Macbeth’s conscience and moralizing imagination

Lamia Kabal

doi:10.24289/ijsser.279163

Abstract

Unlike Shakespeare’s greatest villains such as Richard III and Iago, Macbeth is not really comfortable in his role as murderer and usurper thanks to his acute awareness that he is acting against the moral and political values which underpin the social fabric. The aim of this paper is to explore the ways in which Macbeth falls afoul of the commonly accepted ethical and political norms in the discourse of the Renaissance era and finds himself in the role of a would-be Machiavel. He puts ‘words’ and his imagination into use to seize power and later to maintain his status as king of Scotland. Macbeth emerges as a great exemplar of how desire for political power silences the claims of conscience. Keywords: Renaissance conscience; Classical conscience; Renaissance ethics; Machiavellian politics

Highlights

This paper will attempt to view Macbeth and his choices from the perspective of ethics and morality- both private and public
This chapter will be looking at the ways the notion of ‘conscience’ was understood and experienced during the Renaissance era and how Macbeth, while acting the part of a consummate hypocrite, is consumed by a sense of shameful exposure
Exploring how early modern men viewed and experienced ‘conscience’ entails us to look at Roman authors who were influential in giving verbal form to conscience in early modern thought

Summary

Introduction

This paper will attempt to view Macbeth and his choices from the perspective of ethics and morality- both private and public. The way Macbeth’s moralizing imagination pictures the aftermath of Duncan’s murder is in line with the notion of ‘conscience’ that was current in the Renaissance.

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Results

Conclusion