Hamlet states, "For this same lord, / I do repent…I must be their scourge and minister," (Act III, Scene 4). Here, Hamlet clearly sees himself placed in the unfortunate roll of champion of spiritual justice.
Antigone is perhaps even more directly concerned with spiritual matters than with mundane law. The realm of human society is comparatively petty compared to a higher law and order, notes Antigone. For example, Antigone states outright to Creon, "I did not believe that your edicts were so powerful that you, a mortal, could override the gods' unwritten and unshakable customs," (lines 451-445). Therefore, both Hamlet and Antigone perceive the immortal, undying laws of universal ethical truth as being far superior and more important than the often-unjust laws supported by human governments.
Both plays also show that revenge is a treacherous and dangerous occupation, one that leads to certain but necessary tragedy. For example, the Chorus in Antigone is melodramatic and bemoans the fate of Antigone as well as the polis: "Pray thou no more; for mortals have no escape from destined woe." However, the final line of the play proves that the gods would have been happy with Antigone's quest for universal order. "Wisdom is the supreme part of happiness; and reverence towards the gods must be inviolate. Great words of prideful men are ever punished with great blows." Even Creon seems to recognize that his actions were severe and unjust. Antigone became obsessed with her occupation of burying her brother, to the point where the principle was more important than the act of burial itself. She was also more concerned about the burial of her brother than about the equally as concrete need for social harmony. As a result, she, her fiance, and her sister-in-law, all suffered. In the end, though, Creon did receive his just desserts. Sophocles shows that for Antigone, the choice was therefore a clear and righteous one. Antigone's motives are good, but unfortunately the results of her actions are tragic. In Hamlet, too, many people die as a result of their attempts to secure justice. Both Antigone and Hamlet emerge as heroic figures of their respective plays. However misguided their means were, the...
Justice as Retribution Every individual in the globe has a perception towards crime, justice, criminals, and many other aspects in relation to criminals. On hearing the term "criminal," every individual reacts differently. There are those who feel that a criminal deserves to die, others feel they should rot in prison and many other divergent views. However, does it ever occur that a criminal can be a criminal, through a legal process
What was particularly ironic was that soccer had always been a game for whites only: blacks were specifically not included. Of course, the movie had a happy ending when South Africa won the World Cup. But the World Cup didn't completely change South Africa. There is still high violence, prompted by economic conditions and a newly released set of citizens. A high percentage of residents also have Aids, another very
Revenge Edgar Allen Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," Andre Dubus's "Killings," and Louise Eldrich's "Fleur" are all short stories about revenge. Although they treat the theme of revenge differently, the authors show that the exacting of revenge can indeed be a satisfying finale to a life consumed by tragedy. In each of these three short stories, revenge is depicted as an act that fulfills the protagonists' deepest need. Therefore, guilt does
4. Murder and Execution: DD -- The Young Man pleads to the blood thirsty crowd: "If you hang me to this lantern, will that make you see any clearer?" The demands of the crowd for more blood are thus momentarily stifled by the good sense of their next victim: he points out the erroneous rationale that leads them to murder and execution: it is no way to reach an ideal. AG --
Justice & Social Change The author of this report has been exposed to several topics during the course of the current class. As explained in the parameters for this assignment, the author has discussed or read about organizational ethics, comparative ethics, the ethics of dissent, human rights, liberty, equity and equality. However, the topic of discussion for this report is justice. There is a lot of symbolism and imagery associated with
(d) Retribution serves towards a constructive purpose of -- as Braithwhite calls it -- 'restorative shame' rather than 'stigmatizing shame' In 1988, John Braithwaite published "Crime, shame, and Reintegration" where he introduced his idea of restorative shaming (Braithwaite, 1997). The conventional criminal justice stigmatizes the individual in that it not only makes him a pariah of society thereby making it harder to reform himself, but also crushes his esteem, causing others
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now