Comparing Shaekspeare Characters Macbeth and Claudius
Comparing Shaekspeare Characters Macbeth and Claudius
The conscience is very powerful. It can either lead one in the right direction, or when ignored, can be the very cause of one’s ultimate destruction. When listened to, the conscience gives a clear evaluation of one’s current status. It will then lead one to the correct, moral decision. At this point, and there are many of these points during the course of a lifetime, one’s life can be significantly altered. One could make the conscious decision to not follow one’s conscience and therefore suffer the consequences, or listen to his conscience and reap the benefits. If one has chosen to ignore the numerous warnings by his conscience, thus will begin one’s downfall until the next point. After ignoring the conscience, it does not leave the mind. On the contrary, it stays with that person and proceeds to make the person see the wrong in the injustice he has done. The next decision made is an important one. He could realize his wrongdoing and repent, or he could allow himself to be tormented by his conscience. This torment will cause him to continue making decisions that oppose his conscience. Thus is the eternal decision by both Macbeth and Claudius. Throughout Hamlet and Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth and Claudius experience torment by their conscience for treasonous murders committed in vain, against Duncan and Hamlet Sr., and this torment introduces them to a life of guilt and loneliness.
Macbeth visits the three weird sisters, and they predict that he will become King. What should have been a grand prediction, innocently shared with his wife, turned out to be a moment he will live to regret. Macbeth says, “If the assassination/could trammel up the consequence, and catch/with his surcease, success, that but this blow/might be the be-all and end-all here” (I, xi, 2-5). He obviously realizes that this decision, going against his own beliefs, will only bring about ill aftereffects. Macbeth can see that he will never escape this judgment; if the wrong decision is made, it will be with him eternally. More importantly though, he realizes that it is a decision, which means he “still (has) judgment here” (I, xi, 8) and therefore is not being forced to go against his conscience. Macbeth consciously decides,...