Ugly Ambition in Shakespeares Macbeth :: Macbeth essays

Ugly Ambition in Macbeth       The Bard of Avon saturates the pages of the tragedy Macbeth with ugly feelings of ambition - unprincipled ambition which is ready to kill for itself. Let's thoroughly search out the major instances of ambitious behavior by the husband-wife team.    In "Macbeth as the Imitation of an Action" Francis Fergusson states the place of Macbeth's ambition in the action of the play:    It is the phrase "to outrun the pauser, reason [2.3]," which seems to me to describe the action, or motive, of the play as a whole. Macbeth, of course, literally means that his love for Duncan was so strong and so swift that it got ahead of his reason, which would have counseled a pause. But in the same way we have seen his greed and ambition outrun his reason when he committed the murder; and in the same way all of the characters, in the irrational darkness of Scotland's evil hour, are compelled in their action to strive beyond what they can see by reason alone. Even Malcolm and Macduff, as we shall see, are compelled to go beyond reason in the action which destroys Macbeth and ends the play. (106-7)    Fanny Kemble in "Lady Macbeth" refers to the ambition of Lady Macbeth:      [. . .] to have seen Banquo's ghost at the banqueting table ... and persisted in her fierce mocking of her husband's terror would have been impossible to human nature. The hypothesis makes Lady Macbeth a monster, and there is no such thing in all Shakespeare's plays. That she is godless, and ruthless in the pursuit of the objects of her ambition, does not make her such. (118)    In "Memoranda: Remarks on the Character of Lady Macbeth," Sarah Siddons mentions the ambition of Lady Macbeth and its effect:    [Re "I have given suck" (1.7.54ff.)] Even here, horrific as she is, she shews herself made by ambition, but not by nature, a perfectly savage creature. The very use of such a tender allusion in the midst of her dreadful language, persuades one unequivocally that she has really felt the maternal yearnings of a mother towards her babe, and that she considered this action the most enormous that ever required the strength of human nerves for its perpetration. Her language to Macbeth is the most potently eloquent that guilt could use.

Walls Book Review

THEO 330-D03 Walls â€Å"Do you ever have the feeling that you are missing out on something important? † Ryan starts. â€Å"It’s Probably because you are. † (Loc. 247) Many of us are missing out on all God has for our life. What is keeping us from living the life God intends? Walls– separating us from the greatness God has destined for us. We get stuck plateauing in our spiritual progress, seeming to come to a screeching halt with our growth in the Lord. This is the issue Rush begins to portray in his book, Walls. Rush paints a wonderful picture of how we, as Christians, are to live authentic lives.He provides much Biblical insight in this book to help us break the walls holding us back. We might overcome these stumbling blocks by learning to trust and chase after our Creator with all we have. Only then, He will begin to unveil His plan and promises. One of the greatest quotes of this book, is Ryan’s definition of a wall. He describes them as, †Å"an unhealthy mind-set that keeps you from living life as God has intended. † (Loc. 453) These bricks, slowly laid down over time, can consist of negative thoughts, sins, doubts, and bitterness against our God.There are no quick fixes in breaking these walls. He says that we need decision, self-control, and a plan in order to get through. In order to break the wall, Rush describes, we need to be able to recognize that the wall is there. Throughout the book, Rush does a great job and telling the people what to do. He really lays down plans and ideas that can get you closer to breaking through. He gives us many tools and actions to help us. We are told to make a plan, to have self-control, and make decisions to break the walls. Rush really emphasizes on the different types of walls we might see.He names almost a dozen different walls and how we are stuck behind them. He always ended with emphasis on our decision is what keeps us locked up behind them. â€Å"Everybody is stuck, but nobody has to be,† he names the chapter. One of the only issues, that I had found, was we were not given specific instruction about how to use these tools. He tells us we need to plan, but unfortunately, we do not se how to formulate such a plan. He tells us to use a hammer, but we do not know the specifics to using it. He gives us the keys to use the wrecking ball, but we receive no instruction to operate the crane.Without knowing how to operate the equipment, we are very unlikely to excavate these barriers–especially if you are the type-a kind of person. We need detailed instruction on how we are to begin the process, continue the process, and end the process of demolition. The positive aspect of this, would be that each reader has to learn from experience on how to succeed. We typically cannot cross these barriers in such short time. Applying this book to my life has been a great experience. I have been struggling much with different walls in my life. Pride has definitely been one of the most prevalent in my observation.I see that over time, I have built a wall brick by brick. Creating these barriers do not usually happen overnight, but they seem to be a progressive construction– they take quite a bit of time. I just remember, in my own life, that after a year of keeping my guard down, I looked up and saw a giant wall that I never realized was there. If we aren’t careful, then we will slowly build a wall that can keep us enclosed for way too long and seem near impossible to break through. What we need to realize, is that we have to see that the wall is there and that you built it. This was one of the hardest steps for me.We have to decide to tear down the wall. This is a ton of work! Unfortunately, if you begin to procrastinate the demolition, there is a good chance that the wall will continue to grow. We can’t just start hitting the wall with a hammer; we have to plan the demolition. If we just swing aimlessly, there is a slim chance that we will knock it down. We have to know where to hit, what to use, and how to prevent it from building back. Throughout this book, I have learned much about demolition that I have used in my own life. I am so glad that I was blessed to read this book; it was a great help!

British Literature Past and Present Essay - 2378 Words

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;British literature continues to be read and analyzed because the themes, motifs and controversies that people struggled with in the past are still being debated today. The strongest themes that were presented in this course related to changing governments, the debate about equity between blacks and whites, men and women and rich and poor, and the concern about maintaining one’s cultural identity. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The evolution of governments was a constant theme throughout the course, beginning with the lesson on the Introduction to Romanticism, where Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin debated the equity between rich and poor that was tearing France†¦show more content†¦83).† nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Thomas Paine’s argument also still reverberates today as even the United States government continues to be reshaped based on what its citizens desire. Paine’s theory, that people who are living have more rights to construct their own rules than people who have died, is still a guiding principle outlined in the United States Constitution. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;â€Å"I am contending for the rights of the living, and against their being willed nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;away, and controlled and contracted for, by the manuscript assumed nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;authority of the dead; and Mr. Burke is contending for the authority of the nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;dead over the rights and freedom of the living (The Longman Anthology of nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;British Literature, The Rights of Man and the Revolution Controversy, p. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;85).† nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Show MoreRelatedSlavery During The Twentieth Century993 Words   |  4 Pagescontemporary Africa, reflecting the role of slavery in present day. 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