...to a general lack of trust in everyone and everything. To define and categorize the different extents of evil, there are two concepts: natural and moral evils. Natural evils like natural disasters or cancer are forcing us to live with the fact that it is out of our hands and there is nothing we can do to conquer it. Moral evils are different both in what kind of actions and also in how we are looking at the responsible persons. These actions are for instance murder and other types of criminality where you have defied what is ethically correct. A lot of people are under the impression that it is only bad and evil persons, who commit evil actions meaning they do not own a single likeable quality like compassion or charity. But does being the hero or, if you need to see it in a more human aspect, being a person admired for its tolerance, sympathy and humanity necessarily exclude the opportunity or more likely the risk of being evil? We live in a world where everyone pursuits the perfect life with wealth and happiness while the way of getting it often requires a struggle that affects others negatively. We know that stress and anger easily can urge for even the happiest and most sympathetic man alive. But according to what we have influenced for instance from the fairy tales of our childhood or even the real classics like Shakespeare, being evil and being likeable are two separate things, which will never be anything but conflicting poles. Richard III claims that his incapability...
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...composed of the Twelve Stages. The Twelve Stages of a hero’s journey are the steps every person must take in order to prove one’s self as a hero. Mythical heroes such as Theseus, Sigurd, and Beowulf clearly demonstrate the archetypal qualities of a hero. A typical hero is seen as a morally just individual, with a noticeably ethical intent. An archetypal quality of a hero is moral goodness. The hero is always opposing evil and wrong-doing, while attempting his best to halt it. The hero is selfless always willing to give his life in place of another. A villain, or monster, is the opposed force of the hero, whose intent is solely based around a malicious and self-centered motive. The shadow-self of a character is often portrayed as the villain, or monster, but it has a much greater importance. The shadow-self illustrates the two extremes of a personality. Since the shadow-self is the complete opposite of a character, the good and bad qualities of that character are shown, the shadow self of a character can have both good and bad aspects. When someone is able to control the good aspects of both characters, the individual is able to grow and learn from themselves. The shadow-self is often used in literature, because it is seen as the perfect challenge for the protagonist. An example in literature would be Beowulf and Grendel. Beowulf is a great hero driven by good morals and intentions, while Grendel is a soulless monster living only to cause pain and death. Another example would be...
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...Heroes & Villains in Literature The following essay is going to discuss and analyze heroes and villains in Literature. This essay is going to focus especially on three famous books written by William Shakespeare. The referring books are ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Othello’. In these three different novels, a great variety of stereotypes of heroes and villains can be appreciated. William Shakespeare was born on April 23rd 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. When he was four or five he began his education at the local petty school. He left the local grammar school when he was about fourteen and went to help in his father’s glove-making shop. When he was eighteen, he got married and by the time he was twenty-one, he was the father of three children. [1] At some time during the next seven years, he went to London and found employment in the theatre. When he was twenty-eight, he was already well enough known as an actor and playwright. He mostly lived and worked in London until his mid-forties, when he returned to his family and home in Stratford, where he remained in prosperous circumstances until his death on April 23rd 1616, his fifty-second birthday. [2] In the thirty seven plays that are his chief legacy to the world human nature is displayed in all its astonishing variety. [3] While Shakespeare caused much controversy, he also earned lavish praise and has profoundly impacted the world over in areas of literature, culture, art, theatre, and film and is considered...
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...pieces of literature. Of the many types he describes two of the most important as being the hero and the villain. He describes the hero as being the one “who is seeking something” and the villain as the one “who is in opposition of the hero.” According to these definitions one may be able to classify characters of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness into a category. Though there is much room for interpretation in accordance to Propp’s characters, Charlie Marlow would fit under the category of the hero as he is seeking to find Kurtz. The company could also be seen as the hero as they are also seeking Kurtz through Marlow. To classify a villain in this novel though becomes hard. Marlow does indeed face many oppositions, but they seem to be by many different people, the landscape of Africa, and an inner turmoil. Though if one is to look closely at the actions of Kurtz they would see that he proves to accurately fit the description of the villain as he opposes Marlow and the company many times. First Kurtz proves to conform to this character as he defies the rules that are set in place by taking advantage of the Africans to harvest his ivory, Kurtz then opposes rescue by ordering the natives to attack Marlow and his steamboat on their way up the river, and lastly Kurtz proves to give the hero difficulty when he flees the boat after being rescued to return to his camp. When looking at these examples Kurtz looks to become moulded around Propp’s characterization of a villain. In...
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... Pages 1.Abstract................................................................................................................................ 3 2.Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 4 3.What is a fictional Character?............................................................................................... 5 4.Evolvement of fictional characters....................................................................................... 6-7 5.Heroes.................................................................................................................................... 8 6.Villains................................................................................................................................... 9 7.Positive Impression................................................................................................................ 10 8.Negative Impression.............................................................................................................. 11 9.Differentiate characters by age............................................................................................. 12...
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...For every Batman there is a Joker, for most heroes there are villains, whether it being a tree, fire or person there are villains for a hero. People have these great qualities that make them heroes but people also have qualities that make them villains or unheroic. Greed, cowardice, selfishness and rude action all exemplify qualities that heroes must not have. While many athletes are heroes, others are villains. In all major sports league cheating accusations have been thrown around on various teams; however, due to many new drugs, athletes are being caught using performance enhancing drugs. Cheating proves cowardice and many well-known athletes have been caught, “Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens, Olympic sprinter Marion Jones, and several other top-level...
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...a downfall that was fed by a villain named Iago. Othello soon becomes the tragic hero of this story. Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero is “someone who is a noble soul, from high estates, and has a downfall in the result of his hamartia or tragic flaw” (Kennedy, & Gioia, 2007). Othello is easily persuaded with bad advice, that his wife is being unfaithful and is in love with another man. Othello being insecure, is crushed when he is fooled into believing that his wife Desdemona has been unfaithful. With anger and jealousy in his heart he finds himself causing a downfall in the result of his own tragic flaw. Desdemona continues to stay faithful to her husband even as her husband accuses her of being in love with another man. She is a sweet, kind and intelligent woman who is truly devoted to loving Othello. Heartbroken to find her husband has turned against her and plans to kill her, she tries to defend herself with the truth. She is unable to dismiss the lies told to her husband by the villainous Iago. Iago’s hate for the Moor stems from several different directions. He plays the main reason Othello has a tragic flaw. Fueled by his own jealousy, Iago has started a rumor about Othello’s wife and Cassio, Othello’s honorable lieutenant. Emilia is the wife of Iago and Desdemona’s maid. She is submissive to Iago, but builds a strong bond with Desdemona, which later in the play helps defend Desdemona’s reputation. Othello portrays a tragic hero in the play “Othello, the Moor...
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...come forth a generation of literature, which included heroic poetry. Beowulf consists of many characters contributing to the plot of the poem. There are both basic and complex archetypes shown in the poem. The epic poem includes many archetypes but the most dominant ones including the hero, the shadow, and the herald. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the author uses archetypes to develop the plot. The main character Beowulf, displays a superior archetype in the epic poem by being the hero within the story. A hero is defined as one who gets praised for brave acts and Beowulf does exactly that. Beowulf displays this archetype in various ways...
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...htm______ __Title____Campbell's 'Heros' Journey Monomyth _ Last Updated_____________N/A_______________|· Joseph Campbell defined a series of events, known as the monomyth, which model most stories: Separation/Departure, Initiation, Return. · Each of these three phases can be further broken down into sub-sections that better define what happens· Separation/Departure is in the beginning of the story; separates protagonist from his normal world and has the protagonist enter "the belly of the whale"· Initiation is the heart of the story transitioning the protagonist into the qualities of a hero through "tough times"· Return is the concluding of the story; the hero returns triumphant from completing the Initiation phase· Keep in mind, the monomyth is simply a guideline, not a requirement for writers| Website|Web Site___ Wise GEEK________________Author_____________Nicole Etolen_______________URL_http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-archetypal-patterns.htm _Title_____What Are Archetypal Patterns? _ Last Updated_______July 25, 2015___________ __ _|· Archetypal Patterns are essentially a typical way of doing things across differents forms of films and literature· Applied to works of fiction· The most common archetypal pattern is "Hero vs. Villain" as examples of this can be found in almost every culture. Both the hero and villain heavily rely on one another, in other...
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...Dracula Name Course code Instructor’s name University name City, State Date of submission Introduction In this paper, I will attempt to examine the novel Dracula as authored by Stoker. I will be looking to determine whether or not it can be classified as a Gothic novel. Initially, I will present a short story of the Gothic and dwell briefly on the era of its publication. The paper will also examine the various characteristics that are common amongst gothic literature so as to run a comparison with this work. Several aspects like the surroundings, natural environment, the role of females in the Gothic novel, atmosphere, as well as the story’s Villain, will be compared with the elements that can be seen in the publication Dracula (Frank, 1988). I will attempt to find out the reasons why Gothic novels are normally so attractive. It is essential to break certain taboos so as to develop an atmosphere of fear and danger. I will examine Dracula to determine whether or not it contains similar elements. Meaning of Gothic novel According to the Oxford dictionary, Gothic refers to the architectural style that was common in Western Europe in the period that span between the 12th and 16th Century. It was mainly characterized by a ribbed vault, pointed arch as well as pillars that are clustered (Bernstein, 1991). This term was mostly used in connection with an individual that behaved like a barbarian. This was because of the destructive and primitive German tribe that was...
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...Shakespeare in the 17th century, expresses clearly the strong pull that desire for power can have over a man. Macbeth, the title character of the play, is often expressed as being the villain of the tragedy. However, through studying the play closely it is clear to see that, rather than being an innately evil character, Macbeth is in fact a tragic hero, doomed by fate from the start to descend into the madness which he did. Had it not been for his hamartia and his interaction with the witches and his wife then the play would have had a very different ending. Like every tragic hero in literature Macbeth suffered from a tragic flaw, or a hamartia. In his case, his flaw was his vaulting ambition, combined with a lust for power. Macbeth himself recognises this ambition in act I, scene 7 where he states in a soliloquy “I have no spur to ***** the sides of my intent but only vaulting ambition”. This comment suggests that he knows that the only thing that prompts his actions is his ambition. While ambition alone is not in fact a bad trait, when added with a lust for power, this ambition can become dangerous. Did having these qualities mean that Macbeth was indisputably corrupt? No, they simply meant that he, like all human beings, had a flaw and a weakness. Indeed, at the start of the play, Macbeth was seen as the hero, being described as “brave Macbeth” in act I, scene II, and shown as a loyal and brave solider on the battle field. He is also frequently referred to as valiant by Duncan throughout...
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...Archetypes Human Nature Breona Myers 2/2/2017 The idea of archetypes began with the psychologist Carl Jung. He believed that we house these archetypes in our unconscious and that they are created by our experiences and in turn create our emotions. Archetypes also shape the structure of literature. It is the collective unconscious which is experiences shared by a culture is recreated in literature and other art. Although there are many archetypes, in this paper we will look at four. The innocent youth, or child, helper, villain and lastly the trickster. The innocent youth archetype often seeks to spend time with others and is often seen as inexperienced. The innocent youth trusts others and that in turn causes many to like them. In literature, this innocence often becomes a coming of age. The innocent youth archetype is often free in their thinking and their desire is to get to paradise and ultimately be happy. They do not want to be punished for doing wrong and are generally optimistic. We see this in the Wizard of Oz with Dorothy. She is longing for her innocence and is shown initially when she ran away to try to catch Toto. She became lost and ended up in a magical...
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...Beowulf is a world-renowned literary work and is commonly cited as one of the most important works of Old English literature. The early English epic Beowulf consists of a marvelous hero, three ghastly villains, and deeds of great honor and valor. The main hero Beowulf has three main battles throughout the story. Each villain symbolizes a specific evil that all people have to face. The first monster Grendel represents rage, Grendel’s mother represents desire for revenge, and the dragon represents greed. The vicious monster Grendel represents the topic of rage throughout the epic. Grendel’s thirst for blood grows due to many different reasons. One reason Grendel was full of rage is because he was separated from God’s love. In the epic it...
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...I was at my house and my phone rings and it is my brother’s friend. He had got in a car crash because he didn’t see that there was a curve until it was too late. The driver had got his head put in the front windshield and the passenger hit the roof which made his eye have a medium size cut. In hero literature, authors use heroes to symbolize freedom combined with details that describe power corrupts which within the hero genre allow readers to experience birth and ultimately consider the pattern. First, I believe that a hero has to be someone who goes out of his or her name to help or save someone that they know or even don’t know because I always think of someone who walks up to someone who is homeless and gives them something to eat or even some money. The other thing that I think of would be when you see someone in the hall is having trouble and have dropped their things and you go help them pick it up. Second, in the story The Adventures of Robin Hood, Robin Hood is the hero because he shows how he is overpowering the villain. Robin Hood personifies the spring because he talks about it being spring time a lot. Robin Hood rose above the villain once he started to become famous. This story inspires us to rise above the common person and defeat evil because we see that someone else could do it so we have an example of how to overcome the “evil” in our life. Third, I think that Sundiata personifies a coin at the tip of a mountain because if you hit it at all it will fall...
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...Frankenstein as a Gothic Novel Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is considered as a Gothic novel but it can be seen as a compilation of both Gothic and Romantic because of the significance of the sublime. Certain events and settings in the novel present the gothic themes. Shelley uses the different themes in her novel to evoke feelings of horror and terror in the reader. Frankenstein engages in a quest in pushing the realms of science to their limits which leads him to playing god and creating an unnatural being using science. One of the themes Shelley uses in the novel to create the gothic presence is the theme of Forbidden Knowledge. Mary Shelley introduces the ideas that science is capable of being very dangerous and has consequences through the character of Victor Frankenstein. Shelley’s time was described as the age of unprecedented scientific discoveries, which influenced her in writing of Frankenstein. The process of the creation of his creation was influenced by the Italian physician Luigi Galvani who discovered “animal electricity” which manifests with the twitching of nerves and muscles when an electric current is applied. Frankenstein seeks to find “the secrets of heaven and earth” to fulfil his quest. He calls them secrets; he is aware they are not to be known and should not be found. Frankenstein knows that acquiring such knowledge would not be easy as he states “how dangerous the acquirement of knowledge”. Frankenstein is aware of the uneasy task of seeking...
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