Moral Corruption in Shakespeare’s Macbeth

Abstract

The paper deals with the notion of moral corruption in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It hopefully proves that the roots of the protagonist’s moral corruption stem from diverse social and historical circumstances rather than from his innate capacity for evil, as some critics suggest. By offering the chronicles of crimes and portraying the relationships with the female characters, Macbeth’s pangs of conscience are utterly exposed. The paper also includes a detailed account of the notion of guilty conscience and what it uncovers about the protagonist’s psyche and the nature of his supposed wickedness.