Skyfall Theme of Pride

Is there a word for a group of spies? We all know that a group of crows is a murder, and that a cluster of kittens is a kindle. Yes, a kindle of kittens. And anyone who's even heard of The Lion King knows that a group of lions is called a pride.

Well, maybe a group of spies should be called a pride, too. It takes a certain amount of cockiness and confidence to work in the spy game, but as we see in Skyfall, pride is dangerous in the spy game. Pride can be injured just as easily as a spy's body can, and the consequences can be just as deadly.

Questions about Pride

  1. What is M most proud of regarding her job?
  2. You may have heard that pride comes before the fall. Is M's pride the cause of her eventual downfall? What could she have done differently to change the outcome?
  3. When Bond returns to work for MI6, is it because he takes pride in himself as an agent, or is it because the country comes before his own personal pride? Or is it a mix of both?

Chew on This

Take a peek at these thesis statements. Agree or disagree?

Silva's actions comes from the dark side of pride: he believes he is better than everyone else, and that he deserves anything he wants.

In the end, M appears to regret many of her actions, a regret she would never have voiced before because of her pride. But she expresses her pride in Bond so that it will live on with him.