Madness and Insanity in Shakespeares Hamlet - Insanity in Hamlet Essay

Insanity in Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   A consideration of the madness of the hero Hamlet within the Shakespearean drama of the same name, shows that his feigned madness sometimes borders on real madness, but probably only coincidentally.    Hamlet’s conversation with Claudius is insane to the latter. Lawrence Danson in â€Å"Tragic Alphabet† describes how Hamlet’s use of the syllogism is pure madness to the king:    What Hamlet shows by his use of the syllogism is that nothing secure can rest on the falsehood that masquerades as the royal order of Denmark. From Claudius’s point of view, however, the syllogism is simply mad: its logic is part of Hamlet’s â€Å"antic disposition.† Sane men know, after all, that â€Å"man and wife is one flesh† only in a metaphoric or symbolic sense; they know that only a madman would look for literal truth in linguistic conventions. And Claudius is right that such â€Å"madness in great ones must not unwatched go† (III.i.end). For the madman, precisely because he does not accept society’s compromises and because he explores its conventions for meanings they cannot bear, exposes the flaws which â€Å"normal† society keeps hidden (70).    Phyllis Abrahms and Alan Brody in â€Å"Hamlet and the Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy Formula† consider the madness of the hero to be completely feigned and not real:    Hamlet is a masterpiece not because it conforms to a set of conventions but because it takes those conventions and transmutes them into the pure gold of vital, relevant meaning. Hamlet’s feigned madness, for instance, becomes the touchstone for an illumination of the mysterious nature of sanity itself (44-45).    Hamlet’s first words in the play say that Claudius is "A little more than kin and less ... ...y Martin). On Some of Shakespeare's Female Characters. 6th ed. London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1899.    Felperin, Howard. â€Å"O’erdoing Termagant.† Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. Rpt. of â€Å"O’erdoing Termagant: An Approach to Shakespearean Mimesis.† The Yale Review 63, no.3 (Spring 1974).    Foakes, R.A.. â€Å"The Play’s Courtly Setting.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. of â€Å"Hamlet and the Court of Elsinore.† Shakespeare Survey: An Annual Survey of Shakespearean Study and Production. No. 9. Ed. Allardyce Nicoll. Cambridge, Eng.: Cambridge University Press, 1956.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos.      

Global warming: a human impact Essay

According to Wikipedia the free encyclopedia, global warming was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824 and investigated quantitatively by Svante Arrhenius in 1896 and is stated as the warming of planet’s surface due to â€Å"emission of infrared radiation by atmospheric gases. † Thus global warming can be described as an increase in average temperature of the earth’s surface air and oceans in recent times and its predicted continuation. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicted a rise in temperatures by 1. 1 to 6. 4 ° C i. e. , 2. 0 to 11. 5 ° F between 1990 and 2100. The global average atmospheric temperatures near the earth’s surface rose from 0. 74  ± 0. 18 ° C i. e. , 1. 3  ± 0. 32 ° F in the last century. The general scientific opinion prevailing on the climatic change is that â€Å"most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations. † Certain human activities such as burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and agricultural activities result in release of green house gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. Natural phenomenon such as solar temperature variations and volcanoes too had an impact on global warming. This rise in global temperatures has serious implications such as rise in sea levels, changes in pattern of precipitation thus leading to droughts, floods, heat waves, hurricanes, tornadoes and ice shelf disruption such as the Larsen Ice Shelf. Other implications could be variations in agricultural yields, glacier retreat, reduction in summer stream flows, extinction of species and increase in the range of disease vectors. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) stated that global warming could also lead to â€Å"deadly heat waves and spread of disease. † Extreme heat waves in 2003 caused more than 20,000 deaths in Europe and over 1500 deaths in India. Dengue fever virus carrying mosquitoes survived previously at an altitude of 3,300 feet but recently they were found at 7,200 feet in Andes Mountains of Colombia, similarly malaria was detected at higher altitudes in Indonesia. Disease-carrying mosquitoes are spreading as climate shifts allow them to survive in formerly inhospitable areas. Mosquitoes that can carry dengue fever viruses were previously limited to elevations of 3,300 feet but recently appeared at 7,200 feet in the Andes Mountains of Colombia. Malaria has been detected in new higher-elevation areas in Indonesia. Wikipedia the free encyclopedia stated that more than 160countries signed the Kyoto Protocol an international agreement to combat global warming. The Kyoto Protocol is an amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the countries ratifying this protocol are committed to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and five other green house gases. Developing countries such as China and India which rank second and third largest CO2 behind the US are exempted from meeting the emission standards in this protocol. Increase in CO2 leads to its dissolution in ocean water and forming carbonic acid resulting into ocean acidification meaning a change in pH of ocean waters and consequently a total change in the eco-balance leading to disappearance to certain species of living forms in the ocean. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), simple measures such as usage of renewable sources of energy like sunlight, wind, wave energy and replacement of decade old coal burning power plants with cleaner and efficient ones would curb the global pollution and help in reducing carbon dioxide pollution positively. Concluding the paper I would like to state that sincere efforts are required to made by the governments in countries like the US, China, India and Japan to minimize pollution with the help of governmental and non-governmental organizations for a better life to future generations. Works Cited Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Global warming (2007). Page retrieved on March 8, 2007 from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Global_warming Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Kyoto Protocol (2007). Page retrieved on March 8, 2007 from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol Natural Resources Defense Council. Global Warming Basics (2007). Page retrieved on March 8, 2007 from: http://www. nrdc. org/globalWarming/f101. asp Natural Resources Defense Council. Consequences of Global Warming (2006). Page retrieved on March 8, 2007 from: http://www. nrdc. org/globalWarming/fcons. asp.

The Ethical Implications Of Vegetarianism - 1614 Words

Vegetarians are people who do not eat meat, and for some, do not consume any animal products at all. Vegetarian has been along for a long time and with time has grown the controversy over the topic. The reasons that vegetarianism has grown into a controversial topic are mostly the human beliefs and health reasons associated with it. Vegetarianism has been around since as early as the seventh century B.C.E.. The civilization was the Indus Valley Civilization, they practiced tolerance towards all living things. Several Indian cultures and various religions (such as a ahimsÄ ) also practice non-violence towards animals (â€Å"Vegetarianism†, Wikipedia.com). This used to be the sole purpose for being vegetarian, but nowadays people are becoming vegetarian for several more reasons. The ethical aspect is still a big reason in the decision. Health benefits and environmental aspects have now also become big reasons for the controversy over vegetarianism. People say that killing animals for food is not morally wrong and, is in fact, a crucial part of our lives. Another aspect is that, while in some ways vegetarianism is beneficial to the environment, it can also hurts the environment. Also, despite all of the health benefits involved with vegetarianism, there are also several health concerns connected with it. T here are many aspects that make the topic of vegetarianism a controversial topic. One of these is that some people believe that the killing of animals for food, and the way theseShow MoreRelatedMichael Pollan s Journalistic Investigation Into The Depths Of Industrial Agriculture2145 Words   |  9 Pageshis readers with an educated answer to the surprisingly complex question of â€Å"what should we have for dinner?† (Pollan 411, 1). 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However being an ancient religion, the bioethics of the modern day complicate the judging of an action as good or bad and leaves it to the knowledge or esteem of an individual’s mind to decideRead MoreEssay on Microcultures in Canada7105 Words   |  29 Pagesprofessional ranks of dentists, lawyers, doctors, and accountants. However, the challenge of living with the history of being the victims of a campaign of mass extermination has not disappeared. Remembrance of the Holocaust and the struggle with its implications are not personal issues, but communal issues in the Jewish life, these commemorations can be found in museums, lectures, books, and movies (Abella). Canada is now home to the fourth largest Jewish community in the world after: Israel, USA and