Compare and contrast the evil nature of Shakespeare’s antagonists

The following essay will compare and contrast the evil nature of Shakespeare’s antagonists King Richard and MacBeth.   Although Shakespeare intended his play Richard 3 to be a tragedy most of the play could be considered historical, but for the purpose of this paper it will be likened the insidiousness of MacBeth’s compromising morals.   In the dramatic terminology of degradation and tragedy these two works of art encompass the whole of these definitions.   While one is comparably a great portrayal of English kings, the other is a supreme example of how circumstance and identity may become the lingering plight of a man corrupted with autocratic power.   Both however exemplify human characteristics of paranoia, jealousy and victims of their action’s circumstances.   The following paper will play on the idea of comparing characters and event from the Shakespeare’s plays Richard 3 and MacBeth.King Richard is a gruesome man, with deformities, and a w icked personality.   He himself describes his traits as â€Å"rudely stamp'd† and â€Å"deformed, unfinish'd†, who cannot â€Å"strut before a wanton ambling nymph.†I that am curtail'd of this fair proportion, /Cheated of feature by dissembling nature, /Deform'd, unfinish'd, sent before my time /Into this breathing world, scarce half made up, /And that so lamely and unfashionable /That dogs bark at me, as I halt by them;/Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace, /gave no delight to pass away the time, /Unless to see my shadow in the sun   And descant on mine own deformity:/And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover, /To entertain these fair well-spoken days, /I am determined to prove a villain.This speech give insight into Richard’s character just as the speeches made by Lady MacBeth organize a reader to realize the depressed nature of MacBeth in comparison to his wife’s expectations from him, and his willingness to succeed with such actions, (Mac) If we should fail?(Lady M.) We Fail!But screw your courage to the sticking place,And we’ll not fail.   (Act 1, Scene 7).King Richard begins his Machiavellian procedures in gaining the throne in a similar manner as MacBeth; although, for the argument of this paper, Richard is the more evil of the two.The theme of the evil nature of man in King Richard the III deals with politics.   It is through marriage that the ugly King may become what he wants to be perceived as being; in marrying Lady Anne he allows himself the illusion that he is someone who is worthy of love even though King Richard had Anne’s husband murdered.   The transition qualities of marriage in this play serve to produce a faà §ade of change in the characters (Hunt 1997).It is the wooing of Lady Anne that the theme of love or the charade of love as it were in this play becomes apparent to the dynamic of transition.   Richard tells Anne that he killed her husband because he (Richard) loved h er,No! why? When he, that is my husband now /Came to me, as I followed Henry's corpse;/When scarce the blood was well wash'd from his hands,/Which issu'd from my otherangelhusband, /And that dead saint which then I weeping follow'd;/O! when I say, I look'd on Richard's face, /This was my wish, ‘Be thou,' quoth I, ‘accurs'd, /For making me so young, so old a widow! /And, when thou wedd'st, let sorrow haunt thy bed;/And be thy wife—if any be so mad— /More miserable by the life of thee /Than thou hast made me by my dear lord's death!' /Lo! ere I can repeat this curse again, Within so small a time, my woman's heart /Grossly grew captive to his honey words, /And prov'd the subject of mine own soul's curse:/Which hitherto hath held mine eyes from rest;/For never yet one hour in his bed /Did I enjoy the golden dew of sleep, /But with his timorous dreams was still awak'd. /Besides, he hates me for my father Warwick, /And will, no doubt, shortly be rid of me.In this line is found the bewitching personality of Richard.   In this personality there are striking similarities between King Richard and MacBeth.   Both men demand of their women obediance leastwise they go berserk when not obeyed (as is seen with the later episodes between Lady MacBeth and MacBeth) as is seen in Act One Scene Five of MacBeth as Lady MacBeth states,The raven himself is hoarse/ That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan /Under my battlements. Come, you spirits /That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, /And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full /Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood, /Stop up th’access and passage to remorse, /That no compunctious visitings of nature /Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between /Th’ effect and it. Come to my woman’s breasts, /And take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers, /Wherever in your sightless substances /You wait on nature’s mischief. Come, thick night, /And pall thee in the dun nest smoke of hell, /That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, /Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, /To cry ‘Hold, hold!’Thus is MacBeth’s evil nature propelled by his wife.   However, since MacBeth is the character whom carries on the theme of evil in his autocratic power over the throne, it may also be suggested that MacBeth is the stronger of the two characters, and henceforth, his evil nature becomes entirely his, and not something which is funneled into him from Lady MacBeth.   Therefore this demand of obseqious behavior warrents the premise of Shakespeare’s play being about the dominance of women and their gullability as Lady Anne commits to marry a man who killed her husband.   In this act is found that Shakespeare has created in Lady Anne a female character who is unable to gain retribution for her husband’s murder by sticking a knife into Richard’s chest.   Thus, as Lady Anne as a widow may have been of stro ng character, Lady Anne as she becomes the wife of Richards is duty-bound, sad, and realizes too late what her actions consists of, which is her culpability.MacBeth and King Richard are similar characters on other grounds as well.   When MacBeth’s wife urges him to murder for power, his protests are not long heard in the play, but MacBeth’s actions speak towards his depraved state. He is given to pity, and self-loathing as well as introverted nature with his overwhelming power once he achieves the throne.  Ã‚   King Richard uses a similar ploy when he convinces Anne Neville to marry him even after he kills her father and her husband.   Ã‚  Ã‚  In both characters then the capacity to hoodwink the general populace is exorbitant.   However, each character in turn must pay the price of their actions.;   it is the hunting of the boar’s quality of karma that kills Richard due to his plotting, and MacBeth dies the way the play began, as a warrior, without muc h power in politics.King Richard sees his ugliness as a crutch, as away to get people to feel sorry for him and thus gain power; King Richard does this covertly.   Richard has to disguise his true intentions leastwise he will be beheaded for treason.   Richard attempts a charade with Anne when he tells her he had her husband killed because he (Richard) loved her,No! why? When he, that is my husband now /Came to me, as I followed Henry's corse;/When scarce the blood was well wash'd from his hands,/Which issu'd from my other angel husband, /And that dead saint which then I weeping follow'd;/O! when I say, I look'd on Richard's face, /This was my wish, ‘Be thou,' quoth I, ‘accurs'd, /For making me so young, so old a widow! /And, when thou wedd'st, let sorrow haunt thy bed;/And be thy wife—if any be so mad— /More miserable by the life of thee /Than thou hast made me by my dear lord's death!' /Lo! ere I can repeat this curse again, Within so small a time, my woman's heart /Grossly grew captive to his honey words, /And prov'd the subject of mine own soul's curse:/Which hitherto hath held mine eyes from rest;/For never yet one hour in his bed /Did I enjoy the golden dew of sleep, /But with his timorous dreams was still awak'd. /Besides, he hates me for my father Warwick, /And will, no doubt, shortly be rid of me.Thus, in Richard’s view of himself and the man he truly has become is the juxtaposition of pity, jealousy and the actions therein.Another strikingly similar point of evil between these two Shakespearean plays is their willingness to gain power through any means necessary, and often times this involves murder.   The realism for MacBeth in knowing that his actions are stygian appears with Banquo’s ghost, while with Richard, the realization of evil comes from Queen Margaret.   Queen Margaret warns nobles about Richard and his devious nature, but her claims go unheeded by the table of noblemen.   Queen Margaret is ushered out or banished from the court, just as MacBeth’s choice of denying he really did see a ghost attests to him not accepting his own nature of evil.In the insanity that visits MacBeth’s character in Shakespeare’s play of the same name there is a definite difference between Richard and him, as insanity portends to evil.   MacBeth becomes increasingly insane throughout the duration of the play due in most part to the predictions and misleadings of the three witches.   MacBeth’s rise into power in Scotland was begotten due to his first murder (Clausen p. 43).MacBeth’s obvious insanity, and thus his evil nature can be seen most notably in the way in which he rules; his choices of using force, violence, and murder in his autocratic rule tend to be the persuasions of his debilitating sanity.   Although his actions may in part speak towards his psychosis, the fact of MacBeth’s personality remains in that he cannot cope with his active violence and it is way of ruling as a tyrant which also enables his role as an insane person.   MacBeth uses his position to thwart his will on the people and it is his way of ruling which leads to his further violence and his insanity.MacBeth’s evil nature may be submitted to be revealed through the introduction of the play with the three witches.   In the dialogue of the play, and the actions therein, which represent this initial scene, the true evil of MacBeth rests within his imagination, for this aggrandized factor of his personality is what drives MacBeth to desire power in its tyrant form, and through murder as Bloom states, â€Å"†¦the play depends on its horror of its own imaginings.   Imagination is an equivocal matter for Shakespeare and his era where it meant both poetic furor and a gap torn in reality, almost a punishment for the displacement of the sacred into the secular.  Ã‚   MacBeth†¦is a tragedy of the imagination† (p. 4).The shortc omings which lead to MacBeth’s degradation of mind is due in part to his own ambitions (and imagination) and his dealings with the three witches as well as his inferiority complex which in turn causes him to use violence in order to rule.   Another attribute of MacBeth’s evil nature is shown with his partner, Lady MacBeth.   It is her driving force to have MacBeth kill Duncan which furthers MacBeth’s self-doubt.   Lady MacBeth is inclusive of MacBeth’s insanity since she urges him to commit the necessary crimes to gain power while also disregarding the guilt burdening MacBeth; Lady MacBeth urges MacBeth’s evil nature,   his criminal acts, because she like her husband is addicted to power and knows the necessary means to gain such power, and so, urges her husband past the guilt, and self-doubt in order to achieve their goals.Richard plots to have Clarence killed by his own brother by making Edward believe that George of Clarence is trying to kill.   This is accomplished by Edward having a pretense of someone killing him whose name begins with the letter G (George in this case).   Richard succeeds in this plot and is named King.   However, Richard’s nephews are still in the Tower of London and could be successors to the throne once they come of age.   King Richard has Buckingham murder the nephews.   Not only does Richard succeed in his murdering campaign but he also beguiles the kingdom to believe he is a just king, as least for awhile.King Richard is abandoned on the battlefield by Lord Stanley and loses his horse and is murdered in a type of boar hunt.   These two characters are similar in this scene in their scope of personality and the actions that haunt them (Bradley p. 56).After Duncan’s murder however, Lady MacBeth’s character diminishes and so MacBeth is left even more alone in his act of betrayal which further leads to his suffering mind.   Plagued by guilt and contempt for h imself and his actions, the reader begins to see the disintegration of MacBeth.  Ã‚   Thus, it is proven that both characters of Shakespeare’s plays, King Richard 3, and MacBeth are evil.   Both Richard, and MacBeth’s mental powers show a decline in power and cohesion as the plays progress with murder and violence.The contrast between these two antagonists seem to depict no true relevant difference but in comparison the evil nature of either of these two men is one in which pure evil is seen.   In both of their quests for the throne, and the power which comes with the throne, the more evil of the two seems to be Richard, since his thirst for such a prize entails the con of marriage, as well as of killing his two young nephews, while MacBeth’s dirty deeds are supported by his wife (Bradley p. 101).These two characters are a great fascination because of their striking similarities.   Their evil nature warrants great sacrifice, as well as leading them down the path of fast glory, but ultimately ending in betrayal and death (as with Richard’s army, and as will Lady MacBeth’s eventual self-doubt as to MacBeth’s rise in power, and the means by which he gained it so swiftly).Shakespeare’s great accomplishment with these two characters is undoubtedly within the realm of pure evil, in that neither seems to have great remorse at the end of their power reign.   It is in the necessity of guilt which makes a character redeemable to an audience, and by denying any remorse for either character, Shakespeare has created two very strong, evil antagonists.   The fact that they remain of interest to the audience is found in just how despicable and evil their deeds, and just how far they are willing to push their power onto others in order to achieve the end of their goals.BibliographyBloom, H.   (2004).   Shakespeare’s MacBeth.   Riverhead Publishing, New York.Bradley, A.C. (2005).   Shakespearean Tragedy .   Adamant Media Corporation.   London.Clausen, C.   (2005).   MacBeth Multiplied.   Bodleian Publishing, Netherlands.Hunt, M.   (1997).   Shakespeare’s King Richard111 and the Problematics of Tudor Bastardy.Papers on Language & Literature, Vol. 33.Shakespeare, W. (1989).   King Richard the III. Manchester University Press, UK.Shakespeare, W.   (1990).  Ã‚   MacBeth.   Washington Square Press, New York.

Federalist Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Federalist Politics - Essay Example They were instrumental in gaining popular support for a large republic. The Federalist #10 is an important document as it set out the framework for how we view special interests, majority rule, and where the power in government will reside. A major portion of the Federalist papers defined the nature of special interest groups. Madison termed them factions and warned of their ability to wield undue influence. Factions are known by the more modern term special interest groups. By concentrating money and political power a small minority can have a great impact on laws and legislation. Factions can bring about corruption and give a voice to a segment of the population that is unduly loud in comparison with the one man one vote philosophy that underpins our constitutional system. Small, well organized factions can influence local politics, elect friendly delegates, and promote laws that are favorable to their cause. In this process the average voter is shut out from the system of government and it is given over to a form of tyranny. Factions have two main impacts on the constitutional system. It has the causes, which are the organized groups attempting to subvert the system, and the results which Madison termed the effects. Madison was realistic in his analyzing of the causes and effects. He understood that there could be no law against special interest groups working to forward their agenda. ... In creating a constitutional government where factions could have their least effect, Madison examined the Democracy and the Republic. Democracy is inherently the most fair to the majority, and the most expedient. Democracy also carries with it the dangers of mob rule. It locks out the interests of the minority and does not consider individual freedom. A democracy has the ability and the function of eliminating dissent and minority viewpoints. In Madison's view this was the biggest threat of a democratic form of government. While a Democracy carried with it the threat of the majority usurping the rights of the minority, a Republic carries with it the opportunity for rule by a select few. Representative Republicanism was the lesser of the two evils as Madison viewed it. A Republic that was represented by local representatives would help establish a balance between the majority and the rights of the minority. Spreading out the political power geographically and demographically would help deter the majority from gaining absolute rule. Madison foresaw the weakness of a republic becoming elitist and ruled by factions. However, his vision of a large republic helps to minimize the effects of rule by a few special interests. Madison believed that factions could not overtake a large republic. While they may be able to promote local support, on the federal stage the constitutional form of government and the balance of power would limit their influence. When compared to a democracy, a republic was more beneficial to the people. The larger the republic, the less vulnerable to undue influence by factions it would have. Madison's Federalist #10 helped set the tone for our constitutional form of government we have today. While

Political Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Political Theories - Essay Example Every society is made up of groups of individuals that have certain hopes and aspirations; every state is made of people that want to find a way to find solutions for their growing needs and desires to achieve things and make a living for themselves as well as to support their families. This however sometimes is at the cost of others and thus a proper political, social as well as economic structure needs to be set in place in order to avoid conflicts among people. A certain amount of competition and conflict is allowed because it only helps to push the psychology of a human being and help him find unique ways to do things in a better manner; however, if stretched, this can lead to the existence of a majority group that begins to gain all the benefits of resources and services. Individuals often know what is best for them and thus they come together in order to make decisions which they feel would be fit for everyone else. They think for others and often try to come up with ideas that would suit the lifestyle of most people within that particular society. This refers to rule or policy formulation on a political basis and gaining power for a purpose; in order to serve the needs of the people. However, this power sometimes may not be distributed in an even manner; causing problems within that society and having a certain section impose its influence upon the others because of the excess of power. Since the inception of the idea of democracy within a state, various theories have been developed in order to find out the best possible manner in which democracy is to be executed among the people. Some societies try their best to establish a clean political scenario within which people can live peacefully with each other, sharing resources and producing goods and s ervices in a very harmonised manner. However, within some societies, this distribution may become haywire and concentrated within the hands of a few individuals. This obviously might not be good for the general benefit of the entire state, however might help a few individuals gain a lot, thus leading to an overall growth in the entire income structure of the state. The economy is thus divided on the basis of both sociological as well as political perspectives in order to counter these issues and move towards prosperity. Political life can be measured through sociological variables and this helps to understand the class model of the society very easily. There have been a number of philosophers and thinkers who have been able to base their theories on class and model structures within a political economy. Nonetheless, the Marxian philosophy or theory of class structure of state has had the greatest impact on political sociology and his most dynamic work may be found in economics. Ever y political system is made up of individuals who react to their sociological surroundings and determine the political life. In the present day, three theories have been used greatly – the Marxist, Pluralist and the Elitist theories that deal with different (as well as similar) ideas of democracy. This paper helps to analyse the similarities as well as the differences among these three ideas, as well as the path that led up to their establishment in the modern day and age. It also aims to focus on the political system that prevails in the United Kingdom and the course that the same took over time in order to become what it is today. According to Karl Marx, people entered into social relationships with one another; their conduct was largely determined by the way they behaved around each other as well as the reactions to the actions of other people in their surroundings. People moulded their beliefs and ideas according to the needs and wants of the people within their external e nvironment and thus the political system was loosely based on the economic scenario of demand and supply. Marx’s theory talked considerably about competition and conflict that was created due to economic production; he said that men and women could only be free within a society

Introduction to Hinduism Caste System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Introduction to Hinduism Caste System - Essay Example People belonging to Brahmin caste are assigned the duties which are considered as sacred by Hindus. Duties like studying religious texts, performing religious rites and acting as a link between humans and God. The role of a priest in a temple is performed by Brahmin. This caste is regarded as the highest class of in the Hindu Caste system. The next caste is Ksatriya; Ksatriyas are allocated the duty of protecting the people. They are considered as warriors. They are allowed to study religious studies but they cannot perform religious rites. The third caste is of Vaishyas, people of this caste are expected to engage in agricultural activities, trade, and money lending business. Vaishyas also can study the religious texts. The lowest caste in the Hindu society is that of Shudras. The only duty dispensed to the Shudras was that of service. They serve the people belonging to other three castes. Shudras are prohibited from studying religious texts. The Hindu caste system reflects the noti on that duties of an individual are determined by the caste to which he belongs.   A person born in a particular caste has to perform the duties, assigned to his caste. People belonging to one caste cannot perform the duties of people belonging to another caste. The only duty that is shared by these cases is the study of religious texts but that also among the castes of Brahmin, Ksatriya, and Vaishyas.  Hinduism also displays tendencies, according to which God is considered as one Supreme Being and the universe is created from one basic matter.  

GAAP Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

GAAP - Term Paper Example These rules are widely accepted and used as a popular accounting method. â€Å"GAAP is established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board†. (InvestorWords2011) The GAAP first became a popular accounting method in the 1930’s and has been a popular method ever since. GAAP works in many different ways. The GAAP is not a required way of accounting but is preferred by many. GAAP is a way for companies to have their finances written out. The GAAP method is important and helps to insure accuracy and honesty. When businesses use the same accounting method it makes it easy to record and access materials. Statements prepared within this method are prepared with strict standards. Following standards for the GAAP method make it harder for accountants to have a chance for embezzlement or fraud. Accountants using the GAAP as a way to produce statements have very little room for error. When accountants do not use this method is when one should worry about the accuracy of the documents. It is important to remember that GAAP is a set of standards that must be followed. (Investopedia2011) Standards and rules for the GAAP are very important for creating financial documents. Financial documents prepared according to this method show accountants a specific way to prepare the documents. The rules show how to show an income, loss and many other accounting statements. There are over 100 rules that show different methods of reporting transactions. These methods are evaluated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board. This board regulates and exams the rules set out by the GAAP. There are many pros and cons to using the GAAP method. The method offers many positive things to the world of accounting. Before the GAAP there was never really a set method to creating financial documents. The GAAP rules and standards allow those preparing financial documents to prepare documents in the same manner. Preparing documents in the same manner can allow other

Management accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Management accounting - Essay Example The BASE formula helps in determining what caused the actual ending balances of all working capital accounts. Budgeted Balance Additions Subtractions (use to get back to actual balance) Ending Balance (actual) To understand what happened with everything else we must first understand the impact of the Raw Material Stocks. Raw Material Stocks Budgeted Balance 150,000 Additions 36,000 Subtractions 0 Ending Balance (actual) 186,000 By viewing the BASE formula we can see that the Raw Material Stocks balance was greater than the budgeted balance by 36,000 and based on the knowledge that production levels were about the same, this means that the materials would only increase not decrease because the balance was planned to be 150,000 based on production and with a 36,000 increase with the same production. A purchase of Raw Material Stocks equaling 36,000 must have been made. The issue that caused this was probably due to decreased efficiency in using materials. When Raw Materials must be pur chased beyond what is budgeted this means there is an unfavorable variance of 36,000. In order to correct this issue the company must come up with a standard of how much Raw Material stocks to use and then if costs allow, use a supervisor to ensure this standard is upheld. Creditors Budgeted Balance 66,000 Additions 36,000 Subtractions 51,000 Ending Balance (actual) 51,000 We can assume based on these numbers that the company added more debt from creditors of about 36,000 since inventory had been bought through creditors the balance increased by the amount of increase in the Raw Material Stock balance. Therefore since the ending balance of creditors was less than the beginning we can see that the company must have paid off creditors in excess of the added debt. That excess is equal to the beginning balance of 66,000 plus added debt of 26,000 minus the ending actual balance of 51,000, which means the company paid toward what was owed creditors, which was 51,000. The issue that may ha ve occurred is that current debts might have become due and therefore these debts had to be satisfied. Thus payment was made to the creditor decreasing working capital. In order to prevent this from happening again debt should be kept to a low amount, paid in a timely manner and cash should be kept in order to satisfy debt. Bank Budgeted Balance 4,500 Additions 7,500 Subtractions 51,000 Ending Balance (actual) (39,000) Due to the fact that the company paid creditors 51,000, that amount must come out of the Bank balance since there is no cash on hand. The beginning balance was only 4,500 and the ending balance was negative 39,000 therefore the company must have added 7,500 to the bank account. Where did that 7,500 come from? The issue is that there is an overdraft of the bank account. This has happened due to the purchases of Raw Material Stocks of 36,000 but the company did not generate enough cash in order to meet its burdens. To prevent this from happening again the company must i ncrease its liquidity by keeping inventory levels low, and the bank/cash balance high. Debtors Budgeted Balance 60,000 Additions 37,500 Subtractions 7,500 Ending Balance (actual) 90000 The debtors actual balance was 30,000 greater than the budgeted balance but what specifically happened was that debtors purchased the same amount of products that was involved in sales but 30,000 of these sales were credit sales. The issue is that there are more creditors that projected. This is a big problem because its likely that some of these debtors will become

Financial Security in a Persons Retirement Term Paper

Financial Security in a Persons Retirement - Term Paper Example In order to have financial security in our retirement, we need to start saving, keep saving and also stick to our goals. We need to make saving for the retirement a priority. In order to stay focused, we need to know our retirement needs and save towards it. A good starting point is finding out our retirement benefits. Investing for retirement is vital in ensuring safe and enjoyable retirement. Due to uncertainty, the true quality of a person’s retirement actually depends on their planning and planning must begin somewhere (Berk & DeMarzo, 2014). To have a secure retirement one must understand all the necessary factors that are crucial in the realization of the set goal. In saving for retirement individuals must understand the time value of money concept because it influences any financial decision to be made. They need to start saving early enough to increase the worth of the money in the future. It is the idea that money available today is worth more than the same amount in future because of its potential earning capacity (Taillard, 2013). Because money earns interest, any amount of money is often worth more the sooner it is invested. The paper entails computation of the amount to be invested annually to earn $1,000,000 in 30 years and the amount earned at retirement. In addition, it discusses values such as time and the interest rate that can be changed to lower annual deposits while increasing benefits. Besides, it discusses asset allocation among three asset classes, stocks, bonds, and cash. It concludes by looking at the investment objective which in this case is capital appreciation. Further, it discusses investment constraints that affect my asset allocation. In solving the problem, I will use the money purchase method which takes into account annual deposits and actuarial factor that is based on annuity period (time horizon or age) (Berk & DeMarzo, 2014). This method takes into account the time value of money by using present value or ordinary annuityÃ'Ž