A Hole in His Parachute Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Hole in His Parachute - Essay Example On the other hand, stockholders are those that have shares in a company and are directly affected by the ups and downs of the market affecting their operation as a business. A corporation being a creature of law cannot refuse to abide by the acts of its incumbents as long as it is being provided by the general law in business and ethics. With all these said, the lawful and right decision of whether to give Knight the right to collect the balance of the salary from the corporation which Murdoch promised to give him while he serves as adviser to the newspaper company for five years strongly relies on the intricacy of laws behind the accountability of Murdoch, the new owner of Knight-Ridder Corporation towards his stakeholders, which includes employees. In this case, because Knight had a sort of proprietorship of the company because he is providing his services for it, he has the right to run after Murdoch and get his salary even when the company has already been dissolved before any amount was given to him. This is because of the fact that any company has the responsibility to be able to deliver on every provision that is stated in any contract relating to Knight’s employment, which would hold his right to be paid the exact amount in exchange for completed work, whatever the circumstance is. Another point that would support Knight’s right to demand his salary from Murdoch would be the fact that it is being provided in Corporate law that the property and assets of a certain corporation includes not only the assets of any subsidiary of the corporation instead the whole entity comprising the company, directly or indirectly, that encompasses corporations, partnerships, and its liability partnerships which is where employees fall in. Thus, the dissolution of the company does not dissolve its obligation to pay Knight what is due

Second paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Second paper - Essay Example He introduces the concept of economic or environmental determinism, in which he cites external forces as the cause of poverty of some groups.1 Bauer dispels the common opinion that the underdeveloped world is poor because of Western policies and imperialism. Removal of colonialism does not necessarily trigger economic development. Colonial status does not necessarily hamper material progress of developing countries in Africa or Asia. Robert Kaplan’s article â€Å"In Defense of Empire† explores a tempered American imperialism. Imperialism has both positive and negative aspects, depending on its application in a country or empire. Kaplan explains that previous empires provided greater peace and stability as compared to contemporary America. Imperialism is a form of self-government that occupies a middle ground between disorder and full state control.2 Although the quest for riches drives imperialism, it results in other beneficial factors such as cosmopolitanism, which spur growth. The conclusion that imperialism only results in evil is an apathetic notion based on some minor cases of its negative effects. Mike Davis’ â€Å"Late Victorian Holocausts† is a book that relates political economy and global climate patterns, specifically, the relationship of colonialism, capitalism, and global famine. He highlights the negative effects of imperialism when he argues that economic and political systems, which characterize imperialism, have caused the death of millions. Davis’ book details how the economic philosophy of the colonial governments exacerbated rural poverty and food shortage while economic guidelines intensified famine. This imperialistic behavior is the reason for most third world countries.3 Davis would dispute Bauer and Kaplan’s argument because he focuses on the negative effects of imperialism. Bauer and Kaplan

Effects of Swedish Body Massage on Body Systems

Effects of Swedish Body Massage on Body Systems Analysing And Describing  The  Effects of Swedish Body Massage  On The  Major Systems Of The Body Contents Introduction The Aims of Swedish Body Massage and the Body Systems Involved The Effects Swedish Body Massage Has on the Body Systems Lymphatic System Urinary System Cardiovascular System Respiratory System Muscular System Skeletal System The Benefits of Swedish Body Massage on the Body Conclusion Bibliography Introduction My Name is Sheryn McDermott and I am studying HNC Beauty Therapy at Forth Valley College. As part of my Human Anatomy Physiology for Beauty and Complementary Therapists units, I am required to write a report where I must analyse and describe the effects of a selected therapy on the major systems of the body. In the report I must: Research and describe the aim of a selected therapy on one or more systems of the body Research and discuss the evidence that explains the effect of your chosen therapy on the structure or function of the body systems Research the benefits of my chosen therapy on the body and Discuss any evidence available The assessment must be presented as a report and have no less than 1500 words and no more than 2000 which I will include a word count. I must reference using the Harvard referencing system and cite at least 5 different references. The report must be in my own words and I must use evidence based research to support my discussion. Any diagrams I use will have a title and be clearly labelled. The therapy that I have chosen to do my report on is Swedish Body Massage. The Aims of Swedish Body Massage and the Body Systems Involved The aims of Swedish body massage can differ from person to person depending on what they want to get from it. A client could want to relax, reduce emotional and physical stress, relieve tension and aches, increase their well-being, feel invigorated, detox, increase circulation and improve various body functions. There are so many things that body massage can do and as a therapist, it is my duty to know the effects that the massage will have on the body and how I will be able to achieve the clients aims. As a therapist my aims could be to: Increase blood circulation and improve function Increase lymphatic drainage and improve function Lower blood pressure Relieve tension in muscles, relaxing them and improve their condition Improve skin condition Stimulate or relax the nervous system Help reduce adipose tissue Keep joints supple Aid digestion Massage affects all the body systems in a positive way (for those who are not contra-indicated). Some of the major systems affected are the: Urinary system Lymphatic system Cardiovascular system Muscular system Skeletal system Respiratory system The Effects Swedish Body Massage Has on the Body Systems Lymphatic System As therapists massage in the same direction as the lymph flow, towards the nearest lymph node, the speed of the lymphatic flow is increased due to the force of the hands. The pressure that is applied during massage helps with transferring fluids from the tissue, into the lymphatic vessels which will drain the fluid away more quickly. This helps to prevent or reduce oedema in the tissues Interstitial fluid contains waste products from cells, these waste products are diffused through lymphatic vessel walls during massage and this allows the body to remove waste products quicker. Pathogens and microbes can be found in the blood, which the lymphatic system filters and cleans to destroy them. Massage can increase the efficiency of the lymph nodes and spleen which can increase the body’s immune system. (Jane Hiscock, 2010) wrote: ‘Biochemical healing takes place not only by alleviating anxiety but also stimulating the production of antibodies, especially immunoglobulin, so enhancing the immune system.’ Urinary System Massage is very stimulating to the body systems which releases toxins that are built up in the body and aids their removal. The toxins travel in the blood to the kidneys where they are filtered and flushed out in the urine. After a massage it is recommended to the client to drink lots of water to improve this process. An increase in fluids increases blood volume which increases the blood pressure and also increases the efficiency of the kidneys, thus increasing the need to pass diluted urine to lower the blood volume and blood pressure. Cardiovascular System Pressure on the skin (even slight) can empty the superficial capillaries and venules near the surface of the skin. Light, superficial effleurage can affect the flow of blood and help the work of the heart. Massage enhances blood flow in the veins which carry away waste products, toxins and carbon dioxide efficiently, and quickly returns to the blood stream. As the blood flow is increased, so is the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the cells and tissues. (Rosser, 2012) ‘It speeds up the flow of blood through the veins. Veins lie superficially (nearer the surface than arteries). As the hands move over the part in the direction of venous return, the blood is pushed along in the veins towards the heart. The deeper and faster the movements, the greater the flow. This venous blood carries away metabolic waste products more quickly.’ Gentle stroking produces a contraction of the walls of the capillaries in the skin which has a cooling effect on the body. Dilation of the blood vessels helps them to work more efficiently. Blood pressure temporarily decreases due to relaxation and by decreased stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. Red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets increase in number in the blood. Respiratory System As massage is very stimulating to the body and increases circulation, respiration is also increased to feed these stimulated areas with oxygen. Breathing rate and depth is increased to compensate this. The condition of the lungs can be improved as the joints of the thorax will be mobilised which will help to strengthen and improve the tone of the respiratory muscles. Percussion and tapotement massage movements will directly affect lung tissue by increasing circulation to the various part of the lungs such as the bronchioles and alveoli. If there is any mucus or foreign particles in the lungs, these can be dislodged when using percussion movements. (Audry Githa Goldberg, 1996) wrote: ’Such manipulations as percussion will have a direct effect on the lung tissue. Not only will the circulation to the bronchioles be improved, thus feeding the tissues and helping to maintain elasticity, but any mucus or foreign particles, if present, can be dislodged with such manipulations’. Gaseous exchange is also increased in the lungs which will improve the performance of the lungs by ridding the body of carbon dioxide and replenishing it with oxygen. Muscular System When muscles work they require a greater supply of oxygen and nutrients and as a result, more waste products are produced. After exercising when the muscles are resting the waste products can build up and result in stiffness. Massaging the muscles aids removal of the waste products by providing a fresh supply of blood and nutrients. (OKeefe, 2006) wrote: ‘Massage will relieve muscular fatigue by removing the lactic acids that build up in the tissues.’ Some muscle tone can be improved and maintained and with that, elasticity and flexibility is increased which can help improve some postural faults. Tense and short muscles can be relaxed and stretched and over-stretched, loose muscles can be strengthened. Tapotement causes muscles to expand and contract. Muscles are also warmed which helps to relieve tension and pain. Muscles work over joints and if there are adhesions in the joint then the full range of movement will be prevented. Massaging the joint using frictions will help loosen and release these adhesions. This will allow the joint to gain mobility in the joint, more movement in the muscles and therefore increase the range of movement. Skeletal System Pressure against the periosteum (the sheath of connective tissue that surrounds all bones except those at joints) stimulates the blood circulation which will feed and nourish bones and also the joints close by. (OKeefe, 2006) wrote: ‘When massage is applied to bones, it does not have any direct effect. What does happen is that because of increased blood circulation the bones are fed fresh oxygen and waste products are absorbed more quickly.’ Massage in and around joints can help to prevent and loosen adhesion which will help mobilise joints and improve their range. Image 8 Skeletal System The Benefits of Swedish Body Massage on the Body There are countless benefits of receiving massage that will benefit the body directly and indirectly. Skin is moisturised, nourished and desquamated, scarring can be reduced due to the increased stimulation and blood flow which will increase the skin condition overall. Sebaceous glands are stimulated allowing the skin to become more lubricated and supple. Muscles fibres can relax to eliminate bands of tension. Muscle tone and performance is improved and pain and tension relieved. Allows weakened muscles to be more readily used after a period of disuse. Relieves tension headaches. Lymph is stimulated encouraging a healthier immune system and removal of waste and toxins. Oedema in areas can be reduced providing there is no contra-indicated medical condition. Depending on the type of massage, the nervous system can be relaxed or stimulated. Circulation is improved which increases the blood flow to all parts of the body bringing nutrients and oxygen and removing waste. This promotes healing and the regeneration of cells. Blood pressure and heart rate is slowed down during a relaxing massage and if done regularly, has a cumulative effect to benefit clients with blood pressure problems. Increased urinary output will help to get rid of toxins in the body that have been released during massage and is great as part of a detox. People with stiff joints or low range of mobility will benefit from massage in and around the joints to relieve any adhesions and increase the mobility of the joint. Massage over the abdominal area can help aid digestion by encouraging peristalsis and speeds up the digestive process. Massage can help those with constipation. Adipose tissue could be affected as the tissue is warmed which accelerates the chemical activity needed to disperse the fat. The pressure used softens the fat which allows it to be more easily absorbed. Respiratory tract can benefit as it will become relaxed, allows mucus to be dispersed and dislodged and increases the gaseous exchange which allows more oxygen into the body and more carbon dioxide to leave. Breathing properly can help prevent lung infections, encourage good posture and aids relaxation. There are many psychological benefits to massage too. The client can relax, allowing the mind to become still and calm. Emotional stress can be dispersed or even forgotten about during massage and a general well-being can be achieved. Self-esteem, sleep patterns and concentration can be improved. Conclusion During this report and unit I have learned in-depth knowledge about the human anatomy and some of the major body systems. I researched how Swedish Body Massage would affect these body systems and I am now confident in my knowledge of the effects and benefits on the body. I will be able to use this knowledge to my advantage when I am treating clients, enabling me to advise them on how massage could benefit them and ensure the treatment reaches their objectives. I feel it is important to know exactly how the movements, techniques and manipulations used during massage will affect the body. Bibliography Audry Githa Goldberg, L. M. (1996). Body Massage For The Beauty Therapist (3rd ed.). Cornwall: Elsevier. Jane Hiscock, E. S. (2010). Beauty therapy Level 3 (2nd ed.). Barcelona, Spain: Pearson Education Limited. OKeefe, A. (2006). The Official Guide to Body Massage (2nd ed.). London: Thomson Learning. Rosser, M. (2012). Body Massage (3rd ed.). Italy: Hodder Education. Front Cover freelancemd.com Image 1 beautyescape.co.uk Image 2 greathealthbydesign.com Image 3 lucindacareswell.co.uk Image 4 thiswaytohealth.com Image 5 simple-health-secrets.com Image 6 chss.org.uk Image 7 woodgrovesec.moe.edu.sg Image 8 cnx.org Image 9 sourcemassage.co.uk Word Count 1881

Hamlet: The Wisdom of Polonius Essay -- GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Ha

Hamlet: The Wisdom of Polonius  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The disadvantage of the practical man's world is that it breaks down, and refuses to work, and then he finds out, at the cost of enormous distress and suffering, that he has been working on a theory all the time, but a wrong theory; and he wishes he had done a little more thinking before it was too late.   Gradually it is becoming plain to a world which has always scoffed at the philosophers that a society run on the lines of Polonius, every man being true to himself or to his own class, will not in the long run work, but will infallibly explode, with hideous ruin and combustion, into chaos, and make way for a society which shall be less selfish.   In the play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Polonius proclaims: To thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is often cited as a fine example of the noble wisdom of our sublime bard, and so forth; whereas any one who looks carefully at these lines can see that if our sublime bard had nothing wiser than this to say about the conduct of life, the less we talk about his wisdom the better.   As a matter of fact, of course, the lines are nonsense, and Shakespeare was well aware that they are nonsense; he puts them in the mouth of a garrulous old gentleman who spends most of his time talking nonsense.   Hamlet himself - who obviously comes nearer than anybody else to speaking Shakespeare's own mind - calls Polonius a "tedious old fool," and it is plain that a tedious old fool is exactly what Shakespeare is trying to portray.   The rest of the speech, of which these famous lines are the conclusion, is made up partly of bits of cheap and shallow worldly... ...kind.   To do that is to be a philosopher.   There are not many philosophers;and the practical man is not sorry there are so few, for he is proud of belonging, as he says, to a world of practice, not of mere theory.   The disadvantage of the practical man's world is that it breaks down, and refuses to work, and then he finds out, at the cost of enormous distress and suffering, that he has been working on a theory all the time, but a wrong theory; and he wishes he had done a little more thinking before it was too late.   Gradually it is becoming plain to a world which has always scoffed at the philosophers that a society run on the lines of Polonius, every man being true to himself or to his own class, will not in the long run work, but will infallibly explode, with hideous ruin and combustion, into chaos, and make way for a society which shall be less selfish.   

Ariel Dorfman’s Death and the Maiden 40 lines analysis Essay

The following forty lines from Ariel Dorfman’s Death and the Maiden (1990), take place in scene 1 of Act 3, after Roberto has been tied up by Paulina and threatened with being tortured the same way as she had been, and then shot. In response to Paulinaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s threats, Roberto begins confessing the brutality of his actions and his motives. This confession may be true; however, Gerardo has advised Roberto to indulge Paulina, to confess as this would save his life. Whatever the case, the extract is important because it portrays how a man can slide into brutality, without initially meaning to. Second, the extract is important because it helps expose the iniquities of dictatorial military governments. Finally, it is also important because it gives us an idea of Roberto’s character and personality. In this extract we clearly see the stages by which a respectable doctor became a brutal sadistic torturer. Though Roberto’s brother told him that helping the torturers could be a way to â€Å"pay the communists back for what they did to [his] dad,† Roberto stresses that he accepted the job for â€Å"humanitarian reasons.† Firstly, he wanted to help the prisoners who â€Å"were dying† from the tortures as â€Å"someone to help care for them, someone they could trust.† Later on, however, Roberto became involved in more â€Å"delicate operations† and was asked to â€Å"sit in on sessions where [his] role was to determine if the prisoners could take that much torture.† This indicates that he was there while the prisoners were tortured, watching these brutal scenes. Roberto thought this † was a way of saving people’s lives,† as he â€Å"ordered them to stop or the prisoner would die;† however, watching brutalized him, and slowly the â€Å"virtue [he] was feeling turned into excitement.† Soon, â€Å"brutalization took over [his] life† and he began â€Å"to truly like what [he] was doing,† so much so that, from an observer, he became a participant. Torture became a â€Å"game† for him, a game that was â€Å"partly morbid, partly scientific,† as he tortured women to find out things like â€Å"How much can this woman take? More than the other one? How’s her sex? Does her sex dry up when you put the current through her? Can she have an orgasm under those circumstances?† By the end, Roberto had become a sadist totally obsessed with â€Å"carry[ing] out all [his] fantasies† of sexually torturing women who were â€Å"entirely in his power,† women with whom he could do â€Å"whatever [he] want[ed].† So, stage by stage, we see in the example of Roberto how men can slide from positions of respectability and motives of kindness and compassion to becoming human monsters, men who delight in the sufferings of others. The tragedy of Robertoà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s slide from being a humanitarian to being a torturer is emphasized by the style of his speech, which reveals that he is an intelligent, educated, insightful man. Firstly we see how Roberto’s diction indicates his intelligence and level of education. Words such as â€Å"brutalization† and â€Å"morbid,† and phrases such as â€Å"he lost his capacity for speech,† â€Å"humanitarian reasons† and â€Å"install a totalitarian dictatorship† clearly manifest his ability to speak articulately and in a high register. We also see how analytically capable Roberto is, as he does not just describe his own actions but explains why they occurred, carefully dissecting his his motives for working with the torturers, not to â€Å"pay the communists back† but â€Å"for humanitarian reasons.† He can organize his account in clear, logical stages, with phrases like â€Å"It was slowly, almost without realizing how,† â€Å"At first,† â€Å"But afterwards,† â€Å"By the time,† â€Å"I began to,† and â€Å"It became.† Additionally, even in the circumstances in which he is giving this confession, in fear of his life, Roberto uses figurative language, suggesting that he has good rhetorical abilities. He uses euphemism, for example, in calling torture sessions â€Å"delicate operations,† and he uses metaphors when he refers to his brutalization as â€Å"the mask of virtue fell off,† and to his descent into sadistic torture as â€Å"the swamp.† So, we see how Roberto’s use of language clearly reveals his high level of education and intelligence, and this makes us even more horrified at how such a sophisticated man could have become a brutal torturer of women. More than exposing the degeneration of individual men, exemplified in Roberto, however, this extract also exposes the iniquities of military dictatorships, like the Pinochet regime in Chile, which Dorfman himself had to flee from. We see how military governments divided families: though Roberto became a doctor devoted to saving lives, his brother, determined to â€Å"pay the communists back for what they did to [their] father,† took another path, joining the military dictatorship and becoming a â€Å"member of the secret services.à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬  We also are given the impression of how military dictatorships can convince people to support them by manipulating their sufferings under previous governments, promising some kind of compensation, as Robertoà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s brother joined the dictatorship to â€Å"pay the communists back for what they didà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ to his father à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½the day the peasants took over his land at Las Toltecas.† Such governments also persuade people to support them, as Roberto did, by deceit and lies, getting Roberto involved in torture by saying the prisoners needed â€Å"someone they could help care for them,† but actually slowing criminalizing Roberto as a torturer. The fact that â€Å"they† have had such an enormous influence on Robertoà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s personality shows just how psychologically manipulative such regimes can be. Finally, the fact that, throughout his speech, Roberto refers to the government only as â€Å"they† evokes the way in which such governments work in the shadows, secretly and anonymously, to torture and terrorize. Thus this extract does not only show how Roberto and men like him deteriorate when they become involved in torture; it also shows how dictatorial regimes can manipulate such men, facilitating and enabling this deterioration to occur. In conclusion, this extract is very important as, whether Robertoà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s confession is true or feigned, it reveals how even the best of men may slide into such brutality and how military governments can create vile monsters out of exemplary human beings. Through the details of Robertoà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s confession, Dorfman is inviting his audience to consider how a man becomes sub-human. If a respectable doctor, a benefactor to the community, could turn into such a monster because of the effects of such a regime, then what would happen to the rest of society? Dorfman tries to make the reader consider that this incident that has turned Roberto’s life into a monster might happen to anybody in our society; especially in a switch of regime.

Is Macbeth a true tragic hero? Essay

Amongst all of Shakespeare’s tragedies, Macbeth is the most inconsistent and fragmented. Like the mental state of the protagonist, the tragic structure of the play is in disarray from the very onset. According to Aristotle, all tragedies must follow a certain set of characteristics, and the most important of these is the presence of a tragic hero. This tragic hero must possess a tragic flaw, or hamartia, which is a good quality taken to such an extreme that it now exhibits immoral behaviour from the hero. He must also draw sympathy of his plight from the audience. Macbeth, although the protagonist, is not a tragic hero because he does not possess this hamartia. This significant absence of a flaw leads to his actions being without justification, drawing no sympathy from the audience. Because Lady Macbeth’s love for Macbeth acts as a tragic flaw by ultimately bringing about her downfall and extracting a great amount of sympathy from the audience, she exhibits attributes m ore tragically heroic than Macbeth. Macbeth is the protagonist of Macbeth because the play is inexorably tied to his actions. A protagonist is defined as â€Å"the leading character of a literary work†. In Shakespearean tragedies, the protagonist must also be from the nobility and possess exceptional character and vitality. One need not look farther than the title to determine Macbeth’s importance in the play. While the title does not necessarily provide fair judgement of content, Shakespeare has an uncanny habit of titling his tragedies with the name of the protagonist: Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Julius Caesar and Othello are examples. As the play commences, farther evidence of Macbeth’s importance is apparent through the witches’ subject in the very first scene: â€Å"There to meet with Macbeth† (I.i.7). It is for Macbeth that they will gather upon the heath, and he upon whom their efforts will be focused. In the next scene, Macbeth’s nobility is confirmed through Duncan’s heartfelt â€Å"O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman!† (I.ii.24). The exclamatory nature of this sentence testifies Duncan’s affiliation with, and high regard for, Macbeth. After the victorious battle, Ross describes Macbeth as â€Å"Bellona’s bridegroom† (I.ii.54), an allusion meaning the husband of the Goddess of War, thus establishing him to be of exceptional character and vitality. Macbeth’s role as the protagonist is therefore legitimized through other’s perception of him and his own noble character. While Macbeth is the protagonist and therefore meant to be the tragic hero, the glaring absence of a tragic flaw in his character prevents his recognition as thus. A tragic flaw must be a good quality taken to such an extreme that it now exhibits immoral behaviour. Macbeth has many flaws, a hunger for power and a belief of superiority among them, yet none of these are tragic flaws because they do not have the ability to be virtuous qualities. This leaves ambition and imagination as the main competitors. Ambition cannot be Macbeth’s tragic flaw because he recognizes it in his confusion soliloquy even before he kills Duncan:I have no spurTo prick the sides of my intent, but onlyVaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself,And falls on the other. (I.vii.25-28)When Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s intentions right after the deliverance of this soliloquy, the recognition of his ambition leads him to a decisive â€Å"We will proceed no further in this business† (I. vii.31). The reason he later kills Duncan is because Lady Macbeth appeals not to his ambitious nature, but to his pride. She accuses him of being â€Å"a coward in [his] own esteem† (I.vii.43) and weak in manliness: â€Å"†¦you would/Be so much more the man† (I.vii.50-51). It is not ambition, but a wounded pride and an inbred impulse to unquestioningly follow his wife that leads Macbeth to finally commit the deed that ultimately brings about his downfall. Yet pride is also not his tragic flaw because it does not spur any of his other great crimes. While pride triggers, but is not the cause of, Macbeth’s downfall, an active imagination is not the tragic flaw because it merely serves as an instrument to illustrate that a character is in a confused state of mind. Macbeth is self-doubting all through the first three acts of the play; in his lines following the witches’ initial prophecies, he states â€Å"Come what come may† (I.iii.146), portraying his lack of wilful decisiveness. Yet after the witches’ second set of prophecies, he takes decisive measures to â€Å"crown [his] thoughts with acts† (IV.i.149), and his imagination vanishes. Similarly, Lady Macbeth’s first statement of â€Å"Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be/What thou art promis’d† (I.v.15-16) establishes her steely resolve. She is practical and untroubled by any visions. When she realizes the extent of the damage she has caused, however, her imagination takes full reign. In the sleepwalking scene, she is depicted as a broken figure,  tormented by imaginative hallucinations. In both cases, imagination comes along when the character is in a disorderly state of mind; therefore, imagination, like ambition, is not Macbeth’s tragic flaw, testifying that Macbeth does not possess one and therefore is unrecognizable as a tragic hero. Macbeth’s lack of such a flaw deems all his heinous actions without justification, and as a result, draws no sympathy from the audience. The blame for his lapse in character can be placed upon nothing but his own non-tragic flaws. He is depicted as a cowardly man: he kills Duncan because of his inability to make decisions for himself; Banquo out of paranoia: â€Å"our fears in Banquo/stick deep† (III.i.49-50) he says, before ordering the murderers to kill his former friend; and Lady Macduff and her son out of spite: his true quarrel is with Macduff, however as he realizes that the nobleman has escaped his clutches, he proceeds to â€Å"give to the edge o’ the sword/[Macduff’s] wife [and] his babes† (IV.i.151-152). Macbeth’s central desire, the want to safely be king, is born of nothing more than despicable cowardice. The audience gets a sense of this despicability in Macbeth’s character firstly through the witches’ mention of hi m: â€Å"There to meet with Macbeth† (I.i.7). By associating him with the witches so early, Shakespeare foreshadows Macbeth’s later affiliation with them. Lady Macbeth recognizes cowardice and ineptitude in Macbeth: she calls him â€Å"Infirm of purpose!† when he is unable to carry out the plan of killing Duncan to her perfection. It seems that Shakespeare attempts a sympathy-inducing endeavour through Macbeth’s â€Å"Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/Clean from my hand?† (II.ii.60-61). This attempt backfires however, because instead of showing Macbeth in a remorseful light, the irrepressible imagery of blood only serves to farther exemplify the wrongs he has wrought and how disastrous they are to his moral being. As the plot furthers, Macbeth’s crimes pile up, from belittlement, to hypocrisy, to bare-faced lying, and finally to treacherous murders. Even in catharsis he is despicable; his first words upon realizing the truth about the witches are â€Å"Accursed be that tongue that tells me so† (V.viii.17), cursing others instead of himself for the dreadful deeds he has committed. This is not pitiful, but repulsive. These crimes all sprout from the regicide at the beginning, and since this  first terrible crime lacked purpose, the others do so too. From the very onset, Lady Macbeth is sharply contrasted with Macbeth because she possesses this purpose, driven forward by her love for Macbeth. This love is her tragic flaw because it leads to her ultimate downfall. She does not want Macbeth to be king because of some ulterior motive; she wants it for his benefit. Nowhere in her first soliloquy, in which she speaks to herself and need not hide her true thoughts, does she mention the want of greatness for herself; instead, she refers to Macbeth and says, â€Å"Thou wouldst be great† (I.v.18) and â€Å"Thou ‘ldst have [the crown]† (I.v.22), proving her loyalty to Macbeth’s cause for his sake. She proceeds then to call upon â€Å"spirits/That tend on mortal thoughts† (I.v.40-41) to rid her of all kindness, gentleness, sensitivity, sweetness, and pity that accompanies her womanly nature, all the better to kill Duncan. This is not a small sacrifice on her part, as seen later through the repercussions it has on her conscience. After Macbeth becomes king and begins isolating Lady Macbeth, the once resolute woman is portrayed as a powerless being, unable to survive without the husband that once loved but now alienates her: â€Å"why do you keep alone?† (III.ii.8) she asks him after having to request a meeting to speak with him. During the banquet, she is seen to jeopardize her reputation as a graceful hostess to protect Macbeth: â€Å"Stand not upon the order of your going,/But go at once† (III.iv.85), she says to the noblemen. It is Lady Macbeth’s tragedy that she sacrifices so much for the love of a husband that will not confide in her anymore, and this love is much more sorrowful than the alleged tragedy of Macbeth, which is born from his cowardice. Because her tragic flaw is something pure and good, her demise is so heartbreaking, so utterly tragic, that it draws an unequalled amount of audience sympathy. The infamous Sleepwalking Scene, the last presence of Lady Macbeth in the play, shows that she has reached the very bottom of the pit of tragic downfall that she started falling down at the beginning of Act III. It is a reflection of her mental and emotional state that she speaks in prose instead of iambic pentameter in this entire scene. While Macbeth, previously occupied by horrible hallucinations, has now dulled his ability for feeling horror, Lady Macbeth has done the opposite. This role-reversal  leaves her in a state of severe trauma, exposing her inner thoughts and feelings. The gentlewoman’s words of â€Å"This is [Lady Macbeth’s] very guise, and, upon my life, fast asleep† (V.i.20-21) depict Lady Macbeth’s trauma as being so great that she cannot escape it even in sleep. This is decidedly more sympathy-inducing than Macbeth, who, the last we saw of him, had ordered the brutal murders of an innocent lady and her unguarded son (IV.i.150-154). While Macbeth seems intent upon bloodying his hands remorselessly at every opportunity, it is ironic that Lady Macbeth vigorously rubs her hand to get them rid of Duncan’s blood: â€Å"It is an accustomed action with [Lady Macbeth], to be seen thus washing her hands† (V.i.29-30). This irony excites audience pity for Lady Macbeth as she is clearly disillusioned and has reached her tragic recognition much earlier and more genuinely than Macbeth does. The imagery of blood that is present throughout the play now reaches a climax as well: Lady Macbeth’s obsession with her figuratively blood-stained hand is revealed through her anguished cry of â€Å"Out damned spot!† (V.i.35); she rhetorically asks, â€Å"Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?† (V.i.39-40), then notes that â€Å"the smell of the blood† (V.i.50) is still rampant. This blood symbolizes the guilt that she is burdened with, even years after the murder she helped orchestrate, contrasted with the remorselessness of Macbeth. The gentlewoman, innocent of the crime her lady has committed, still says, â€Å"I would not have such a heart in my bosom for the dignity of the whole body† (V.i.54-55). It can be deduced that the status-deprived gentlewoman does not wish to have the status of a queen if it means feeling the sorrow of Lady Macbeth. This clearly illustrates that our heroine, the true tragic character of the play, is very broken, only because of the great love she has for her husband. Love is not a crime, and this makes her predicament all the more sympathetic. Macbeth is clearly a tragedy, yet it is tragic more because of the role of Lady Macbeth than that of Macbeth himself. The love that propels her change from a strong, sensible character to one overwrought with guilt is much more tragic than Macbeth’s character change, propagated by his cowardice and incompetence. In a play about disorder and ambiguity, where â€Å"fair is foul and foul is fair† (I.i.11), it is only fitting that the role of the tragic  hero is also clearly ambiguous. It seems that Shakespeare involved himself so much in creating perfect ambiguity that he let the tragic structure of the play become quite ambiguous as well. Bibliography Agnes, Michael, ed. Webster’s New World College Dictionary. 4th ed. Foster City: IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., 2001. Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Mississauga: Canadian School Book Exchange, 1996.