Greed as an Excuse for Destruction in The Faerie Queene
Though the desire for excitement and adventure lives in everyone, even if the definition of such things varies for every individual person, it is safe to say there are some who are more inclined to achieve their desires rather than watch them pass by. This inclination is a driving force that can, and often does, lead to disastrous or unnecessary outcomes. In watching Redcrosse in the first canto of Edmund Spenser’s, The Faerie Queene, it is seen that humankind can be selfish and inconsiderate of who or what it may affect. So much so that a sheltered, nursing mother is ultimately killed when all she was trying to do was protect herself and her young. In the end, it was not the beast’s fault for her and her young’s peril; it is the fault of Redcrosse who, instead of listening to the words of his companions and thinking through his next move carefully, decides to act upon his greed and desire for fulfillment. This episode brings forth the idea that the error in a person’s ways is not brought out by an inability to decipher what they should do, but is otherwise dangerously expelled by the conscious decision to ignore what is ethical and proper.
Throughout all the twists and turns trying to find their way back from whence they came, Una, Redcrosse, and the dwarf stumble upon a path that “brought them to a hollow cave, amid the thickest woods” (1.11.6-7). While Redcrosse does not know that the cave belongs to Errour at first,
well…if hawks have always had the same nature, why should you pretend that mankind change theirs” (Voltaire, 74). Looking at this excess of disagreeable traits recognized by Candide, it is evident that he has already been subjected to evil in many different type of ways. Additionally, Martin’s plausible reply expresses a negative view of human nature that often results from facing many forms of wrongdoing. Another character in the story, Cunégonde, expresses similar disappointment in her experience when she talks about the optimistic philosopher, “Pangloss deceived me most cruelly, in saying that everything is for the best” (Voltaire, 26). However, a wise man, Dervish, reminds the reader that it is useless to consider where evil comes from.
It is while growing up that children and teens are most vulnerable. Because they lack life experience, foresight, and the ability to think clearly, young people often make decisions that are unwise and even downright harmful to them or others. This lack of maturity and its consequences is demonstrated in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, where teens’ poor decisions lead to the deaths of many. The play’s tragic end is not the result of deliberate malicious actions, but rather the consequence of the emotional, untamed impulsivity of the play’s younger characters. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the reader experiences how the impulsive nature of the youth results in them making poor decisions that can end in tragedy.
Envy is a sin that poisons the sinner and is self-destructive in nature. The common perception of envy is that it is an emotion that, much like jealousy, that comes from a desire to possess something that someone else has. However, envy goes a step further and causes an individual to not only desire what someone else has, but to also wish that the other person did not have it at all. Spenser uses the conventional view of envy stated above in conjunction with some unconventional imagery in order to elaborate on the nature and implications of being an envious person. In doing this Spenser is able to teach to reader an aspect of envy that they may not already know or understand. In his portrayal of envy in book one of The Faerie Queene, Spenser is trying to convey to his readers that people who are envious are trapped in and endless cycle of envy that leads to nothing but unhappiness and misery. Spenser’s interpretation of envy, like the other deadly sins in the house of pride, can be broken down into 4 images: the animal that he rides, his appearance, how he behaves, and the ailment he has. This paper will use the first three of these images to show how Spenser’s depiction of Envy is meant to teach the reader that the sin of envy can only lead to perpetual unhappiness and misery.
Candide, with his innocent optimism, taught the reader that there isn’t always a silver lining; Irene Redfield proved that one’s judgement and actions don’t always go hand-in-hand; Bob Hicok illustrated that, despite all of one’s observations, hope can still be found. These lessons were brought to us, for the most part, through observations which these narrators had seen and experienced. The lessons found in these texts also show the hypocrisy which these characters have, despite their observations and experiences, still permeates their beliefs and morals. To begin, it would be best to know what observation entails: the term “observation” means “the action or process of observing something or someone carefully or in order to gain information” or, in fewer words, gaining knowledge through watching the world around us. The use of such vivid imagery and observation has long been a powerful weapon in the arsenal of great writers, like Stephen King and J.K. Rowling, and has brought about multiple lessons and teachings for people throughout the ages. The narrator’s observations in Voltaire’s “Candide, or Optimism”, Larson’s “Passing” and Hicok’s “Go Greyhound” allows them to realize their own hypocrisy and disconnect between their actions/experiences and beliefs.
One’s moral duty is often conflicted with an emotional drive or a strong passion. The drive it takes to deviate from knowing what is right and wrong can lead to unfavorable outcomes, such as suffering. Not only does this engagement establish a war within the mind, but it also hinders certain responsibilities. In Edith Wharton’s novel Ethan Frome, the protagonist, Ethan, encounters a dilemma: his strong feelings for his wife’s cousin, Mattie, compels him to reconsider his devotion to Zeena. Ethan allows himself to seize feelings for Mattie, through which he disregards his moral duties to his wife, typifying that addressing a private passion over responsibility can lead to suffering.
When Swami Sivananda said, “A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth. The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water. Even so, life is but an endless series of little details, actions, speeches, and thoughts. And the consequences whether good or bad of even the least of them are far-reaching.” He was correct because every microscopic action that we commit has an unintended consequence. Some consequences, are good. Other consequences, on the other hand, can be miserable. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and The Other Wes Moore, by Wes Moore, both stories exhibit that each choice a person makes has a consequence, good or bad.
Glaucon closes his discourse with an endeavor to show that not exclusively do individuals like to be out of line instead of just, yet that it is judicious for them to do as such. The impeccably uncalled forever, he contends, is more wonderful than the consummately just life. In making this claim, he draws two point by point pictures of the fair and uncalled for man. The totally treacherous man, who revels every one of his inclinations, is respected and remunerated with riches. The totally simply man, then again, is despised and vomited.
As one develops, the values that he/she support mature in sync with mental, physical, and emotional developments. With this maturation, individuals create a moral code that is based on the values and beliefs that are deemed most important. Whether the creation of this code of conduct is intentional or not, it nonetheless serves as a guide for the way in which one behaves. These moral codes ensure the maintenance of order within one’s own life. By token of consideration, Raymond Chandler’s “Red Wind” follows Philip Marlowe as he subscribes to a moral code of chaotic good, wherein he behaves in a seemingly unprincipled manner. However, he does so as a mode of ultimately serving the common good. Comparatively, society as a whole also creates regulations to live by with the intention of maintaining order amongst the masses. The court of law, for example, ensures that individuals behave ethically and in favour of the common good. Without these general regulations, society succumbs to chaos. With reference to the text, the world that Marlowe lives in is one that supports moral systems that are in opposition to his own. The interaction between one’s personal values (moral code) and social sanctions (e.g. the law and societal ideals), may result in a shift in an individual’s belief system. The following essay will explore the ‘world’ that Chandler has created for the characters, Marlowe’s moral code in response to the world in which he lives, and finally, the state that Marlowe
In The Canterbury tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, Both “The Prioress’ Tale” and “The Tale of Melibee” deal with grave evils involving attacks from enemies, injustices, and tragedies. The difference between these two stories is that “The Tale of Melibee” offers a better solution to the problem of evil and injustice than the ending of “The Prioress’ Tale”. “The Tale of Melibee” shows not only a solution to Melibee’s problem, but also any dilemma where there is injustice. The Prioress’ solution to evil is through blaming one’s enemy and solving the problem through violence instead of words.
First, our protagonist Candide and his valet Cacambo serve as appropriate examples: a naive optimist and a worldly pragmatist. When Candide finds the monkey lovers appalling and unusual, Cacambo does not “see anything odd about their passion” (Voltaire 49). Exposed by the cruelties of the real world, Cacambo’s sharp wits allow him to take control of a situation and suffer less adversities than other characters. Inexperienced and innocent, Candide can only think one dimensionally; instead of thinking and acting for himself, Candide surrounds himself with people who do the decision making for him. Only because of the wits and decisions of Cacambo, Old Woman, and Martin is he able to survive until the end of the novel. Voltaire contrasts Cacambo’s wisdom with Candide’s
This reckless behaviour causes Lear to lose a valued and trustworthy follower. Without a doubt, Lear's rash behaviour contributes to the suffering he endures at the hands of others.
Two very powerful female figures are presented in Error of The Faerie Queene, and Sin of Paradise Lost. These two characters are quite similar in description, Milton making a clear tribute to Spencer's work. Both characters have the same monster qualities, and both posses allegorical names and qualities.
King Lear is frequently regarded as one of Shakespeare’s masterpieces, and its tragic scope touches almost all facets of the human condition: from the familial tensions between parents and children to the immoral desires of power, from the follies of pride to the false projections of glory. However, one theme rings true throughout the play, and that very theme is boundless suffering, accentuated by the gruesome depictions of suffering our protagonists experience . There is no natural (nor “poetic”) justice depicted in this pre-Judeo-Christian world Shakespeare presents, as the relatively virtuous individuals (Kent, Gloucester, and Cordelia) in this
By facilitating the growth of evil within William Shakespeare’s King Lear, it is evident that the tragedy’s protagonist, King Lear can be held accountable for his own victimization and ultimate downfall. The most notable aspects of this self-induced victimization include Lear’s own lack of practical wisdom and divergence from the natural order, combined with the neglect of kingship, that enables Lear as a tragic hero to create the conceptual framework in which the ulterior motives of others, such as his daughters, Goneril and Regan, were able to flourish. Hence, Lear himself, is emphatically both an agent and a victim of the forces of evil “more sinned against than sinning.” This notion is further reinforced by critical works such as Irving Ribner’s book 'Patterns in Shakespearian Tragedy’ (1960) and Ian Johnston’s article ‘The Forces of Evil’ (1999) that to a greater extent affirm these ideals as the catalysts for the forces of evil throughout the tragedy.
The Faerie Queene is an important romantic epic that more than being just poetry, represents the protestant imagery in terms of kinds of individual virtue , the forces of temptation and human weaknesses to which the greatest of persons can succumb and, of course, the humanist ideals of its time. His author, Edmund Spenser, makes use of biblical and classic allegories to tell his story, that more than have been a religious writing, the poem’s purpose was to educate, to turn young men into gentlemen and to make a declaration of faith in England. However, the more important purpose of the Faerie Queene is its allegory, the meaning behind its characters and events. The story's setting is a fanciful "faerie land," that