Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven As human beings we constantly struggle with ourselves on whether our actions are virtuous or vice. Some of us choose to act in an ethical way when presented with a certain situation, while others choose to act on their desires and therefore act unjustly. This was the struggle that the character, William Munny, faced in the movie “Unforgiven.” He was unable to control his desires, which resulted in his unethical actions. His actions support Socrates and Plato’s theory that if we let our desires or our emotions drive us we will act unethically when faced with circumstances.
In this paper I will show how Socrates and Plato’s philosophy regarding our emotions and desires, explains William Munny’s actions throughout the movie. According to Plato’s philosophy in order for human beings to have a healthy “soul,” our view of the world should not be distorted by fears, insecurities, irrational anxieties, or overpowering desires. He also explains that our judgment should not be blinded by greed or self-interest. Having a healthy “soul” means having a clear mind and seeing things for what they actually are; this “soul” is the core of our personality.
A person with a healthy “soul” will live a virtuous life by making ethical choices and controlling his or her desires. William Munny was not that type of person, because his mind was clouded by desire and his “soul” was unhealthy. His desire was his purpose, and his purpose was to kill. Munny intended on acting unethically by killing for his own self-interest. This self-interest was to get the reward money in order to provide a better life for himself and his kids.
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Although at first he struggled with this decision, since he supposedly was no longer a killer, Munny let himself be controlled by his desire to get out of his financial situation and as a result acted in an unethical way. Once he acted on his decision to kill for money he showed no emotion, or remorse, which leads us to believe that his desire overpowered him. However, before William Munny even made the decision to kill, he shows fear and insecurities within himself, which keeps him from having a healthy “soul” and making ethical choices. First of all, Munny had been a killer before he had a family and changed his life, and now being faced with the proposition of killing for money he struggled with his own identity. He was insecure with himself and struggled with who he used to be and who he was now.
He also showed fear of truly being a killer and of his children finding out about his ways. However, in the end he justified his decision by the fact that killing these men would be a way to avenge the crime committed against the prostitute. The fact that Munny was full of fear and insecurity plays a part in his decision and unethical actions. Another aspect of Munny’s fear can be understood through Plato’s “The Ring of Gyges.” In this story, Gyges obtains power by becoming invisible without the fear of getting caught for his wrongdoing, taking away the fear of punishment. Like Gyges, Munny did not fear punishment because he was aware of the power he had.
He was like a god amongst men because his skills surpassed anyone else’s and he was sure he could not be beat. However, unlike Gyges, Munny was not invisible and he did fear that his children would find out about these actions. This fear was apparent when Munny became ill and was on the brink of death, at which time he made these feelings known. William Munny’s actions were not only driven by his desire, self-interest, fear, and insecurity but also by his emotions. After the task was done of killing the two men who committed the crime and receiving his reward, Munny then found out that his friend had been killed. His immediate reaction was to avenge his friend’s death by killing everyone involved with the murder or anyone who got in his way.
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Why do people have fears? Why do we let fears control our lives? I never thought I would ever get over my own fears. These fears made my childhood very difficult and hard to deal with. When I was a kid, I was scared of spiders. As great as my parents were about letting their kids explore the world and letting us develop our own opinions about the organisms we encountered, I think my fear of ...
Faced with this situation, Munny failed to control his emotions and was driven by the desire to avenge his friend’s murder, and acted in an unethical way. When discussing acting virtuously, Plato explains that in a person with a healthy soul the mind is in control and our emotions help us to follow our minds judgment. In an unhealthy soul the balance is lost, and our actions flow not from our good judgment but from either our emotions or our physical appetites. A person with a healthy soul has a clear mind, freedom, and self-control. Supporting this theory, Munny’s reaction to his friend’s murder shows that he gave in to his emotional appetite by not having a clear mind and not exercising self-control. Munny had an unhealthy soul and since his mind was not in control he did not implement good judgment.
In conclusion, William Munny’s life was filled with unethical decisions and actions as he let himself be controlled by his desires and emotions. He let himself be driven by the desire for money, vengeance and self-interest. According to Plato’s philosophy, virtue is the health of the soul, concluding that Munny’s soul was unhealthy due to his unjust actions. Plato also explains that, “only the freedom, control, and balanced perspective that come with the soul’s health result in ethical behavior.” This further supports the idea that Munny had an unhealthy soul. Both Socrates and Plato contended that failure to control desire is the cause of unethical action; this adequately explains William Munny’s actions because he was not able to maintain control over his desires. Bibliography Eastwood, Clint.
Unforgiven. Warner Studios, 1992. Plato. Republic. “The Ring of Gyges.” 359 d-360 c.
White, Thomas I. Discovering Philosophy. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc. , 1996.
