ROUGH DRIn Lloyd Alexander’s Westmark, Cabbarus is a villain whose conscience ultimately leads to his downfall at the end of the novel. Being a man of high power is important to Cabbarus, as his poor ethics are highlighted throughout the text. With no remorse, his conscience allowed him to wrongfully end the lives of many innocent people in Westmark. Further representing his bad conscience to everyone, he developed a poor reputation in the kingdom for enforcing numerous unjust laws and making countless poorly judged decisions. Finally, he takes the opportunity to lie and Sabotage the Kings’ good health by exploiting his daughters “death” to obtain greater control of Westmark, which eventually led to his undoing. Cabbarus’s conscience gave …show more content…
His condition improved when he was not seeking spiritualists, and Cabbarus took note of that to destroy and progress. The text states, “Instead of warning him against disappointment, Cabbarus provided Augustine with still more occultists and spiritualists, each with one thing in common, failure. Each disappointment took a toll on Augustine’s health, undoing the best efforts of the court physician” (59). When Torrens addressed himself to Augustine, he cautioned, “Sire, I have warned you against the consequences of dealing with these charlatans. As your physician, I insist- “(59) before he was cut off by Cabbarus. Once again, the Chief minister manipulated the ill king into banishing his doctor and gave Cabbarus full control of his health. Earlier, both the king and queen refused to accept Cabbarus as adoptive heir. Later, when the Kings’ health started improving, he was in a dilemma. “Cabbarus fumed inwardly. The proclamation allowed that Augustine was regaining some of his wits. For the good of the kingdom, Cabbarus wish its ruler would suffer a relapse” (128). Cabbarus deliberately went against the efforts of the court physician and the Queen to prevent the king from healing, while using his illness to manipulate Augustine into giving him the throne. Although he committed treason, he believed he was doing it for the good of the kingdom. Had his conscience guided …show more content…
Throughout different points in the story, it became clear his motive was power driven. Remorseless, he had the blood of numerous innocent citizens on his hands, including the young Princess. During his time as Chief Minister, Cabbarus angered many others across the country after enforcing laws that restrict freedoms with unjustified punishments. At long last, his time in power ended when he decided to commit treason by sabotaging the King's good health, using the grief of his dead daughter. Certainly, it was his conscience that guided him to engage in a series of unforgivable acts, all of which contributed to his eventual defeat. Perhaps if Cabbarus’s mindset was similar to Theo’s, he would have a righteously deserved place in the kingdom for many years to come, but that will remain