Hedda Gabler Manipulation

Hedda Gabler Manipulation August Strindbergs Miss Julie and Henrik Ibsens Hedda Gabler, bring out the same themes but with completely different motives. The dominating theme of manipulation is brought out by the characterization and the speech and dialogue of the important characters. Along with the underlying motive of power, in the former its observed for class revenge while in the latter for perverse pleasure out of sheer boredom. The speech, dialogue and stage directions perceived through the course of these plays reiterate this theme of manipulation. Ambition, power, and the thirst to avenge his fate, leads Jean to tamper with Miss Julie. But a mere valet, he dreams of luxuries beyond his reach. With dreams of climb up, climb up to the top, and look around over the bright landscape where the sun is shining  [1]  , he fulfils his ambition by making Julie his first branch  [2]  . He ensnares Julie in the trap of flattery, lust, guilt, dominance, hatred and obedience by his actions, therefore taking advantage of her confused state of mind especially at a time where she dreamed of climbing down the pillar. Miss Julie, influenced by her childhood, her personality, and her broken engagement makes her an easy prey to Jeans scheming. Her vulnerability becomes greater by the absence of her father, the fact that she in that time of the month, the aphrodisiacs present in the form of dancing, flowers and supported by the festive atmosphere of Midsummers night. Jean takes advantage of her by his carefully planned flattery, exaggerated politeness and hesitation, manners and charm which makes her lower her defences to an inferior person. Her submission to his tactics is suggested by [MISS JULIE exists rapidly stage right. JEAN quickly after her]  [3]   Hedda Gabler on the other hand opens on a note of decline, not only as portrayed by the autumn foliage  [4]  but also by her matrimony with Jorgen Tesman. She faces disaster by becoming Hedda Tesman, as her spare time leads her into a state of constant boredom that transforms everyone present around her into her puppets for her sadistic pleasure derived from demeaning them. This can be observed when she says something happened with Miss Tesman this morning. She put her hat down there on the chair And I pretended I thought it was the servants.  [5]   Heddas sense of manipulation is also expressed by her desire for power. Like Jean, she desires control of the people around her by faking friendship and lending a sympathetic ear to them. Her motives are observed with Thea Elvsted where Mrs. Elvsted confesses in her my husband had no idea I was coming. when she is lured into it by Heddas persuasion and charm. This is further reiterated by Lovborgs confession in Act 2 when he says I used to make [confessions] telling you things about myself that no one else knew.  [6]  These confessions bring her closer to her desire and make her even more wretched. She also portrays the ability to hide her emotions rather well, thus strengthening her facade. Jean continues to lure Julie with a heart rendering tale of his childhood, when he used to secretly admire her and had also decided to die when he couldnt have her but his cruel fate saved him. He goes to the extent of kissing her feet on her demand though his bold advances are halted by her despite her leading him on. In this sado-masochistic relationship of lust, a constant swing of power is seen and the differentiation between the master and servant becomes very vague and is only observed by the reference to money. Jean here changes colours like chameleon and becomes harsh and dominating from when he tells her Fall down to me, and Ill lift you up again.  [7]   Ejlert Lovborg always has had to make a choice between courage and cowardice, drinking and not drinking, scholarly fame and disrespect. He even compares Hedda and Thea by their effect on him Hedda persuaded him away while Thea motivated and inspired him. This distinction can be supported by their outward appearances too. Hedda looked well bred with an even complexion and steel gray eyes with thin light brown hair, while contrasting to her stood Thea with a slight slender figure, large light blue eyes and fair hair, exceptionally thick. Despite Heddas manipulative nature, her fear of scandals prevents her from doing what she wished. She however fulfils her ambition of controlling someone by manipulating Lovborg, leading him back to alcohol and making him break Theas trust. Jeans character portrays it all: from humbleness and obedience to domination and wrath and back to his position as the valet, when it dawns upon him that she is penniless. Despite his wrath, when he says Have you ever seen a girl of my class offer herself like that? Ive only seen the like among animals and prostitutes  [8]  , Julie holds her ground and spills out her intimate secrets. She puts light on her childhood, on her mother and her ideas of the role reversals on the basis of gender and the tragedy faced by the family by the case of arson, thus indirectly characterising herself. Jean continues to dominate her and exhibits his wrath by the cold blooded annexation of her siskin and becomes a valet again at the arrival of the count. Gone is his domination and arrogance, leaving behind a suppressed and punctured servant obeying his masters command. Hedda, married to Tesman and interested in Lovborg, she dominates them both for personal pleasure. Like a faithful companion, Tesman feels I think its so jolly waiting on you, Hedda.  [9]  In contrast to this, Lovborg defies Hedda on her offer of punch. This appeals to Hedda more than being waited upon. Lovborgs drunk and outcast nature makes Hedda feel connected to a world denied to her because of her class and gender. She thus takes a perverse pleasure in luring him back to the path he walked on before becoming reformed. She subtly starts taking charge of his life by doubting his intention of living a clean life. She does so from the point of view of Judge Brack when she says, The contemptuous smile of his when you were afraid to go in there with them  [10]  . She then unravels Theas doubt in his character to remain free of the dirty path, breaking his confidence as a reformed man and thus taking him back to his old life. Hedda uses her control over Lovborgs life and lures towards his death. She sees Lovborg as her romantic hero who shall face a death with an element of beauty in this.  [11]  She lays out the path for him by manipulating him. She initially brings out Theas distrust, leading him to the bottle again and then gaining a grip on him by getting hold of his manuscript. She then leads him into callously treating Thea by persuading the topic of the lost manuscript despite his wishes. Swayed by this, his lie to Thea about the manuscript and confession in Hedda puts her at an upper hand. Having burnt his manuscript, she subtly leads him to her dream of a beautiful death by handing him a pistol, she was sure would be used. Tesman on the other hand adores Hedda so much that he rejoices at the loss of the manuscript mistaking her intentions for it. Hes presented as a puppet in her hands, present there to hold up her name in society without any passion or desire. In contrast to this, the constant role reversal which takes places between the two main characters in Miss Julie bring out their personalities by the way they communicate. This brings out the differing shades of their characters. Miss Julies aspiration of descend is complemented by Jeans ascend. The distinction between the master and the servant is seen by a very fine line here which is constantly put under pressure. This distinction can only be made on the basis of their class. Their actions reveal their class differences. For instance Julie prefers beer while Jean the finest wine, and Julie leads Jean out. This ambiguity of the power remains till the end, as on one hand Jean does obey the counts orders but on the other hand Julie obeys him and leaves with a blade. In Hedda Gabler, Theas courage to stand up to what she believed in, her deep passion and love for Lovborg and her control over him, is seen as a source of constant irritation to Hedda and is brought out her jealousy and is reinforced by her statement: That girl with the tiresome hair, that she was always showing off.  [12]  Theas feminity along with the fact that she had taken away the one thing that Hedda loved the most Lovborg, causes Hedda to manipulate them both. Underlying motives of power, through perverse pleasure and out of ambition leads to the decline of the characters portrayed in both these books as has been observed by their speech and dialogue and stage directions.

Great Romantic Expectations :: Great Expectations Essays

  In Great Expectations Pip is devastated to find out that the convict he helped years ago on the marshes is the benefactor of his riches in life.   His distress is exemplified by the fact that he deserted his loyal friend Joe for the life that the convict Magwitch has given him.   His greatest grief, however, came from the fact that he believed he could never win the love of Estella, learning that she had married Bentley Drummel.   Pip remained in a depression over his situation until he discovered the truth of Estella’s parentage.   The strange coincidence of these findings cause Pip to change his attitude toward his further expectation and resume his belief that he still might have a chance with Estella.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Clearly the story is well underway before any indication is made to the truth about Estella being an adopted child of Miss Havisham.   After this is established through the revelation of Herbert telling Pip this story, Pip gradually starts to pick up clues of his own from different sources.   He notices the similarities of Molly, Jagger’s housekeeper, and questions Wemmick about her resemblance to Estella.   Then Pip continues his pursuit by questioning Miss Havisham about Estella’s background.   Disclosures by Magwitch start to mesh the story together in Pip’s mind as he puts his entire finding together in a neat little package.   That package is the picture of the true parents of Estella.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most interesting as the clues unfold are the connections between Estella, Magwitch, and Miss Havisham to the lawyer Mr. Jaggers. For each one of them he has provided a service or has been in their employ.   In addition to their connection to Jaggers they were all connected to the convict Compeyson through his victimization of them each in a different way.   Pip sees all of these connections gradually through his pursuit of the facts.   Through his endeavors he is strangely affected by the true realization of the truth of Estella’s parents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pip continues to question and observe the actions of those connected to his query to corroborate his guesses.   He does not truly understand his intent on proving the identity of Estella’s parents.   Just before Pip comes to the conclusion that Molly may be the mother of Estella his depression is spoken of by referral his mood to stop reading newspapers since he heard the news of Estella marrying Drummle.   Then Pip looks at Molly and decides that she is the woman who surely gave birth to Estella.

Jesus Christ †Essay Essay

Most of us know about Jesus Christ and his life. Therefore, I will briefly cover Jesus in this paper. As for Muhammad, I will attempt to shed some light on the subject of this â€Å"Messenger of God†. Perhaps a better understanding of this Islamic icon can be obtained and understood through this comparative essay. Both of these religious figures caused a renewal of faith and belief in the one and only God, or Allah as the Muslims know Him by. Jesus Christ Jesus Christ, son of God, was born to Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem, Israel. He was baptized by John the Baptist. When Jesus was baptized God called out from Heaven and declared â€Å"This is my beloved son†. This signified that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus had twelve companions oh his choosing. These were his disciples, also known as the apostles. They went with Jesus in his travels. In these travels, Jesus taught the masses about God through parables and sermons. Jesus performed many miracles to prove that he was the son of God. He used his holy powers to overcome nature, disease and even death itself. He made believers out of many people that had witnessed the miracles. These miracles, along with his teachings, caused many to glorify God and believe that Jesus was truly the Messiah. The Messiah was foretold to be the savior of the world and the King of the Jews. Sadly, the Jewish leaders did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. The Jews had Jesus arrested. He was nearly released by the Roman Governor Pilate but the Jews threatened to riot. Pilate gave in and sentenced Jesus to be crucified. Delivering on the promise that he had made to his disciples, Jesus came back to life after he had died on the cross. As it is told in the Bible, He was sealed up in a guarded tomb. An angel came and scared the heck out of the guards and fled the scene. The disciples later went to the tomb to discover it empty. Jesus had died on the cross for the sins of humanity and had risen from the dead, thus again proving that he was the true Messiah. The Prophet Muhammad was born in 569A.D. in Makkah, also known as Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He was raised by his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib. This was because Muhammad’s father had died before he was born. Upon his grandfather’s death, he was brought up by his uncle Abu Talib. The Makkans claim to be descended from Abraham by Ismail. (Pickthall, M.) Therefore, it could be said that [Islam](http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/6753/islam.html) is similar to Christianity in the fact that both are Abrahamic religions. Muhammad journeyed with his uncle with a group of merchants that traded is Syria. Muhammad eventually became the merchant for the wealthy widow Khadijah. Although she was fifteen years older that Muhammad the two came to be married for twenty-six years. His marriage put him in good standing with the Makkahan people of notoriety. This, along with his excellent conducts in business and society, earned him the surname Al-Amin which meant â€Å"trustworthy†. (Pickthall, M.) Muhammad was a non-conformist to the popular religion of his time. The House of Allah, known as the Kabah, was said to be built by Abraham for the worship of Allah only. Kabah had come to be a place of worship to other idols as well. Muhammad and others like him were known as Hunafa. They desired to know the true religion of Abraham and did not agree with the current worship of many idols. (Pickthall, M.) The Hunafa sought the truth through inner reflection or meditation. Muhammad’s place of [meditation](http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/4047/meditation.html) was known as Hira, a cave located in the Mountain of Light, near Makkah. This is where the angel Jibril, known as Gabrial to Christians, revealed to Muhammad his destiny. The angel appeared to Muhammad and stated â€Å"O Muhammad! Thou art Allah’s messenger, and I am Jibril†. (Pickthall, M.) At first, Muhammad was quite disturbed by this event. He came to terms with his purpose and began to preach. In the beginning of his ministry he only preached to his family and friends. This was mainly due to the people of Makkah believing that Muhammad had gone crazy. (Pickthall, M.) After a few years the prophet Muhammad was commanded by Allah to begin to preach to the public in order to convert the pagan Arabs to Islamic beliefs. Muhammad and his converts were met with much opposition by the Quraysh. They wanted to continue to idolize their pagan gods. The majority of Muhammad’s converts were powerless in defense against the Quraysh. The persecution was horrible. Muhammad urged all of his converts that were able to escape Makkah and go to the Christian country of Abyssinia which is now Ethiopia. (Pickthall, M.)

The Existence Of Religion Of Puritanism - 1770 Words

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