Macbeth

   

     Conflicting forces drive the plot of most works of literature. There may be the need to do what is right but the character needing to do what they want is also an option or maybe there is the choice between doing one thing but losing either way or maybe wining both ways. There are many combinations of choices characters in works of literature can be designed by the writer to take. In Macbeth Shakespeare gives Macbeth to paths form which to choose form and the path he ends up choosing is only chosen because of outside influence.
     Macbeth way an honorable soldier up until he was given a choice. Of course, the outside influence was only a biased addition to his choice and the very base of it. Lady Macbeth influenced Macbeth's decision to kill King Duncan who had already promised to make Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. Lady Macbeth's ambition and insecurity as well as her evil nature pushed her into forcing Macbeth to kill King Duncan. She never physically forced him but did threaten his manhood and on more than one occasion made him view himself as weak and unworthy of power. And, so Macbeth made his tragic choice which only led to more tragedy and dead as is often seen in Shakespeare's plays.
     Macbeth's fatal decision made the play the tragedy it was intended to be. His decision and the influence of Lady Macbeth gave the play its' entire meaning. Killing Duncan made a paranoid man of Macbeth. Slowly all men began to fall. Banquo, whom he had triumphed in war with, was killed and the killings went on until the masterminds of the massacre fell as well. Macbeth was a stupid and gullible victim but a victim nonetheless. Lady Macbeth was the disturbed antagonist.
     Macbeth was torn between losing his place as a man in his marriage and Killing the King who was about to give him all he could dream of having. He had to have it all and with Lady Macbeth's help he killed the Duncan. He was given choices and the choice he picked helped give the entire play its' tragic theme.
 
   

"Clocks and Lovers"

1983 Poem: “Clocks and Lovers” (W. H. Auden)

Prompt: Write a well-organized essay in which you contrast the attitude of the clocks with that of the lover. Through careful analysis of the language and imagery, show how this contrast is important to the meaning of the poem.

    

     As when two different poets may contrast their thoughts on a subject, a single poet can contrast ideas in one work. Opposition to love and hope in the same is seen in W. H. Auden's poem "Clocks and Lovers". In the poem he gives insight into both sides of love, the fantasy romance love and the limited and stressful love. He accomplishes this contrast through his use of language and imagery throughout the poem. 

     Auden begins by praising love and the wonders it brings with it, "Love had no ending." He finds "love" and is instantly hypnotized. He had a feeling of invisibility and continues describing his feelings, "I'll love you till the ocean is folded and hung up to dry, And the seven stars go squeaking, Like geese about the sky." AT this point all that is discussed is how magnificent and everlasting love is. He feels he controls time and he is the one who decided how long he will love.

     There is a sudden shift in the poem where time becomes the foe. Time becomes the enemy. A quiet one. One that "watches from the shadows, And coughs when you would kiss." Time is now threatening his love and love is no longer as wonderful as it used to be. In the end love is lost for the clocks have ticked and time has gone yet all remains the same and the river continues to flow. There is resignation yet still a trace of frustration in his tone. He has just gone from thinking love lasts forever to being hit by reality and realizing love, like all else, will end.

      Contrast of main ideas in poetry give those contrasting ideas more value and help give the audience a greater understanding of both. In the poem "Clocks and Lovers" by W. H. Auden we see two contrasting views on love using both love and time in the form of clocks. Auden's use of language and imagery helps make the comparison possible. 

"To Helen" and "Helen"

     Contrasting views on the the same subject bring a greater understanding of that same subject. While one source of literature may emphasize the virtues of the subject the other may makes these same descriptions stronger through contrast views. It't similar to their having to be evil for there to be good and there must be white for there to be black. The contrast in the works often help make each other stronger such as in the comparison of Helen in Edgar Allen Poe's "To Helen" and H.D.'s "Helen." These two poems use elements such as speaker, imagery and tone to help give different view points on the same subject, Helen of Troy.
     Right form the beginning the audience can see a difference in the titles of both works. Poe's is directly written "for Helen" while H.D. talks to a larger audience. Poe is intimate and romantic while H.D. is full of disgust and blames Helen for the Trojan War. The speaker in the "To Helen" praises Helen, "How statue-like I see thee stand." The speaker in "Helen" is all but soft on Helen, "the wan face when she smiles, hating it deeper still."
     The imagery in "To Helen" is gentle and filled with love. The images are soft and appeal to the senses, "That gently, o'er a perfumed sea." The imagery in "To Helen" makes her a victim to the Trojan War but in "Helen" she is the enemy. H.D. sees her as the cause of their grief which is why he takes on such a hateful tone. Poe is sweet and romantic. He uses a calm and thoughtful tone when he speaks of Helen because he is trying to make the audience feel that same appreciation for her. Helen is perceived as both the problem and the victim. This contrast help the audience understand to different view points on both Helen and her involvement in the Trojan War.
     A contrast in works of literature, both in them and between them, helps give the subject greater depth and meaning. In Poe's "To Helen" and H.D.'s "Helen" Helen is viewed form two different angles. In one she is praised and in the other she is despised but this is only possible with the help of supporting literary elements.