Guide to Literary Terms Group

Question:

gunter62
gunter62
Student
College - Junior

What is conflict?

 

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Posted by gunter62 on Monday February 9, 2009 at 4:08 PM and tagged with conflict, definition, guide to literary terms, person vs person.


Answers:

  1. pmiranda2857
    pmiranda2857 Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    There are two forms of conflict: internal conflict, which is character vs. self, where the character deals with conflicting or mixed emotions that cause confusion, anguish, suffering within the character.

    For example when Shakespeare's Macbeth has a struggle with his conscience regarding whether he should murder King Duncan. 

    The other type of conflict is external conflict, character vs. character or character vs. environment.  This occurs when two characters like the protagonist, or the main character in a story is in direct opposition to another character, the antagonist.

    Character vs. Character, in Shakespeare's Macbeth when Macbeth faces Macduff, the two are in direct opposition to each other in the play, more of a physical type of conflict

    Conflict vs. environment is when the main character, like Shakespeare's King Lear fights for survival against the elements of nature, again, more of a physical conflict. 

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    Posted by pmiranda2857 on Monday February 9, 2009 at 4:16 PM