The Messiah as Corruptor in Frank Herbert’s Dune Essay -- Dune

The Messiah as Corruptor in Frank Herberts sand duneFrank Herberts Dune is arguably one of the best science fiction unfermenteds ever written. Amilestone of the genre, the work incorporates an intricate plot with a unique oscilloscope andmemorable characters. Dune is rich with thematic material, touching on such(prenominal) varied issues as ecology, economics, religion, and politics ultimately, it is a novel about control, the consequences of power, and pitying nature. Any reading of Dune and its sequels inevitably arrives at an analysis of Paul, who begins the novel as the youthful ducal heir to class Atreides.Trained some(prenominal) by his mother, a sister of the enigmatic Bene Gesserit School, and by the mentat Thufir Hawat, the human similar of a supercomputer, Paul is obviously quite gifted. Through some combining of his genetic makeup and his education, Paul has exceptional mental clarity, often comprehend connections where others would see nonhing sometimes his abili ties, especially his prophetic dreams, transcend rational explanation. Early on in Dune, House Atreides is pressured into a change of feoff from their ancestral home of Caladan to the unforgiving forsake planet Arrakisthe sole antecedent of the spice melange which, among other things, promotes long life and gives the Imperium a doer of interstellar transport. The victim of a work of art among vendettas, Pauls father, Duke Leto Atreides, is soon deposed and assassinated by the Atreides hereditary rival, the Baron Harkonnen. Having managed to escape House Harkonnens clutches, Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica, find themselves lost in the desert wilderness and are sooncaptured by a tribe of the autochthonous Fremen. With the guidance of his mother, Paul works himself into the implanted ... ...s character, Herbert asserts that in messiahs we must not look for domination,but for inspiration.Works CitedHerbert, Frank. Dune. Berkley issue Company. New York, NY. 1965.Herbert, Frank. D une Messiah. Berkley Publishing Company. New York, NY. 1969.Kucera, Paul. Listening to Ourselves Herberts Dune, the Voice and Performing theAbsolute. Extrapolation. Vol 42, No 3. decline 2001. 23245.Mulachy, Kevin. The Prince on Arrakis Frank Herberts Dialogue with Machiavelli.Extrapolation. Vol 37, No 2. Spring 1996. 2236.OReilley, Timothy. Frank Herbert. Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. New York, NY. 1981.Stratton, Susan. The Messiah and the Greens The specify of Environmental Action in Dune and Pacific Edge. Extrapolation. Vol 42, No 4. spend 2001. 30116.Touponce, William. Frank Herbert. Twayne Publishers. Boston, MA. 1988.