Characters Transformed By Their Environment In Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, Pygmalion

downloadDownload
  • Words 1081
  • Pages 2
Download PDF

Some would say that an individual’s character distinguishes them from others; it makes them different. If so, then what shapes their character? This paper will consider how one’s character and how they are described, is affected by one’s environment. Then by examining three different types of characters and how they are transformed by their environment. Consequently, we will see how morals and standards can play a role in shaping one’s character along with the environment. Therefore, the influences of one’s environment shape their character.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines character as “one of the attributes or features that make up and distinguish an individual.” One’s character is made up of the mental traits that make them distinctive from others. It includes the patterns of thought and emotions that cause them to act and speak in specific ways.

Click to get a unique essay

Our writers can write you a new plagiarism-free essay on any topic

However, environmental change can affect the character. Merriam-Webster defines the environment as “the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded.” People can act in the same ways or in different ways depending on the environment. Thus, the environment shapes an individual’s character. Everyday experiences and people we associate with on a daily basis, all affect our thoughts, motivations, and behaviors in different or various environments.

The structure of an environment around someone can heavily influence their attitude and well-being. Society can be so confined to their knowledge, that logic and common sense can be simply overruled by natural instincts. The environment has since changed from the fall of man in Genesis into a world of chaos and destruction around every turn. Whether one is a child in a candy store or a ruler of an empire, there is a sudden wave of urgency to become anyone they choose outside of their nature due to a specific environment. “Standard conceptions of how the environment influences the person are constrained by the dominant view of representation – and, therefore, perception, cognition, and language – as fundamentally consisting of encodings.” As stated in three of the novels read this year, examples of environmental change affect the characters of each story.

In the first novel, William Shakespeare´s Macbeth, the main character, Macbeth, is of the utmost loyalty to his king and country. He is the prime example every young warrior wanted to follow. However, his fascination with his ¨new-found-fate¨ changed his perspective of life. As he becomes more curious, the atmosphere around him begins to have a darkness to it and he himself becomes darker. For instance, only short moments after being greeted by the witches did Macbeth already begin planning the murder of his king. The more power he obtains, the more he becomes a dark tyrant alongside his power-hungry wife. The attitude he has from the beginning to the end of the story changes depending on the circumstances he encounters, His environment mentally affects his decisions. The environment was chaotic and the more they succeeded, the more the world around them was thrown into turmoil the more their plan prevailed; thus the environment can not only affect your mental state, but it can also depict it as well.

In the second, Charles Dickens´ A Christmas Carol, where the first Stave introduces the reader in a gloomy and rainy setting because it is soon revealed that Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean-spirit, malevolent, and spiteful elderly man. He is visited by the ghost of his deceased business partner, Bob Marley, who warned him that if he does not change his ways, he is destined to suffer the same fate for the rest of eternity. Every time a spirit of Christmas takes Scrooge to a memory or destination, the environment affects Scrooge´s frame of mind. When w He sees this more in his past as he watches himself become the man he is in the present. In Scrooge’s past, he did not have many friends and was mainly alone. His only friends were the fictional characters he read in fairytales. Even in the environments that are of a more pleasant nature, those feelings are hidden behind the cold-hearted and sarcastic phrases. Therefore, A Christmas Carol is one of the best examples to use for environmental changes.

Eliza Dolittle from Pygmalion, written by George Bernard Shaw, is from the slums and street of London and is considered the lowest of the low. She is mainly being used as an experiment, but soon proves to be more than meets the eye. Even though she came from rough beginnings and was frowned upon by many, she had maintained the positive standards of herself of which she held onto throughout the story. Her environment has changed and although she did not fully grasp Professor Henry Higgin´s full intent, she managed to keep the free will and freedom of speech she had from the slums. At the end of the novel, Eliza had come to terms with the fact that although she has learned the manners and showmanship of the upper class, she simply does not belong there. She also rejects the idea of her prior poverty and is clueless about what to do next. She developed based on her environment and surroundings through the teaching methods of Professor Henry but was also still conscious of her morals and most of her actions. When she decides to no longer stay with the Professor, she is deliberately using her own judgment according to how she had been treated in this environment. In the household of Higgins, she is treated as a mere object, or rather inhumanely. She agrees to leave only in hopes of achieving her dream but soon comes to the realization that neither environments work for her and that she will attempt to fair on her own.

In summary, society has always depended on nature for the necessities needed for survival, but it is almost never truly considered that the environment affects one’s behavior. For instance, if the current habitat of a person is too stressful, they leave it to go somewhere more calming. Or when babies are first born, the only environment they are familiar with is around their parents. In most cases where there is no order, someone may feel the need to correct any injustices or pursue change to the environment they are in to make it more habitable to their liking. When introduced to unfamiliar faces and places, they may feel uncomfortable. Not only in the stories but as life continues, similar occurrences take place. The transformations each character takes on is due to how they were placed in the storyline by their writers.

image

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy.