Macbeth By William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) Essays -

Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) Type of Work: Tragic fatalistic drama Setting Eleventh-century Scotland Principal Characters Macbeth, a noble Scottish chieftain Lady Macbeth, his wife Batiquo, Macbeth's warrior-friend Fleatice, Banquo's son Duncan, King of Scotland, a gentle and perfect ruler Macduff, a rebel lord Three Witches Story Overveiw On a stormy night, Scottish armies managed to suppress a rebellion, largely through the valor of two noblemen Macbeth and Banquo. They had also frustrated a Viking invasion that had received assistance from a prominent Scotsman, the Thane of Cawdor' When news of these two events reached Duncan, King of Scotland, he was delighted with Macbeth's performance, but insisted that Cawdor's treason warranted his death. Accordingly, the king declared that Cawdor be executed and that Macbeth be named in his stead, Thane of Cawdor. Meanwhile, Macbeth and Banquo, on their way home from war, happened upon a trio of witches - hags stirring a blackened caldron and heralding Macbeth's arrival: "Double, Double, toil and trouble." The witches astonished the pair by prophesying that Macbeth would become first, the new Thane of Cawdor, and then, King of Scotland; and that Banquo would become the father of kings. Then the dark hags vanished, leaving Banque and Macbeth to speculate over these strange prophecies. No sooner had the witches departed than two of the king's messengers arrived with news that Macbeth had indeed been named to replace the deposed Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth was amazed to see the first of the witches' prophecies so quickly fulfilled, and began to believe in the ultimate fulfillment of the second. If he could be Thane of Cawdor, perhaps he could rule all of Scotland as well. This innocent belief quickly expanded into a deep-seated ambition, which began to taint Macbeth's mind with dark thoughts: Would the prophecy fulfill itself, or would he have to take action to usurp the throne? Since Duncan was king, would not one of his two sons follow him in ruling Scotland? All this time, Banquo resisted any thoughts of hastening the witches , prophecy that his children would be kings, but could sense the unrest stirrin inside the soul of his fellow officer. Banquo and Macbeth returned and reported to King Duncan, who warmly commended them both for their courage. But during the ensuing conversation he made two announcements which brought even more sinister ideas into Macbeth's mind: First, he declared his son, Malcolm, heir to the throne; and second, he expressed his intention to visit Macbeth for a night at Macbeth's castle. Macbeth felt he must somehow take advantage of Duncan's visit to advance his own ambitions - or, as he saw it, his own destiny. Hearing of her returning husband's success and of the prophecies pronounced upon him, Macbeth's wife was filled with a consuming desire to see him ascend to the throne. Vowing to stop at nothing in this quest, Lady Macbeth urged her husband to help her murder the king as he slept. She would undertake to induce the king's guards to drink, giving Macbeth the opportunity to slip into Duncan's quarters, slay him, and plant the murder weapons on the drunken guards. Macbeth hesitated at first, but his shrewd and aspiring wife eventually prevailed. As announced, Duncan did visit Macbeth, and after feasting there with Banquo and others, he prepared for bed. According to plan, Lady Macbeth arranged to intoxicate the guards, then sent her husband to do the deed. Presently, Macbeth returned to her, Duncan's murder accomplished. But now Macbeth was filled with guilt. Nonetheless, the conspiring spouses slipped, unseen, back to their chamber. Two visiting nobles, Lennox and Macduff, finding the king's lifeless body the next morning, sounded the alarm. Everyone rushed to the site, where Macbeth and his wife pretended to be shocked and heartbroken. Duncan's two sons, suspecting a similar conspiracy would be attempted upon their lives, fled separately to England and Ireland. After that, events moved swiftly. Everyone saw the flight of Duncan's sons as evidence that they had been the conspirators against their father. Macbeth was crowned as successor to the throne; he had fooled everyone _ except Banque, who was suspicious of Macbeth's sudden rise to power. In fact, Banquo, remembering the promises made by the witches regarding his own progeny, feared jealous attempts on both his life and the life of his son Fleance. Immediately he informed Macbeth that the two of them would be leaving the country. The tormented Macbeth, who also remembered the witches' ultimate prophecy, hired two assassins to kill Banquo and Fleance as they traveled. He could not allow Banquo's son to rule. Banquo was murdered, but Fleance managed to escape. Many days later,

Euthanasia in the United States essays

Euthanasia in the United States essays Every year two million people die in North America. Chronic illness, such as cancer or heart disease, accounts for two of every three deaths. It is estimated that approximately seventy percent of these people die after a decision is made to forgo life-sustaining treatment (Choice in Dying). In America and all around the world, the ongoing debate is whether patients should have the opportunity to implement this critical alternative of euthanasia. Although controversial, it is imperative that United States citizens are not denied this right to a humane death. Groups in opposition to euthanasia say that patients who yearn to make this decision are neither in a healthy psychological state of mind nor have the God-willing right to do so. These groups feel if euthanasia were to become a publicly accepted option to the terminally ill that physicians, family, and even patients may abuse it. They also strongly support modern end-of-life treatment, known as palliative care, as a more logical and moral option. Perhaps the strongest belief that euthanasia is wrong comes from those who follow the words of the Bible and believe that every aspect of life belongs to God. The Old Testament records an incident involving King Saul of Israel, who became seriously wounded on the battlefield. Fearing the advancing enemy, Saul took his own sword and tried to fall against it. He cried to a soldier, Come and put me out of my misery for I am in terrible pain but life lingers on. The soldier acted in accordance with the wishes of the king and killed him. The soldier then brought some of Sauls armor to David and said, I killed him, for I knew he couldnt live. David ordered the soldier put to death (Eareckson, 111). Those who believe in the Bible clearly see here that, whether a monarch or a common person, mercy killing is perceived as iniquitous in the Lords eyes. To see a more recent example of the Catholic Chur...

Cause and effects of Ozone Depletion Research Paper

Cause and effects of Ozone Depletion - Research Paper Example The effect of ozone depletion is more than what one would anticipate. This paper analyses the causes and effects of ozone depletion. Causes of ozone depletion â€Å"The fact that the ozone layer was being depleted was discovered in the mid-1980s. The main cause of this is the release of CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons†(Ozone depletion, n. d). Ozone layer is present in the stratosphere. Majority of the refrigerators and sprays used by us contains CFC in one form or other. When we dispose these things injudiciously, CFC gets liberated from these things and reaches the stratosphere. At stratosphere, CFC’s will react with ultraviolet radiations and liberate chlorine gas. Chlorine is a highly reactive gas and it will react with Ozone (O3) and liberates oxygen (O2) molecules. Because of the high reactivity of Chlorine, each chlorine atom can destroy more than hundred thousand ozone molecules. Thus increased presence of Chlorine in stratosphere is the major reason for the depletion of ozone layer. Even though chlorine is produced from different other manmade activities, none of those chlorine reaches stratosphere because of its high solubility with water. These Chlorine atoms have the ability to reach only up to the troposphere in which it forces to combine with the rain water. â€Å"In contrast, CFCs are very stable and do not dissolve in rain. There are no natural processes that remove the CFCs from the lower atmosphere. Over time, winds drive the CFCs into the stratosphere†(Sources of ozone depletion, n. d) â€Å"Large volcanic eruptions can have an indirect effect on ozone levels. Volcanic eruptions can produce large amounts of particles called aerosols. These aerosols increase chlorine’s effectiveness at destroying ozone† (Sources of ozone depletion, n. d). Aerosols contains large amount of CFC’s which can reach up to the stratosphere. Apart from CFC, oxides of nitrogen also cause damages to Ozone layer. Supersonic Aircrafts an d space shuttles liberate oxides of nitrogen which will react with ozone layer and liberate oxygen molecules. The widespread use of artificial fertilizers may also release nitrogen oxides into the stratosphere, although this potential effect is not yet fully defined (Sources of ozone depletion, n. d).Nitrogen is one of the major contents of the chemical fertilizers. It can react with oxygen and form different oxides of nitrogen. These gases have the capacity to reach even stratosphere even though the scientific proofs are not there. Effects of ozone depletion Ozone layer depletion will increase the amount of ultraviolet radiations reaching on earth. Increased exposure to ultraviolet rays may cause chronic skin cancers like Malignant Melanoma among human beings. â€Å"Every time 1% of the ozone layer is depleted, 2% more UV-B is able to reach the surface of the planet. UV-B increase is one of the most harmful consequences of ozone depletion because it can cause skin cancer† (O zone depletion: effects, n. d). Birth defects, visual defects, lung diseases malaria etc are other diseases which can be increased among humans as a result of the increased exposure to ultraviolet radiations. Ultraviolet radiations can cause damages to plant lives also. The natural immunity of the plants could be damaged as a result of the increased exposure of ultraviolet radiations. As a result of that yields from the agricultural crops