The Problem In Macbeth
1.
We have already seen that the focus is on Macbeth and his wife,
furthermore, we have seen that the crucial problem is the decision and the act,
especially in which sense you can consciously and freely choose to do evil, then
do it and then be faced with the consequences. The problem is old. Socrates
maintained that no one with full insight in what was evil, would of his own free
will do it and that claim had been dominating for almost two millennia. The
logical power of this claim was that it was a tautology or even better; a
definition.
Any human activity, to think, to speak, to act, has to focus on a
purpose. The definitive impulse to throw yourself into an activity is the ...
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has to be a further addition to the concept of Good.
The Good, we might add, is not only the instantaneous need for
satisfaction - in a matter of time it will often turn out to be an evil - but it
is in fact the absolute purpose for any human being (the highest Good), and it
isn't just common for everyone, but, when you strive for it, you include the
others in a true community.
But that means that the Good isn't just a subjective phenomenon; it is
objective, and in a philosophical analysis you begin to see a picture of a
hierarchical construction of still higher goods, from the simple ones you can
strive for in everyday life to the eternal salvation that can only be sought for
its own sake. Since man wants to be in accordance with himself and since the
whole area of Good is conform with man, man must freely want the Good; you could
be more accurate by saying that man necessarily wants the Good.
However, it is a fact that man once in a while actually chooses the evil
and that ...
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consciously and freely chooses Evil. He is the tragical figure
because he looks like any of us but finds himself in an extreme situation where
the act is no longer more or less harmless, but absolute in its consequences.
Macbeth's act is a breach with all natural feeling and all natural duties and he
knows. Once and for all he does what cannot be done, which cannot be done again
or undone, which cannot be withdrawn, which isn't just a partial, maybe big
crime, but which destroys a world order. Under cover of dismay he expresses it
like this:
"... for from this instant
There's nothing serious in mortality;
All is but toys: renown and grace ...
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The Problem In Macbeth. (2006, May 27). Retrieved April 19, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Problem-In-Macbeth/46602
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"The Problem In Macbeth." Essayworld.com. May 27, 2006. Accessed April 19, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Problem-In-Macbeth/46602.
"The Problem In Macbeth." Essayworld.com. May 27, 2006. Accessed April 19, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Problem-In-Macbeth/46602.
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