind and the earl are gullible. The kind allows himself to be flattered and later controlled by Regan and Goneril. Gloucester hastily believes the deceptive letter that Edmund writes in Edgar's handwriting. In doing so, both the kind and the earl sacrifice the love of the 'true' child (Cordelia or Edgar). With this comparison comes the first accentuated fault.
The readers introduction to Hamlet and King Claudius occurs in Act I Scene ii where the King explains that he has married his sister in law with mixed feelings but he believes Hamlet’s mourning should seize, to which his nephew replies with disdain and offense. This sets the mood for the relationship between the two characters as well as set Hamlet up for his first soliloquy, seen in Act I Scene ii line 133 O, that is too too solid flesh would melt Thaw and resolve into dew! Or that the everlasting had not fix’d His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! Oh God! God!
This essay will discuss and highlight Othellos character and actions.There will be a contrast made between Othello at the beginning of the play and his downfall throughout the play. As seen in the play Othello’s love for Desdemona is an intense deep love. This is proven when Barbanzio (Desdemonas father) accuses Othello of using witchcraft to make her fall in love with him. Othello responds saying “The trust, the office i do hold of you not only take away but let your sentence even all upon my life”. Here he is saying that is Desdemona claims that her fathers accusations are right then they may not only take his position buth is life included.