Motivation in Literature

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the concept of good and evil and people's motivation for following a particular path in their lives. It focuses on this concept as it is illustrated in William Shakespeare's "Othello" and in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House." The paper describes the characters of Iago, possibly the most heinous villain in Shakespeare and of Krogstad, a secondary character in Ibsen's "A Doll's House" and discusses their motivation for their actions.

From the Paper:

"In terms of the motivation and the purpose of their actions Iago and Krogstad are two different characters. Indeed, Krogstad is the antagonist in "A Doll's House" but he is not necessarily a villain. Krogstad is a person who has been wronged by society as he committed the same crime Nora did, forgery of signatures. Though he did break the law, his mistake was relatively minor but the society has labeled him as a criminal and prohibited him to go beyond his past. Additionally Krogstad's claim that the cause of his immoral behavior was when Mrs. Linde abandoned him for a man with money so she could provide for her family makes it possible for us to see Krogstad as a victim of circumstances. Even if society's unfair treatment of Krogstad is not a justification for his actions, it tempers in the same time out perception of him as a despicable character. It can be said that his actions are indeed motivated because when Torvald becomes director of the bank in which Krogstad is employed and threatens him with dismissal, he naturally has to fight back: "If necessary, I am prepared to fight for my small post in the bank as if I were fighting for my life...It is not only for the sake of the money; indeed, that weighs
least with me in the matter. There is another reason...my sons are growing up; for their sake I must try and win back as much respect as I can in the town. This post in the Bank was like the first step up for me--and now your husband is going to kick me downstairs again into the mud" (act 1, "A Doll's House's Text"). As can be seen Krogstad has reasonable motives for behaving as he does: he wants to keep his job at the Bank in order to spare his children of the hardships that come with a spoiled reputation."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Katherine E. Monahan Huntley - Storytelling Output Report for " A Doll's House " 15 March 2007 http://www.dramatica.com/story/analyses/analyses/dollshouse.html
• Ian Johnston - On Ibsen's "A Doll's House " 15 March 2007 http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/introser/ibsen.htm
• Enotes - A Doll's House Text 15 March 2007 http://www.enotes.com/dollsouse-text/
• Virginia Mason Vaughan, Clark University - " Othello" The Literary Encyclopedia published 28 October 2000 16 March 2007 http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=3009
• Shakespeare Homepage - Othello, the Moore of Venice 16 March 2007 http://shakespeare.mit.edu/othello/index.html

More papers on Motivation in Literature:

• Research Paper # 62408 : "Motivation in SL Learning"
• Research Paper # 108770 : "Motivation in Non-profit Organizations"
• Comparison Essay # 16587 : "Mental Illness in Literature"

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