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Morality in Macbeth

In: English and Literature

Submitted By jkch8ri
Words 766
Pages 4
Macbeth by Shakespeare is a play which portrays all the evil qualities that human beings can bear - greed, murder, deceit, betrayal, treachery, and such other immoral behaviors. It is apparently a play that teaches about morality. Morality, according to Oxford dictionary, is defined as the principles of right and wrong behavior as well as goodness and badness of human character. Macbeth is all about how the characters deal with morality and how they face the consequences of immoral choices. Morality is universal and it is not only based on a society. It helps maintain law and order and serve justice upon the wicked.
Morality sets order in the society because when people act according to their ethics misdemeanors will be eliminated. The perfect example of this would be Banquo. Banquo, although he hears his share of the prophecy, does not make haste to make it happen. He does not try to conspire or plot against the king. He adheres to morality and continues to fulfill his tasks. Although he does think about it and tries to talk about the witches’ words with Macbeth, he is not consumed by it as Macbeth is. Instead he says “…but still keep my bosom franchised and allegiance clear/ I shall be counseled” (Shakespeare 2.1.37-39) which means that he is not apprehensive about the matter. And another example of how morality helps people to act conscientiously would be when Macbeth becomes inept in carrying out the plot. He feels wrong about killing the king because he has been honored by the king. He says, “We will proceed no further in this business/ He hath honored me of late, and I have bought/ Golden opinion from all sorts of people” (Shakespeare 1.7.34-36), which means that he is satisfied with what the king has given to him and therefore he is grateful to the king. Macbeth shows a glimpse of morality and tries to explain it to his wife but fails and ends up listening to

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