Phaedrus First Flick †Theology Essay

Phaedrus First Flick – Theology Essay Free Online Research Papers Somewhere off in a strange world similar to our own, Ted Briggs and Phaedrus are offered a one-time chance meeting. They are to watch Jocelyn Moorhouse’s film Proof, enjoy the atmosphere of a completely empty theater, and walk together, speaking about whatever it is that comes to their minds. Unusual you say, perhaps, but no more time for haste, the movie has just ended†¦ Ted: Hello there friend, I am not sure that we have met, my name is Ted Briggs. Phaedrus: I am Phaedrus, and I do not recognize my surroundings, quite strange! Could you tell me what I have just witnessed? Ted: What you just witnessed? You just saw some crazy movie with Russell Crowe and that guy from the Matrix. Phaedrus: Matrix, I do not understand, what language am I speaking. Ted: Yes I know that it is strange, but due to our limited time here together I can only give you the abridged version. That was a motion picture and although I know that you were quite taken aback by it, they are not new, nor are they small in number. In fact, you would be amazed at how many have been made that have just been garbage. Anyway, I also know that Greek is a little more familiar to you but somebody more powerful than us has had their way so for the time being and so that I can understand you, we are speaking English. After that it gets really complicated so just don’t ask any more questions. Phaedrus: Fair enough I suppose, may I inquire as to why your leg is damaged as so? Ted: An injury, incurred in battle, you know war. Phaedrus: Yes, war is a term that is common in any language. Ted: No big deal really, I have learned to live accordingly, but enough about me, how about you, I hear that you are an intellectual. Phaedrus: Oh yes, more of a self proclaimed philosopher I would say. Ted: Philosophy, I see, well what did you think of the film that we just saw? Phaedrus: That was beautiful, yet it was sad, it really made no sense to me, why would Martin act as he did? Ted: Martin, what did he do? If anything could be said it would be that Andy let himself get caught up with his desires. Phaedrus: Those are foolish desires; they mean next to nothing, it was for pleasures sake only, nothing more. Ted: Oh I bet there was more, if you know what I mean, it just doesn’t happen once, not with a woman like Celia, it will only be more and more. Phaedrus: But that is not important, not at all, Martin is the loser here. Celia shall lose as well, but not as badly as Martin. Ted: Sure Martin’s losing, but Celia, I think that she did all right for herself, for she got what she wanted. Phaedrus: She did not get what she wanted. And because of that very fact Martin shall never get what she was giving. Ted: Why all the talk about Martin, he has his chance, he passed on it and Andy stepped right in, a shame really if you ask me. Martin seemed like a nice guy but didn’t come across as being that social, he should have been grateful for what he could get. Phaedrus: You perplex me with this talk of what one can get, as if the physical involvement with someone is the most important thing to have. I see no reason for your emphasis upon it. Ted: No reason, have you ever had it, or even felt it, that feeling inside, when you are in a state of total bliss, time stands still, you forget who you are, where you are and for just one moment you feel like the only two people in existence. Phaedrus: Yes, love, exactly what I am saying, know you are beginning to make sense. Ted: Love, no, no, not love, Sex, you know, sex, the act of coitus, two people throwing inhibitions aside and indulging in the ultimate act of affection. Phaedrus: No I do not understand, love is the ultimate goal, it is love to which I am referring. Love is what Celia was offering Martin. Martin felt it, perhaps he was unaware of what it was or how it felt, but he knew deep down that he was the loved one and that Celia was the lover. That she felt strong enough to do anything, even things she would not normally do in order to express her love. Martin simply pushed it away; he shunned the very thing that would bring him happiness, and virtue and all of the best in life. Ted: I just think that he pushed away any chance of getting laid, and for that I brand him a fool, it’s not everyday somebody gets an offer like that. Phaedrus: Why such a dependence upon the physical and not the emotional. I presume that you are afraid of it as well, is that right Ted? Have you ever been in love? Ted: In love, of course, tons of times, I have been in love more times than I can remember. Phaedrus: More times than you can remember, I have never heard of such audacity. No one can be in love as often as that. Were you in love, true love? Ted: What the hell does that mean, true love? I don’t know, so I slept with some women, and then I talked with them and I spent time with them, they made me happy for a while, but it never lasted long. Maybe it was just me, I don’t know. Phaedrus: Love is not that, love is the most beautiful of all the gods. To be in love, and to be the loved one, to know that you would do anything for the affection of that one person, that they would do the same for you, they would give their life to be with you or to honor the way they felt. The act in which all good things follow, that is love Ted, nothing more and certainly nothing less. That is what that film was about. Martin did not know how to handle Celia’s love, perhaps he was afraid of it, and so it removed it from his life. As for Andy, he did not receive Celia’s love, for it had been growing in her for Martin, not him. Andy was the recipient of the outlet of Celia’s frustration with Martin and his rejection of her love. Ted: That thought never crossed my mind, I just thought it odd that he turned her away when he knew that she was all over him, he didn’t have to see to know that. Phaedrus: Not lust Ted, love, and the one thing that the gods truly intended for us all. The beautiful way that two people know each other and find harmony through one another. Find it Ted, if you haven’t yet. Only that love, that feeling will make you happy. Ted: I wish it were that easy, to open up your door one day and find that someone. Yet I haven’t been looking, maybe I have never looked. Phaedrus: I am afraid that I must be on my way; I must head back on the path that brought me here. To you Ted I bid you farewell and I wish you luck and happiness and I encourage you to look beyond your ambitions to find the one thing that you lack. Ted: Goodbye and thank you for some of that philosophy. I used to only think of it as useless chatter. Ted: Yeah, a philosophy, maybe that is what I need, a philosophy. I need love. I need a wife. Research Papers on Phaedrus’ First Flick - Theology EssayWhere Wild and West MeetQuebec and CanadaComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoMind TravelBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm X19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementCapital PunishmentAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeEffects of Television Violence on Children

The Life of Madame de Pompadour, Royal Mistress and Advisor

The Life of Madame de Pompadour, Royal Mistress and Advisor Madame de Pompadour (December 29, 1721–April 15, 1764) was a French noblewoman and one of Louis XV’s primary mistresses. Even after her time as the king’s mistress came to an end, the Madame de Pompadour remained an influential friend and advisor to the king, especially as a patron of arts and philosophy. Fast Facts: Madame de Pompadour Known For: Beloved mistress of King Louis XV who became an unofficial advisor to the king and an influential leader of the artsFull Name: Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de PompadourAlso Known As: ReinetteBorn: December 29, 1721 in Paris, FranceDied: April 15, 1764 in Paris, FranceSpouse: Charles Guillaume Le Normant dÉtiolles (m. 1741; separated 1745)Children: Charles Guillaume Louis (1741-1742), Alexandrine Jeanne (1744-1754) Early Life: The Reinette Jeanne Antoinette was the daughter of Francois Poisson and his wife Madeline de la Motte. Although Poisson was her legal father and the husband of her mother, it is more likely that Jeanne’s biological father was Charles Franà §ois Paul Le Normant de Tournehem, a wealthy tax collector. When Jeanne Antoinette was four, Francois Poisson had to leave the country due to unpaid debts, and Tournehem became her legal guardian, thus giving even more credence to the rumors that he was her real father. Like many girls from families of means, Jeanne Antoinette was sent to be educated at a convent when she reached the age of five. The education was excellent, and she proved to be a popular student. However, she became ill and returned home four years later. Her mother took her to a fortuneteller, who predicted that Jeanne Antoinette would win the heart of a king. From that point on, those closest to her began calling her â€Å"Reinette† (a diminutive, or nickname, meaning â€Å"little queen†). She was educated at home by the best tutors. Tournehem arranged for her instruction in all the subjects deemed necessary for a woman’s education, in order that she might one day attract the interest of the king. Wife and Socialite In 1740, Jeanne Antoinette married Charles Guillaume Le Normant dÉtiolles, the nephew of her guardian Tournehem. Upon their marriage, Tournehem made Charles his sole heir and gave Jeanne Antoinette an estate (one situated near the royal hunting grounds) as a wedding gift. The young couple were only four years apart in age, and they did fall in love with each other. Jeanne Antoinette promised she would never be unfaithful- except for the king. They had two children: a son who died as an infant, and a daughter, Alexandrine, who died at the age of nine in 1753. As a stylish young married woman, Jeanne Antoinette spent time at many of the elite salons in Paris. She encountered many of the figures of the Enlightenment and, in time, began hosting her own salons at her Étiolles estate, which also attracted many leading figures of the day. Educated and curious, she became a notable and witty conversationalist in the company of these people. By 1744, Jeanne Antoinettes name was being mentioned at court, attracting the attention of Louis XV. Her estate was adjacent to the king’s hunting grounds in the forest of Sà ©nart, so she was permitted to watch the royal party from a distance. To get the king’s attention, however, she rode directly in front of his group- not once, but twice. The king took notice and sent her a gift of venison from the hunt. The king’s official mistress died in December 1744, leaving the position vacant, and Jeanne Antoinette was invited to Versailles to the masked ball celebrating the engagement of the Dauphin. At the ball, Louis publicly unmasked and declared his affection for Jeanne Antoinette. Becoming the Royal Mistress In order to be properly introduced at court, Jeanne Antoinette had to have a title. The king solved this by purchasing the marquisate of Pompadour and giving it to her, making her the Marquise de Pompadour. She became the king’s official mistress, living at Versailles in apartments near his, and was formally presented to the court in September 1745. Notably, she got along quite well with the queen consort, Marie LeszczyÅ„ska, and worked to have a good relationship with the royal family overall. Madame de Pompadour was more than just a mistress. Louis XV respected her intelligence and understanding of social nuance, and as a result, she functioned as an unofficial prime minister and advisor. She supported the First Treaty of Versailles, which created an alliance between former rivals France and Austria, and rallied support behind government ministers whose fiscal reforms helped France become one of the world’s wealthiest countries. Madame de Pompadours influence was not limited to the political sphere. Building on her years in the Paris salons, she championed scientific, economic, and philosophical exploration as well. Her patronage protected the growing theory of physiocracy (an economic theory that emphasized the value of agriculture) and defended the Encyclopà ©die, a fundamental text of the Enlightenment that was opposed by religious figures. Her activities and her common birth earned her enemies and made her the subject of malicious gossip, but her relationship with Louis and the royal family remained mostly unaffected. The King’s Friend and Advisor By 1750, Pompadour ceased being Louis’s mistress, in large part due to her many health problems, including recurring bronchitis, three miscarriages, and chronic headaches. Nevertheless, she maintained her influential position, since their relationship had become much more than just a sexual one. The king did not take a new official â€Å"favorite,† but instead installed a succession of temporary mistresses at a chateau away from court. According to most reports, his heart and loyalty remained with Pompadour. During this era, Pompadour turned her patronage to the arts, which she used to announce her loyalty to the king (through commissions honoring him) and to cultivate her own image. In 1759, she purchased a porcelain factory, which created many jobs and ultimately become one of the most famous porcelain makers in all of Europe. Pompadour herself learned to engrave under the tutelage of Jacques Guay and Francois Boucher, and she was a significant influence in the development of Rococo style. It is likely that she contributed a fair amount to the work of the artists under her patronage. In fact, some historians consider her an actual collaborator on many works. Death and Legacy Madame de Pompadours poor health eventually caught up to her. In 1764, she suffered from tuberculosis, and Louis himself cared for her during her illness. She died on April 15, 1764 at the age of 42, and was buried at the Couvent des Capucines in Paris. Because of her influence on French society and her unusual advisory role to the king, the Madame de Pompadours legacy has endured in pop culture, from the publication of biographies to an episode of Doctor Who to the naming of a particular diamond cut. Sources Algrant, Christine Pevitt.  Madame de Pompadour Mistree of France. New York: Grove Press, 2002.Eschner, Kat. â€Å"Madame de Pompadour Was Far More Than a ‘Mistress’.† Smithsonian, 29 December 2017, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/madame-de-pompadour-was-far-more-mistress-180967662/.Foreman, Amanda, and Nancy Mitford. Madame de Pompadour. New York Review of Books, 2001.Mitford, Nancy. â€Å"Jeanne-Antoinette Poission, marquise de Pompadour.† Encyclopaedia Brittanica, 25 Dec. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jeanne-Antoinette-Poisson-marquise-de-Pompadour.