How literature teaches morality - Essay Example

Shakespearean works were greatly inspired by Christian of forgiveness, love and charity. For instance, Lear’s apology to Cordelia depicts that he had indeed realized that he was wrong all along (Cahn, p. 53-54). Authors have also produced fiction that also serves as a critique on religious values and biblical teachings as well. With the increasing debate triggered by the clashes between science and religion have motivated Authors like Dan Brown, who have weave plotlines that has rouse interest in readers from all the over the globe.

Literatures have also provided commentary on the gender dynamics in the society that highlighted the roles of men and women. Shakespeare was a pioneer in this regard as he introduced the concept of gender-bending in his plays such as in Twelfth Night, which revolved around a cross-dressing heroine, who dresses up as her brother in order to look for him. Even in his play Cymbeline, the female lead disguises herself as a man and even enlists in the army, which clearly shows that Shakespeare wanted his readers to understand that women were as capable of performing a man’s task and essentially, the question of superiority of any gender to another was completely invalid.

Besides deconstructing gender stereotypes, literature has also been used to critique government and political structures. Contemporary literature is full of examples that would elaborate this aspect and the novel 1984 by George Orwell is one of the first novels that highlighted the dubious nature of the government and their influence on the lives of the ordinary man. As a matter of fact, even Shakespeare had used politics as a theme for many of his plays such as Antony and Cleopatra, and Julius Caesar.

The latter and former, were basically historical dramas but depicted the system of governance that propelled the plot forward and added more depth to it. Also, literature is devoid of substance unless it takes human emotions in to account; as it is considered to be the main motivations and driving forces behind the actions of the protagonists and the antagonists. For instance, Othello and Iago were driven by jealousies and a sense of inadequacy that culminated in to the tragic climax of the play.

It can be assessed that literature deems human emotions of prime essence and teaches its readers to gain mastery over it, because of the intense and destructive nature of one’s emotions. The audiences in general seem the most receptive to comedies and tragedies; which are antithetical genres, but it seems to have the greatest impact on its audiences. Literatures may differ from one another with regards to the genre, but essentially they propagate the same message. Comedy can either be slapstick or satirical, which coaxes the audience in to acknowledging the absurdity of certain social institution and ideals.

Oscar Wilde’s ‘Importance of being Earnest’ epitomizes this aspect of the argument, in which the protagonist cons the other characters by forming an alter-ego named Earnest and the women are quickly to forgive his deception after he officially has himself christened Earnest. Wilde has tried to explain the unusual ideals and association that the women had established; despite the fact that they were