Comparing The Murder of Duncan in Macbeth and The Assassination of Kennedy
There is a man who is a head of state. He is a very powerful man and is
well liked by his subjects. The people love him. Then he is suddenly,
inexplicably murdered. Someone is blamed for the murder, but the entire country
knows the accused are innocent and are tools used in a cover-up. Does this
situation sound bizarre? Does it sound like some work of fiction? Well, it is.
It is the beginning of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. However, it is much more
than that. It is real life. It is the circumstances that surrounded one of the
most surreal periods of time in United States history. It is the situation
surrounding the assassination of one of the US's most revered Presidents, John F.
Kennedy. These circumstances suggest that the events which occur in the play
Macbeth are still possible. It is possible for the circumstances surrounding
Macbeth to be repeated in modern day America because no protection provides
absolute safety, some men are still willing to do what Macbeth did, and the ac t
could still be covered up.
No amount of protection provides absolute safety. In today's world, it
is easier than ever to kill someone. Any person can buy a cheap pistol and kill
someone. It is also easier to kill without being caught. There are long range
rifles and remote control explosives that can be used as the murder weapon while
the actual perpetrator is far away. Also, it is easier than ever to find a
professional assassin who will kill anyone for the right amount of money. These
latter methods could allow a person to commit murder and easily get away with it.
Even though the actual murderer may be caught, the person financing the
operation could get away untouched.
In Macbeth, Duncan was well protected by his guards. However, he was
still murdered. The guards were overcome through a simple trick. "The doors
are open, and the surfeited grooms Do mock their charge with snores. I have
drugged their possets..." says Lady Macbeth. She had drugged their drinks, and
instead of guarding Duncan, they were asleep. Macbeth was easily able to sneak
past them and kill Duncan. Every precaution available had been taken to insure
Duncan's protection. It is not an easy task to get past two armed bodyguards in
a cramped area. However, through some deceit, Macbeth was able to accomplish
this. This reaffirms the statement that no protection is absolute.
Perhaps the best example that no protection is infallible occurs in the
Of the most powerful people in the world, the President of the United States of America hits the top of the list. Even though the policy agendas that presidents set as they take office often go unfulfilled, the office of President is still one of the most envied spots to have. But why could this be? It is because the United States is the most powerful nation in the world and with the President as the leader, he is said to have the most power in the world ("Top Ten Most Powerful Countries in the World"). With power comes responsibility and with this position he must govern a country while abiding by the rules.
Throughout her work Psalm 46.8 and other scriptures can be found. Rowlandson’s Puritan dichotomy is portrayed when she talks of Chapters 27-30 of Deuteronomy in the Bible. By reading these verses, Mary believes her blessings are gone and the captivity was a curse. As she approaches Deuteronomy Chapter 30, her writing communicates the acknowledgement of the mercy being promised again if they would return to Him by repentance (Franklin 259,263). “Then I took oaken leaves and laid to my side / and with the blessing of God it cured me also” depicts her attributing the curing to God and not the leaves or to the captive who told her how the leaf healed him, believing God is responsible for everything. Throughout the story, she believes the captivity was a test and a lesson in God’s plan (Canavan). Puritan woman, Mary Rowlandson, represented the Puritan beliefs and values in their dichotomy in her
Power can be used for good and for evil. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, power is a theme used often. The plot is based around Macbeth's plan to overthrow King Duncan and the events that lead up to his rise to power. Lady Macbeth, who has a major influence over her husband, convinces Macbeth to follow through with his plan to kill King Duncan. From the beginning she is a dominant partner who persuades Macbeth to achieve his goal of being king, and she plans and organizes the murder of Duncan. This is similar to the relationship between ex President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy Reagan. During his time as a politician she experienced a sense of power which led her to take an increasingly active role in her husband's administration. Shakespeare's Macbeth and Ronald Reagan's political actions were both influenced by their wife.
In the Rowlandson slave narrative; before she is captured, she has a joyful life along with her loving husband and many children. Rowlandson`s life before captivity is everything a woman could long for. As soon as she is captured, however; she is forced to confront her worst nightmare, the evil livelihood of the Indians. During Rowlandson’s narrative she recalls rather a horrific event where the Indians killed and burned a woman and her child because she was continuously requesting to go home, and finally attempted to leave not wanting to spend a second more in the midst of the Indians. “…when they had done that, they made a fire and put them both into it…” (Rowlandson 131). Once Rowlandson witnesses this along with the horrific actions the Indians preformed on her village, Rowlandson officially has a complete understanding of how barbaric the Indians actually are. Rowlandson is personally brought from a place of protected innocence (her home) and force into direct confrontation with the barbaric Indians by being forced to be their slave. While a slave, Rowlandson is forced to carry her mistresses things no matter that the weight was too much. However, Rowlandson is not the only person forced to confront certain evils of slavery, Equiano also has similar evils
Mary Rowlandson relied on her faith in the providence of God to sustain herself during her period of captivity. Indians ransacked the town of Lancaster in February of 1675. Rowlandson, the wife of a minister, was one of twenty-four townspeople taken captive.[4] Separated from her husband and all but one of her children, during her captivity she depended upon a Bible obtained from an Indian's plunder for spiritual survival.[5] Her eventual redemption and reunification with her surviving children and husband affirmed her faith in the providence of her God.
Mary Rowlandson.” When she was captured by the Indians, she reflects back to everything she had lost. “All was gone, my husband gone . . . my children gone, my relations and friends gone, our house and home and all our comforts---within door and without---all was gone” (130). She then realizes that none of that was important, as long as God was on her side. As time passed, she became ill along with her child. However, she did not let this discourage her. “Oh, I may see the wonderful power of God, that my Spirit did not utterly sink under my affliction: still the Lord upheld me with His gracious and merciful spirit, and we were both alive to see the light of the next morning” (131). After some time, Rowlandson realized she had been forgetting to celebrate the Sabbath day, and she was worried God was going to punish her. “Yet the Lord still showed mercy to me, and upheld me; and as He wounded me with one hand, so he healed me with the other” (131). No matter what happened, Rowlandson remained strong in her faith, even though God took everything from her. However, God came through in her time of need. He made sure she did not fail and even sent a Bible when she was in her darkest place to bring her back to light. Her account shows the perseverance of a chosen
In the Twentieth Remove the Natives agree to let her return. “I have seen the extreme vanity of this world. One hour I have been in health and wealth, wanting nothing, but the next hour in sickness and wounds and death, having nothing but sorrow and affliction.”(82). Rowlandson’s time with the Natives was everything but capitity. She learned more than what most Puritans would have ever learned about the Natives lifestyle and culture. Mary Rowlandson It is safe to say that she would rather live as a Native than a Puritan but her mission was to declare what happened to her during her “grievous captivity” at the same have Puritan acceptance and she was able to shed light in many darkened areas.
When reading famous works of literature, many qualities jump off the pages. Often, these will be in the form of differing contents, styles, themes, and purposes. In Mary Rowlandson’s Captivity Narrative, there is extremely vivid description throughout. She does not limit the severity of pain and discomfort felt by her and those in her surroundings. When caring for her wounded daughter, Rowlandson described the great discomfort she had in both sitting down and standing up without Christian support around her. Here, the treacherous trials she faced are greatly noticeable. Furthermore, Rowlandson’s relentless faith was incessantly evident, as powerful scriptures greatly alleviated her pain. The Captivity Narrative showed how one could survive upon faith and the belief that everything happens for a reason. Rowlandson’s strong will allowed her to keep somewhat emotionally distant as she was encountering awful situations. When her youngest daughter, who had been slowly dying in her arms for over a week, finally passed away, Rowlandson managed to escape complete sadness and depression. ...
There was a common saying, “Behind every great man there's a great woman”. The men, Macbeth and Winston Smith in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and George Orwell’s 1984 may not be considered as the “great man” however, both Lady Macbeth and Julia are good examples that can be presented as the “great woman” behind the men. Both Lady Macbeth and Julia do an excellent job of pretending to be someone who they are not, they are not only affecting the men in their lives to rethink their previous position but also have a bad ending accompanied with physical and psychological issues.
Though Malcolm and Macbeth are rivals, they are undeniably similar. The most obvious similarity being they both want the throne, and not only do they both want the throne, they are willing to use violence to achieve their ends. However, it may be in the way they treat those closest to them that is the most revealing; both men betray their good friend Macduff's trust. Therefore, though Macbeth and Malcolm are portrayed as the villain and the hero respectively, are they actually so different after all?
In Shakespeare’s play, “Macbeth”, the King of Scotland is suddenly murdered, leaving a mystery yet to be solved. The sons of King Duncan fled to England and Ireland causing confusion on who murdered the king. Macbeth and his wife are seeking power by plotting the murder of the individual with the most authority: King Duncan. Lady Macbeth is responsible for the King Duncan’s murder because she manipulates Macbeth and creates a plan to kill the King without any help from him.
In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, the author portrays various forms of hospitality in Greek society that characterized a character civilized or uncivilized. Homer tells the tale of king Odysseus from the island Ihaka, struggles to come back home, his long and vast journey filled with numerous obstacles. Throughout Odysseus's quest, he experiences countless forms of hospitality, either generous or harsh, that determines the civilized host from the uncivilized. For instance, the Phaiakians generous hospitality greatly admired and appreciated in Greek society, whereas the Kyklops's cruel hospitality that leads to his punishment and suffering. Along Odysseus quest, Greek society emphasizes generous hospitality and obeying the rules,
Mary Rowlandson’s narrative has a lot of contradicting statements dealing with the debate of rather or not Rowlandson is expressing herself as a puritan or an individualist. There is evidence in the narrative that can be argued for either side. However, the fifth remove shows evidence for the side that believes Rowlandson did not write this as a pure puritan. The fifth remove shows that she wrote this as an individualist giving God some credit while also subtly acknowledging the fact that she had a major hand in her own survival.
Media coverage of Ted Bundy’s escape from prison and first arrest allowed for him to be caught (Murderpedia)]. However, the media should know its boundaries when it comes to where they can report and where they can not. More often times than not, the media interferes with actual police investigations and make it more difficult to either catch the perpetrator or to go through the process of arresting them. In regards to serial killers and serial killer cases, it is common for the media to directly distract law enforcement so that they are unable to do their work properly. Media coverage of serial killers may instead, be motivation for them to commit their crimes in the first place- as they wish to be recognized. In addition, the fact that so many people will be exposed to this information allows for individuals to try and do drastic things such as emulating the crime, or being influenced to commit their own. The media may be motivation for serial killers to commit their crimes, and can act to be a disturbance during serial killer cases. Reporting of such cases can also influence audience members so that they may also be “inspire” to either commit copycat crimes or create work that embodies the act. This creation of a serial killer culture stems from the media reporting of serial killers in a way that may create sympathy or pity. By giving them exposure to the rest of
“Congratulations, you’ve passed the driving test.” At the age of sixteen people can receive their driver’s license. Many think that this age is too high but many more think it is too low. The leading cause of death for sixteen year olds is motor vehicle crashes. Raising the drivers age to even just eighteen can reduce the risk of accidents with being more experienced, more mature, and parents being able to educate teenagers more than at sixteen.