Shakespeares Moral Conflict Of Revenge - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 965 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/04/10 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Hamlet Essay William Shakespeare Essay Did you like this example? While staying true to moral principles is admirable, it can end in tragedy. In analyzing two pieces of classical literature, the morally certain protagonists both share the distinction of tragic heroes. Their stories are different, but they are connected in that they are both defenders of what is right. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Shakespeares Moral Conflict Of Revenge" essay for you Create order Sophocless Antigone and William Shakespeares Hamlet illustrate the theme of listening to the moral conscience. The morality theme is developed by analyzing Antigone as her values mandate following human sentiment over the laws of man, while Hamlet struggles with the moral conflicts surrounding his desire to avenge his fathers death. The moral conflict of family and law is illustrated in the play Antigone. Antigones brothers kill each other in a duel, leaving Creon as King of Thebes. Creon orders an honorable burial for the older brother, Eteocles, but leaves Polynices body to rot. Antigone, disobeys Creons order, and attempts to have a burial for her brother. The conflict lies between King Creon and Antigones beliefs. As king, Creon feels justified in depriving Polynices of his burial because he believes Polynices betrayed his homeland. Antigone has a sense of moral family duty to bury her brother and considers her values more important than life itself. A burial with dirt and pouring of holy water is directly related to her soul and being. She says, If I had suffered him who was born of my mother to lie in death an unburied corpse, in that case I would have sorrowedit is nothing shameful to revere thosefrom the same womb. (Antigone 465 511). This moral duty to her dead brother is so strong that she states: Gladly will I meet death in my sacred duty to the dead. Longer time have I to spend with them than with those who live upon the earth. Seek not to argue with me nothing so terrible can come to me but that an honored death remains. (Antigone 1028-1064) While both Creon and Antigone are right, neither can use reason or logic to see the others point of view. Instead, there is a confrontation, and Antigone is sentenced to death by Creon for disobeying his orders. In talking with her sister, Ismene, Antigone makes her choice to die for her brother: ANTIGONE. No, save thyself; I grudge not thy escape. ISMENE. Is een this boon denied, to share thy lot? ANTIGONE. Yea, for thou chosedst life, and I to die. (Antigone 544-556) The moral obligation of Antigone to choose family and sacred law over a mans law is one of self-sacrifice that cost her life. The moral conflict of revenge is illustrated in Hamlet. Claudius kills his brother, King Hamlet, then takes the throne. Prince Hamlet is visited by his dead fathers ghost, where he discovers his fathers deceitful murder. King Hamlets ghost wants revenge on Claudius, Prince Hamlet must plan and carry out this revenge. However, Hamlets moral conflict is weighing the belief that avenging his fathers death is the heroic against the belief that killing a person is wrong. This moral struggle is seen in when Hamlet delays his revenge. In Act 2 Scene 2, Hamlet says: Yet I, A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak, like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause, and can say nothing no, not for a king, Upon whose property and most dear life A damned defeat was made. Am I a coward who calls me villain breaks my pate across Plucks off my beard, and blows it in my face Tweaks me by the nose gives me the lie I the throat, As deep as to the lungs who does me this (Hamlet, 2.2) In the same scene, Hamlet also shows doubt regarding his task and the ghost that he saw as he considers: The spirit that I have seen May be the devil and the devil hath power To assume a pleasing shape yea, and perhaps Out of my weakness and my melancholy, As he is very potent with such spirits, Abuses me to damn me. (Hamlet, 2.2) Another scene where Hamlet shows his hesitation in killing Claudius is when he catches him alone and praying. In Act 3 Scene 3: Now might I do it pat, now he is praying And now Ill dot. And so he goes to heaven And so am I revenged. That would be scannd A villain kills my father and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send To heaven. (Hamlet, 3.3) In his most famous speech in Act 3, Scene 1, Hamlet questions his plan, as he weighs whether to proceed with murder or to just let justice run its course: To be, or not to be that is the question Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them Thus conscience does make cowards of us all And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied oer with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pith and moment With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action. (Hamlet, 3.1.) While Prince Hamlet questions his moral reason for revenge, Claudius is repeatedly the villain helping to secure sympathy for Hamlet and his cause against his uncle. In conclusion, the role of morality in the thoughts and actions of the protagonists in Socrates Antigone, and Shakespeares Hamlet contribute to their tragic deaths. One acts on moral obligation while the other questions and hesitates. This defines moral duty and moral conflict. The desire to do right is what prompts the protagonists into action, and personal and social perspectives must be considered when defining what is right. Works Cited Shakespeare,William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1985. Sophocles, Antigone, Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Relationship Between Friendship Quality And The Amount Of...

Friendship quality in connection to time spent with romantic partner Humans are naturally a social species (Furman, 1999). People engage in different types of relationships throughout their entire lives. Certain relationships are lifelong, others maybe just a day or even a few seconds. Among those longer lasting relationships, are friendships and romantic relationships. Nearly all people can relate to both at some point in life, however, do the two ever intermix? Based upon personal experience, I have found it can be problematic to balance both types of relationships. Friends of mine have dedicated much time to their significant others and neglected the friendships they had first established. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to provide†¦show more content†¦As part of the study, the boys were asked to rate the quality of their friendships. In support of positive friendships, it was found that the boys who were in the resilience category had higher friendship ratings than th ose that were not able to overcome hardships. Leading one to believe the support given by the excellent friends helped the kids overcome the adversity. Girls also prove friendship to be supportive through life. Researchers found that although girls and boys tend to approach offering support in different ways, having a support system through friends develops an emotional closeness (Rose, Smith, Glick, Schwartz-Mette, 2016). Furthermore, friendships have also been noted to make an impact on what college students contribute their success to (Killoren, Streit, Alfaro, Delgado, Johnson, 2016). Additional benefits to friendships have been distinguished through research as well. Throughout a lifetime, friendships adapt and change based upon developmental phases and transitions (Hartup Stevens, 1997). 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Alexander the Great’s Legacy Free Essays

Alexander the Great was one of the best generals the world has ever seen. His determination helped him spread the Greek culture (also called Hellenism) throughout his empire. In a short thirteen years, Alexander conquered the Persians and controlled one of the biggest empires in history. We will write a custom essay sample on Alexander the Great’s Legacy or any similar topic only for you Order Now Lead by his fathers prejudice against the Persians and notorious temperament has lead many historians to wonder, was Alexander really great? Alexander’s first battle was with the Persians at Granicus River in 334 B. C. E. By the following spring, Alexander controlled the entire western half of Asia minor. The Persian king, Darius the third, tried to stop Alexander but failed at Issus in 333 B. C. E. After his victory Alexander then turned south and by the winter of 332 B. C. E, Alexander controlled Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. In 331 B. C. E Alexander once again fought the Persians at Gaugamella in the Northwest of Babylon. After his victory Alexander entered the Persian capitols of Susa and Persepolis and plundered all of the gold and treasures of the city. Not satisfied with his victory over Persia, Alexander continued to pursue the Persian king Darius the third only to find that he had been killed by one of his own men. This lead Alexander to turn east to India. Exhausted and weary of yet another battle, Alexanders men mutinied against him and forced him to retreat from India. Alexander had created one the biggest empires the world has seen, but unable to leave an heir, it fell just as quickly as it rose after his death at the age of 32. Some speculated that fever or excessive alcohol consumption lead to his death, others believe that he was poisoned. Weather he had plans for a world empire are unknown, but in his fathers final wishes he reported to tell Alexander to † expand your empire for the one I left you is not enough. † Was Alexander really great? Alexander was a self proclaimed decedent of the Gods, claiming that he was related to Hercules. He was known to murder close Friends and advisers if they opposed his wishes and had a ferocious temper. By the end of his reign, Alexander has slaughtered thousand whose only crime was being in his way. His temperament leads one to believe that his armies succeeded for fear of Alexander rather than his leadership. However, Alexander’s legacy was profound. He destroyed the Persian empire and and spread Hellenism throughout the lands. Without Alexander, the Greek culture would have fell and died alongside the empire. References: 1. â€Å"Alexander the Great†. Joseph Cortelli. Historyofmacedonia. org Web. 13 July, 2013 2. William J. Duiker, Jackson J. Spielvogel. Cengage Learning: World Civilizations 1. 2009 Manson, Ohio. How to cite Alexander the Great’s Legacy, Papers