Themes In Don Quixote

The code of chivalry misjudges the capabilities of a knight and does not consider the human emotions that a knight can feel such as fear. Cornelius explains, “In failure, Gawain finds only imperfection and the stunning recognition that he is only human” (Cornelius). The challenges that are expected of a knight stray away from the fact that knights are flawed humans too, and they are indeed mortal. Gawain carries out his dishonorable actions because his human instinct of fear gets to him. He would not have kept the girdle if he did not feel fear about going to see the Green Knight a year and a day later.

Beowulf makes known that “no man but [himself] could hope to defeat this monster, [and] no one could try.” Beowulf wants to have this fight all to himself, so he can take all of the glory. He is too selfish to conclude that only he could defeat the monster alone. Beowulf cannot be thought of as a hero because “Beowulf only longed for fame.” Beowulf does not perform heroic deeds just to save the citizens, but to receive more admiration from the citizens.

A brave leader gives hope to his people in times of need and does not hide behind walls in seclusion and lets his people suffer and perish. It is unfortunate that Prince Prospero, because of his great fear of death, tries to thwart it by building a fortressed castle and hiding behind these impenetrable walls. He must have thought that hiding and secluding inside his castellated abbey with his chosen friends could have protected him from the Red Death. However, his “castellated abbey” fails, because death is inevitable.

Odysseus and his voyage are a true testament to human will and the moral character of a true hero. When Odysseus began his journey he started off as an honorable man, but by the time he finished, he became a good man. Odysseus is a testimony to what it means to change for the better, and change of

Odysseus should not be granted an award for being a good leader in the Odyssey Although he fought well and won many battles he still made some very selfish decision 's. The Choices that the so called "Great" leader made caused the innocent solders to lose their life 's Odysseus chose to think by him self and not discuss with his mates about his dangerous ideas. Odysseus is A man know from the city/island of Troy, he is a so called leader, knight and great fighter. One of his selfish decisions that he made was when him and the soilders wandered into the cave of the cyclops, his soldiers suggested that they should take some food and leave, while Odysseus deiced to stay longer and examine the cyclops cave, This is were things get worse, as

The Author Charles Frazier wrote in his book Cold Mountain “[No] matter what a waste a man has made of ones life, it is ever possible to find some path to redemption, however partial” John Proctor is a prime example of this quote. Towards the beginning of the play Miller gives the reader an impression that he is a selfish and immoral man that does not care about his family or the feelings of his wife, Elizabeth. As the play goes on however Miller’s representation of proctor can sway the opinions they have of John when he decides to let himself be hanged for good reason. Within the short timeline of the story John Proctor was able to look past his mistakes and restored his morals. John Proctor was denounced in the story when he was seduced

In Timothy Findley’s novel, The Wars, he uses symbolism and character development to suggest; that despite how hard one may try to change themselves, they will never be happy, they should only be content to stay as themselves and not try to be like others. Initially, Robert Ross is a great protector of innocence. As the story progresses, he tries hard to become a war hero in order to gain redemption but fails in the process. By the end, Robert

The selflessness and loyalty suitable in knight; / Here I stand, faulty and false, much as I’ve feared them” (Gardner 357-360). In this description, Sir Gawain becomes aware of his cheating and accepts his disgraceful action he commits. However, he is motivated to commit such action due to the life-threating situation from Green Knight’s challenge. As a knight, Sir Gawain feels most shameful because instead of accepting his death with honor, he self-preserve to his existence. On the other hand, I had taken similar action as Sir Gawain in the past.

Above all Chris McCandless was an arrogant man. He refused many offers of help he got under the ground of that it was cheating. His arrogance led to him taking unnecessary risks which led to him encountering many hapless events. A quote from Into the Wild, his sister Carine said, “ Chris didn’t think twice about risking his own life, but he never would have put Buckley in any kind of danger (Krakauer 128). This really shows that without a person to keep a handle on him, to give him a conscience about what he was putting himself into, he was really the only one credible for his ultimate demise.

In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, the character Telemakhos struggles to become a man. Telemakhos lacks confidence in himself and is irritable. Though he has negative qualities that can hold him back from maturing, he also has many good qualities that will help him become a man. At first Telemakhos is too afraid to confront his mother's suitors and starts off insecure about his potential.

Through the characters in the books of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the audience can see these awesome tales of redemption, and be inspired to learn from their mistakes. In the book by Simon Armitage, the protagonist, Sir Gawain, is viewed to be the perfect knight. However, he is not “perfect.” He took the lady of the houses’ green girdle and did not tell the lord of the manor.

In the epic Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is depicted as a heroic figure who fights monsters and defends the weak. During its time, Beowulf would be considered a great hero, however in today 's standards Beowulf would only be considered a great warrior. That’s because a hero should value the lives of the people and not seek to be rewarded. Instead, Beowulf committed heroic acts for his own selfish reasons and never shows to values the lives of the people. From fighting Grendel to slaying the dragon, Beowulf only fought because he value the fame and fortune that comes along with those accomplishments.

After knighting Dick, the Duke of Gloucester stares deeply into his eyes, causing him to quail before his gaze. “The insane excitement, the courage, and the cruelty that he read therein filled him with dismay about the future” (Stevenson 217). Richard discovers the cruelty of knighthood and becomes disillusioned to what true manhood means. After witnessing the ruthlessness and ferocity of knighthood, Dick understands that knighthood did not possess the qualities which he came to believe knighthood included. In order to become Joanna’s husband, Richard forsakes all the glories of knighthood, realizing that Joanna means more to him than knighthood and its fading glories.

Many people argue that Julius Caesar plays the part of the tragic hero in this play due to his high egotism. Although this might seem like a fatal character flaw, Caesar’s egotism isn 't quite severe enough to be the cause of his death. His egotism is just a personality trait, as Caesar shows he is humble at certain points in the play. Caesar states, “Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once.

The feeling of happiness after helping someone is perhaps the only sure thing a hero can expect, and when even this is not fulfilled, it hurts the hero even more. Fitz from the Farseer series of books is the best example of this feeling of betrayal. He is tortured to death for the amusement of his uncle, but is then brought back by his mentors with magic. However, he is forced to stay dead to keep everyone associated alive, and cannot see them again. When he finally recovers, he is forced to flee after a raid on his home, while leaving the raider 's bodies behind.