Captain Ahab Essay - 1462 Words

Captain Ahab sights Moby Dick from afar and continues his hot pursuit on the White Whale. For three days, a relentless chase occurs because of Ahab’s desire for revenge. The indomitable whale continually destroys boat after boat. During the latter days of the struggle, the whale finally attacks the Pequod, plunging the ship to the bottom pits of the ocean. Determined to reach his final goal, the captain makes a last ditch effort and launches his harpoon towards Moby Dick. Ironically, Ahab’s harpoon catches around his neck and strangles him to death. Obviously determined to avenge his leg, the Captain causes his own downfall through his own desire for retribution. In The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark, Shakespeare creates two†¦show more content†¦In addition, he begins to doubt what the Ghost tells him during the beginning of the novel, which shows logical reasoning and thinking because of the lack of proof presented by the Ghost. Consequently, he decides t o find out first if the Ghost is speaking honestly, which shows that initially, thoughts of retribution did not corrupt Hamlet’s judgment till the latter acts of the play. Also, Hamlet makes evident his ability to think analytically when he again questions his lack of motivation. After watching the play, Hamlet berates himself over the lack of effort he exhibits. Hamlet questions, â€Å"Is it not monstrous that this player here, /But in a fiction, in a dream of passion, /Could force his soul so to his own conceit† (2.2.59-61). Hamlet’s adroit use of language again makes evident his control of mind, in complete contrast with his state of mind at the conclusion of the play. The doubt that lingered in his mind eventually transforms into an imminent burning desire for revenge, eventually corrupting Hamlet’s thoughts and leads to such doltish actions as the innocent killing of Polonius, Laertes’ father. His language reflects his lack of judgment because it contains no figurative devices and his statements are short, blunt, and are not straightforward. Laertes exhibits a similar transformation from thinking logically and reasonably to acting blindly with anger and without reason. During the beginning of the play,Show MoreRelated Captain Ahab and Moby Dick Essay1234 Words   |  5 Pages Captain Ahab and Moby Dick: Literary critics point to a variety of themes and juxtapositions when analyzing Herman Melvilles â€Å"Moby Dick†. Some see the land opposed to the sea or Fate opposed to free will. Most mention man versus nature or good versus evil. A perspective that seems overlooked though is the perspective of the self and the other. The self and other is when one discovers the other (something not us) within oneself, when one realizes that one is not a single being alien to anythingRead MoreCaptain Ahab And Ishmaels Visions Of Moby Dick1680 Words   |  7 PagesAlthough Captain Ahab’s and Ishmael’s conceptions of the eponymous Moby Dick and their quest to kill him are, in ways intellectual and emotional, similar, they diverge in that Ishmael’s conception of Moby Dick is organic and susceptible to revision, whereas Ahab’s is unchanging and linear. In order to compare and contrast Ahab and Ishmael’s visions of Moby Dick, it is necessary to understand each man’s vision of the quest. Captain Ahab’s understanding of Moby Dick is multifaceted, including conceptionsRead MoreCaptain Ahab Had A Wife, By Lisa Norling1715 Words   |  7 PagesCaptain Ahab Had a Wife, by Lisa Norling, is a collection of ideas and information regarding women in the whaling industry in the seventeen and eighteen hundreds. Norling writes how women were affected by the whaling industry, they depended on society for stability, and often conformed to society s rules. The book is written to portray women during this time as resilient and capable of living in a man driven world. By recovering the stories of real maritime women, it enables to push beyond the stereotypicalRead MoreCaptain Ahab Had A Wife : New England Women And The Whalefishery 1720-18201949 Words   |  8 PagesLisa Norling’s book, Captain Ahab Had a Wife: New Englan d Women and the Whalefishery 1720-1820, focuses on the feminist view of the early whale fisheries of New England. Feminism is the belief that women should be allowed the same rights, power, opportunities, and respect as men. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, New England’s whaling businesses were at their highest points in their careers. 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In Moby Dick, we are introduced to Captain Ahab and his personal quest to avenge the personal loss he suffered at the jaws of what he considered to â€Å"evil† while Ishmael recounts â€Å" Ahab did not fall down and worship it like them; but deliriously transferring its idea to the abhorred white whale, he pitted himself, all mutilated,Read MoreAnalysis of Herman Melville ´s Moby Dick Essay821 Words   |  4 Pages Herman Melville, in his renowned novel Moby-Dick, presents the tale of the determined and insanely stubborn Captain Ahab as he leads his crew, the men of the Pequod, in revenge against the white whale. A crew mixed in age and origin, and a young, logical narrator named Ishmael sail with Ahab. Cut off from the rest of society, Ahab attempts to make justice for his personal loss of a leg to Moby Dick on a previous voyage, and fights against the injustice he perceived in the overwhelming forces thatRead More I am The Universe891 Words   |  4 PagesEveryone is responsible for their own actions. Moreover, Fate is just a scapegoat if something goes wrong. Captain Ahab, a character in the novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville, is a victim of his own negligent actions. As a result, he faces an unfortunate death from the fury of the white whale. Ahab places all of his hate on the whale, whom is later referred to as Moby Dick, because he lost a leg to him. He thinks that Moby Dick represents all of the hatred and evil in the world, and that he mustRead MoreHerman Melville s Moby Dick1358 Words   |  6 Pagespowerful emotions in the reader. Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick contains a man who is among the unforgettable characters of literature: Ahab, sea-captain of the whaling ship the Pequod. Ahab is a mysterious figure to Ishmael, the narrator of the tale, at first. Despite the captain’s initial reclusiveness, Ishmael gradually comes to understand the kind of man that Ahab is and, most importantly, the singular obsession he possesses: finding the white whale, Moby Dick, the beast that bit off his leg. TheRead MoreThe Effects Of Ambition In Moby Dick1727 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"joint-stock† illustrates that to Queqeueg, showing compassion is more than a choice, it is his nature. Even Ahab displays some compassion, which is best exemplified in the scene where the Pequod â€Å"gams† with the Enderby. One moment of compassion is the crossing of prosthetics between Ahab and Captain Boomer: â€Å"With his ivory arm frankly thrust forth in welcome, the other captain advanced, and Ahab, putting out his ivory leg, and crossing the ivory arm†¦ cried out in his walrus way, ‘Aye, aye, hearty! Let