Age of Enlightenment

1.
As science advanced so did many factors with it changing our views of religion and observations.

The changes from the old world to new benefited us by making us more advanced.

If we hadn't been transformed from the old world into the new, technology and science wouldn't be increasing as fast as it is today.

2. If we didn't have food surplus the new world would not have benefited and advanced. As we have more food the population will grow. Since people wouldn't need jobs in farming, they would have the opportunity to do other activities such as music or arts. Also food surplus gives us the chance to expand our horizons and commercialism. We could learn about other cultures.

3. If we did not go through the age of enlightenment, we would have not been as advanced as we are today. The age of enlightenment helped us grow and advance. It really established things like government and religion. The enlightened philosophers started questioning government and science which led to what is established today. For example like the earth is not in the middle of the solar system. The was a time for new science and technology to advance.

4. Voltaire contributed to the Age of Enlightenment. He was known for his strong beliefs in religion toleration and criticism for his Christianity. He believed in deism. This philosophy is based on reason and natural law. Voltaire viewed the world as a clock created by god. Then god simply just stepped back and watched what humans did.
News Article quoted Voltaire: http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=115763
The quote they used is, "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." This is an illustration of what Voltaire believed in which was freedom of speech. Even if he didn't agree with the person, he still told them they had the right to speak.

5. I don't know if this is exactly what you are looking for but my experience of living in Vermont may have an impact on who i am today. Lets say I lived outside of the U.S, I could have different experiences and a different lifestyle. So I would have to say living in Vermont is a small factor that makes me who I am.

King Duncan as Leader

In Shakesphere's Macbeth, King Duncan showed to be a good leader. He was very loyal to his people and kind. The people trusted him. If King Duncan wasn't such a god leader Macbeth wouldn't of had such a hard time debating to kill him. "Besides, this Duncan hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been so clear in his great office, that his virtues will plead like angles, trumpet-tongued, against the deep damnation of his taking off." (1.7.16-20) This shows that King Duncan was a great leader. Macbeth in the end chose to kill him mostly because of the pressure of Lady Macbeth. The idea of individual vs society plays a big role in this part of the play. Macbeth knows that everyone will be greatly disappointed, he doesn't think about anyone else but himself. Once he finally killed King Duncan, everybody was surprised. He is a noble and trust worthy man, why would anyone ever want to kill him?

"One who can command and is a man of courage and does not get frightened in adversity, and does not neglect other preparations, and one who by his own valor and measures animates the mass of the people, he will not find himself deceived by them, and he will find that he has laid his foundations well."This quote from Machiavelli resembles King Duncan as a leader. He would view King Duncan as a very loyal and great leader. I think Machiavelli would of liked Duncan to be more harsh since Machiavelli himself believes thats how you get things done. One thing Machiavelli wouldn't have liked is that King Duncan was big on trust, so King Duncan wouldn't of lied to change how his people view him. "The great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they are realities, and are often even more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are." This quote shows how Machiavelli would like leaders to appear better then they actually are. Overall I would say that Machiavelli views Duncan as a good noble leader to his people, but there are characteristics that he could definitely improve on.

Act 1 Macbeth

Appearance Vs. Reality~
"The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step on which I must fall down, or else o'er-leap For in a way it lies. Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires:The eye wink at the hand;yet let that be which the eyes fear,when it is done, to see."(1.3 49-53). Macbeth is tender hearted and he is struggling with himself to get things done. In this scene he wants to kill King Duncan to become king himself. Their is an obstacle in Macbeth's way, which would be Malcolm. Macbeth is scared to do this task, he is struggling with himself. Lady Macbeth is like the opposite of Macbeth, she is pushing him forward to kill King Duncan. She wants him to come home to give him her passion. Meanwhile, King Duncan talks to Malcolm and tell him that he has trust in Macbeth. Macbeth acts like nothing is wrong around King Duncan but in reality he wants to kill him. According to Machiavelli he wouldn't care how it was done as long as you get it. It wouldn't matter how you look in the end, but just as long as you appear how your suppose to.


* Gender Roles:
"Our Valiant men, fighting their just cause, had no sooner forced these troops to show how fast they could retreat than the king of Norway saw his chance. He launched a fresh attack with new supplies and reinforcements" I think that Shakespeare portray men as valiant, strong, and courageous. He wants men to appear and have these characteristics. If you look at Macbeth, he is brilliant and ambitious. Then you look at Lady Macbeth and she is so different from Macbeth. She is dominant, remorseful,troubled and power hungry.

* Loyalty and Honor:
In this play loyalty and honor is a key theme. If you look at Thane of Cowder he wasn't loyal and lost his life. Shakespeare makes loyalty very important. If you are not loyal it could be a matter of life and death. "You must bind men to you by benefits, or you must make sure of them in some other way, but never reduce them to the alternative of having either to destroy you or perish themselves." and "A man's property and honor are the points upon which he will be most keenly sensitive." These 2 Machiavelli quotes talks about how loyalty and honor are important to have as a prince. If you are not loyal Machiavelli explains how it could destroy you. Macbeth at first is loyal to King Duncan, then he changes his ways and becomes selfish.

Machiavelli

Machiavelli was an Italian philosopher in politics.He is from Florence. He was born on May 3rd 1469.He was also a musician, poet,and romantic comedic playwright. He is mostly known for his first book, The Prince, which was written in 1513.The Prince is able to help a leader/ruler to gain control of his people and how to maintain that power.
Sources:
http://www.lonympics.co.uk/machiavelli.htm
http://www.wisegeek.com/who-is-machiavelli.htm


Quote most relevant to leaders today- "He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command."
This quote is relevant to most leaders today. Whoever the leader may be, they should know how to take control and be in power. If you do not know how to command then you will most likely not be a very good leader. People will not want to follow in your footsteps if you can not show them that you can take control. If our President Obama didn't know how to be in charge and command, he probably would not be our President. All and any kind of leaders should know how to command their people if they want to be obeyed.



Quote not most relevant to leaders today- "It is not essential that a Prince have all good qualities, but it is most essential that he should seem to have them"
This quote I believe would be bad advice for leaders today. I think along with being a leader you should have all good qualities or try to obtain them. It would be the wrong thing to do if you lie about who you are and people are looking up to you. If your followers find out your not really what you seem to be then you could be getting yourself into trouble. Today it is nearly impossible to fake who you are. If you look at celebrities, you know everything about them because they are always being watched.

Quote most useful for Pizarro- "Before all else, be armed."
This is definitely most useful for the Incas. The Incas were not prepared for the attack of Pizarro. They made no improvements while Spanish were advancing fast. if the Incas were armed and prepared then the outcome could have been very different. If you look at America today, we are very armed and prepared. The Incas should have done things differently for the benefit of them.

Site-http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/machiavelli/