The supernatural is the force responsible for many of theevents of Macbeth Essay Example for Free

The supernatural is the force responsible for many of theevents of Macbeth Essay The supernatural is the force responsible for many of the events of Macbeth. How far do you agree with this statement? Throughout the play Macbeth goes through many changes, but the question is what is responsible for these changes? Responsible means to have control over something or someone something definitely has control over Macbeth, whether he himself has this control or the supernatural or even Lady Macbeth does I will be discussing in this essay. I will also decide what I think is responsible for the actions that Macbeth takes in the play. The supernatural may not be completely responsible for Macbeths actions but they almost certainly play an important part in the development of Macbeths character. Because the supernatural was a force that was believed in by everyone at that time Macbeth is willing to deem what they say: Macbeth: Into the air; and what seemd corporal melted As breath into the wind. Would they have stayed. Banquo: Were such things here as we do speak about? Or have we eaten on the insane root That takes the reason prisoner? This extract is taken from after the witches first appearance in the play. Banquo is interested as to what they are, whereas Macbeth is intrigued about what they said. This could be the turning point for Macbeths development, the witchs predict that he will become King so maybe Macbeth thinks that he should help things along and that by killing the present King it wouldnt be disrupting the great chain of being because he would have become King anyway. In the first scene when the witchs first appear they immediately overturn ideas of good into bad with an incantation, Fair is foul and foul is fair. This could be responsible for Macbeth turning from a kind-hearted, considerate man into an insensitive, callous man. But this could be because of how Macbeth interprets their predictions, the witchs never actually told Macbeth to go and kill the king, they just said All hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter! The witchs said no more about him becoming king or how he would become king. Banquo realises that they are a temptation and does not believe them, however they told Macbeth what he wanted to hear so they ratified his thoughts. But Macbeth never admits to acting on the basis of what they told him, damned all those that trust them Macbeth says this quite near to the end, after he has killed Duncan, Banquo and just before he has Macduffs family killed. Him having Macduffs family killed is also because of the witches, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, beware Macduff. This was the witchs first apparition in their second appearance in the play (they appear three times in total because three is a magical number and it sets the supernatural atmosphere that is the theme of Macbeth.) Soon after, Macbeth decides to have Macduffs family killed as a reprisal. I think that the witchs manage to have Macbeth put under their spell after the first prediction comes true He bade me, from him, call thee Thane of Cawdor. This gives Macbeth proof that the witchs know his future and what lies in store for him. The dagger can be interpreted in two ways; either as a hallucination or a real dagger the witchs made in an incantation to tempt Macbeth further. Firstly I will talk about the dagger as a hallucination. Macbeth is a tragic hero and every tragic has a fatal flaw; Macbeths fatal flaw is ambition. Throughout the play he lets his ambition get the better of him and this ambition could be what drives him into hallucinating about the dagger because at this early point in the play Macbeth is still unsure of whether he should be killing the king or not, so he could be looking for encouragement a dagger pointing the way that he wants to go definitely is a good source of encouragement. But even Macbeth is unsure if it is real. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heart-oppressed brain? He debates in his mind for a while whether he is seeing it as a hallucination to reinforce his will to commit regicide. The other reason about the existence of the dagger is that it could be a creation made by the witchs. The witchs main role throughout the play is to violate Gods natural order and encourage Macbeth to overturn the great chain of being. So if the dagger is one of the witchs creations then they are certainly fore filling their role. Macbeth interprets the dagger as a sign that he must commit regicide (overturning the great chain of being) and so he does. Either way, the dagger is partly responsible for the continual trip that Macbeth takes down the path of evil. Although Banquo proves to be immune to the temptation of the witchs themselves, he is not immune to their prophecies. By Act III, two of the three prophecies have come true; the only one left is that Banquos offspring will in future become kings. This is a threat to Macbeth because he has gone through so much for him to become king and therefore his offspring to follow; he doesnt want these sacrifices he has made to be futile. Banquo also starts to infer that Macbeth is not the rightful king. This is why Macbeth decides to have Banquo killed. However, when Banquo is murdered Fleance escapes, thus making Macbeths conscience and fear of the truth come into play again. When Macbeth is at the feast, he sees the ghost of Banquo, but nobody else there does. This can also be interpreted in two ways, either the ghost was created by the witchs or it is Macbeths conscience making him hallucinate. If the ghost is real, he could be trying to warn Macbeth that what he is doing is wrong and he must turn back, however this is unlikely because there havent been any other events which have warned Macbeth that he is doing bad things this could mean that every event could be traced back to the witchs because they wouldnt want to discourage Macbeth, especially with their aim being to overturn the ideas of good into bad. However, if he is real and is going against what the witchs want it could be showing the disorder that Macbeth and his activities have brought into society. There are many other influences that could be responsible for Macbeths actions, one of which is Lady Macbeth. Macbeths role is to play the tragic hero whose fatal flaw is ambition. But he isnt the only one to be ambitious; Lady Macbeth is the dominant person in their relationship and her ambition for Macbeth shines through in the course of events. It is her that first plants the idea of killing Duncan in Macbeths head and it is her that provides the encouragement for Macbeth that he needs for confidence. She could easily be judged as selfish and manipulative because she got Macbeth to do the dirty work. Her role could be described as vital but still supplementary to the witches. Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth by questioning his manhood; he could be seen as a feeble if he isnt willing to kill Duncan for his and her future. With a mixture of ambition and Lady Macbeths manipulative and encouraging characteristics there is definitely reason to doubt that the supernatural are responsible for Macbeth and his behaviour. The audience is immediately plunged into a mystical atmosphere because the first scene is with the witchs performing an incantation; this helps the audience to view the play from a spiritual view. The supernatural element does not only make itself known through the witchs, there are also references made to prayer, sanctity and cleansing. Another important aspect of the atmosphere of the play is the importance of dark and light. He witches are introduced to the play in foul weather they speak of thunder, lightning, fog, and filthy air this sets the play as one that the theme of evil is central. The witchs also say Fair is foul and foul is fair this shows how things are overturned in this play. The ironic part of that line is that when Macbeth himself enters; his first line is So foul and fair a day I have not seen.

Edification or False Idolatry in Emersons The American Scholar :: Emerson American Scholar Essays

Edification or False Idolatry in Emerson's The American Scholar  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Commencement speeches are customarily routine, pedantic, platitude filled, mildly inspiring lectures.   This description, however, was never applied to Ralph Waldo Emerson's oration, "The American Scholar," delivered to the Phi Beta Kappa Society at Harvard in 1837.   Oliver Wendell Holmes called this speech America's "Intellectual Declaration of Independence."   In addition to being a call for literary independence from Europe and past traditions, the speech was a blueprint for how humans should live their lives.   Emerson believed that the way to reunite with the Over-Soul was to become "The American Scholar."   He would do this by observing nature, by studying the past through books, and by taking action.   To become a scholar, humans also needed to develop self trust, espouse freedom and bravery, and value the individual over the masses.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Because this speech is so pregnant with discussion topics, an intrinsic part of the blueprint   may not catch the reader's attention or receive the analysis it deserves.   It delivers a message that contemporary humans still need to receive.   The startling, heretical admonition not to worship or make false idols of books and other objects of art, given in Emerson's "The American Scholar," demonstrates his belief in the vital necessity for self-reliance and active, creative reading and writing.   When he exhorts us to live as a scholar, as "Man Thinking," rather than "a mere thinker, or, still worse, the parrot of other men's thinking" (1530), he is cautioning us against the false idolatry of book or Bible worship.  Ã‚   When Emerson introduces the second great influence on the spirit of the scholar, he at first praises books.   He expounds on "the mind of the Past,--in whatever form, whether of literature, of art, of institutions, that mind is inscribed.   Books are the best type of the influence of the past" (1532).   Emerson is saying that books are the best vehicle available to the scholar for studying the ideas and accomplishments of past men and ages.   But after affirming that "the theory of books is noble" (1532) and presenting an idealized way of reading and reusing books from past ages by which "business" and "dead facts" come out as "poetry" and "quick thought" when read and rewritten in a new age, Emerson   begins to show doubts that reuse is possible and states that "Each age, it is found, must   write its own books; or rather each generation for the next succeeding.

China & Art Essay

China is probably the most influential and powerful civilization in Asia and is a good source of a very rich cultural and artistic heritage. In its early centuries, Buddhism, as the major religion of China has had a great influence in the country’s artistic imagery. Other art forms that thrived during this period were painting and calligraphy. It is also during this early time periods that China invented one of its greatest contributions to art and to the world – paper. Very early in during this period, the Chinese made what they called the mingqi. These are sculpted figures of soldiers, attendants, entertainers, and also of usual objects that people need and use such as houses, wells, stoves, and more. This is in part of their belief that even after death they would still need those things and continue living their usual routines as when they were still alive. Some of the early proofs of Buddhism in China were the carvings of Buddhist Images on the cliffs at Kungwangshan in Jiangsu Province. These images were dated back to around the 2nd century. At around 100 A. D. the Chinese had started working on developing paper. Rag paper (probably the first forms of paper) that was found was dated to as early as the 2nd century B. C. The first hemp paper however that had writings on it were dated to around 109 A. D. Cai Lun was one of those people who helped developed the method for mass-producing paper made from tree bark, hemp and linen. It was by the 3rd century that paper had been widely used in China. China also has their share of Ceramics. Ceramic products that hailed from the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu are most admired. These provinces also had reputation in the creation of burial urns shaped like animals. The period from 220 to 265 A. D. was the period of the Three Kingdoms. Known for its Chivalric and Romantic nature, it became the setting and inspiration of one of China’s favorite historical novel. Written by Luo Guanzhong entitled Sanguo zhi yanyi (Romance of the Three Kingdoms) was published during the 14th century. Towards the end of these first 5 centuries at 317 to 420 A. D. , the arts flourished even more in China particularly at Nanjing in Jiangsu Province. It was also the period of development of Chinese literature. Some important Chinese personalities that arose from that time were Wang Xizhi for calligraphy, Gu Kaizhi for figure painting, and Tao Qian (aka Tao Yuanming) for poetry. And at the 5th century Xie He wrote the Guhua pinlu (Classification of Ancient Painters). Being one of the most famous Chinese critics, he wrote this book stating six laws which he thinks are the good characteristics of a work of art and the person who created it. His ideas have been recognized and considered in Chinese painting ever since. Conclusion It is quite apparent that in the three East Asian Cultures that were discussed, it seems that the Chinese really had a lot to contribute in terms of creating art and understanding art during the ancient times. And these contributions and ideas are still apparent even to the present day. Let us not fail to consider that other Asian cultures also had their own influences and contributions to , Asia and the World but China probably just had the most influential ones because they were probably the first in doing and developing many things also considering how big and powerful the Chinese civilization is. In looking for a commonality, it seemed that all three had their share of ceramic and pottery craft. Naturally, they did not yet have plastic back then and they were still quite new to metals which was why clay would be the main material they would likely use in creating things. They also had a different use for some pottery; they used some urns as sort of coffins in which they placed their dead. In understanding today’s culture, it would be good to look back and understand the ancient forms of art that had a great role in the development of a culture and how it influences other surrounding cultures up to the present days. Works Cited â€Å"China, 1–500 A. D. â€Å". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/ht/05/eac/ht05eac. htm (October 2000)†Haniwa Boar [Japan] (1975. 268. 418)†. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/ho/05/eaj/ho_1975. 268. 418. htm (October 2006) â€Å"Japan, 1–500 A. D. â€Å". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/ht/05/eaj/ht05eaj. htm (October 2000) â€Å"Korea, 1–500 A. D. â€Å". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/ht/05/eak/ht05eak. htm (October 2000)

What Makes A Hero Or Hero - 812 Words

A handsome man with extraordinary strength, a defined jawbone, dreamy eyes, perfect hair, a deep voice, and absolutely charming qualities, breaks into the villain’s home to rescue the damsel in distress and save her from this excruciating nightmare! Yes, that man may be, in essence, a hero. Because of this stereotypical â€Å"hero†, we do not see the real heroes in life. What really IS a hero or heroine? A hero is what we make of them, although some are undeserving of this title. We make a hero. You, me, society; we all make heroes. We give them this title. Heroes are role models, and role models, in my eyes, should possess three very significant qualities. Courage, humbleness, and morality; these form a hero. The classic hero. Ah, he’s brave and bold. He must have the courage to overcome his fears, and accomplish his mission. One of the earliest fictional adventurers whom people looked up to, did in fact possess this trait. The mighty Odysseus, Son of Laertes, m ain character of The Odyssey, was very well-known for his courage. Odysseus goes to Hades, the equivalent of hell, without question! Odysseus has nearly no idea of what lies ahead of him when passing through Hades. He, however, accepts the challenge. Odysseus uses courage, looks fear in the face, and continues walking, all to see his wife once again! Odysseus isn’t the only hero who utilizes courage. There are real life heroes too. My grandpa, Pa, battled cancer for nearly three years. He fought through this seriousShow MoreRelatedHero Essay : What Makes A Hero A Hero?832 Words   |  4 PagesWhat Makes a Hero a Hero? As I have recently sat down with my grandmother, Mary, I asked her questions about a hero and herself being a hero. My grandmother has such an impact on me in daily life along with being a personal hero to me. She is such an inspiration to me in so many ways that I could never think of taking for granted. 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