Exploring the Themes of Forgiveness and Reconciliation in The Tempest b

Exploring the Themes of Forgiveness and Reconciliation in The Tempest by William Shakespeare Prospero is a character that seems to stand at the very centre of The Tempest. Throughout the play, he prompts most of the action, and he has the last word. The entire plot of the play is a scheme designed by Prospero to bring his rivals to a state of regret so that he can pardon them and restore the rightful order of things to his dukedom of Milan. As Prospero is seen as being all-powerful over the island, he could easily destroy or punish his enemies by any method or means. However, he chooses not to and brings the past conspirators face-to- face with the sins of their past, which causes them to be repentant. In a god-like way, Prospero forgives each of them, allowing them to live and return to Italy. In appreciation, they promise to faithfully serve Prospero. It is a picture of full reconciliation, with the exception of Antonio. This shows that the theme of this play is the ?chain of forgiveness and reconciliation?, filled with religious overtones. The religious theme in this play may be shown by how Prospero exemplifies wisdom, justice, and super-human good judgement. In relation to the other characters, this may be argued to show a Christ -like representation of Prospero to the readers or audience of the play. The time when the play was written would mean an audience composed of Christians, who would have almost certainly agreed that forgiveness was essential. Like Jesus he is betrayed by his enemies. After he is stripped of his power, Prospero is then sent to die at sea; but he is almost miraculously raised from the near-dead due to the loving care of Gonzalo, who is a God-like figure due to his age, wisdom, kindness ... ...dy. Act five presents a climax, when Prospero confronts his enemies, brings them to repentance and forgives them. Those whowere though dead were discovered alive, a lost son id resorted to a joyous parent and Those who have committed offenses repent and are forgiven. The conclusion shows how the reconciliation is brought about. What isn't clear is whether Prospero intends from the beginning to forgive his old enemies or whether his mercy is a last-minute decision. Merinda and Ferdinand are blissfully wedded a and Prospero is restored his rightful position and plans to sail home. He also generously forgives those who have wronged him, proving that ?the rarer action is in virtue rather than vengeance? because he concentrates on the re-growth instead of revenge, Prospero proves the true nobility of his character, while allowing all the characters to better themselves.

Leadership Within the 12 Angry Men Essay

Throughout the film, there is seemingly more than one â€Å"leader† throughout the jury as according to Nick’s definition of a leader being that there were multiple influences and instances that persuaded the decisions of others. Initially the situation is composed of a biased and opinionated jury that is almost unanimously convinced the defendant is guilty. Throughout the scene, there is a slow but sure change of mind throughout the jury as the protagonist, Juror #8, successfully persuades the other jurors who initially voted the boy guilty of murder to further investigate and examine the fact which eventually leads to the confirmation and agreement of reasonable doubt among the jury. Juror 8’s effective followership was best represented by his consistent approach and solution to the conflict that initially had nobody even listening. Juror 8 knew what he was standing up for, proper justice, even in the face of adversity as he was challenged by everyone in the room and his willingness and courage to assume the responsibility and challenge the assumed (198). He is also seen as a leader of the group through the honesty and integrity he displayed by â€Å"acting in accordance with solid moral principles† (41) as well as a drive to reach an honest verdict by convincing the group to look at all the possibilities despite the obvious and assumed. Juror 3 would best be classified as an alienated follower as his prejudice against the defendant clouds his judgment, placing a bias on why he thinks the boy is guilty. As it turns out, his own son that he hasn’t seen for 2 years had grown up challenging his authority and rejecting his morals providing the basis for the anger that is displayed so stubbornly until the very bitter end. As alienated followers â€Å"are capable, they focus exclusively on the shortcomings and have experienced setbacks and obstacles† (195) as did Juror 3 when initially, he had convincingly and mindlessly persuaded the others of the defendant’s guiltiness as a result of the anger he felt from the bitter relationship he had with his son. Juror 10 could most definitely be classified as conformist follower as his stubborn belief in the defendant’s guiltiness was supported by a mindless and intolerant argument supported by his racist, bigoted comments. Initially Juror 10 willingly participated in the heated yet convinced discussion as there was little doubt about the defendant’s guilt and conflict was at a minimum. As the tables turned and tension rose, Juror 10 found himself â€Å"concerned with avoiding conflict† (195) and became less of a contributor to the conversation. As with Juror 8, in any situation in which there is an uncertainty or doubt present, especially regarding a decision with such major implications such as the one presented to the â€Å"Twelve Angry Men†, I find it highly necessary to further investigate and take all things into consideration before coming to a decision. The suspicion of shady, questionable behavior of the CEO is to be examined and reviewed in the same manner that Juror 8 went about questioning the assumed â€Å"facts† and looked at all the possibilities.

The Privacy Of The National Security - 2299 Words

In an age of what appears to be increasing insecurity, Americans have to make a choice between being secure and maintaining civil liberties, or leaving it up to the government to decide. The privacy of Americans should be taken into more consideration when using surveillance and other methods to watch the people. Privacy today faces growing threats from a developing surveillance apparatus that is repeatedly justified in the name of the national security. Security is privileged over values, such as civil liberties after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Due to this horrendous event, the national government commenced its surveillance attack in hopes of stopping another terrorist outbreak from happening, but it only created a divide within the American people. The government is trying to rebuild the security that was lost (â€Å"Money†). Their plan involves increasing the surveillance, listening to phone calls, and monitoring people’s searches for keywords, and usi ng the law to their advantage. These measurements are exaggerated and unnecessary in order to protect Americans. The government divided the nation through this act. In order to restore the nation to its proper standing, the first step to fix the nation should have been the Patriot Act, which was put into place after 9/1l, but it is the Patriot Act that actually started the divide of the people and government. The job of the Patriot Act was to preserve life and liberty of the people of the United States. The ActShow MoreRelatedThe Privacy And National Security965 Words   |  4 PagesDo you think privacy or national security is an important factor in our daily lives? In this day and age the question of whether privacy or national security is more important comes up a lot, and many raise valid arguments for both sides. 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