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Captain Nemo
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Was Captain Nemo evil? Was he a Megalomaniac who wanted world domination?
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he was a bit, wasn't he... one of the early 'mad scientists' of literature. That sort of character usually reflects some public suspicion of scientists generally and what they might be up to. As he was fictional, I can't be entirely sure what was in the back of his mind, though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Nemo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Nemo
He wasn't all bad - he hated oppression, and grieved greatly over the death of any crewman. Have a read of this.
I've never read Mysterious Island but having re-read 20,000 Leagues... rececently I would say that he wasn't evil or a megalomaniac.
I see the character as more of a loner who aksed for nothing of the rest of the world and just wanted to explore, live and die under the sea. In Chapter 10 Nemo tries to explain his love of the sea thus;
"Here lies supreme tranquility. The sea doesn't belong to tyrants. On its surface they can still exercise their iniquitous claims, battle each other, haul every earthly horror. But thirty feet below sea level, their dominion ceases, their influence fades, their power vanishes! Ah, sir, live! Live in the heart of the seas! Here alone lies independence!"
He doesn't want to dominate the world, far from it he makes a point of having nothing at all to do with the 'surface world' or men or anything that doesn't inhabit the sea or the seabed. At the begining of Chapter 11 Nemo refers to the books in his library as his "sole remaining ties with dry land" and states that he was "done with the shore the day my Nautilus submerged for the first time under the waters". Doesn't sound like he wants to dominate the world!
This may change in the Mysterious Island (the title suggests it probably does!). The only 'evil' I see in the first book is his captivity of the Arronax, Ned Land and Conseil, which he gives a strong and reasonable justification for. Anyway, the time they spend as prisoners/passengers on the Nautilus is clearly a mind blowing experience for them and could be considered enjoyable at times.
I see the character as more of a loner who aksed for nothing of the rest of the world and just wanted to explore, live and die under the sea. In Chapter 10 Nemo tries to explain his love of the sea thus;
"Here lies supreme tranquility. The sea doesn't belong to tyrants. On its surface they can still exercise their iniquitous claims, battle each other, haul every earthly horror. But thirty feet below sea level, their dominion ceases, their influence fades, their power vanishes! Ah, sir, live! Live in the heart of the seas! Here alone lies independence!"
He doesn't want to dominate the world, far from it he makes a point of having nothing at all to do with the 'surface world' or men or anything that doesn't inhabit the sea or the seabed. At the begining of Chapter 11 Nemo refers to the books in his library as his "sole remaining ties with dry land" and states that he was "done with the shore the day my Nautilus submerged for the first time under the waters". Doesn't sound like he wants to dominate the world!
This may change in the Mysterious Island (the title suggests it probably does!). The only 'evil' I see in the first book is his captivity of the Arronax, Ned Land and Conseil, which he gives a strong and reasonable justification for. Anyway, the time they spend as prisoners/passengers on the Nautilus is clearly a mind blowing experience for them and could be considered enjoyable at times.
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