Indecision, Hesitation and Delay in Shakespeares Hamlet - Excessive H

Hamlet – the Hesitation and Indecision      Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare’s Hamlet presents a hero who hesitates to avenge his dead father when given the opportunity – what should be his judgment? This paper examines the decision from various points of view.    Mark Rose, in â€Å"Reforming the Role,† comments on how the hero’s hesitation to kill at the propitious moment, coupled with his later hasty decision to kill, have left the protagonist a changed man:    [. . .] the prince who returns from sea is a changed man, resigned, detached, perhaps â€Å"tragically illuminated.† Having refused to kill the king when the time was every way propitious – that is, when he found Claudius kneeling in empty not genuine prayer – and then, having chosen his own moment to act only to find   that instead of the king he has murdered Polonius, Hamlet seems to have allowed his sinews to relax. He has let himself be thrust aboard ship, let himself in effect be cast onto the sea of fortune that is so common an image in Shakespeare and the Elizabethan poets, an image recalling that â€Å"sea of troubles† against which he had earlier taken arms. When the opportunity to escape the king’s trap arises, Hamlet seizes it, leaping aboard the pirate ship, but what he is doing now is reacting to circumstances rather than trying to dominate them wholly. (126-27)    Is there a connection between verbal hesitation and hesitation in action and decisions? Lawrence Danson in the essay â€Å"Tragic Alphabet† discusses the hesitation in action by the hero; this is related to his hesitation in speech:    To speak or act in a world where all speech and action are equivocal seeming is, for Hamlet, both perilous and demeaning, a kind of whoring. The whole vexed qu... ...g.† Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Rpt. from Tragic Form in Shakespeare. N.p.: Princeton University Press, 1972.    Rose, Mark. â€Å"Reforming the Role.† Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Rpt. from Homer to Brecht: The European Epic and Dramatic Traditions. Ed. Michael Seidel and Edward Mendelson. N.p.: Yale University Press, 1977.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html    West, Rebecca. â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957. Indecision, Hesitation and Delay in Shakespeare's Hamlet - Excessive H Hamlet – the Hesitation and Indecision      Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare’s Hamlet presents a hero who hesitates to avenge his dead father when given the opportunity – what should be his judgment? This paper examines the decision from various points of view.    Mark Rose, in â€Å"Reforming the Role,† comments on how the hero’s hesitation to kill at the propitious moment, coupled with his later hasty decision to kill, have left the protagonist a changed man:    [. . .] the prince who returns from sea is a changed man, resigned, detached, perhaps â€Å"tragically illuminated.† Having refused to kill the king when the time was every way propitious – that is, when he found Claudius kneeling in empty not genuine prayer – and then, having chosen his own moment to act only to find   that instead of the king he has murdered Polonius, Hamlet seems to have allowed his sinews to relax. He has let himself be thrust aboard ship, let himself in effect be cast onto the sea of fortune that is so common an image in Shakespeare and the Elizabethan poets, an image recalling that â€Å"sea of troubles† against which he had earlier taken arms. When the opportunity to escape the king’s trap arises, Hamlet seizes it, leaping aboard the pirate ship, but what he is doing now is reacting to circumstances rather than trying to dominate them wholly. (126-27)    Is there a connection between verbal hesitation and hesitation in action and decisions? Lawrence Danson in the essay â€Å"Tragic Alphabet† discusses the hesitation in action by the hero; this is related to his hesitation in speech:    To speak or act in a world where all speech and action are equivocal seeming is, for Hamlet, both perilous and demeaning, a kind of whoring. The whole vexed qu... ...g.† Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Rpt. from Tragic Form in Shakespeare. N.p.: Princeton University Press, 1972.    Rose, Mark. â€Å"Reforming the Role.† Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Rpt. from Homer to Brecht: The European Epic and Dramatic Traditions. Ed. Michael Seidel and Edward Mendelson. N.p.: Yale University Press, 1977.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html    West, Rebecca. â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957.

The Structure of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay -- Young Goodma

â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† – the Structure  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Q. D. Leavis in â€Å"Hawthorne as Poet† mentions Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† as â€Å"essentially dramatic† : â€Å"The first batch of works I specified [including â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†] is essentially dramatic, its use of language is poetic, and it is symbolic, and richly so, as is the dramatic poet’s. . . â€Å" (27) This essay will examine this and other features of the structure of Hawthorne’s short story.    Leavis’ evaluation of the story’s structure as â€Å"essentially dramatic† is consistent with the view expressed by Clarice Swisher in â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biography.† She states: â€Å"Biographers and critics of Nathaniel Hawthorne must deal with opposites – determination and self-doubt, imagery of light and dark, flowers and weeds – paradoxes† (13). Swisher’s â€Å"opposites† and Leavis’ â€Å"essentially dramatic† are the same concept, in the estimation of this reader. Let’s examine the text to see evidence of this; notice how the â€Å"opposites† say their lines in the fashion of a drama:    "Dearest heart," whispered she, softly and rather sadly, when her lips were close to his ear, "pr'ythee, put off your journey until sunrise, and sleep in your own bed tonight. A lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts, that she's afeard of herself, sometimes. Pray, tarry with me this night, dear husband, of all nights in the year!"    "My love and my Faith," replied young Goodman Brown, "of all nights in the year, this one night must I tarry away from thee. My journey, as thou callest it, forth and back again, must needs be done 'twixt now and sunrise. What, my sweet, pretty wife, dost thou doubt me already, and we but three months married!"    ... ...n Brown,† including the time-frame, the use of foreshadowing, suspenseful incidents, the â€Å"dramatic† aspect, the climax and denouement.    WORKS CITED    Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999.    Hawthorne, Nathaniel. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown.† 1835. http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~daniel/amlit/goodman/goodmantext.html    Kaul, A.N. â€Å"Introduction.† In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Leavis, Q.D. â€Å"Hawthorne as Poet.† In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Swisher, Clarice. â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biography.† In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996.

Word Meaning in Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying Essay -- Faulkner’s As I Lay

Word Meaning in Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying Throughout Faulkner’s novel, As I Lay Dying, a prominent difference between the characters Anse and Addie appears in his/her contrasting depiction of word meaning. According to the mother, Addie, words are bad and do not signify their designated meaning. In comparison, her husband, Anse, continually stresses and believes in his spoken promise or word to bury Addie in Jefferson. Incidentally, the juxtaposition between the two character’s theories of word meaning emphasizes an alternative comical view toward the burial of Addie. Her burial is sacred to the family due to the promise of the father’s word and yet based on Addie’s meaningless attempt at revenge toward her husband. Addie’s depiction of words is very negative. She continually affirms, â€Å"words are no good; that words dont ever fit even what they are trying to say at† (171). Apparently, she doesn’t hold any truth in words and sees them as spaces of void. She states, â€Å"I knew that that word was like the others: just a shape to fill a lack; that when the right time came, you wouldn’...

The American Involvement in the Cold War

The role of America at the end of World War II was where the origins of policing the world originate. America had been engaged in a very costly war in terms of dollars as well as lives. But, despite the expense the United States came out of World War II better than any other nation that was involved. The Second World War was a battle between the Allied and Axis Powers. The Allied Powers consisted of the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, China, and France. This war was seen as the fight against Nazi Germany, and therefore resulted in a majority of the battles fought on German and Russian soil. The aftermath left the Soviet Union in bad shape. Close to twenty million Russians had died fighting the war, which accounted for about eight percent of their population. Conversely, none of the fighting was done on American soil, and while the United States suffered in terms of casualties it was nothing compared to the loss Russia had endured. Because the war would not end until the Axis Powers fully surrendered to the Allied Powers, the United States was forced to use the first atomic warfare in history. The atom bomb would later serve as America's greatest possession. Stalin, the Premier of the Soviet Union had always distrusted the American and English intentions. Because of Stalin's aggression and attitude pertaining to Soviet influence on Europe, the postwar stance on Russia had turned into a standoff. This became the origin of the Cold War. The Cold War, seen as a battle between communism and capitalism, was â€Å"in reality a more complex struggle over a broad range of ideological, economic, and strategic issues. † Over the next several years the United States would spend more money on military and defense than ever before. Several measures were taken to ensure that the same mistakes at the end of World War I would not be repeated. The first in a series of measures was a postwar conference involving President Truman and the Soviet Foreign Minister, V. M. Molokov, where Truman controlled the entire meeting and basically scolded the Soviet's for not honoring agreements on Poland. Truman â€Å"told the Russians just where the got off and generally bossed the whole meeting. † This symbolized America's strong-arm stance against communism and signified the position we would hold throughout the Cold War. The next step in Truman's agenda was to work with Congress to pass the National Security Act of 1947, which was designed to strengthen defense operations. This act created a single Department of Defense, and created the Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA. These two new agencies acted as the first step in atomic warfare management. Continuing to act as police of the world and leader of capitalism, Truman drafted the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan, which complemented the Truman Doctrine, â€Å"was a program of large scale economic and military aid to Europe. Considered by some, this was the most â€Å"innovative piece of foreign policy in American History. Where over the next four years the United States contributed over $12 billion to a highly successful recovery effort. † The Soviet Union stilled commanded a blockade on highway, rail, and river traffic to West Berlin. As a result, the United States responded by entering into a peacetime military alliance; this being the first time since the American Revolution. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) a project costing $1. billion, enabled the basing of all four United States Army divisions into Western Europe. Twelve nations agreed to sign this pact that stated â€Å"an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all. † Consequently, a few months later, Stalin â€Å"lifted the blockade which had made the city a symbol of resistance to communism. † Between the creation of NATO, the National Security Act and CIA, and the Marshall Plan, America was dictating their position with Russia and communism. These measures made it possible for Americans to become more comfortable with the Cold War. While all of these governmental policies were being put into action, Americans were settling back into the ideology of family and free enterprise. The post-war period became one of the most exciting in American history. With the rising economy and feeling of consumerism, Americans were rebounding from their efforts in World War II. Capitalism was on the rise and the â€Å"Apple Pie† portrait of middle class suburban families was shaping the country. America was now the wealthiest country in the world and Americans had â€Å"accumulated savings of $140 billion† in 1945. â€Å"Over the next two decades the gross national product more than tripled,† signifying prosperity. Between 1945 and 1960, the gross national product would grow from $213 billion to more than $500 billion, while real income would rise 25 percent. Included in these figures was the percent of American families owning homes, which grew from 43 percent to over 60 percent in this same time period; this created the suburban explosion. This suburban lifestyle was intended to symbolize the superiority of capitalism over communism and imply that the American way of life would win the Cold War. † Americans were again beginning to see the capitalist society they fought for, and the confidence level of the country continued to rise throughout the 1960's. The people cannot create a great nation themselves; great leaders must direct them. Besides the three Presidents who led America throughout the end of World War II and through the Cold War, there were many influential voices that helped to shape the views of the public. Among these influential people was a man named George F. Kennan. He was a member of the United States embassy to the Soviet Union and author of the â€Å"long telegram† which was sent to the heads of state in Washington D. C. In his telegram, Kennan described the Soviets as insecure, inferior, and less advanced than Americans. â€Å"As Russia came into contact with the economically advanced West, fear of more competent, more powerful, more highly organized societies,† was the general message Kennan was trying to get across. Because he saw the country from the inside Kennan also believed the United Sates should † pursue a policy of firm containment†¦ at every point where the Soviets show signs of encroaching upon the interest of a peaceful and stable world. † This opinion and idea of the relationship between the United States and Russia should have been widely accepted by Americans. They backed this idea of aggressive behavior, rather than a passive approach to the Cold War. Conversely, postwar liberal such as Henry Wallace, â€Å"a Progressive Party leader, continued to seek cooperation with the Soviet Union and defended the participation of Communists in their organizations. † These ideals were quickly silenced. The American majority, being extremely anti-communist, felt relations with the Soviet Union should be harsh and firm. This period introduced American dominance in foreign policy. The ideals of personal freedom and opportunity were the driving forces behind Western philosophy throughout the Cold War. Not only were these principles showcased, they were set as the benchmark of equality for the human race.

What Love is for Shakespeare

Like every other poet, mainly characterized by idealism and creativity, William Shakespeare views love as an eternal and ideal state of being. People often look at its grim features. But Shakespeare chose to distinguish love from pain, as what it naturally is. This essay will try to discuss love as seen by Shakespeare and written in his 66th sonnet. Shakespeare wrote the sonnet by citing important influences on love – time and place, beliefs, church and politics, life and death, change, and permanence. He admits that there are impediments because of these factors, but he refuses to give in and be stopped by them. He said, â€Å"Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments. † These impediments for him are considered to be fixable, as he said in Much Ado (MA. II. 2. 1-4. ). Shakespeare disagrees on the kind of love that is easily broken or vanished. He thinks that it is permanent and doesn't yield to heavy toil and suffering. He said, â€Å"Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove:† This is actually common to everyone, particularly those who are new to such intense feeling and have not yet experienced the pain of their first love. However, Shakespeare thinks of love as an unyielding and enduring connectedness. He then compared it to a beacon used by sailors in shipping, unshakeable even by great waves and storms. â€Å"O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark, That looks on tempests and is never shaken. † Love guides every wandering soul like the northern star guides every sailor. He wrote, â€Å"It is the star to every wandering bark, Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. † Also, love is not a plaything or a toy easily broken by ageing. â€Å"Love is not Time's fool,† proves that love is not based on physicalities that rots as Time dictates. Love endures even Time and doesn't change in distance served. The fleeting time is measured by weeks and hours but these don't matter really for a love that endures change. Death may end everything and given that we don't believe in continued life after death, reincarnation perhaps, love will bring people to their end, still holding each other tight, even with their hands cracked by age. He said, â€Å"Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom. † However love may seem perfect and eternal to Shakespeare, he still realizes that everything has an end. This is explained by a seemingly underscored concluding couplet of the sonnet. Love will always be a part of life that is temporary. Nonetheless, he has already made his claim and established his points on the wondrous feeling brought by love to the extent that he seeks challenges from other people and willingly sacrifices the validity of all his sonnets, the melting pot of his romanticism, when this treatise on love is proven wrong. This sonnet has been read widely, like all of his other works, and became the basis for those who seek answers on the question of what love really is. It is never wrong to be idealistic, especially on issues as fulfilling as this. However, we must always accept that everything has its end. Since everyone who feels such love is going to die anyway. Still, Shakespeare is one of those who aims high and gives this very particular topic the right for eternity and endurance. Love is never a simple thing, it is wide and complicated. It digs in people's hearts and reveals what they truly are, without much consideration of what others might say or what time has kept ahead for him. It is worthy of the best imaginations, best literatures, and best descriptions no matter how painful it is at times, the happiest point of loving is always far eternal than that of other source of happiness.

90s Fashion Trends: ‘Less Is More’

As we reflect on fashion history, there is not always a distinctive shift from one decade to the next. When transitioning from the 80s to the 90s, this was not the case, as there was an evident changeover from conspicuous consumer to ‘less is more. ’ When hearing this phrase and applying it to fashion, I think it can be viewed in two ways. The more literal interpretation can be restated as it is preferred to have either a more minimalistic and simple outfit, or that it is en vogue to wear skimpier clothing.Both of these descriptions can be seen in 90s fashion. Minimalism was a widely accepted trend of the 90s, as shoulder pads and off-the-shoulder sweaters became outdated and were replaced with cleaner lines and sleeker silhouettes. The excessive glamour of the 80s faded away, and jewelry became either non-existent or chic in its fineness and barely there quality. The only attribution to 1980s excess glamour was the bedazzling and embellishments to clothing or iridescent glitter shimmer on sheer and tulle fabrics and added to skin make up and hair spray.Designers such as Helmut Lang popularized this minimalistic trend by incorporating Japanese avant-garde aesthetics. Lang’s designs conveyed his view on how modern men and women want to dress. His clothes were without affectation and embodied an understanding that perfect cut, comfort, and ease of movement constitutes great fashion luxuries. Common examples of his key pieces slim mannish-shaped trousers for women, and sharply cut suiting that has a more androgynous shape. The minimalistic trend of the 90s was evident from head to toe and was even embraced by celebrities of the decade.Pop stars that had once worn frilly miniskirts adorned with suspenders, full faces of makeup and plentiful accessories were now embracing new, more simplistic styles. Calvin Klein’s infamous ‘Clueless’ mini dress, worn by Alicia Silverstone in the legendary film is a perfect example of the slin ky, body-con trend that became ubiquitous in the 90s. Hairstyles also reflected a ‘less is more’ vibe, and women styled their hair in a sleek manner like Jennifer Aniston, or short and funkier no-fuss style as channeled by Meg Ryan.I also think that ‘less is more’ can be applied to 90s fashion with respect to an attitude Americans felt at the time. During this 90s, people wanted easy clothing that was matched to their everyday lives and reflected an increasingly aggressive urban society. Business rules for dressing relaxed, and many people lost interest in fashion as necessary. This was a major change from 80s fashion where it what commonplace for yuppies to broadcast their wealth in expensive clothing. â€Å"1990's Fashion History – The Mood of the Millennium. † Fashion Era. N. p. , n. d. Web. 25 Apr 2011. . Sharma, Tanya. â€Å"1990's Women's Fashion . † love to know. N. p. , n. d. Web. 25 Apr 2011. . â€Å"clueless mini dress. † google. com. Web. 25 Apr 2011. . â€Å"The '90s Minimalist . † MSN Lifestyle. Web. 25 Apr 2011. .

Though the most corrupt character in the world of any play, Valpone’s vitality and delight in life make him irresistibly attractive to us

It would be almost impossible for the audience of this satiric comedy, Valpone not to be moved, if not shocked by the larger than life, absolutely corrupt character of Valpone. He evokes both disgust and a perverted sense of admiration as we are presented to someone who is so completely vacant in compassion. We are almost in awe of this character who has no fear of punishment for his sins in this world or the next, yet the realisation that his evil is so strong and overbearing that he longs to rape the personification of innocence is chilling and deeply disturbing. Remorseless, loveless and careless, Johnson gives us a character not like any other and sets him in Renaissance Venice, the ideal place and time for such a tyrant and his parasite to thrive. Valpones gold is his god, and he in turn worships it as such â€Å"Good morning to the day; and, next, my gold! Open the shrine, that I may see my saint.† This opening speech is drenched with religious imagery, this blasphemous language shows no fear of retribution and this is backed up when he reveals that for him hell would be made heaven if he had gold there. Ironically it is the control that money and possessions have over Valpone that bring about his downfall, for while he is deeply cunning, witty and intelligent he continuously overreaches, blinded and seduced by money. We are immediately appealed and appalled by this foreboding fascination for riches for although it is sacrilegious it shows an amazing strength of character to turn his back completely on religion and its threat of eternal punishment. However his misery and stinginess are unbecoming qualities that fail to lure the audience. Here he shows the familiar characteristics of a fox, in that it is the chase not the kill that brings the thrill, i.e. he takes sheer pleasure in fooling his peers, and has no need for the money that he gains in doing so, except perhaps for loo king at. Another unattractive quality found in Valpone is his void of affection and love, he exploits his freakish bastard children, using them as a source them for entertainment â€Å"Call forth my dwarf, my eunuch and my fool And let 'em make me sport† Johnson has added these abnormals not only as a comic restbite but to give let us see the result of Volpones inner corruption externalised. Even his seemingly pleasant relationship with Mosca is built solely on flattery and humouring each other, they do not love each other, but instead need each other, their parasite and host relationship is inter-reliant and interdependent. With the aid of Mosca, Valpone sets out to bring down each of the other ravenous characters in turn. Although it is Johnson's desire to inform and instruct he allows us to become amused by their amoral scheme and their amazing double act of trickery, due to the other characters gullibility, as each of them have too been infected by the degenerate disease of avarice. Their greed has given Valpone three years to enjoy â€Å"playing with their hopes† and their ignorance allows Valpone to continually take pleasure in † Letting the cherry knock against their lips†¦Ã¢â‚¬  These legacy hunters, aware of the effective threat of each other, bring presents, each trying to outdo the other, naively trusting Mosca as their vector to Valpones treasure. This old Italian tradition encourages such behaviour, and although this play is fictional, it is based on the diseased Italy which was rotten to the core with corruption. In his pretended dying state Valpone lacks the opportunity to show off linguistically, his plan requires Mosca to do his lying and deceiving for him. Ironically however the materialisation of Mosca's plan sees Valpone disguised as a mountebank. In this masque Valpone successfully woes the crowd, his exhibitionist side is exposed, he is persuasive and entertaining, his dazzling sales pitch deceives the crowd, making them think that they are buying a great product at a bargain price â€Å"I am content to be deprived of it for six;† Valpone as Scotto of Mantua even manages to accomplish verbally seducing the virtuous Celia into dropping her hanky with his sensual and soft language. Only that Valpone disgustingly tries to pervert and rape the innocent and beautiful Celia he would almost seem heroic. Till this point there is almost a sense of fairness in that he gulls those equally selfish and greedy, in a simplistic term one bad guy taking from another. He is superior to those waiting to gorge on his corpse in that he has a sense of dignity, demands a sense of respect and is so warped in arrogance it is humorous. However, in his attempted rape his evilness takes a step too far, while we may have forgiven him for duping the melodramatic Bonario out of his inheritance there is no repentance in his attempt to take Celia without her will. â€Å"yield or I'll force thee† The sympathy we felt for Valpone in Act three Scene four when confronted with the garrulous grotesque Lady Would-be has been dissolved, her sin was that of being irritating, vain and boring, while all ugly qualities her seduction lacks the malice the violence and pure evil of rape. This is when the laughter stops and the audience is forced to look introspectively at their own moral values. The play narrowly escapes with a â€Å"happy† ending, Johnson ensures that no matter how persuading or entertaining the corrupt were, they are punished, full of vitality and life, or not, while the good are absolved. It is not the stereotypical â€Å"good overcoming evil† resolve, as neither Celia or Bonario, the only evidence of innocence throughout the play, carried much characteristic weight being two dimensional and shallow. The result is that evil overreaches and destroys itself. Valpone although a mastermind is left to wither away at an asylum, and without his gold to keep him company he his left to rot in his own hell. The audience was tempted and seduced by his explosive personality and the life that oozed out of him, even when feigning sick. Although hyperbolised and exaggerated he was the emphasis of human folly, we are all to a degree driven by greed, we too are tempted by wrong and dishonesty, and that is the very reason that the character of Valpone appeals to us.