Everyone Has the Capacity to Do Evil Essay - 1189 Words

Throughout time humans have been trying to explain the nature of evil and man’s relationship with evil. Many have come up with an explanation that seems logic but yet some still disagree. In this case the authors of Macbeth, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Picture of Dorian Gray, Paradise lost, and Beowulf all share the same concept that anyone has the capacity to do evil, but they disagree with each other on the idea that evil is not a choice. All these writers agree that any individual has the capacity to do evil. Sometimes the most reliable of people can end up betraying someone else as seen in the case of King Duncan from the play of Macbeth by William Shakespeare. King Duncan was a good King but his greatest flaw was to always trust the†¦show more content†¦79). Oscar Wilde the author of the Picture of Dorian Gray also shares the same view as the quote from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that everybody is two different people the good and the evil. Dorian Gray was a handsome and wealthy young gentleman who became extremely concerned about preserving his beauty and to pursue his own pleasure above all else after he became influenced by the teachings of Lord Henry. â€Å"There were moments when he looked on evil simply as a mode through which he could realize his conception of the beautiful.† (ch.11) his obsession with beauty drives him to commit serious crimes such as the murder of his friend Basil and the contribution to the deaths of other people such as the suicide of his beloved Sibyl Bane whom Dorian left broken hearted. He also contributes indirectly to the death of Sibyl’s brother James after he seeks revenge against Dorian for the death of his sister. He also contributed to the suicide of Adrian Singleton, whom rumors say Doria n corrupted. His crimes where somewhat reflected in the painting that Basil had done for him. â€Å"The quivering, ardent sunlight showed him the lines of cruelty round the mouth as clearly as if he had been looking into a mirror after he had done some dreadful thing.†(pg.107) In Paradise lost by John Milton Gods most high ranked angel Satan wages a war against heaven. â€Å"O sun, to tell thee how I hate thy beams that bring to my remembranceShow MoreRelatedWhy Not Everyone Is A Torturer By Oliver Behrensdorff Essay1192 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Why Not Everyone Is A Torturer - Oliver Behrensdorff What are the causes of atrocity events such as the massacre at My Lai, the abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib or the extermination of Jews during World War II? Whether groups of people bestowed with unaccountable power naturally resort to violence or not, the subject is indeed controversial. 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