Michel de Nostredame, better known as Nostradamus was born on December 14 1503 (Avenel 1).
Nostradamus will forever be a mystery to any that try to study his philosophies or techniques. Nostradamus wrote twelve books known as the Centuries, each book contained one hundred predictions known as quatrains. Each prediction consisted of a four line rhymed verse. These rhymes were disguised in a way that no one could really know their own future but only realize the prediction after the event has passed. An unprepared reader would dismiss the quatrains as a simple joke. Hogue can describe Nostradamus’ predictions as “artful, baffling mixture of French, Old Provencal, and Latin. They are willfully obscured in a miasma of puns and wordplay, allusions and elisions, grammatical trickery and cryptic anagrams”(Hogue 8.).
Nostradamus has had a great effect on all of humanity. Many films, books and studies have been based upon the life and predictions of Nostradamus. Nostradamus was the greatest profit. Even before writing the Centuries he exhibited skills in medicine that would only be recognized in the twentieth century. Nostradamus touched his own lifetime as well as years to come; he was able to predict the fall of King Henri II and King Henri III. Many of his future predictions included those of Napoleon and Submarines.
Using his knowledge of the future Nostradamus applied various medical techniques that at his time were unheard of. One of these techniques in which he insisted upon was a daily bath. In our own lifetime this seems like a minor accomplishment however “even the aristocracy, were content with only one bath per year.”(Wilson 91) Nostradamus also realized the need to have the sick in sunlit beds; a discovery made by twentieth century doctors proved sick healed faster in sunlit beds then in darkness (Wilson 91).
The Term Paper on Nostradamus And A Grim Future
... to a future, as perceived by Nostradamus, consisting of nuclear holocaust. Of course Nostradamus is only a prophet and his predictions might ... was found the very next morning. The complete books containing the centuries came off the printing press two years after ... future history. Some believe that Nostradamus and his so-called prophecies are all nonsense that can be explained by a simple technique, ...
During the time of Nostradamus bleeding was the most common cure utilized by medical professionals. It was considered to cure anything from a migraine to pneumonia (Wilson 92).
A cure in which Nostradamus refused to apply. Bleeding the sick was later found to worsen the condition of the person rather then heal them. Nostradamus displayed traits most people would see as being eccentric and unheard of (Wilson 92).
It is because of the time period in which he used these techniques, proved he had knowledge of the future.
Not all of Nostradamus’ predictions come true only after death. In his own lifetime he predicted an array of predictions. One of his most famous predictions of his time was Century I, quatrain 35 which translates into:
The young Lion shall overcome the old one,
In a field by a single duel:
In a golden cage he shall put out his eye,
Two blows from one then he shall die a cruel death. (Wilson 98)
During a three-day festival, beginning on the 28th of June 1559, King Henri II participated in the final duel of his life (Hogue 24).
King Henri II rode against his captain of the Stoic guard, Count Montgomery. During the match Montgomery’s wooden lance shattered, causing a sharp splinter to pierce the King’s golden visor. The small piece penetrated deep into the King’s brain through the left eye. After ten days of blind misery the gangrene infection put him out of misery. Since both men brandished the symbol of the lion, it is believed that the use of the “old lion” is a reference to King Henri II while the “young lion” can be matched up with the much younger Montgomery (Cheetham 59).
On the third line Nostradamus speaks of a golden cage. Wilson perceives this as a reference to the King’s gold embossed helmet (Wilson 98).
In the last line Nostradamus writes about two hits in one, which is exactly what had happened. The first hit was against the breastplate, which caused the lance to shatter, causing a second hit from the splintered piece. In the last line Nostradamus writes, “he shall die a cruel death”. This last line is believed to be speaking of the ten days of agony until King Henri II finally dies on July tenth (Gattey 37).
The Essay on Gloucester Character in King Lear
King Lear and Gloucester are similar to an extent of being tragic heroes, because they both experience the traditional features of a classic tragedy. Both characters go through the features of hubris, hamartia and culminates with anagnorisis. Shakespeare employs the double plot in ‘King Lear’, the only Shakespearean tragedy to employ two similar plots which function in a parallel manner. In doing ...
Another incident within his lifetime was the murder of King Henri III. Both his murder and his murderer are described in Century 1 quatrain 97, which is translated:
That which fire and sword could not accomplish
Will be managed by a sweet speaking tongue in council:
The king will be made to contemplate the dream seen while sleeping,
He will see the enemy not in war or military blood. (Hogue 50)
King Henri III met his demise on August 1 1589 while staying at Saint Cloud (Cheetham 89).
The first, second and third lines are a reference to how the King was killed, it speaks of how the tools of war and soldiers could not kill the king. Instead the King shall be killed in a private council (Wilson 115).
King Henri III was killed in a private meeting with Jacques Clement. Cheetham notes Nostradamus’ use of double or hidden meanings. The sweet tongue may refer to the fact in which Clement was able to get the king to move closer, as if Clement had to speak to him confidentially. It may also refer to the fact that Clement is another word for sweet (Wilson 115).
The third line may be the most fascinating of all. It contains a rare double precognition of the king foreseeing his death in a dream (Cheetham 89).
On July 30 1589, King Henri II discussed his a dream with a multitude of friends (Wilson 115).
In the King’s dream the royal garments, crown and scepter are being trampled by a monk-led mob (Hogue 50).
Nostradamus had a great deal of pride for his homeland. It is because of this; many of his predictions revolve around France. Often times many great events in history have not been predicted such as the American Revolution (Wilson 293).
Nostradamus included a multitude of predictions on French leaders; most important of them all was Napoleon. The first of such predictions can be found in Century 1 quatrain 60, which translates into:
An emperor will be born near Italy
He shall cost the empire dear
The Essay on Was Napoleon A Great Man?
On BonaparteNapoleon was indeed a great man, in that he made a significant impact on the course of history, although with both positive and negative consequences. He was one of history’s greatest military commanders and succeeded in conquering most of Europe and did much to modernize the nations he ruled. He also introduced the Code Napoleon, which brought unity, order, progress and reform ...
When it is seen with whom he allies himself
He shall be found less a prince than a butcher. (Gattey 50)
Napoleon was born on Ajaccio on the island of Corsica in 1769, which means Napoleon was born near Italy both Chronologically and physically. Corsica was of equal distance between France and northern Italy. As well as only a year before the birth of Napoleon Italy surrendered the island to France (Wilson 294).
Cheetham believed the second line refers to the great amount of manpower and strength was lost because of Napoleon (Cheetham 72).
Line three was believed to be talking about either Napoleon’s brothers or his wife. Napoleon’s wife was perceived as a second class citizen in the eyes of all homegrown Frenchmen. Napoleon appointed his brothers to govern over conquered nations, which caused an uproar by the aristocratic society across Europe, because it was unheard of to have low-class people in high-class positions (Wilson 294).
While in the final line the butcher must refer to the enormous amount of soldiers killed in the Napoleonic campaigns (Cheetham 72).
Nostradamus has a multitude of predictions in which he foretells the use of machines that would not be comprehendible in his time. One such quatrain is number 15 in century 3. Which is translated into:
Where they sought to make famine come
From there will come plenty
The eye of the sea through animal greed
One for the other gives oil and wheat (Avenel 52).
Wilson perceives the first two lines of this quatrain suggest a basic summery of the battle of the Atlantic. Britain was starving however America would continue to send supplies in order to assist (Wilson 412).
Cheetham describes the third line as “a wonderful description of U-boats, searching for British convoys through the periscopes, to hunt them down” (Cheetham 186).
The final line is a reference of America providing food and oil to Britain.
In conclusion Nostradamus has shown many signs of knowledge of the future. He is the greatest prophet. He has achieved this status for a multitude of reasons. One reason this conclusion can be made is that he made sure every one of his predictions were printed. This fact already sets Nostradamus above all others who claimed to fore see the future. Although he affected those in the future, Nostradamus also made great medical breakthroughs and saved the lives of many unlucky souls to come down with the plague. Nostradamus greatly affected his century and well as centuries to come. He is also the greatest prophet because he realized the need to ensure that no one man should know to much about their own future. He ensured this be hiding each prediction in a multitude of encoded rhymes. Nostradamus predicted such things that would seem impossible to even imagine at his time. Nostradamus successfully predicted submarines, space exploration and airplanes. Along with such great feats of mankind he was also able to predict the shameful events. These events include nuclear warfare, Hitler, the Holocaust, world war I, world war II and Napoleon. All these reasons ensure Nostradamus will forever be known as the greatest prophet.
The Essay on The Great Gatsby Mrs Wilson
Because Gatsby and Wilson both lose their women to Tom, Tom is victorious. Tom is symbolic of moral corruption of the rich, selfishness, irresponsibility, and cold-heartedness. Unlike Tom, Gatsby and Wilson are symbolic of the lesser man, new wealth, family background, and true happiness. In the beginning of the book you learn that Gatsby is a poor soldier who falls in love with Daisy. Then he ...
Bibliography
Avenel. The Prophesies of Nostradamus. United States of America: Avenel, 1975
Cheetham, Erika. The Final Prophecies of Nostradamus. New York: Perigee Books, 1989
Gattey, Neilson Charles. Visionaries and Seers. New York: Avery, 1988
Hogue, John. Nostradamvs, The New Revelations. Massachusetts: Element, 1994
Wilson, Damon, and C. Wilson. The Mammoth Book of Nostradamus and Other
Prophets. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1999.
