Author: Mingyang Lin

In Montaigne’s work, there are many different themes and ideas being describe and explained. One of the important themes that were discuss in his work is fear, which played a big part in animal life, especially human. Fear itself is a negative feeling that we human have, and also a key to many other negative actions, having great impact on our decisions. Which is also link to one of the other important explanation on idea of Montaigne’s, and one of them will be the ability of human imagination. With fear, we will have great number of imaginations. Which will be led to different physical illness and other mental disease. In Montaigne’s work, he also explains that there are people struggle through fear in their entire life, and make irrational decisions because of it.

In The Book of the City of Ladies, there was definitely a strong defense for women against male authors’ depiction of women. Before this book or even after this book of Pizan, there was many books giving negative description of women, and tend to look down to women. At the very beginning of the book, it started out with criticism and defense to other male’s book or works with women. There was idea of powerless, dependent, not smart as men, etc., among society, this cause many books to have those weak, nonsense, and brainless women characters under the pen of male authors. Under Pizan’s work, in this book, she highlighted those brilliant women that were forgot by history and people. She give different definition to those works that we might have read, a more fair one, not the one that tent to be on the side of men. She wants all readers to know that women can be smart as men or even more. Having to seek a fair judgement between men and women.

As we can see from the play of Hamlet, Shakespeare depicted women as dependent and below men. This can be seen as Ophelia’s action of giving up the letter from Hamlet to his father Polonius, and how Polonius tend to have to the relationship between Hamlet and his daughter. Feeling and thoughts of Ophelia do not matter; she is more of a “tool” for her father and brother. And the word frailty is used to describe women, which also shows how women were being treated and seen in the time the play was written and even today. It is also shown that women are more of a “demon” than an “angel.” There are lots of hate to women, as we can see from the main character Hamlet to other women, especially to his mother after the death of old Hamlet.

Our modern ideas of love align with Platonic ideas of it. The original concept of Plato’s idea of love is between an older man and a younger man, but it was then interpreted by society as soul love. Either way, our modern ideas of love is similar to Platonic. Compare to others back in times, there are more people look forward finding a soulmate. Also, there are more open homosexual being accepted. I believe Plato’s conception of love influenced ours. Some people disagree with his ideas, but there are still a lot of people who refer their love style to Plato’s. Referring to Plato’s concept of love, we should find someone who can see through your appearance and find a great personality that attracts you. One who can bring significant influence to us, as we can both become a better one.