Isn't the problem one of context? In "Hekabe",
Euripides shows an old grandmother murdering a man's
children because brutal treatment by him and people
like him has made her less than human. Revenge doesn't
make her any happier and Euripides doesn't condone it,
he merely says "if you treat people badly enough they
are liable to do this sort of thing". Shakespeare's
Richard has to contend with deformity and an unloving
mother (not an excuse but an explanation). De Sade
shows people being cruel simply because they enjoy it
and it passes the time. Euripides, Shakepeare and
writers like them also aren't one-sided; if they show
how low people can sink they also show how high they
can rise, which presents a moral challenge to the
reader. "People can be more than they are, if they
would only try for it" (Mary Renault). Writers like
the Marquis encourage them not to try.
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere!
http://mail.yahoo.com/
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|