A Brief Introduction to Systematic Living Essay -- Natural, Man Made,

a significantly bigger arrangement of frameworks. It is not necessarily the case that frameworks suggest request. Nor do the terms â€Å"systemic† or â€Å"systematic†, in spite of the fact that they are much of the time used to propose precisely that. An incredible inverse. There is an unbelievable measure of confusion that happens at each scale, in both regular and man-made frameworks. Frameworks of any sort can be erratic, and take on their very own existence. One look at the juggernaut of administration that is the U.S. government exhibits this pleasantly without spending another breath demonstrating the point†¦ I’ve been fortunate enough in life to have been tossed into circumstances where it appeared I was constantly compelled to figure out a wide grouping of frameworks. A great many people call these circumstances â€Å"problems†, and I did too for a long time. My first vocation started during the U.S. Army’s change into the New Army of the post-Cold War time. I served for about 10 years, stateside and abroad, took part in the organization of worldwide teams under U.N. control, and assembled and dealt with the sending office for the USARPAC power projection stage. I learned, by experimentation, the intricate details of the staff the executives administration and how to structure PC based answers for some issues. As opposed to prevalent thinking, the military was not in any way forefront in its endeavors at computerizing even essential office archives, substantially less mind boggling forms. We despite everything utilized essentially count sheets, log books, and typewriters to run Division-level tasks even in the mid 1990s. The sparkling exemption to this was Microsoft Powerpoint. Our officers lived and inhaled their fight theaters through an unending torrent of Powerpoint slideshow briefings. My first Army Achievement Medal was grant... ...its Own Reward Substance Relationship Mapping: What Software Teaches Us About Grammar Agreeable Evolution as a Systemic Norm Specialization versus Speculation Plan with Perpetuality Sweet Chaos Structure with Intentionality This Cell Isn’t Big Enough for the Two of Us: The Prisoner’s Dilemma Saving Hammurabi’s Palace KISS A LEGOâ„ ¢ in Every Pot Entropic Economics 101 Two is One, One is None Give Me My Damn Twinky! Regular Rights versus Human Rights A Calendar for Every Season Can’t a Squirrel Get a Nut? Control Yourself Of Mollison and Gall, Dawkins and Waal The Lie of Dichotomy: Heads I Win, Tails You Lose At the point when You Piss in the Global Wind, We All Get Wet Works Cited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_projection http://systemic.permacultureuniversity.net/?p=3

Methodology Guidelines for Construction †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Examine about the Procurement Methodology Guidelines for Construction. Answer: Presentation The acquisition approaches have various impacts, which they can bring to a task. The achievements of the ventures are profoundly influenced by the sort of the acquirement draws near, which are utilized. From the cost ramifications to the proficient of usage and furthermore the execution time frames are a portion of the key components which are influenced by the decision of the obtainment approach picked. The examination of the [procurement approaches on the given undertakings must be done to decide the best methodology. The various methodologies can perform on various undertakings dependent on the determinations of the tasks itself. This implies the disappointment of one methodology on a specific venture doesn't imply that it won't prevail on another task. The distinctions in ventures particulars can prompt the exhibition contrasts in the tasks. The primary point of the acquirement approaches is to ensure that the tasks are finished inside the predetermined course of events, ready to meet the expense evaluated and ready to meet the customers quality prerequisites. This paper will have the option to break down the distinctive acquisition draws near. Furthermore, it will have the option to search for the best proper methodology for the league square undertaking. It will have the option to suggest that obtainment approach which would help to splendidly execute this undertaking and the manner in which it would improve the exhibition factors for the usage of this venture. The alliance square is found north of the Princes Bridge and limited by Flinders Street and the Yarra River. The undertaking covers an expected region of 7.9 sections of land and is evaluated to cost about $345 million. Additionally, the undertaking is fixed to give three essential open zones which incorporate St Pauls court, The square and the Atrium. Also, the development of this venture depends on a solid deck, which is over the railroad on the go across purposes of Flinders road and Swanston Street on Kilda street. This undertaking can give key social and city festivities to the inhabitants in Melbourne. With an expected 6 million inhabitants who visit the alliance square every year, the task is critical to upgrading the work and economy of these individuals. The execution of the task is as far as cooperation between Victorian government which had the help of the Commonwealth government and Melbourne City Council. The task had an underlying quote of $128 million. By the by, the execution cost ascended to $345 million and was found to have postponed with 26 months rendering the underlying expense as unreasonable figure. The cost contrast on the underlying evaluation was found through the accessible financing which was accessible as of now. The alliance square venture is one of the key super undertaking which can offer an appropriate investigation of the manner in which the obtainment approaches can perform on a task. The progressions had the option to occur from the offering add up to the honor sum. At long last, Lab engineering and Bates Smart met up and worked together where they were to plan the task. The coordinated effort had the option to prompt various issues and triumphs on the undertaking execution. The necessities and execution process had the option to offer basic components which prompted the task being an optimizing one. The administration utilized the optimizing system on the task and turned into the key main impetus for the venture. The methodology was intended to help the plan tem to have the option to think of the best documentation of the task. By and by, the multifaceted nature of this venture offered a significant test to this technique for usage of the task and came about to the different difficulties on the undertaking, for example, the cost additions and defers experienced. On the procedure of the optimizing execution, Multiplex was designated with no serious offering process. On the procedure, eleven months after the beginning of the works, Multiplex had the option to put ahead a case of $19.1 million to the administration so as to cover the postponements and harms which were brought about by nonattendance of the absence of legitimate legally binding understanding between the gatherings. This is a little piece of the issues which were experienced on the undertaking because of an inappropriate decision of obtainment approach. Also, in 2002, the agreement understanding was modified which had the option to prompt development Management course of action. The primary purpose behind the adjustment was because of different issues which had the option to incorporate; the ever changing and fragmented plans and documentations, the hesitance of the Office of Major Projects to bargain the engineering so as to have the option to hazard the distribution for structure to Multiplex. In addition, other purpose behind the modification is the more debates, which were coming over plan expense for the extra expenses and the improvements of the structures, which were proceeding through the delicate period. The acquisition approaches are key in guaranteeing that the tasks can meet the various particulars of the activities. The achievement of the tasks is to a great extent associated with the sort of the acquisition approaches which is accepted. Also, the employments of some key methodologies in certain tasks can moderate the issues, which are experienced on different methodologies. Utilization of some acquisition approaches would have had the option to take care of some key issues in the league square venture. The expense and course of events of execution are a portion of the key territories where the task had the option to flop a great deal. Acquisition strategies investigation Every one of the acquisition approach can have it benefits and negative marks when utilized in a specific venture. So as to expand the odds of legitimate undertaking Management, right acquisition approaches must be browsed the start. The course of events, costs and the nature of the task are the key zones, which the obtainment draws near, can improve in their applications. A portion of the key methodologies, which are utilized, on the development ventures incorporate, customary or configuration offer and assemble, structure and build obtainment, Management acquisition and community oriented acquirement among different tasks. The dangers components in the undertakings are the principle territory, which the acquisition draws near, can address (Smith and Love, 2001). In addition, the acquirement approaches can determine the obligations of the various gatherings and the way on which the development method will be completed. The hazard the board is additionally key component where the var ious gatherings can share the dangers engaged with the undertaking. In addition, the acquisition approaches can upgrade the viability in the cost usage, the nature of work execution and adequacy in the hour of finishing. Toward the end, the best methodology will have the option to decrease the hazard which is related with the task. The acquirement the executives can show the dangers, which are included between the various gatherings, and the manner in which they share the dangers. This is one of the key acquisition approach which has been utilized in the development business. in this strategy, the customer can expect just the dangers which are not related with the development exercises. The temporary worker bears all the dangers which are identified with the development exercises. A specialist is additionally included, where he is named to do the plan and cost control of the tasks (Center for Excellence and Innovation in Infrastructure Delivery, 2010). Additionally, the temporary worker has dangers identified with workmanship and materials including all the exercises, which the subcontractors can do, and the providers. Besides, through this methodology, ambitious start of works is conceivable. Other key sub draws near, which incorporate, single amount contracts in which the agreement total is resolved before the start even the development and the sum is settled upon. The other sub class is the cost repayment where the agreement aggregate is accomplished throug h the premise of real expense of work, plants and material and afterward the charges to cover the overheads and benefits are included. Customary obtainment methodology Under this sub approach, the temporary worker can characterize the measure of work which the individual has done and consequently is remunerated the concurred sum. Vacillations can occur on the concurred entirety based on variances of the work, plants and materials, which are at that point, secured utilizing a recipe or checking the solicitations. The drawings and filled bill of amounts are utilized to show up at the agreement whole through this strategy. Through this technique, the work which is conveyed by the contractual worker isn't effectively quantifiable precisely through the offering. This technique is otherwise called the re-estimation contract. The structure is generally used to precisely add up to the sum and nature of what is required and given to the giver (Holt, Proverbs and Love, 2000). Also, the business needs to acknowledge the hazard included when the works are beginning without exact thought on the all out expense. Through this strategy, the contactor can complete a transitional measure of work on the premise that he will be paid the prime sum or just the genuine expense of the work, plants utilized and materials (Mortledge, Smith Kashiwagi, 2006). In addition, the administration expense is likewise settled upon to cover the board, overheads and the benefits of the temporary worker. It is a serious methodology in the choice of celebrated. Configuration is impacted by both the customer and advisor subsequently encouraging elevated level of usefulness and quality improvement Conviction in cost at the agreement granting is accomplished Changes are handily made on the agreement are effectively made to mastermind and oversee Dis favorable circumstances It requires some investment to development utilizing this methodology. When delivered without finish, debates typically emerge during the usage

The Punishment of Women in Shakespearian plays

The Punishment of Women in Shakespearian plays Where Is the Love? Punishing Innocent and Ambitious Women in Titus Andronicus and King John Where Is the Love? Punishing Innocent and Ambitious Women in Titus Andronicus and King John Academic Discipline: English Course Name: Shakespeare Assignment Subject: The Punishment of Women in Shakespearian plays Academic Level: Undergraduate-fourth year Referencing Style: MLA Word Count: 2,235 A woman’s love is not always what it seems in a Shakespeare play. It often fails to satisfy individuals or to last for any length of time. Traditional representations of nurturing, compassionate, domestic females are abandoned in Titus Andronicus and King Johnâ€"two Shakespeare plays where love is undervalued. Women attempt to survive in these worlds of patriarchy and brutal war by obtaining their own form of power or else they will succumb to traditional expectations of weaker feminine roles. Lavinia and Tamora in Titus Andronicus are women who are frozen by and suffer for their love and loyalty. Tamora transforms from devastated mother to cruel demon void of emotion while Lavinia’s devotion to her father and Bassianus renders her a vulnerable victim. Eleanor and Constance in King John are as ambitious as Tamora and their own tidings of love are equally complicated and insincere. If Shakespeare’s women are ambitious and threatening then they become monsters who lack compassion and the capability to express true love. Innocent women are equally doomed and must unfairly suffer alongside the genuinely malicious females. For these opposing sets of characterized women, love of any kind is not supported or encouraged, for it leads to bloodshed and tears. In Titus Andronicus, initially Tamora has plenty of genuine love, particularly for her children. When Alarbus is taken prisoner by Titus and sentenced to die, Tamora pleads “[a] mother’s tears in passion for her son: / And if thy sons were ever dear to thee, / O, think my son to be as dear to me” (1.1.106-108) but Titus ignores her cries. Tamora hopes to strike a chord with Titus by appealing to his own role as parent. She is ignored and humiliated, forced to give up her son and become a slave to Rome. Her blood now boils with hatred; she is numbed with the desire for revenge and abandons compassion and love as a result. Tamora is focused on ruining the Andronici and is not distracted by human emotions. She is tremendously lucky that Saturninus, the new Emperor of Rome, chooses to marry her. Douglas Green points out “that her captivity is the sign of Titus’ power” (320) so her quick grab at Saturninus ensures her own rise to power to manipulate Titus’s fall. No longer a slave, Tamora promises Saturninus that if he “advance the Queen of Goths, / She will a handmaid be to his desires, A loving nurse, a mother to his youth” (1.1.31-33). She does not intend to spend her time truly loving him; she flatters Saturninus only to manipulate him later, needing only the power which accompanies their union. Manipulation and rhetoric are her impressive skills and Saturninus is easily fooled. He is much easier to convince than Titus, and so she will use her new husband to exact her revenge. Any claim Tamora makes to “love” someone is easily proved false. In the six places where Tamora uses a form of the word ‘love’ her words drip with insincerity. She does not loveâ€"she lusts. Even her adulterous relationship with Aaron is not one of love. He does not hold a special place in her heart, especially considering that she is so quick to marry Saturninus for power. Tamora refers to her lover as her “lovely Aaron” (2.3.10) only to use the same pet name for her husband later as she flatters him: “[m]y gracious lord, my lovely Saturnine, / Lord of my life, commander of my thoughts” (4.4.27-28). She uses Saturninus specifically for his powerful position as Emperor while Aaron’s role is to satisfy her in bed. Saturninus is obviously a pawn for Tamora to use and abuse, and she does not even feel remorse for having her brother-in-law murdered. She has a child with Aaron and abandons it, letting its fate be decided by strangers. Even a mother’s love which she p ossesses in the beginning has tragically disappeared. Tamora is too focused on satisfying all her cravings and is unapologetic for her cold cruelty. Lavinia is an innocent woman who desires love over ambition or powerâ€"the opposite of Tamora. She is an obedient daughter who praises her father: “In peace and honor live Lord Titus long, / My noble lord and father, live in fame!” (1.1.157-158) and Titus returns her love when he thanks Rome for keeping Lavinia “lovingly reserved/ The cordial of mine age to glad my heart” (1.1.165-166). Titus agrees to let Saturninus marry Lavinia to settle the unrest in Rome and unite the two great families and as the “silent pawn” (Green 322) Lavinia reluctantly submits. Saturninus wants “to advance / Thy name and honorable family” (1.1.238-239) and Lavinia must obey her father even if it means sacrificing her happiness with his brother Bassianus. Saturninus initially chooses her to be his wife but, after seeing Tamora he insults Lavinia, promising Tamora that “he comforts you / Can make you greater than the Queen of Goths” (1.1.268-269). If Lavinia shared Tamora’s ambition s he would be bothered by his sudden interest in Tamora, but she has no desire for power. Instead, Lavinia is relieved that Saturninus is taken with another woman, for now she is free to love Bassianus once more. She does not mind that she is leaving an Emperor for a man with less power and authority: love is more important to her than power. In her essay on children in Shakespeare Ann Blake claims that “in the world of Shakespeare’s plays the innocence of living children is constantly felt. They may tease and become tiresome but they never practice that thoughtless cruelty which appears in the imagery of the plays” (294). Although Lavinia is technically a young woman, her role as Titus’ daughter is maintained and she remains his innocent child to the audience. Blake acknowledges that many critics: try to persuade readers to see these young women as in somehow contributing to their own fate through weakness, stubbornness, or pride. Those less willing to lay blame on these victims must acknowledge that even the most virtuous…meet with tension and conflict. (301) Lavinia’s importance as dependent daughter is even more frightening when, despite the power and influence of her family, her innocence is destroyed when she is raped and mutilated. Titus was mercilessness to Tamora and her children in the beginning of the play, unknowingly condemning his own daughter later. Tamora shows no mercy in her revenge: her sons kill Bassianus in front of Lavinia, leaving her vulnerable with no man to defend her. She is a woman who has always been protected; first by her father and then Bassianus. Tamora reaches a new low when she encourages her sons to rape Lavinia, ignoring the girl’s cries: O Tamora, be called a gentle queen, And with thine own hands kill me in this place For ‘tis not life that I have begged so long; Poor I was slain when Bassianus died. (2.3.168-171) Not satisfied with simply murdering Lavinia, Tamora prolongs the pain, misery, and humiliation for as long as she can. Blake argues that it “is not necessary for innocence to be destroyed to have a powerful effect” (301), but in Titus Andronicus there is no other alternative. Lavinia remains a helpless pawn and her innocence has no chance of surviving. She represents how “the horror of violence [is] inflicted on those incapable of defending themselves, or even of understanding why they are to be hurt” (295). While Titus is spared the physical injury, he also suffers by seeing his daughter tangled in Tamora’s grip and from knowing that he is the cause of these horrors. Lavinia’s attempt to overstep her boundaries results in her brutal punishment. Her slight attack on Tamora is a huge mistakeâ€"she is no match to Tamora’s strength and cruelty. Lavinia and Bassianus discover Tamora and Aaron in a sexual liaison and Lavinia “reveals a proud, baiting wit as she rebukes Tamora” (Green 322) for betraying Saturninus. Lavinia has no experience in vindictiveness and quickly becomes Tamora’s prey. When Bassianus is killed, Lavinia mourns this loss, for her weakness is love. If she had obeyed Titus and stayed with Saturninus she would be spared the pain of her true love’s death. She and Bassianus criticize Tamora’s seductive power and flash their love in her face which incites Tamora’s rage. Lavinia and Tamora are rivals and Tamora shakes with jealousy because she knows that she is incapableâ€"or unwillingâ€"to express real love. Her marriage is a farce and Aaron is just her casual lover, but Lavinia has Titus and Bassianus to love and protec t her. Tamora must destroy these legitimate relationships because she has denied them herself. In King John Queen Eleanor is as vindictive toward Constance as Tamora is to Lavinia. She tells King John that “ambitious Constance would not cease / Til she had kindled France and all the world / Upon the right and party of her son” (1.1.32-34). She tries to blame the political turmoil on Constance’s desire for power, yet it is Eleanor’s own jealousy and ambition on display. Eleanor rejects her female identity when she calls herself “a soldier” (1.1.150). She attempts to control her son’s sovereignty as best she can “[s]o much [her] conscience whispers in [his] ear” (1.1.43). Instead of presenting herself as an understanding, nurturing mother Eleanor is a constant nuisance, an example of Shakespeare’s “feminine voices becoming more insistent” (Racken 77). Phyllis Racken claims that if a female authoritative voice exists this means “[d]elineating a chain of inheritance passed down from father to son” (77). This threat to traditional patriarchy is why women frequently have no agency or are portrayed as villainous demons. John’s position as King is not the only one in jeopardy: Eleanor’s own survival depends on his role and she is determined not to succumb to ruin. Her son lacks strength and assertiveness, and so it is her responsibility to keep their power secure. Eleanor is not motivated by love but by self-preservation. She is as sterile and detached as Tamora becomes; her relationship with King John lacks the affection one expects between mother and son. Female ambition continues to spark jealousy between women and their own compassion ceases to coexist with this desire to succeed. King John “opens a space where women can speak and act… [to] undermine the masculine historical project” (79) by illustrating their need for and ability to possess authority. Constance is desirous for her son to possess power as well, combating with Eleanor to “incite the war between England and France” (79). Although she is Eleanor’s rival and engages in heated conversations and insults, Constance lacks the same ferocity. Eleanor calls Constance a “monstrous slanderer of heaven and earth” (2.1.173) to which Constance fires back: “[t]hou monstrous injurer of heaven and earth” (2.1.174). While they argue and struggle for their sons’ success, Constance does proclaim love for her son as he approaches death: Grief fills the room up of my absent child, Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me, … My boy, my Arthur, my fair son! My life, my joy, my food, my all the world! My widow’s comfort, and my sorrows cure! (3.4.93-105) For Constance, love remains more important than power. Eleanor, however, fails to realize this and never admits to any maternal feelings of her own. The female victim in King John is Blanche who, like Lavinia, is given the role of a virtuous and innocent young woman. She epitomizes the very image of love: If lusty love should go in quest of beauty, Where should he find it fairer than in Blanche? If zealous love should go in search of virtue, Where should he find it purer than in Blanche? If love ambitious sought a match of birth, Whose veins bound richer blood than Lady Blanche? (2.1.426-431) Eleanor sees that she can use Blanche to her advantage. She urges King John to marry Blanche to the Dauphin and to “[g]ive with our niece a dowry large enough. / For by this knot thou shalt so surely tie / Thy now unsured assurance to the crown” (2.1.469-471). Eleanor convinces her son to give Blanche to the Dauphin so their family can maintain a hold on power. Blanche submits because she is loyal to her family and “is bound in honour still to do / What [King John] in wisdom still vouchsafe to say” (2.1.522-523). She decides that it is not a union made of love, but she may learn to love in time. Blanche is similarly emotionless here because her actions are not her own; she must sacrifice her potential happiness and do what is demanded of her. In these Shakespeare plays love is not every woman’s priority or her guarantee. If love does exist at one point, it quickly dissolves under the pressure of powerful forces. Because Tamora’s love-filled pleas are rejected by Titus she denounces any future claim to kindness. The devotion of Lavinia and Blanche becomes their undoing when more ambitious women take advantage of their innocence. Rivalry and insecurity renders Eleanor a cold-hearted soldier and Constance suffers from a mother’s grief for her son. Shakespeare’s women illustrate his emphasis on the failings of loveâ€"whatever diverse forms love translates to do not always produce satisfying results and are not guaranteed to last. A woman is best to guard her love or abandon it altogether to survive and compete in a man’s brutal, ambitious world. Works Cited: Blake, Ann. “Children and Suffering in Shakespeare’s Plays.” The Yearbook of English Studies, vol. 23, 1993, pp. 294-304. Green, Douglas E. “Interpreting ‘Her Martyr’d Signs’: Gender and Tragedy in Titus Andronicus.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 40, no.3, 1989, pp. 317-326. Racken, Phyllis. “Patriarchal History and Female Subversion in King John.” King John: New Perspectives, edited by Deborah T. Curren-Aquino. Associated UP, 1989, pp. 76-90. Shakespeare, William. King John, edited by R.L. Smallwood. Penguin, 1974. Shakespeare, William. Titus Andronicus, edited by Sylvan Barnett. Signet, 2005. The Punishment of Women in Shakespearian plays Where Is the Love? Punishing Innocent and Ambitious Women in Titus Andronicus and King John Where Is the Love? Punishing Innocent and Ambitious Women in Titus Andronicus and King John Academic Discipline: English Course Name: Shakespeare Assignment Subject: The Punishment of Women in Shakespearian plays Academic Level: Undergraduate-fourth year Referencing Style: MLA Word Count: 2,235 A woman’s love is not always what it seems in a Shakespeare play. It often fails to satisfy individuals or to last for any length of time. Traditional representations of nurturing, compassionate, domestic females are abandoned in Titus Andronicus and King Johnâ€"two Shakespeare plays where love is undervalued. Women attempt to survive in these worlds of patriarchy and brutal war by obtaining their own form of power or else they will succumb to traditional expectations of weaker feminine roles. Lavinia and Tamora in Titus Andronicus are women who are frozen by and suffer for their love and loyalty. Tamora transforms from devastated mother to cruel demon void of emotion while Lavinia’s devotion to her father and Bassianus renders her a vulnerable victim. Eleanor and Constance in King John are as ambitious as Tamora and their own tidings of love are equally complicated and insincere. If Shakespeare’s women are ambitious and threatening then they become monsters who lack compassion and the capability to express true love. Innocent women are equally doomed and must unfairly suffer alongside the genuinely malicious females. For these opposing sets of characterized women, love of any kind is not supported or encouraged, for it leads to bloodshed and tears. In Titus Andronicus, initially Tamora has plenty of genuine love, particularly for her children. When Alarbus is taken prisoner by Titus and sentenced to die, Tamora pleads “[a] mother’s tears in passion for her son: / And if thy sons were ever dear to thee, / O, think my son to be as dear to me” (1.1.106-108) but Titus ignores her cries. Tamora hopes to strike a chord with Titus by appealing to his own role as parent. She is ignored and humiliated, forced to give up her son and become a slave to Rome. Her blood now boils with hatred; she is numbed with the desire for revenge and abandons compassion and love as a result. Tamora is focused on ruining the Andronici and is not distracted by human emotions. She is tremendously lucky that Saturninus, the new Emperor of Rome, chooses to marry her. Douglas Green points out “that her captivity is the sign of Titus’ power” (320) so her quick grab at Saturninus ensures her own rise to power to manipulate Titus’s fall. No longer a slave, Tamora promises Saturninus that if he “advance the Queen of Goths, / She will a handmaid be to his desires, A loving nurse, a mother to his youth” (1.1.31-33). She does not intend to spend her time truly loving him; she flatters Saturninus only to manipulate him later, needing only the power which accompanies their union. Manipulation and rhetoric are her impressive skills and Saturninus is easily fooled. He is much easier to convince than Titus, and so she will use her new husband to exact her revenge. Any claim Tamora makes to “love” someone is easily proved false. In the six places where Tamora uses a form of the word ‘love’ her words drip with insincerity. She does not loveâ€"she lusts. Even her adulterous relationship with Aaron is not one of love. He does not hold a special place in her heart, especially considering that she is so quick to marry Saturninus for power. Tamora refers to her lover as her “lovely Aaron” (2.3.10) only to use the same pet name for her husband later as she flatters him: “[m]y gracious lord, my lovely Saturnine, / Lord of my life, commander of my thoughts” (4.4.27-28). She uses Saturninus specifically for his powerful position as Emperor while Aaron’s role is to satisfy her in bed. Saturninus is obviously a pawn for Tamora to use and abuse, and she does not even feel remorse for having her brother-in-law murdered. She has a child with Aaron and abandons it, letting its fate be decided by strangers. Even a mother’s love which she p ossesses in the beginning has tragically disappeared. Tamora is too focused on satisfying all her cravings and is unapologetic for her cold cruelty. Lavinia is an innocent woman who desires love over ambition or powerâ€"the opposite of Tamora. She is an obedient daughter who praises her father: “In peace and honor live Lord Titus long, / My noble lord and father, live in fame!” (1.1.157-158) and Titus returns her love when he thanks Rome for keeping Lavinia “lovingly reserved/ The cordial of mine age to glad my heart” (1.1.165-166). Titus agrees to let Saturninus marry Lavinia to settle the unrest in Rome and unite the two great families and as the “silent pawn” (Green 322) Lavinia reluctantly submits. Saturninus wants “to advance / Thy name and honorable family” (1.1.238-239) and Lavinia must obey her father even if it means sacrificing her happiness with his brother Bassianus. Saturninus initially chooses her to be his wife but, after seeing Tamora he insults Lavinia, promising Tamora that “he comforts you / Can make you greater than the Queen of Goths” (1.1.268-269). If Lavinia shared Tamora’s ambition s he would be bothered by his sudden interest in Tamora, but she has no desire for power. Instead, Lavinia is relieved that Saturninus is taken with another woman, for now she is free to love Bassianus once more. She does not mind that she is leaving an Emperor for a man with less power and authority: love is more important to her than power. In her essay on children in Shakespeare Ann Blake claims that “in the world of Shakespeare’s plays the innocence of living children is constantly felt. They may tease and become tiresome but they never practice that thoughtless cruelty which appears in the imagery of the plays” (294). Although Lavinia is technically a young woman, her role as Titus’ daughter is maintained and she remains his innocent child to the audience. Blake acknowledges that many critics: try to persuade readers to see these young women as in somehow contributing to their own fate through weakness, stubbornness, or pride. Those less willing to lay blame on these victims must acknowledge that even the most virtuous…meet with tension and conflict. (301) Lavinia’s importance as dependent daughter is even more frightening when, despite the power and influence of her family, her innocence is destroyed when she is raped and mutilated. Titus was mercilessness to Tamora and her children in the beginning of the play, unknowingly condemning his own daughter later. Tamora shows no mercy in her revenge: her sons kill Bassianus in front of Lavinia, leaving her vulnerable with no man to defend her. She is a woman who has always been protected; first by her father and then Bassianus. Tamora reaches a new low when she encourages her sons to rape Lavinia, ignoring the girl’s cries: O Tamora, be called a gentle queen, And with thine own hands kill me in this place For ‘tis not life that I have begged so long; Poor I was slain when Bassianus died. (2.3.168-171) Not satisfied with simply murdering Lavinia, Tamora prolongs the pain, misery, and humiliation for as long as she can. Blake argues that it “is not necessary for innocence to be destroyed to have a powerful effect” (301), but in Titus Andronicus there is no other alternative. Lavinia remains a helpless pawn and her innocence has no chance of surviving. She represents how “the horror of violence [is] inflicted on those incapable of defending themselves, or even of understanding why they are to be hurt” (295). While Titus is spared the physical injury, he also suffers by seeing his daughter tangled in Tamora’s grip and from knowing that he is the cause of these horrors. Lavinia’s attempt to overstep her boundaries results in her brutal punishment. Her slight attack on Tamora is a huge mistakeâ€"she is no match to Tamora’s strength and cruelty. Lavinia and Bassianus discover Tamora and Aaron in a sexual liaison and Lavinia “reveals a proud, baiting wit as she rebukes Tamora” (Green 322) for betraying Saturninus. Lavinia has no experience in vindictiveness and quickly becomes Tamora’s prey. When Bassianus is killed, Lavinia mourns this loss, for her weakness is love. If she had obeyed Titus and stayed with Saturninus she would be spared the pain of her true love’s death. She and Bassianus criticize Tamora’s seductive power and flash their love in her face which incites Tamora’s rage. Lavinia and Tamora are rivals and Tamora shakes with jealousy because she knows that she is incapableâ€"or unwillingâ€"to express real love. Her marriage is a farce and Aaron is just her casual lover, but Lavinia has Titus and Bassianus to love and protec t her. Tamora must destroy these legitimate relationships because she has denied them herself. In King John Queen Eleanor is as vindictive toward Constance as Tamora is to Lavinia. She tells King John that “ambitious Constance would not cease / Til she had kindled France and all the world / Upon the right and party of her son” (1.1.32-34). She tries to blame the political turmoil on Constance’s desire for power, yet it is Eleanor’s own jealousy and ambition on display. Eleanor rejects her female identity when she calls herself “a soldier” (1.1.150). She attempts to control her son’s sovereignty as best she can “[s]o much [her] conscience whispers in [his] ear” (1.1.43). Instead of presenting herself as an understanding, nurturing mother Eleanor is a constant nuisance, an example of Shakespeare’s “feminine voices becoming more insistent” (Racken 77). Phyllis Racken claims that if a female authoritative voice exists this means “[d]elineating a chain of inheritance passed down from father to son” (77). This threat to traditional patriarchy is why women frequently have no agency or are portrayed as villainous demons. John’s position as King is not the only one in jeopardy: Eleanor’s own survival depends on his role and she is determined not to succumb to ruin. Her son lacks strength and assertiveness, and so it is her responsibility to keep their power secure. Eleanor is not motivated by love but by self-preservation. She is as sterile and detached as Tamora becomes; her relationship with King John lacks the affection one expects between mother and son. Female ambition continues to spark jealousy between women and their own compassion ceases to coexist with this desire to succeed. King John “opens a space where women can speak and act… [to] undermine the masculine historical project” (79) by illustrating their need for and ability to possess authority. Constance is desirous for her son to possess power as well, combating with Eleanor to “incite the war between England and France” (79). Although she is Eleanor’s rival and engages in heated conversations and insults, Constance lacks the same ferocity. Eleanor calls Constance a “monstrous slanderer of heaven and earth” (2.1.173) to which Constance fires back: “[t]hou monstrous injurer of heaven and earth” (2.1.174). While they argue and struggle for their sons’ success, Constance does proclaim love for her son as he approaches death: Grief fills the room up of my absent child, Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me, … My boy, my Arthur, my fair son! My life, my joy, my food, my all the world! My widow’s comfort, and my sorrows cure! (3.4.93-105) For Constance, love remains more important than power. Eleanor, however, fails to realize this and never admits to any maternal feelings of her own. The female victim in King John is Blanche who, like Lavinia, is given the role of a virtuous and innocent young woman. She epitomizes the very image of love: If lusty love should go in quest of beauty, Where should he find it fairer than in Blanche? If zealous love should go in search of virtue, Where should he find it purer than in Blanche? If love ambitious sought a match of birth, Whose veins bound richer blood than Lady Blanche? (2.1.426-431) Eleanor sees that she can use Blanche to her advantage. She urges King John to marry Blanche to the Dauphin and to “[g]ive with our niece a dowry large enough. / For by this knot thou shalt so surely tie / Thy now unsured assurance to the crown” (2.1.469-471). Eleanor convinces her son to give Blanche to the Dauphin so their family can maintain a hold on power. Blanche submits because she is loyal to her family and “is bound in honour still to do / What [King John] in wisdom still vouchsafe to say” (2.1.522-523). She decides that it is not a union made of love, but she may learn to love in time. Blanche is similarly emotionless here because her actions are not her own; she must sacrifice her potential happiness and do what is demanded of her. In these Shakespeare plays love is not every woman’s priority or her guarantee. If love does exist at one point, it quickly dissolves under the pressure of powerful forces. Because Tamora’s love-filled pleas are rejected by Titus she denounces any future claim to kindness. The devotion of Lavinia and Blanche becomes their undoing when more ambitious women take advantage of their innocence. Rivalry and insecurity renders Eleanor a cold-hearted soldier and Constance suffers from a mother’s grief for her son. Shakespeare’s women illustrate his emphasis on the failings of loveâ€"whatever diverse forms love translates to do not always produce satisfying results and are not guaranteed to last. A woman is best to guard her love or abandon it altogether to survive and compete in a man’s brutal, ambitious world. Works Cited: Blake, Ann. “Children and Suffering in Shakespeare’s Plays.” The Yearbook of English Studies, vol. 23, 1993, pp. 294-304. Green, Douglas E. “Interpreting ‘Her Martyr’d Signs’: Gender and Tragedy in Titus Andronicus.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 40, no.3, 1989, pp. 317-326. Racken, Phyllis. “Patriarchal History and Female Subversion in King John.” King John: New Perspectives, edited by Deborah T. Curren-Aquino. Associated UP, 1989, pp. 76-90. Shakespeare, William. King John, edited by R.L. Smallwood. Penguin, 1974. Shakespeare, William. Titus Andronicus, edited by Sylvan Barnett. Signet, 2005.