We all act according to what we think is right or wrong -according to our different set of values-. For that reason, most of the times we do something we know might not be completely correct, and then we find ourselves feeling bad afterwards. We blame ourselves for doing something morally wrong, but then again, we do them anyway. This doesn't make us bad people, neither does it mean that we are like this in all aspects of our lives.
If there's only one way to define morality is unquestionably one of the topics people have been debating for many years. Perhaps, we could say that the moral sense constrains our every action, and that it gives us the capacity, the mental ability, to separate or distinguish between good and evil. On the other hand, this is also a sign that there are people who cannot do that, or that maybe have their own concept of righteousness and sinfulness. Not all people act according to our beliefs.
Now, in Hamlet, we come across Claudios. He is, we might say, our villain. He disguises his evilness by using clever words and false emotions; he hides his sins because he knows he's done something terrible, but is incapable of regret.
In act III, sc. III, we see the King confessing his crime for the first time. He does have a conscience. He knows what is going on, what he has gained. He is able to reflect on what he's done, he looks into his soul and kneels to pray just for the guilt to go away, but in the end understands that whatever happens, even if his sins are forgiven, his absolution will not be genuine. He accepts that even if he is forgiven he will still have all the things he got out of committing murder. And he is proud of that.
However Claudios is not a bad king. In fact, according to Machiavelli's theory, you don't have to be beautiful to turn me on... ok sorry. (I was doing so good, such serious work) According to this theory you don't have to be a nice person, or do the right thing in roder to become an oustanding, successful king, which might sound weird and wrong to you, but sounded pretty okey in Shakespeare's times. Claudios just doesn't allow his conscience get in the way between him and what he wants. And it seems that what he wants, he has.
At any point of our lives we might be a little bit like Claudios, -let's hope not completely like him, and if you're feeling like you might kill anybody you need to speak to somone right away- repetitively doing something we know it's wrong but getting something good out of it and then feeling bad again. But we're like that.
Having a conscience doesn't turn you into anything, it just means that you are just as prone to committing a sin as I am.
Shakespeare,W. Hamlet.
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/full.html
If there's only one way to define morality is unquestionably one of the topics people have been debating for many years. Perhaps, we could say that the moral sense constrains our every action, and that it gives us the capacity, the mental ability, to separate or distinguish between good and evil. On the other hand, this is also a sign that there are people who cannot do that, or that maybe have their own concept of righteousness and sinfulness. Not all people act according to our beliefs.
Now, in Hamlet, we come across Claudios. He is, we might say, our villain. He disguises his evilness by using clever words and false emotions; he hides his sins because he knows he's done something terrible, but is incapable of regret.
In act III, sc. III, we see the King confessing his crime for the first time. He does have a conscience. He knows what is going on, what he has gained. He is able to reflect on what he's done, he looks into his soul and kneels to pray just for the guilt to go away, but in the end understands that whatever happens, even if his sins are forgiven, his absolution will not be genuine. He accepts that even if he is forgiven he will still have all the things he got out of committing murder. And he is proud of that.
However Claudios is not a bad king. In fact, according to Machiavelli's theory, you don't have to be beautiful to turn me on... ok sorry. (I was doing so good, such serious work) According to this theory you don't have to be a nice person, or do the right thing in roder to become an oustanding, successful king, which might sound weird and wrong to you, but sounded pretty okey in Shakespeare's times. Claudios just doesn't allow his conscience get in the way between him and what he wants. And it seems that what he wants, he has.
At any point of our lives we might be a little bit like Claudios, -let's hope not completely like him, and if you're feeling like you might kill anybody you need to speak to somone right away- repetitively doing something we know it's wrong but getting something good out of it and then feeling bad again. But we're like that.
Having a conscience doesn't turn you into anything, it just means that you are just as prone to committing a sin as I am.
Shakespeare,W. Hamlet.
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/full.html
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