Claudius And Prince Essays - English-language Films,

Claudius And Prince "Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are, and those few dare not oppose themselves to the opinion of the many, who have the majesty of the state to defend them." - Nicolo Machiavelli, from The Prince Italian political theorist Nicolo Machiavelli speculated that the strongest leaders are ones who are able to carefully balance appearances to his benefit, strategically using them to strengthen his regime. If Machiavelli was indeed correct, then Claudius, from Shakespeare's Hamlet, starts off as an ideal Machiavellian prince. However, as the play develops, Claudius' loses his previously immovable command and composure, largely due to his concern over the potential threat posed by his stepson, Hamlet. At the beginning of the play, Claudius appears to have complete control over Elsinore, as evidenced by his imposing speech to the court: Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen, Th' imperial jointress to this warlike state, Have we (as ?twere with a defeated joy, With an auspicious and a dropping eye, With mirth in funeral and dirge in marriage, In equal scale weighing delight and dole) Taken to wife... [1.2: 8-14] In this scene, Claudius, who has only recently taken the throne after the death of his brother, addresses some pressing issues. Seeking to create a strong early impression, Claudius uses his words very carefully, taking great pains to both mourn his late brother and celebrate his marriage. Furthermore, with the words"imperial jointress to this warlike state" he justifies the potentially controversial union by making it appear like a benefit to the entire kingdom. Claudius is clearly a shrewd politician, for he deliberately emphasizes the contrast between his marriage and Hamlet's death, using phrases such as"defeated joy" and "with an auspicious and a dropping eye." The benefits to such an approach are obvious : on one hand Claudius appeals to popular sentiment by remembering his popular brother, and on the other hand, with his celebration of his marriage, the King proves that he is ready to move on and attack his new role with vigor. The oxymoronic phrases "mirth in funeral" and "dirge in marriage" recall Machiavelli's words, for Claudius demonstrates his ability to express whatever emotions make him look wise and just, showing that he is in command of Denmark, despite his limited experience as king. Claudius fortifies his majestic appearance by taking decisive and positive action. When faced with the threat of Fortinbras, he immediately takes diplomatic measures, sending Cornelius and Voltemand to protect Denmark's borders and create an alliance with Norway. Later, Laertes asks for permission to return to France. Knowing the value of the advice of Laertes' father, Polonius, Claudius gives his consent in a jovial manner, thus strengthening his position with the courtiers. The King even senses the troubled state of Hamlet, and rather than letting things run their course, Claudius immediately sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as spies. Most importantly, in every decision he makes, Claudius appears confident, maintaining a balanced temperament in the public eye. Yet underneath this smooth facade lies a man who is concerned above all about Hamlet. A full two months after the death of his father, Hamlet continues to mourn, thereby keeping Old Hamlet's death in the public spotlight. Claudius, of course, would much rather forget about the incident, for that would not only decrease the likelihood of his being discovered but also help lighten his overburdened conscience. Unfortunately, Hamlet will not let him nor the public forget. Furthermore, Claudius realizes that Hamlet has a justified claim to the throne that could destabilize the King's regime. In an attempt to alleviate the situation, Claudius stresses Hamlet's role as his successor, not potential replacement. Nevertheless, the threat of Hamlet remains, and Claudius becomes extremely concerned with it. "That do I long to hear!" [2.2: 53] refers not to news of Fortinbras but to the cause of Hamlet's perceived lunacy. This exclamation is also the first time that we have seen Claudius stray from his even-tempered public appearance, as he reveals a bit of emotion where Hamlet is concerned. The effect of Hamlet on the King reaches a climax during The Murder of Gonzago, during which the King's composure breaks down completely. Hamlet's plan to confirm Claudius' guilt succeeds brilliantly: when the murder in the play pours poison into Gonzago's ear, telling the audience that the plot is based on true events, Claudius suddenly rises, shouting "Give me some light. Away!" [3.2: 295] Gone is the calm that had begun to make Claudius a successful leader, replaced by a sudden outburst of emotion in

The Sindhu (Indus) River

The Sindhu (Indus) River The Sindhu River, also commonly referred to as the Indus River, is a major waterway in South Asia. One of the longest rivers in the world, the Sindhu has a total length of over 2,000 miles and runs south from the Kailash Mountain in Tibet all the way to the Arabian Sea in Karachi, Pakistan. It is the longest river in Pakistan, also passing through northwestern India, in addition to the Tibetan region of China and Pakistan. The Sindhu is a large part of the river system of the  Punjab, which means land of five rivers. Those five rivers- the Jhelum, Chenab,  Ravi,  Beas, and  Sutlej- eventually flow into the Indus. History of the Sindhu River The Indus Valley is located on the fertile floodplains along the river. This region was home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, which was one of the oldest known civilizations. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of religious practices starting in about 5500 BCE, and farming began by around 4000 BCE. Towns and cities grew up in the area by about 2500 BCE, and the civilization was at its peak between 2500 and 2000 BCE, coinciding with the civilizations of the Babylonians and Egyptians.   When at its peak, the Indus Valley Civilization boasted houses with wells and bathrooms,  underground drainage systems,  a fully developed writing system,  impressive architecture, and a well-planned urban center. Two major cities,  Harappa  and  Mohenjo-Daro, have been excavated and explored. Remains including elegant jewelry, weights, and other items. Many items have writing on them, but to date, the writing has not been translated. The Indus Valley Civilization began to decline around 1800 BCE. Trade ceased, and some cities were abandoned. Reasons for this decline are unclear, but some theories include flood or drought. Around 1500 BCE, invasions by the Aryans began to erode what was left of the Indus Valley Civilization. The Aryan people settled in their place, and their language and culture have helped to shape the language and culture of todays India and Pakistan. Hindu religious practices may also have their roots in Aryan beliefs. The Sindhu Rivers Significance Today Today, the Sindhu River serves as a key water supply to  Pakistan  and is central to the country’s economy. In addition to drinking water, the river enables and sustains the country’s agriculture.   Fish from the river provide a major source of food to communities along the river’s banks. The Sindhu River is also used as a major transportation route for commerce. Physical Attributes of the Sindhu River The Sindhu River follows a complex path from its origin at 18,000 feet in the Himalayas near Lake Mapam. It flows northwest for roughly 200 miles before crossing into the disputed territory of Kashmir in India and then into Pakistan. It eventually exits the mountainous region and flows into the sandy plains of the Punjab, where its most significant tributaries feed the river. During July, August, and September when the river floods, the Sindhu stretches to several miles wide in the plains. The snow-fed Sindhu River system is subject to flash floods, too. While the river moves quickly through the mountain passes, it moves very slowly through the plains, depositing silt and raising the level of these sandy plains.

Facilitate your personal development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Facilitate your personal development - Essay Example 1. CONSISTENCY Consistency is a very important element to maintain our output while working. One can only do it by periodically checking of his or her performance. For example, we can maintain a diary from the moment we start our work. Say every week, we check our performance whether it is increasing or decreasing. If decreasing, what is the reason behind it? We are our best judge. No one knows you better than you yourself. So you are you best teacher. One easy way of accomplishing tasks can be done by breaking it into smaller segments. By checking ourselves time to time we can ensure and maintain our optimum performance. Use hand written task checklists in which each step has to be ticked off to ensure consistency in method of task completion. (Gurcheik, 2012) Having a white board in the work area with all relevant work information is a one good method of maintaining your consistency. Another way to check yourself would be to ask your supervisor as how is your performance, whether t here is improvement or not. If not what are the areas where you need to improve. 2. TRAINING No one is perfect; we all know it and we should always accept it. In order to train oneself, the person needs to know his or her strengths and weaknesses first. Doing SWOT analysis (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity & Threats) of oneself is very helpful in this situation. Once we do that we will realize our weaknesses we need to find out how to overcome these. All employees with duty for performance management must receive training to help them manage performance effectively. This should include information on the objectives of performance management, how it will operate and what their role will be. Employees will also need training in how to set their objectives and training in other aspects of the system. (Garger, 1999) We can always take help from our colleagues or our seniors. Being honest with our own self will always be helpful in improving ourselves. We need to start concentrating on ou r weaknesses and gradually overcoming these. 3. RECORD KEEPING As discussed in the first topic of consistency, one needs to maintain a diary to keep a check on the evaluation, in the similar fashion we also need to record our improvement. Unless and until we know the progress we will not be able to judge our improvement. It is very important to understand and know whether our training is actually helping us improve or not. A small example can be, whether we being able to meet our daily targets or we are exceeding our targets. (Gurcheik, 2012) 4. KEEPING EXPECTATION HIGH Each and every company has a performance management process. We all know it. This is no secret. But we need to make sure that we are confident in ourselves that we have the capability to improve. As it is said self motivation is the best motivation. The company will eventually lay down the process for you, but we need to be ready with a positive attitude towards it. As quoted, â€Å"Everything that is â€Å"rewardi ng† about working for a particular employer or everything an employee gets as a result of their employment† (Davis, 2007). This statement is very true because at the end of the day it is a mutual understanding between the employee and the employer. The company wants us to perform and this is their way to help ourselves improve and perform better. Let us be positive about it. (Boyett & Jimmy, 2000) If