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Analysis Of ' Grendel ' And ' Macbeth '

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What is Benevolence without Evil? Evil is a part of mankind; it is something that cannot be defeated. “One recurring theme in early British literature is the idea that evil characters are directly related to experiences of tragedy, pain, confusion, and sadness” (Herrera). In Grendel, tragedy and confusion is seen throughout the story. The theme in the story of Macbeth is tragedy and pain. This early literature exemplifies evil through these themes. The philosophers whose theories support these themes through British literature are Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Sigmund Freud and Fred Alford. Throughout the stories of Grendel and Macbeth, evil is displayed differently as well as the theories that contribute to the evil seen. Although their philosophy of the source of evil is different, they all conclude that evil comes from within. Jean- Jacques Rousseau was born on June 28, 1712, in Switzerland. The European philosopher wrote a book called A Discourse on the Arts and Sciences. His belief is that society is corrupted by evil and that man is good in his “state of nature” (Notes). He believed that man are naturally good and if we let them act on their own instinct, that they will act their true nature. He claims that politics are evil and corrupt the society with their systems.
Sigmund Freud was born on May 6, 1856, in Germany. He received a medical degree and treated psychological disorders. Freud had many theories, but for the theory of evil, he believed that human’s purpose in

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