Karma of Violence in Macbeth

Karma of Violence in Macbeth With elements like wars, assassinations, and murders, violence takes up a significant part of Macbeth. At the early stage of Macbeth, the audience is presented a battlefield scene where a bloody massager appears. Echoing such a violent and bloody image, the play ends with Macbeth being killed. Although karma is an Indian belief, lines like This even-handed justice / Commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice / to our own lips (Macbeth I.vii.10) reveal traits of karma in the Scottish play.  [1]  Karma means that all actions have consequences which will affect the doers of the actions at some future time (Reichenbach 399). In this essay, I will argue that violence is not merely actions performed by the characters but the skeleton of plot and theme. For the sake of a clear analysis, I will first outline the concept of karma and karma of violence in Macbeth. Then I will conclude that the karmic effect of violence drives the development of plot and reflects moral judgement. As suggested by Rajendra Prasad, the law of karma should be viewed as a retributive theory of morality (qtd. in Keown 331). Reichenbach also noted that 1.Morally accountable actions which are done out of desire for their fruits are subjected to karma; 2.Some karmic effects are manifested at once or in this life, some in the next life; 3.Karmic effect of actions can be accumulated (qtd. in Keown 335). In this essay, Keowns idea on karma is taken; the relationship between karma and intention is indisputable; volitional action alone can result in karma; sinning in ones heart without physical performance is possible that same act may have different karma for different people (Keown 336). Rebirth and karma beyond characters portrayed lives will not be discussed here. Violence is not only a part of the play, but its skeleton. Karma, as stated, is accumulative and is resulted from moral and physical actions. In Macbeth, violence, with its karmic effect, breeds violence. In Act one, Macbeth is reported about cutting Macdonwald open, unseame[s] him from the nave to th chops, / [a]nd fixe[s] his head upon battlements (I.ii.22-3)and is [n]othing afeard of what [himself] didst make, / [s]trange images of death (I.iii.97-8). This suggests his violent nature and his capacity of bloody deeds in the future. Such a valiant and worthy achievement (I.ii.24), as a result, won him the title of Thane of Cawdor. It was then the realization of prophecy bred his ambition whose murder yet is but fantastical (I.iii.139). The word fantastical echoes with Banquos address to the witches I the name of truth, / Are ye fantastical or that indeed / which outwardly ye show?(I.iii.54-5), drawing parallel between the witches and Macbeths fantastical thoughts which are not indee d outwardly [he] show[ed] as well. With such murderous thoughts, Macbeth, whose [place] [is] the nearest (I.iv.36) to Duncan betrays his own family blood and country to secure the throne. The karmic effect of this bloody throne is fear; the fear on Banquos issue and Macduffs flee to England prompts him further violence and ultimate self-destruction. His bloody acts make returning were as tedious as go over (III.iv.140-1).Violence, therefore, breeds on-and-on violent deeds till the end of the play. As Macbeth puts it, Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill (III.ii.55), such on-and-on violence increases intensity over time. After violence against Macdonwald, Macbeth killed Duncan in sleep. Sleep, under Shakespeares description, is innocent . . . that knits up the reveled sleeve of care . . . the great natures second course, chief nourisher in lifes feast (II.ii.34-8). The peaceful description of natures gift and Duncans royal position contrast with the murder, highlighting intensified violence. Although he is unsettled by the deed, he soon recovers and exhibits a greater degree of violence. Without consulting his wife, Macbeth readily kills two innocent servants. Compared to the hesitation shown in Duncans murder, he becomes bolder. Violence, as a recurring role, performs an endless loop. Macbeth, with a mind full of scorpions (III.ii.36), then sends out three men in total only to ensure Banquo and Fleances deaths. He becomes determined to take a step further to kill the weaker gender and innocent children in Macduffs family. When Macduff receives the tragic news, he asks about his children repeatedly and all my children?, My children too?, What, all my pretty chickens and their dam / at one fell swoop? (IV.iii.211-8). Such responses reflect that people then perceived the act of killing innocent children as outrageously violent.The climax of on-and-on violence came when Macduff greets the King with Macbeths head, saying Behold, where stands / the usurpers cursed head. (V.viii.54-5), putting an end on the loop of violence in the play. This illustration of the intensifying loop of violence suggests karmic consequences of murderous thoughts. In the analysis of Shakespearean violence, Foakes suggests that the urge to violence is deeply embedded in the human psyche, and creates recurring whatever political formations are dominant (Foakes 16). This viewpoint echoes with this karmic loop of violence. The series of violent acts keeps driving the plot development. The karma begins with Macbeths sinning in [his] heart (Keown 336) with murderous thoughts. Had he stopped at any point of his violent murders, he would not have suffered the deadly karma. Karmic effects of Macbeths repetitive violence, as suggested, accumulated throughout the play, causing the downfall of the soul and self-destruction. The karma of violence, therefore, extends the plot with series of consequences in Macbeth. In Macbeth, karma of violence is not only the consequences of behaviour. It implicitly reflects good morality in violence. Contrasting conventional idea, violence does not necessarily imply bad karma. Traditional Christian belief generally subscribes to the idea of Thou shalt not kill. However, under karma, same act may have different consequences for different people. At the beginning of the play, Duncan ordered the execution of Thane of Cawdor. This act of violence, justified by the traitors betrayal, did not result in a bad karma. Duncan, despite his death, enjoys the peace of mind of which Macbeth is deprived. Although Banquos violent behaviours are not explicitly described, audience can understand that Banquo, as a warrior, is capable of violence. His acts of violence, however, are justified by his selfless patriotism. In the play, Shakespeare uses Banquo as a moral contrast against Macbeth. They are of similar background, official rank and power at the beginning of Macbeth; they both face the tempting prophecy. However, Banquo endeavours to keep [his] bosom franchised and allegiance clear (II.i.26-7) while Macbeth jump[s] the life to come to commit murders (I.vii.7). The fact that Banquo succeeds in upholding morality in the same temptation suggests that Macbeths tragic ending is not a result of fatalism, but karma out of volitional actions. Karma is hugely based on ethical consideration and moral accountability. With moral actions, Banquos family line is blessed with good karma, contrasting Macbeths violence-induced fatal karma. Macduff, who performed the visually bloodiest violence by cutting and displaying Macbeths head, is also exempted from bad karma.  [2]  Since Macbeth has no children of his own, it is unlikely that Macduffs bloody deed would provoke another loop of violence against himself. It is reasonable to suggest that, Macduffs violent action, as a karma on Macbeth, is justified by its good intention of saving Scotland from the tyranny. The above examples of karma contrast against the deadly karma on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In Macbeths case, he performs all the violence based on his desire for power and the fear in securing it. Accordingly, he is subjected to karmic effects, which mostly take the form of internal struggles. Booth concluded that, all three murders towards Duncan, Banquo and Macduffs family are followed immediately by scenes of suffering and self-tortures (Booth 31). After Duncans murder, every noise appals Macbeth and he hears ominous voices threatening that he could no longer sleep with peace (II.ii.56). Although Macbeth does not show explicit guilt after Banquos death, his sub-conscience tortures him. He is startled by the image of Banquos phantom despite his self-regard as a fearless man. Macbeths soul becomes weary after murdering Macduffs family. He pessimistically believes that [his] way of life / [i]s falln into the sere, the yellow leaf, / [a]nd that which should accompany old age, / [a]s h onor, love, obedience, troops of friends, / [he] must not look to have.(V.iii.22-6). Ironically, Macbeth has traded his soul, friends, honour for a fruitless crown and a lifeless life. He is caught in a tragedy of his own making. In this way, the karma on Macbeth manifests as his internal struggles. Despite sympathy towards Macbeth, Macbeths selfishness, betrayal and violence deserve his own deadly and violent karma. As suggested by the Bible, For the wages of sin is death (Roman 5: 23). Therefore, given his murderous deeds, his death has to be brutally violent for moral justification. Macbeths tragic death implies that Shakespeare has acknowledged the immorality of Macbeths violent deeds. Lady Macbeth, similarly, has to pay a price for pouring [her] spirit in [Macbeths] ear, / [a]nd chastise[s] with the valour of [her] tongue (I.v.24-5) Ribner commented that The relationship between Macbeth and his wife steadily deteriorates . . . . The force of evil severs Macbeth from the rest of humanity; it breaks also the bond which ties him to his wife. He lives more and more closely with his own fears into which she cannot intrude . . . . No longer does he confide in her. (Ribner 164) Considering Lady Macbeths admiration to Macbeth and her devotion to help him get the throne, psychological separation between the couple is unbearable to Lady Macbeth. It is reasonable to deduce that this psychological separation may explain her mental breakdown and loss of masculinity displayed before. The fact that the seemingly evil Lady Macbeth is also subjected to karmic condemnation from her own conscience may signifies her humanness, but more importantly, the deadly karma is to impose moral judgement on her behaviours. Karma of a particular behaviour reflects its moral nature and judgement. In Macbeth, not all violent deeds result in bad karma. Considering the play is set in a political disturbed period in which Scotland was first traumatized by traitors and then Macbeth the Tyrant, violence, to a certain extent, was a norm in that era. The fact that Scotland restores her order through violence against Macbeth suggests that some violence is morally right. These characters who perform violence for morally right reasons can be exempted from bad karma. Karma, in Buddhist belief, is controlled by a Supreme Being. Shakespeare, as a Supreme Being of this play, reflects judgements towards the characters behaviours with different karmas resulted. Karma on violence, therefore, gives the audience some ideas on the morality of violence. Violence is the linking element that drives plot development. It is through the recurring nature of karma that violence in Macbeth trammel[s] up the consequence (I.vii.3) of Macbeths self-destruction. By designing different karmic effects, Shakespeare explores the good and evil of violence. Although sympathy towards human flaws may be valued, it is necessary to have deadly karma for ill-intended murders committed. Violence, therefore, is not merely a part of the plot. It is the driving force of the plot and a subtle exploration on morality of violence.

Causality and Timeliness Essay

Timeliness is important in all aspects of life. In the army they say â€Å"10 minutes prior is on time, and being on time is late†, that is the standard set forth and expected to be accomplished by the armed forces. By oversleeping I not only failed to meet the standard, I also failed my squad and my platoon because they did not have accountability of everyone, another main standard of the army. I also took the time of my team leader, who had to sit and wait for me while everyone else did PT. Missing movement not only cost me more time in the end, it cost the whole rest of the unit in one way or another. Timeliness is also the first step in a soldiers’ task to keep accountability at all times. Accountability is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as being required to explain actions or decisions to someone. Another definition is being required to be responsible for something. As soldiers, we are always expected to be able to explain our actions to our chain of comman d, and to take responsibility for them. Inability to do so can lead to loss of time and resources, adverse action, UCMJ action, or even separation from the armed forces. In a strategic environment, timeliness is important in everything we do. Everyday soldiers in the unit work in fast-paced intelligence environments and being even a few minutes late in a mission situation could cost valuable intelligence or even lives. Even routine reports must be sent out on a strict timeframe, and failure to meet that standard could cause it to lose value, or cause a setback in a mission elsewhere. Being military intelligence soldiers, we are also required to attend training; whether it be language, technical, or unit trainings. Failing to report to classes on time could not only cause a soldier to miss important coursework, but could potentially result in the soldier getting dropped from the class. This not only hurts the soldiers’ advancement as an intelligence professional, it causes degradation of the mission. Not having all the required training to accomplish the mission causes everyone around the soldier to pick up the slack. By not being able to do something as simple as 10 minutes prior, the soldier can potentially affect the work of an entire office full of people. Most important information pertaining to the unit is put out at morning formations, STTs, and Commanders’ Calls. Being late to any of these events can not only bring  adverse action against a soldier for that event, it could also cause the soldier to miss pertinent information about upcoming events; potentially causing more corrective training or even UCMJ action. Article 87 of the Code of Military Justice â€Å"Missing Movement† states â€Å"any member of the armed forces who neglect or design to miss the movement of a ship, aircraft, or unit with which they are required in the course of duty to move can be punished as a court martial may direct†. Untimliness is not only a detriment to the strategic environment; it can be life altering in the tactical environment. Failure to maintain proper timelines and accountability of soldiers and equipment during field exercises can result in accidents and loss of government property. The army has another saying â€Å"train how you fight†, meaning to treat every exercise just as if it were a real-life combat situation so that a soldier would know exactly what they needed to do if that situation actually came to be. Inability to be on time for training events hit times, etc; shows that a soldier could potentially not be reliable in a more serious situation. This causes breakdown of unit cohesiveness and esprit de’ corps. In a theater of war, failure to meet a deadline or miss movement can lead to the capture of strategic assets or intelligence, giving the enemy an advantage. It could also potentially lead to injuries, fatalities, or even the capture of United States or ally service members. When a service member is deployed to a combat zone, being late could not only cause the failure of the mission, it could potentially be the difference between life and death. A soldier’s untimeliness may not only result in their death, but could cost the lives of others. For example, if a soldier assigned to a route clearance platoon is late for movement and causes their convoy to waste time looking for them instead of making their route before the movement of another unit, it could cost the lives of many others without them realizing. Timeliness is also important in the civilian world. In order to consistently hold down a job in the civilian sector, a person must make sure that they are on time for work or they could potentially lose their job. Being late to an interview is practically a guarantee that a person would not be hired for employment with a company, even though that person may have the skills and qualifications necessary for the position. Arriving late to medical appointments can potentially result in your appointment being canceled, causing degradation to ones’ health and  missing out on treatment that could prevent something more serious in the long run. Timeliness shows discipline, and without discipline the armed forces would not be able to accomplish the mission. Without discipline, the entire command structure would degrade and the enemy would be given a huge advantage, causing loss of life, equipment, or strategic advantage.

M*A*S*H: The Evolution

From a simple book turned into a movie then to one of television’s greatest legend, M*A*S*H had beautifully evolved to a work of art. Its popularity and stretched life span is enough testimony for the show’s quality—not to mention several nominations and awards. It was one of the most watched television shows of its time. Much of the show’s success is the fruit of fine ensemble acting, beautifully written witty script, and the most noticeable of all: the innovative use of the camera. The script’s satirical charm has won the loyalty of fans through its clever use of humor. Overlapping dialogues was a device frequently used by the show. This gave the script wit and it sounded very natural. It also made way for some of the show’s most famous punch-lines. The script can be easily followed by the audience even though it’s episodic. It followed a solid story that has kept the audience entertained. It debunked the idea that war story genre had to be have a serious atmosphere. M*A*S*H is considered as a show ahead of its time. The show had stood firm through the years even though it underwent several changes like changes of cast members and important people behind the camera. The early episodes of M*A*S*H, though lacking the production equipment we have now, was shot in style. Stylish zooms were used and quite got the attention of critics. Camera techniques were very important in the storytelling.   The zooming and panning used in the show is now a convention in television shows. We should also appreciate the show’s long shots. This is not done much in television productions, even today with all the advancement in camera technology. To think that M*A*S*H was able to produce such kind of high-quality show is very impressive even to today’s most acclaimed directors. As a war story, the cinematography has to give the audience a war story feel. M*A*S*H has succeeded in that aspect and continued to further improve the quality of cinematography.   The early years of production had to work with average level equipments. As time had gone by and the pilot show promised popularity, they were given more money to take the show to the next level and set the show apart from the other shows of that time. More money is now available to acquire equipment to improve lighting and sounds. The improved lighting, let’s just say that it made the show more easy to the eyes. The lighting made the shots eye candies. It highlighted the colors of the situation and delivered the feel of war to television screens. The close-up to actors is now reduced of unwanted shadows that maybe distracting to the audience. The costume, especially in the later episodes was given more color and character by the improved lighting. The long shots and the other camera shots made in the exterior were improved to a point that the audience can feel the situation. The shots made in the interior were also improved by the lighting. It gave a more in depth feel of rooms for medical attention in the gory times of wars. The improvement of sounds also contributed much to the show’s success. From the opening credits to the closing, the tunes are catchy enough to keep the audience attention intact. The background music doesn’t over power the actor’s voice while he or she is speaking his or her line. This is very important to a television show and M*A*S*H seems to be very aware of that fact. The background music is just there to heighten the emotion of scenes, not to be the scene itself.   Audibility is a major factor to be considered in every production.   M*A*S*H has also improved in this aspect. From gunshots to door creeks, from shouts to whispers, audibility has definitely improved. Multiple editing also became an important facto to the show’s success. The pursuit of quality is clearly meticulously pursued by the show. This is vey hard for a production because aside form the fact that it is costing the production more money, it is causing the production precious time. Wastes in time in a television production are unforgivable in the genre. There is never a day that a television production has no tight deadline to meet.   But the sacrifice made by the production to further improve the quality of their show is really impressive, especially during their time where editing equipment is rather slow by the standard of today and the budget is tight. M*A*S*H is a television show that the shows of today is modeled. M*A*S*H has all the necessary factors for a hit show. It is the recipe that should be followed by the shows of today if they want to run for more than a decade like M*A*S*H did.   M*A*S*H may have been to several heavy changes, but the important thing they did is that kept the quality of their show high and kept giving their audience entertained and laughing even to the most serious of situations like war. This show has shown us how effective the camera is in the aspect of storytelling. The exploration of M*A*S*H in the use of camera is phenomenal. They are one of the pioneers of such effective use of the camera. This show has proven that an expensive camera is not the formula for a hit show. It is the use of that camera that is very important. Today’s television shows that lacks on this aspect should look back and study M*A*S*H as their model show. To think that M*A*S*H can still stand toe to toe to a television show of today really proves its legendary reputation. If only the use of cameras now has the same motivation and passion just like the people of M*A*S*H, I am very excited to think of the possibilities. The cameras of today are way beyond the capabilities of the cameras back then. If the new technologies is only used and pushed to its full potential, who knows how high the level of quality we can achieve. Reference Editorial Reviews. 2000. Mash- Season One on TV. Retrieved 0ctober 29, 2007

Health Benefits And Side Effects On The Consumption Of Coffee

Introduction The consumption of coffee is an essential staple to start an early morning in the United States and worldwide (Freedman et al. 2012). Like coffee, caffeine is a component that also can be present in energy drinks, tea, and pre-workout supplements. But to be specific, coffee, according to statistics has over 150 million people who drink an average of 3.2 cups of coffee daily, which means that about 400 million cups of coffee every day is consumed. (Patil et al. 2011) For some people they cannot go on with their day without starting with a cup of coffee or tea which has the active ingredient which is caffeine. Caffeine is also known as a psychoactive drug which means that by consuming this drug it can affect a person’s brain†¦show more content†¦Active Ingredient in Coffee Coffee contains many different molecules that are usually formed during the roasting process, also known as the brewing process. The essential component in coffee is caffeine. Caffeine is a major component of coffee that provides the majority of it in a US diet (Einà ¶ther Giesbrecht, 2012). An average 8 oz. of coffee would contain between 100-180 mg of caffeine depending on the coffee bean and type of roast used. In comparison to decaffeinated drinks, an 8 ounce cup contains significantly lower milligrams of caffeine which is about 5 to 15 mg. (Patil, Lavie, O’Keefe, 2011). In addition to caffeine, coffee also contains â€Å"chlorogenic† acid that can help reduce blood sugars of those people with Type II Diabetes. (Van Dam Feskens, 2002) Therefore since the active ingredients in coffee are caffeine and chlorogenic acid, then one can now analyze next the health benefits of the consumption of coffee. Health Benefits/Methods Coffee is a psychoactive drug that affects the body biologically and cognitively (Smith, 2008). A study done by Patil, Lavie, O’Keefe (2011), show that there are common health benefits with the consumption of coffee which would include prevention of diabetes type 2, depression, improved cognitive health, and even Alzheimer’s disease. Coffee is also known for helping with weight loss and reduction of inflammation because of the presence of certain antioxidants within the cup