The Consequences of Avarice - 1836 Words

Throughout history, the human race seems to be driven by greed and controlled by the obsession of obtaining power. In fact, greed, at times leads specific individuals in history to become power hungry; in their search for power, their greed is usually never satisfied and their journey carries them through an unfortunate trail to unhappiness, isolation, and betrayal. Leaders in history like Hitler, Napolean, Machiavelli, and Richard Nixon showed great potential to be positively influential, but their power-hungry motives motivated them to be driven by uncontrollable avarice. As a result, people often turn to a lifestyle searching for gratification and, consequently, gain nothing. In response to the aforementioned claim, King Lear and†¦show more content†¦The power of greed over life and death is substantial in the unfolding of the story. Initially, Goneril and Regan’s avarice was solely for the purpose of power and authority; however, Goneril’s self-centered de sires lead her to be extremely jealous of Cordelia’s love for her father, and in turn, has Cordelia killed. â€Å"Your lady, sir your lady!/ And her sister By her is poisoned; she confesses it† (5.3 228). With great jealousy, avarice, and pride, Goneril kills her two sisters and then kills herself. Her greed led to the murder of her sisters and because she would rather die than live a life meaningless to others, her avarice led to her suicide; as a result, avarice led to the death of all three characters. At the conclusion of the play, King Lear hears of his daughter, Cordelia’s death and feels extreme regret. If his greed did not initially give his daughters, Goneril and Regan, undeserved authority over him, Cordelia’s life may have been saved. Once again King Lear finds himself isolated and helpless and moans: Howl, howl, howl! Oh, you are men of stones!/ Had I your tongues and eyes: O’d use them so/ that heaven’s vault shall crack. She’s gone forever./ I know when one is dead and when one lives;/ She’s dead as earth. Lend me a looking glass; / Is that her breath will mist or stain the stone, why, then she lives. (5.3 262-267) With extreme sorrow and in deep mourning, King Lear dies over his daughter, Cordelia’s body. It is shown through anShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of Dante ´s Divine Comedy845 Words   |  3 Pagespoint on Mount Joy, and in hell Dante presents a she wolf who represents avarice. In the middle section of Mount Joy and Hell, Dante presents the sin of fraud which he represents with a leopard. In the lowest part of Hell and Mount Joy, Dante presents the sin of pride which he represents with a lion. Dante writes about a she wolf on the top of Mount Joy. The she wolf, which represents sinners that commit the sin of avarice, is as close as any sinner can get to God because she is the beast that isRead MoreThe Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer913 Words   |  4 Pagesa corrupt individual that will do anything to sell his pardons and relics. Nevertheless one of the most important characteristics that the Pardoner exhibits is his frankness about his own hypocrisy and sins. The pardoner accuses himself of fraud, avarice, and gluttony (the very things that he preaches against). During the Pardoners prologue, but most noticeable during his tale, the pardoners preach about how â€Å"Greed is the root of all evil†, and how our sins can lead cause our dismay. When the PardonerRead MoreKing Lear as a Commentary on Greed1124 Words   |  5 Pagestitled Escape from Freedom, the famous American psychologist Erich Fromm wrote that Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction (Fromm 98).   Fromm realized that avarice is one of the most powerful emotions that a person can feel, but, by its very nature, is an emotion or driving force that can never be satisfied.   For, once someone obtains a certain goal, that person is not satisfied and continues to strive for moreRead MoreEssay on Summary and Analysis of The Pardoners Tale1346 Words   |  6 Pagesapothecary which he poured into the wine bottle. When he returned, the two rioters stabbed the third, murdering him. They then drank the poisoned wine and died themselves. The Pardoner interrupts the end of his tale with a diatribe against the sin of avarice, then launches into a sermon in which he attempts to sell relics to the other travelers. The Host argues with him, telling him that the only relic he would want from the Pardoner is his testicles enclosed in a hogs turd. The knight mediates the conflictRead MoreCurse of the Pyncheons in The House of The Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne701 Words   |  3 Pagesare tempted to believe in Maule’s curse, even though it is possible to interpret the misfortunes of the family as the result of a different curse which perverts the world even today. The mysterious deaths of the patriarchal Pyncheons seem to be a consequence of the Colonel’s original sin, but the evil intentions which surround them seem to suggest a more judgmental cause. The first death attributed to the Maule curse was that of Colonel Pyncheon himself. Found dead with blood on his ruffled collar,Read MoreThe Tragedy Of Dante s Inferno1016 Words   |  5 Pagesand records it in The Inferno, thus using it as a way to show his fellow citizens the fate that awaits them if they do not seek redemption. Inferno’s poem serves as attempt to reintroduce the importance of Christian faith and remind humans of the consequences of original sin, all souls need to follow the path of God and ask forgiveness instead of idolizing historical figures of time and corrupt officials whose actions have only earned them a seat in hell. When Dante enters the first few circles of HellRead MoreDestruction of a Species1041 Words   |  4 Pages The soul cannot be eradicated of all vestiges of evil. Life itself is a paradox in which we all must accept and balance our avarice aspirations in order to maintain a serendipitous existence. When our inner monstrosity is aroused the delicate components that compose our humanity are transformed under the duress of our self- serving desires. We forsake forgiveness for revenge. We exploit the secrets of those surrounding us to bring validity to our lies. Brother against brother, sister against sisterRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Mills Essay1690 Words   |  7 Pagesdestruction of the people and ,ultimately, to death. Though the play is not set in modern times, Miller provides the reader with relatable themes: ideology and avarice. Miller applies his knowledge of the Puritan society to portray the product of strict ideology, and characters such as Thomas Putnam and Abigail Williams demonstrate the prevalent avarice in the community. To further entice the reader, allusions, figurative language, and symbolism are utilized. Arthur Miller was born in Manhattan, New YorkRead MoreThe Pardoners Tale By Chaucer Theme Analysis1533 Words   |  7 Pagestheir younger counterpart. The theme that people will betray one another in order to gain money is seen in another part of the plot. The young man that is sent to get the bread and wine also has devious plan up his sleeve. Without thinking of the consequences, the younger man â€Å"was utterly content to kill them both and never to repent† (Chaucer 250-251). The way the young man killed the two other men was by poisoning the wine he was getting for them. This quote shows how the young man was going to killRead More Comparing Love and Marriage in Canterbury Tales, Lanval, Faerie Queene, and Monsieurs Departure675 Words   |  3 Pagesatrocities of Arthurs Camelot, the superficiality of courtly love in Morgan le Fays realm, and the infidelity of wives trapped in arranged, medieval marriages. In the Millers Tale and in the Wife of Baths Prologue, Chaucer unearths many silly consequences of marriages not based on love, while in the Wifes Tale he provides an example proposing the possibility of love within marriage. The Wife of Baths account of the battles for supremacy and the family assets with her five husbands puts forward