Javier Acosta Dr. Rutledge English 2521 Is King Claudius an immoral monster whoʼs every intention is to do evil? To answer this, the definition of someone bound on evil and someone who is a moral weakling would have to be very clearly defined as different audiences have different conceptions of each. Readers of Shakespeare have various examples on which to judge immoral monsters, such as Aaron the moor from Titus Adronicus who claims “If one good deed in all my life I did, I do repent it from my very soul” (V.iii.189-190) When Claudius is placed next to someone like him, we have to judge with different scales. Not to say that the kings crimes are not evil, for they surely are, but to say his attitude after the crimes have been committed are that of a man who wants to repent but can not seem to bring himself to do so. A man whoʼs twisted conscious haunts him by placing him in a state of paranoia, confusion, and weakness.
In Crime and Punishment, Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is painted to be both an immoral and moral person throughout the book and the moral ambiguity seen in his character is a crucial element in proving the idea that human beings are a complex mix of good and evil, which is one of the novel’s main themes. Raskolnikov’s more “evil” side is obvious all through Crime and Punishment. Firstly, the murder itself is a clear representation of his immorality. Someone who is considered a “good” person by society would never commit such a heinous crime. Furthermore, his reasons and justifications for murdering the pawn broker lead the reader to believe rather strongly that Raskolnikov is indeed a “bad” person.
Before Dimmesdale kills himself, he admits his sin to the whole town. Also, Dimmesdale receives treatment from Hester’s husband, Chillingworth, who knows their secret, and is trying to get revenge on them both. Chillingworth ends up realizing that he is going insane with trying to get revenge and believes that he has sinned more than both of them. The novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne uses satire to poke fun of the Puritan attitude toward sinning and the punishments of sinning. The reader learns from the text that the Puritan religion looked down on the idea of sin and punishes sinners harshly.
well, for the matter of fact all i had to do was make this up and it worked.... i hope. a central motif in the play is trickery or deceit, whether for good or evil purposes. 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?
Although Hawthorne is again somewhat ambiguous, the text suggests that Mr. Hooper’s veil is meant to symbolize the inherent sin that lies inside him (as well as the congregation). For example, Mr. Hooper attempts to explain to his wife the reasoning behind his consistent wearing of the veil. He attests, “If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough…and if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?” (Hawthorne 28). This hidden sin or mysterious origin of why Mr. Hooper is wearing the veil is what he hopes the congregation will eventually come to mimic and recognize in themselves. But instead of adopting this concept, the congregation sees the veil as a mental and physical barrier separating them from the minister.
All of the previously stated features can be found in “Ethan Brand” and “Young Goodman Brown”. These two stories both deal with the uncomfortable idea that mankind itself is evil at the core, that no matter who you may be, or how good of a person you are you still harbor evil and sin within your heart. Whether you chose to accept the fact is up to you. The characters of “Young Goodman Brown” attempt to hide the evil within them. They lead lives based on lies and are soon exposed for the sinners that they really are.
He reasons that the witches are evil and not to be trusted “Banquo: That, trusted home,/ Might yet enkindle you unto the crown,/ Besides the Thane of Cawdor. 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” (1.3.129-136) Unlike Macbeth, Banquo is more cautious upon hearing the witches’ prophecies. Although he is an ambitious man himself, he recognizes that they are “instruments of darkness”. Banquo associates the witches with darkness because of their ability to earn Macbeth’s trust by telling him a truth, which he will become the Thane of Cawdor, then feeding into his ruthless ego by prophesying that we will become king. After he hears that he will become king he feels the need to make it come true, even if it means killing Duncan.
Iago’s mean and insensitive manipulation is geared towards the innocent and ends up causing the destruction of Roderigo, Cassio, Desdemona, Emilia, and Othello. Iago’s ability to navigate human nature and use it to his own benefit is the tool that helps makes him evil. Jealousy is the center of this play with Iago's jealousies and own weaknesses being the main motivation for his exposing others’ flaws to destroy them. Iago’s motivation is clear right from the start of the play. “As early as the sixth line of the first scene of the first act this motive is predicated as basic data for the action which follows.
From the teachings of Paul the apostle, “People who are greedy fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction” (1 Timothy 6:9). In William Golding's novel Lord Of The Flies, allusions are being made to the Bible providing insight on the weakness of man to give into temptations that ultimately lead to sorrow. In the novel, Golding uses compelling aspects from the Bible such as dark powers, the Garden of Eden, and the embodiment of Jesus Christ in order to allude to the holy scriptures and how temptation wrote an unintended future filled with immense heartache and demise. The Bible and Golding's novel both depict significant events and ideologies and it is irrefutable that they
When Shelly is trying to put out the problems of the Enlightenment such as individual’s to know things that are unknown, Victor takes the spotlight when he is messing with life and death. By showing that everyone has some evil in them it shows that some parts of the Enlightenment could be used against people. The collapse of the Enlightenment thinkers was on the verge when people continued to have reasoning for things weather they were right or wrong. I see this novel as a human and a monster who just both want to be loved in the wrong