Macbeth: Desperate for Kingship!

   The work of Macbeth, by Shakespeare demonstrates a great hunger for power and what a person is willing to do and how they are willing to get anyone possibly in their way out of the picture. Macbeth, being a man greatly driven by the desire to obtain more power then what is already at his hands is a man that with the encouragement of his wife is willing to kill anyone which needs to die in order for him to have the throne! The only way in order to gain the power of kingship as soon as possible would be by murdering the king and by murdering the one who he thinks at the moment could be his one only other competitor Banquo. After the deaths of many others including that of Lady Macbeth took place, Prince Malcolm put together an army to fight against Macbeth. Macbeth managed to kill many people in desperation for the throne, but this man's life was finally put to an end by MacDuff.
   After having just read any works of Shakespeare for the first time in my life, I am quickly discovering that there are many messages and much meaning within his works. At first they do not appear to be very clear being as there is much to take in, but in reality after further analyzing the readings I've quickly discovered that this work is a great demonstration as to how just one man can take down so many innocent people over nothing more then being desperate for kingship! Macbeth fought and died for this desire of his, but in reality it does not appear to me as if it was truly even worth it. This reading to me gives me the message that although it is important to desire and strive for what you want there are limits in life and it is important to understand that there are others greater and more powerful then you who will in fact bring you down from your high horse!

The Questioning of Sexualities

   Throughout the years and till this day still, it has been made very difficult for those who are part of the GLBT community to come out in the open without waiting to be greatly judged and critiqued from left and right by all those who do not find same sex love to be acceptable. Therefore leading those wanting to come out to possibly even begin questioning their own sexualities for no other reason then not wanting to become a disappointment to the society which they are a part of. A great example as to how these concerns by the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender community has been around is clearly demonstrated in Shakespeare's, The Twelfth Night. Between the love of Orsino and Viola, it is of much importance to realize that Orsino kept thinking over and over to himself that this love was in fact not okay for the fact that he knew that by the views of society, it was not acceptable for a man to love another man. Orsino did in fact fall for the man which Viola pretended to be. After Orsino discovered that Viola was not a man, but actually a woman, it is almost as if he gained a great relief. This love to Orsino finally became acceptable. In reality though was it not just societies aproval that Orsino needed?
   Our societies even till this day make it so that gay marriage is not permitted like that of a marriage between a man and a women. Does this mean that love is not true love simply because it's of the same sex? Gender roles till this day also are still greatly apparent in all cultures. Men are expected to be the providers and head of the household whereas women are expected to care for and nourish their loved ones. Is this to say that the roles can not be reversed?
   Many great writers such as Shakespeare greatly demonstrate that these gender role issues have been around for many years and it is in fact necessary that society begins to accept the fact that for those who are gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, or transgender they are still human beings which play a normal role in our society no matter what gender they find themselves attracted to and it not mattering what gender role they choose to play. After all is it not important to realize that no individual human being is worth more or less then the one he or she stands next to?
  

Selling What One Does Not Own As Our Own

   Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, greatly has arisen many questions in my mind from a religious aspect, ethical and moral aspect. Being raised as a Catholic, I have been brought up with believes that one should never make any type of deal with the devil. Much less should one agree to sign off their soul to him. As a human being on the other hand without having a religious stand point in mind, my ethics and morals still come into play. Among these ethics are knowing the difference between what is right and what is wrong. With this comes knowledge that every decision and road we choose to follow in life may have consequences.The desire to  gain all of the knowledge in the world in order to broaden and expand one's own horizons as an intellectual by in exchange selling your soul to the devil to me does not seem like the brightest thing to do in anyway possible.
   One can not sell off what to begin with does not belong to us, one also knows that when a promise is made to anyone whether it is the devil or not, one is expected to keep our end of the bargain and not back down. It is indeed possible that he enjoyed the benefits from having so much knowledge right at his hands, but is it worth it?
   In class many discussed as to how there are many other stories or cases in which people do make the deal with the devil with good original intentions in mind, and with the understanding that consequences do come along with this decision. But that is exactly what is of most importance here is understanding that when you sign off your soul with your own blood, not one person is forcing you into this, as a grown individual, you are in fact responsible for going through with this, and you are indeed responsible for keeping your end of the bargain. As with any other deal you can't expect to take without giving in return.
   The next question which greatly brought my attention with this reading was why not learn your lesson from your mistakes, and attempt to accept it and not place the blame on others? Although there are some occasions in which people are tricked into doing things that they do not want to do, at times people just make decisions while focusing more on what they will be gaining then by focusing on what they very possibly could be losing. Is it a natural instinct as a human to automatically attempt to place the blame on someone other then yourself in order to avoid admitting that a wrong decision was made?
   Could it possibly be that it is just common that people make decisions at a young age when they are much more carefree and less fearful, which at an older age are regretful about and much more fearful of the consequences which they simply did not care about before?
   Marlowe provide's all his readers with a great lesson. Realize that actions come with consequences and once you agree to something you are in fact responsible for keeping your end of the bargain.