The Western Heritage - Literature review Example

AUCW 18 Humanities Final Exam B. Tragic Mistakes in Othello The other characters in the play who did something small but significant and that provedto be deadly are Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, Roderigo, Brabantio and Bianca. Othello, as the central character, did many things that were fatal, like falling in love with Desdemona, but his biggest mistake as it turned out was to trust Iago more than he trusted his wife Desdemona. Othello did not know Iago was manipulating him and everyone else out of desire for revenge after Othello made Cassio the lieutenant and not Iago. This shows that while Othello loved Desdemona, he is also proud because instead of believing Desdemona declare her innocence, as he was about to kill her, he showed that his pride was greater than his love for her wife. Othello also found it easier to believe that Desdemona was unfaithful to him than he was to admit that he could be wrong in trusting Iago too much. This is a big contrast with the scene in Act I, Scene III where he believed Desdemona was trusted enough and prove her love for Othello was greater than her loyalty to her father. The fatal action of Desdemona is to talk to Othello about giving back Cassio the position that he lost. Desdemona had good intentions but Othello, whose mind was already poisoned by Iago that Desdemona and Cassio were having a secret affair, saw Desdemona’s words as a proof that Iago was telling the truth. What this shows is that Desdemona is a good woman and wife but she is naïve or ignorant of the evil intentions of other people. In the end, she even blamed herself for her death instead of putting the blame on Othello when Emilia saw her dying. Cassio made many mistakes, like having desires for Desdemona who is the wife of his boss or of trusting Iago, but his fatal mistake was his weakness in controlling himself when he is drinking. When Iago asked Cassio to drink with him, Cassio already said no because he was on duty, but he still gave in because he liked to drink. Because of this, Cassio did violence to Roderigo and Montano, which is the reason Othello removed him and placed him in a desperate situation. If not for his lack of control when drinking, he would not have to ask Desdemona for help to get back his position. Although he was seriously wounded, Cassio did not die, but because of his mistake, others like Roderigo, Desdemona, Emilia, and Othello died. Roderigo, like Cassio, also had desires for Desdemona and because of this mistake he trusted Iago (another mistake), who was able to use him in his plan to get revenge from Othello. Not only did Iago get money from Roderigo; he also used Roderigo to get Cassio out of the way so that Iago could get to Desdemona and then to Othello in the end. Brabantio, the father of Desdemona, also made the mistake of planting in the mind of Othello the seed of doubt in the faithfulness of Desdemona. His words of farewell to Othello in Act I, Scene III – “Look to her, Moor; have a quick eye to see; She has deceived her father, and may thee” – warned Othello that if Desdemona could be unfaithful to her father, she could also be unfaithful to Othello. It was a foolish remark that showed Brabantio as selfish and proud. Lastly, Bianca the mistress of Cassio also made the fatal mistake of returning the handkerchief in an angry way to Cassio, not knowing that Othello and Iago were looking. This was the final proof to Othello that Desdemona and Cassio were fooling him. What about Iago? He was like the conductor of a music orchestra who played with the other characters. He survived, but other people were dying around him, all part of his plan to get what he thought to be the justice they, and he, deserved. He knew how to make use of the pride and goodness in people and let them make mistakes in the way they made decisions and acted so that he could get his way by any means, even though Shakespeare showed that doing so, being proud, and manipulating others can have bad effects not only to the self but also to others. C. Study of Human Nature in A Man for All Seasons Rich, Cromwell, Henry VIII and the Duke were not after the death of Thomas More but participated in bringing it about. What this means is that the death of More became the means and the result for these four characters to get what they wanted. All four shared common characteristics. They wanted power, influence, and riches. They would not stop at anything to get their way. They were willing to compromise anything –friendship, loyalty, and even their conscience or what they think is right or wrong – to get what they wanted. They even changed the law because this would give them what they want. The key was the desire of King Henry VIII for a male Prince. He twisted the law so he could divorce his Queen and marry a younger woman. Maybe the King used this reason to hide his real desire, which is that of having a younger woman as Queen, but this is not a noble reason for divorcing his wife, so he had to think of something like the survival of the family line and the future of England. The King’s action showed how easy it was for him to use a bigger and more noble cause to make him and others around him think that they are all doing what is right and what is good, and that the end or goal, if it is good, can justify or make good any means used, even if these are not good, to achieve the goal. This is the teaching of Machiavelli. Cromwell is the character who was used by Henry VIII to get what he wanted. He is another one who believes that Machiavelli is right, and that any means is right if it achieves a good goal. Cromwell is not after the position of being the King, but he is after the position of More, which is that of Lord Chancellor or Prime Minister. This is the second most powerful position in the kingdom, and Cromwell was not stopping at anything to get it. As the Secretary of Wolsey, the highest official of the Church in England, Cromwell had a position of influence and knew what to do to get ahead to where he wanted to be. His knowledge of human nature was shaped by the teachings of Machiavelli, and he knew that pride, ambition and the belief each one has of what is good and evil would get him what he wanted. Cromwell knew More as a man of principle who would not change his mind about the Act of Supremacy. He therefore knew that by forcing More to sign, More (and not Cromwell) would be condemning himself to his death and Cromwell would get what he wanted. What if More signed the Act? Then Cromwell would come out as someone the King could trust to get the job done, and Cromwell would look good. Either way, Cromwell wins, shows himself as a loyal subject, and would be rewarded. Richard Rich is weak and ambitious. He is corrupt and, as a follower of Machiavelli and Cromwell, would not stop at anything to get what he wanted. He was after personal glory, wealth, and fame. He showed his true character in his dialogue with More in Act I, and even if More warned him that Rich was not ready for the dirty world of politics, Rich was confident all he had to do was look after his own good interests and he would survive. He reached a bargain with Cromwell, lying and saying what everyone wanted to hear, and he was rewarded for it. The Duke of Norfolk is More’s friend, a man of weak character and shallow convictions as shown in his dialogue with More and the way Cromwell manipulated him. Like Henry VIII, the Duke wanted to keep his title and riches and was ready to do anything for it. Bolt’s play showed that people act and think according to what they believe is right and true, and that they behave according to these personal convictions. The concept of what is right or wrong and true or false in More is opposite that in other characters, and this is the challenge. Could both sides be right and true in the same sense and time? And can another person be put to death if the greater good demands it? Who decides? There are no easy answers here. Human intelligence can say what is this greater good and use laws to condemn those who do not follow, but if those laws do not respect the complex nature of men, those laws may not be right. E. In short, how – if at all – have the readings been worth your while? The six course readings gave me ideas on how complex human nature is. This is shown by the behavior of the central characters and those around them. While some characters like Othello, Oedipus, Antigone and Gilgamesh are not real people, they behave in similar ways like the other characters in the stories of Thomas More and Joseph who were real people. Although some characters look superhuman in their practice of good qualities, like More who stuck to his conscience and belief in his God and Joseph who was loyal to his brothers even though they fooled him, they were also human because they believed in something they were strongly convinced was higher and more noble than themselves, and they acted according to what they believe. Iago, who may seem cruel and evil, believed he was doing the right thing in trying to correct an injustice done to him. Henry VIII and Cromwell believed the future of England was greater than any one man and can condemn those, like More, who do not agree. The stories also spoke of the two sides, both good and bad, of friendship and love. Enkidu and Gilgamesh, More, his daughter and the Duke, Othello, Iago and Desdemona – all prove that friendship and love can bring us to reach the highest joys in life, but it can also destroy us and those we love if we allow pride and desires for power and fame to influence us. Another lesson from the course readings: everything we do has consequences, whether we like it or not. We must be responsible for our actions, and we must learn from them whatever happens. We must not be naïve like Desdemona, but we should not be manipulating like Iago or proud like Othello. We want to be happy, and finding answers to the fundamental questions of life is a key to enjoy the happiness we want. This does not mean we have to make use of people to get our way. We should know that other people can use us for their own purpose, but we must be careful not to let them while not failing to respect their human nature. We must be wise. Read More

Cromwell is not after the King's position, but he is after More's work, which is that of Lord Chancellor or Prime Minister. This is the second most powerful position in the kingdom, and Cromwell was not stopping at anything to get it. As the Secretary of Wolsey, the highest official of the Church in England, Cromwell had a position of influence and knew what to do to get ahead to where he wanted to be. His knowledge of human nature was shaped by Machiavelli's teachings, and he knew that pride, ambition, and the belief each one has of what is right and evil would get him what he wanted. Cromwell knew More as a man of principle who would not change his mind about the Act of Supremacy. He, therefore, knew that by forcing More to sign, More (and not Cromwell) would be condemning himself to his death and Cromwell would get what he wanted. What if More signed the Act? Then Cromwell would come out as someone the King could trust to get the job done, and Cromwell would look good. Either way, Cromwell wins, shows himself as a loyal subject, and would be rewarded.

Richard Rich is weak and ambitious. He is corrupt and, as a follower of Machiavelli and Cromwell, would not stop at anything to get what he wanted. He was after personal glory, wealth, and fame. He showed his true character in his dialogue with More in Act I, and even if More warned him that Rich was not ready for the dirty world of politics, Rich was confident all he had to do was look after his own good interests and he would survive. He reached a bargain with Cromwell, lying and saying what everyone wanted to hear, and he was rewarded for it.

The Duke of Norfolk is More’s friend, a man of weak character and shallow convictions as shown in his dialogue with More and the way Cromwell manipulated him. Like Henry VIII, the Duke wanted to keep his title and riches and was ready to do anything for it.

Bolt’s play showed that people act and think according to what they believe is right and true and that they behave according to these personal convictions. The concept of what is right or wrong and true or false in More is opposite that in other characters, and this is the challenge. Could both sides be right and true in the same sense and time? And can another person be put to death if the greater good demands it? Who decides? There are no easy answers here. Human intelligence can say what is this greater good and use laws to condemn those who do not follow, but if those laws do not respect the complex nature of men, those laws may not be right.

E. In short, how – if at all – have the readings been worth your while?
The six-course readings gave me ideas on how complex human nature is. This is shown by the behavior of the central characters and those around them. While some characters like Othello, Oedipus, Antigone, and Gilgamesh are not real people, they behave in similar ways as the other characters in the stories of Thomas More and Joseph who were real people.

Although some characters look superhuman in their practice of good qualities, like More who stuck to his conscience and belief in his God, and Joseph who was loyal to his brothers even though they fooled him, they were also human because they believed in something they were strongly convinced was higher and nobler than themselves, and they acted according to what they believe. Iago, who may seem cruel and evil, believed he was doing the right thing in trying to correct an injustice done to him. Henry VIII and Cromwell believed the future of England was greater than any one man and can condemn those, like More, who do not agree.

The stories also spoke of the two sides, both good and bad, of friendship and love. Enkidu and Gilgamesh, More, his daughter and the Duke, Othello, Iago, and Desdemona – all prove that friendship and love can bring us to reach the highest joys in life, but it can also destroy us and those we love if we allow pride and desires for power and fame to influence us.
Another lesson from the course readings: everything we do has consequences, whether we like it or not.

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