Courage and Cowardice: Going Beyond Physical Measures - Essay Example

Courage and Cowardice: Going Beyond Physical Measures People have contradicting qualities. Some are kind yet cruel at the same time; others are strong yet dependent, still others can be cheerful and gloomy. Whether the positive qualities are more prominent than the negative ones is questionable, but following the concept of tabula rasa, one can say that the negative qualities come out when triggered by an occurrence. The theme of contradicting human qualities has traces in literature. In particular, classical literary texts such as “Macbeth,” “Oedipus Rex,” and “The Epic of Gilgamesh” reflect the combination of courage and cowardice of the heroes. Analyses of the works’ character motives could provide some insights on human nature as revealed in the three texts. People can be courageous and cowardly at the same time. Even the most fearless people have their own share of cowardice. Military men, for instance, may be brave enough to lose their lives at battles yet afraid to lose their family. The contradicting attitude of courage and cowardice may vary from one person to another, yet most people, if not all, encounter this experience. In many literary works, courage is associated with legendary heroes such as Beowulf, King Arthur and his knights in the older tradition, and Superman, Spider Man, and so on in the modern tradition. Courage is also possessed by kings. In the old Western texts, we see courage in Macbeth, Gilgamesh, and Oedipus, who are all kings. Macbeth seizes the throne from the former King Duncan, Gilgamesh inherits kingship from his father, Lugulbanda, whereas Oedipus, like Macbeth, takes the place of the dead king, but like Gilgamesh too, inherits the throne of his father Lugulbanda. Macbeth and Oedipus share the crime of killing the reigning king and seizing the power in their lands. However, Oedipus did his crime with some innocence, whereas Macbeth killed Duncan by will. Moreover, Oedipus inherits the place of his father after the latter’s death but still without knowing it, whereas Gilgamesh is pronounced king by inheritance of his father’s throne. As kings in their own lands, the three characters show the courage to defend their throne. Macbeth, remembering the prophecy that Banquo will beget a king’s death, plots a murder to prevent the prophecy. Meanwhile, Gilgamesh courageously destroys the beast Humbaba in his search for eternal life for his people, whereas Oedipus Rex faces the sphinx with courage and wisdom. These examples illustrate that courage is greatly associated with kings. In other words, a king’s characteristics usually include courage. It is questionable whether the three kings’ courage is innate or it is dependent only on their power. Unlocking the source of courage could lead to determine the source of cowardice as well. To begin with, we ask, are the characters brave because they have power? Macbeth, raised as a warrior, has the courage to face battles, thus shows an innate courage relying on his physical strength. Although nothing is said about his youth, it is easy to believe that Macbeth is a courageous soldier for he wins battles that make him rise to the position of Thane of Cawdor. As the sergeant reports about Macbeth and Banquo: As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion. If I say sooth, I must report they were As cannons overcharged with double cracks, So they Doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe. Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds, Or memorize another Golgotha (Act 1 40–46) Macbeth, along with Banquo, faces battles to the point of risking his life. He and Banquo are likened to eagles and lions in defending and bringing honor to their country. Owing to his physical prowess and military skills, it is no doubt that Macbeth’s courage is innate. King Duncan is pleased with him for his achievements. Similarly, we find Gilgamesh’s courage to be innate, him being the son of a goddess and a king. As he and Enkidu plan for the death of Humbaba, Gilgamesh expresses his courage and willingness to die for his country, thus: Why worry over being like dust in the wind? Leap up for this great threat. Fear not. Even if I were to fail and fall in combat, all future clans would say I did the job. (Tablet 3 Column 4 59–63) Clearly, Gilgamesh’s bravery is inspired by his wish for greatness and providing legacy to his people. Therefore, Gilgamesh compares with Macbeth in his courage to fight enemies; however, his intention for fighting is even nobler than that of Macbeth as it includes his acceptance of fall. Macbeth is unwilling to be defeated, thus plots the murder of those people who could hinder his success. Oedipus may be considered the most courageous of the three characters because the measure of his courage does not lay in physical strength but in revealing the truth about his unfavorable identity. On one hand, he can be considered most courageous of all the kings mentioned in this paper because the test of his strength and courage is not by competing against a large army or a huge beast but by learning the truth that could lead him to his own fall and suffering. Despite foreseeing the grief that truth could bring his life, he still pursues and faces it. On the other hand, he shares the same courage and passion to defend his people as he expresses, thus: And I curse the doer, whether he worked alone or evaded us with accomplices, that he wear out his unlucky life as badly as he himself is bad. (Act 1 251-254) Oedipus’s promise to punish whoever causes the plague in his city is clearly an expression of his courage to defend his people. Moreover, his pursuit of the truth about his birth and background illustrates the highest level of courage. This way, he can be seen as more courageous than Macbeth, who kills Banquo for fearing that the latter will kill him. Likewise, Oedipus may be viewed as more courageous than Gilgamesh because of the latter’s inability to accept the truth about the end of life. Basically, letting nature take its natural course is an act of courage. People who cannot accept defeat, like Macbeth and those who cannot accept old age and death may be viewed as cowards. It is interesting to note that while the courage shown by the three kings is innate and its roots are intangible, the fear that destroys their courage is also intangible. The three kings share the same kind of fear, the fear of fate. Macbeth fears to lose his kingship based on the prophecy of the three witches that Banquo’s sons will be kings. Thus, Banquo’s fate serves as the cause of Macbeth’s cowardice. Meanwhile, Gilgamesh’s cowardice lays on his fear of death. Witnessing how Enkidu grappled from sickness and death, Gilgamesh is fear-stricken to meet his own fate of dying later. He expresses, thus: Then I wept for my future death and I fled home for mountaintops to breathe when my friend's death choked off my wind... Could I stop crying then when my best friend had died as I will someday do? (Tablet 10 Column 2 59–61, 66–68) Despite his courage to fight Humbaba and the big bull, Gilgamesh still shows a human weakness. His fear of death as expressed in the lines makes him look cowardly. Oedipus Rex also demonstrates cowardice by blinding himself. He cannot accept the fact that he kills his own father and marries his own mother, thus he blinds himself to refrain from seeing the consequences of his acts. In doing so, he refrains from being courageous. In the modern context, it may be more ideal for Oedipus to live up to his fate and raise his children to the best of his capability. However, instead of doing this, Oedipus turns his back from his children and perishes. In “Antegone,” we can see the negative consequence of Oedipus’s cowardice to face his fate. Leaving his children with his opponent Creon, Oedipus only causes further grief and tragedy to his children’s lives. His courage to face the consequence makes him a good ruler; however, his cowardice to face his fate destryos his children’s future. Nevertheless, weighing the situations in the life of King Oedipus could lead one to say that his act of cowardice is well-justified. Human sense would tell us how difficult it is for anyone to be in the shoes of Oedipus. Thus, although the inflictions he causes himself and his children are not enough to justify the means, we cannot reject the idea that what he does (blinding and perishing himself) is still rational. In contrast, Gilgamesh and Macbeth’s reasons for their cowardice are not justifiable. Gilgamesh’s cowardice to accept his later fate makes him look foolish and deconsructs the readers’ view of the leader. Nevertheless, his acceptance of the way of life at the end regains the respect of the readers. The least of all characters in terms of logic is Macbeth for due to his fear of fate, he murders his own king and later his friend. Such actions cannot be considered logical by human reason. Therefore, in terms of cowardice, Macbeth may be seen as the most coward of the three kings although he is most villanous. The theme of courage and cowardice is clearly illustrated in the three literary masterpieces. However, the treatment of the subject varies from one text to another. “Macbeth” and “Gilgamesh” reflect the courage associated with physical strength whereas “Oedipus Rex” expounds on the courage of facing the truth. Nevertheless, the three works are similar in showing the criticality of accepting fate as a sign of cowardice among the male characters. The literary texts point out that courage cannot be measured by physical strength alone. Rather, the willingness to accept truth and face the consequences of one’s actions is what makes a person really courageous. Moreover, cowardice is not just evident in refusing to engage in battles. Sophocles provides a profound differentiation between courage and cowardice as he explores human emotion to deal with the truth as the basis for assessing a peson’s courage and cowardice. Works Cited Epic of Gilgamesh. N.d. Web. 3 May 2011, . Shakespeare. William. Macbeth. Enotes, n.d. Web. 4 May 2011, < http://www.enotes.com/macbeth-text/>. Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Enotes, n.d. Web. 4 May 2011, < http://www.enotes.com/oedipus-rex-text/oedipus-rex>. Read More