counterfeiting, or concealing one's true feelings, is part of this motif. everyone seems to lie; good characters as well as evil ones engage in deceit as they attempt to conceal their feelings: beatrice and benedick mask their feelings for one another with bitter insults; don john spies on claudio and hero; don pedro and his 'crew' deceive benedick and beatrice. who hides and what is hidden? how does deceit function in the world of the play, and how does it help the play comment on life in general? a central motif in the play is trickery or deceit, whether for good or evil purposes.
“It is pride, not covetousness, which is the Pardoner’s greatest sin.” How far do you agree? Pride has been traditionally considered the chief of sins due to it incorporating all aspects of the others as it involves false beliefs in a person’s own importance, is the sin through which Lucifer fell and became Satan and is the was the downfall of Adam and Eve due to them believing they could be gods themselves. In The Pardoner’s Tale the Pardoner is presented as ‘a ful vicious man’ implying that he has no morals and is engulfed by the sins that he preaches. Using the word ‘vicious’ is intriguing because of the sibilance and the snake-like onomatopoeic nature to the word. It represents him as almost inhuman as he has more serpent-like qualities.
He’s useless tricks display vanity and indicate his wastefulness to the audience. The Tempest is a problem play; Prospero is presented with the opportunity for spiteful revenge but realises the importance of forgiveness. Doctor Faustus is a morality play; he never realises the importance of repentance and banishes any opportunity to save himself, which results in his eternal damnation in hell. In the first act of the play, the audience is confronted with a magic fuelled spectacle. We see Prospero with the help or Ariel conjures the tempest.
He even admitted his evilness to himself stating to Dimmesdale, "I have already told you what I am a fiend!" (Hawthorne 158). The ever growing corruption and evil inside of Chillingworth collided with the good that Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl were bringing into the world. Hawthorne hints the innate nature of the good and evil of both sides towards the end of the novel, by describing that Chillingworth is viewed badly by the town but Dimmesdale and Hester are viewed as good people. It is in this way that Roger Chillingworth's specific use in the novel is to portray the conflict good versus evil.
Deacon Gookin is the accomplice with whom Goodman Brown has made his deal, the deal that is viewed by Goodman as a dangerous dealing. However, both irony and allusion occur in this singular label. By observing his manipulative ideas and personality as well as his heavily mentioned staff, – shaped like a snake – he does in fact show many similarities to the Devil himself. The allusion to this biblical creature of all that is loathed in the world is everything against what his title of Deacon gives to him. A deacon, a clergyman who assists the bishop and priests, is supposed to be a person who is all that is good, one who must proclaim oaths of charity.
DANTE’S PURGATORY “O Christians, arrogant, exhausted, wretched, whose intellects are sick and cannot see, who place your confidence in backward steps…why does your mind presume to flight when you are still like the imperfect grub, the worm before it has attained its final form?” (Purgatorio 10. 121-128) Dante and Virgil take visit the first terrace which is revolved around pride and as we know pride is recognized as one of the most terrible sins that will lead one to hell (Inferno) because pride is revolved around the concept of greed and loving oneself to the extent of being oblivious of the accomplishments of others. Not only is pride one of the most notorious sins in both the Inferno and Purgatory but recognized as one of the most seven deadly sins according to the
Hamlet in his first soliloquy demonstrates his disgust that his mother has allied herself in love and in politics with her late husband’s brother, so soon after his death, “frailty, thy name is woman... to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets”. Claudius is clearly established as the villain in Hamlet, murdering his own brother and then plotting to kill Hamlet. He lies and is deceitful toying with the notion that the appearance of things is not their reality. The audience is privy to the ‘reality’ of Claudius ‘deed’, and of his guilt, through an aside, climactically stating, “then is my deed to my most painted word. O heavy burden!”.
Fire imagery embodies Romeo’s rash anger after the death of his friend Mercutio, “And fiery-eyed fury by my conduct now! Now Tybalt, take the ‘villain’ back again ” (3.1.124-125). Romeo’s fury and thirst for revenge clouds his reason, he breaks the peace set by the Prince by killing Tybalt. The consequence for his blind rage will be banishment, and to Romeo this fate is worse than death. Later in the play, Friar Lawrence says to Romeo, “Like powder in a skilless soldier's flask, Is set afire by thine own ignorance, And thou dismembered with thine own defence” (3.3.132).
Macbeth, by William Shakespeare is a play with a series of tragic events. Throughout the play we see those who are led by astray of their own weaknesses. Macbeth in this play shows the darkest side of human nature, and showing how greed, temptation and power can make one betray their own king for royalty. The events in Macbeth are tragic and dreadful. Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is a play revolving around greed and ambition.
Loneliness puts The Monster in a mentally unstable position. He believes that he is a monster for the reason being he was created by one. In comparison, Othello’s betrayal is demonstrated throughout the play, but especially through Iago when he confesses to the audience his plan to manipulate and destroy Othello’s love life with Desdemona. Although Othello trusts Iago with anything, Iago hates the “Moor” and is willing to do anything to destroy him. Iago feels that the best way to do so is by manipulating Othello telling him that his wife is cheating on him with Cassio, who Iago coincidently hates as well.