Joker In The Dark Knight
Although Aristotle created his moral philosophy over two thousand years ago, his ideas continue to permeate numerous fields today, such as cinema and theater. When it comes to cinema, no film screams Aristotle like a certain 2008 comic book classic: The Dark Knight. In The Dark Knight, the moral philosophy of Aristotle is present.
The Joker and Batman exemplify two character types defined by Aristotle: the continent and vicious characters. To clarify, a continent person manages to undertake a virtuous act, though the thought of a vicious act crosses his mind. On the other hand, a vicious person is self-indulgent and carries out vicious acts without any virtuous act crossing his mind. As a moral character, Batman never violates his code of ethics, …show more content…
Until Batman faced the Joker, he had always been a virtuous character by protecting citizens without taking lives. Nonetheless, as mentioned, he faces the dilemma of breaking his rule to stop the Joker or attempting to stop him without killing him. Batman had never encountered such a formidable foe so the idea of killing someone never crossed his mind. As a result, he did not choose to become the continent character, but a series of events forced him to be. On the other hand, the Joker revels in chaos and disorder while never considering the virtuous side of things. Despite his antagonistic exterior, he, similar to Batman, did not choose to become the vicious character. As a child, his alcoholic father wanted the Joker to be less serious, so he carved a permanent smile on his son’s face. Ever since then the Joker always has been smiling, but against his will. This terrifying childhood experience has molded him into a person he would not have been had his father not terrorized him. Due to unforeseen events in their lives, Batman and the Joker became characters they did not choose to become.
When it comes to The Dark Knight, the philosophy of Aristotle applies to the main protagonist and antagonist. Batman exemplifies the continent character and the Joker embodies the vicious character. However, unexpected events in their lives influenced them to become their respective characters. No other film applies the moral philosophy of Aristotle as impeccably as The Dark
The Joker and Batman exemplify two character types defined by Aristotle: the continent and vicious characters. To clarify, a continent person manages to undertake a virtuous act, though the thought of a vicious act crosses his mind. On the other hand, a vicious person is self-indulgent and carries out vicious acts without any virtuous act crossing his mind. As a moral character, Batman never violates his code of ethics, …show more content…
Until Batman faced the Joker, he had always been a virtuous character by protecting citizens without taking lives. Nonetheless, as mentioned, he faces the dilemma of breaking his rule to stop the Joker or attempting to stop him without killing him. Batman had never encountered such a formidable foe so the idea of killing someone never crossed his mind. As a result, he did not choose to become the continent character, but a series of events forced him to be. On the other hand, the Joker revels in chaos and disorder while never considering the virtuous side of things. Despite his antagonistic exterior, he, similar to Batman, did not choose to become the vicious character. As a child, his alcoholic father wanted the Joker to be less serious, so he carved a permanent smile on his son’s face. Ever since then the Joker always has been smiling, but against his will. This terrifying childhood experience has molded him into a person he would not have been had his father not terrorized him. Due to unforeseen events in their lives, Batman and the Joker became characters they did not choose to become.
When it comes to The Dark Knight, the philosophy of Aristotle applies to the main protagonist and antagonist. Batman exemplifies the continent character and the Joker embodies the vicious character. However, unexpected events in their lives influenced them to become their respective characters. No other film applies the moral philosophy of Aristotle as impeccably as The Dark