Morality In Macbeth Essay

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Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare in the early 17th century and depicts a Scottish general by the name of Macbeth, who hears a prophecy that dictates that he will become the Thane of Cawdor, as well as king of Scotland. The play then follows on Macbeth murdering his king and attempting to maintain control of the crown and also committing countless murders in order to do so. The theme of morality is constantly represented in Macbeth through its characters such as Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, biblical imagery, and quotes.

In Act ii Scene ii, Macbeth feels regret over the murder of King Duncan. This can be shown through a quote from the soliloquy of Macbeth, “Will all great Neptune’s oceans wash this blood from my hand? No, this my hand …show more content…

This directly translates to “ I will do whatever you say as long as I can keep a clear conscience”. This contrasts with Macbeth’s morality, as Macbeth is willing to put aside his morality in order to achieve his goals, while Banquo is inflexible in his morality, willing to do anything for Macbeth as long it does not stain his conscience. This also links back to the bible, as loyalty to God was a major concept in the bible. Because the king was chosen by God, if someone were to go against the king, then they would be going against God. Linking it back to “Macbeth”, Macbeth killing Duncan shows that Macbeth is going against God and disregarding his loyalty. On the other hand, the quote shows that Banquo is still loyal to Macbeth even though he is suspicious of Macbeth

Later in Act iii Scene iv of “Macbeth”, Macbeth has no qualms about killing, which is evidenced by the quote. “I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er”. What the quote signifies is that Macbeth has killed too many people for him to be able to return to the state he was in before killing King Duncan. Furthermore, Macbeth stating that he has done too much to go back now means that he no longer repents for his sins, which goes against the Christian concept of morality which had been established earlier on in the

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