Paul Morphy had everything needed to succeed that one could think of. He had a wealthy family, was a hard worker, had an extraordinary mind, and was well-liked by almost everyone he knew. Yet throughout his life he experienced failure and sadness. His near-perfect circumstances and tumultuous final year of life earned him the nickname by which he will forever be remembered, "The Pride and Sorrow of Failures." If the success of the previous generation has a notable effect on posterity, then young Morphy was bound. for great things. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay Born on June 22, 1837, Paul Charles Morphy was the son of Alonzo Morphy and a young Creole woman named Louise Carpentier, all both from prominent New Orleans families. Throughout his life, Morphy's father held many prestigious and well-paid jobs. He was a lawyer, Louisiana state legislator, attorney general and even a Supreme Court justice. These circumstances came together to give Paul the many things a person needed to thrive at that time and ensure him the best education available to maximize his potential. Morphy was born with an incredible mind. The majority of people born into these circumstances would be happy with what they had, but not young Paul. He worked hard and excelled from his early days at school and learned to play chess around the age of ten. In 1850 he was accepted into Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. He graduated in 1854, but stayed an extra year to learn as much as possible. He graduated again the following year, this time with an AM degree with highest honors. Continuing his college education, he then went to the University of Louisiana to study law. Paul graduated and received an LLM degree on April 4, 1857. In preparation for graduation, he is said to have memorized the entire Book of Codes and Laws of Louisiana. In addition to his academic excellence, Paul Morphy achieved much success in the world of chess even before leaving for college at Spring Hill. He was the first recognized chess prodigy to become an exceptionally strong chess player as a child. According to his uncle, Ernest Morphy, no one formally taught Morphy to play chess; Rather, Morphy learned on his own when he was a young child, simply by watching others play. He demonstrated this feat while his father and Ernest were playing one evening. When the game was over and Ernest had lost, Morphy stunned them by stating that Ernest should have won. Then he reestablished the position and played through the game as they looked stunned. When Morphy was ten years old, General Winfield Scott visited New Orleans. Scott, who was a formidable player himself, wanted to be challenged by a strong player, so he sent his aides to search for a worthy opponent. That night, when young Morphy was brought to Scott, the general was at first offended; believing it to be an insult. However, after Paul won both games, one out of a laughable six shots, Scott and his badly bruised ego retired for the night. When he was twelve, Morphy played three games against a professional chess master, Johann Lowenthal. By the twelfth move of the first game, Lowenthal realized that he was not playing with a boy who was merely gifted, but gifted. Every time Morphy made a good move, Lowenthal's eyebrows would raise in a manner described by Ernest Morphy as "comic". Lowenthal lost all three matches that he and Morphy..