Jadyn+and+Lindsey-+Moral+Issues

Moral Issues

Shakespeare sets the tone for his play, __Macbeth__, when he opens with a chilling scene of three witches predicting that something is amiss. They exclaim, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair / Hover through the fog and filthy air" (1.1.12-13). One can deduce from the beginning that this play is full of depraved and immoral acts, which is quickly substantiated by Macbeth's act to kill his king for more power. Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, contains many moral issues such as avarice and ambition and the theory of the Great Chain of Being that have an increased prevalence in today's society especially in different governments. Avarice is defined as an excessive desire of gain, wealth, or simply greed [|("Avarice")].Along with greed, ambition typically exists as well. When a person is greedy, it is very common for them to be ambitious about acquiring their desires. These two ideas or morals are related together in Macbeth and are ubiquitous throughout the entire play (Geocities). In the opening scene, Macbeth is told by the witches that he will be the king of Scotland in the future (1.3.51-53). After hearing this from the three witches, he does whatever he can to make these visions come true. This is where avarice and ambition come into play. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth desire to be the leaders of Scotland so they make decisions that eventually take over their lives. They are power-hungry. This leads to Macbeth’s violent act of killing Duncan (2.1.50-75). Once they acquire this power, they refuse to accept anything less. Greed is very prevalent in our society today, especially in government. For example, Illinois governor [|Rod Blagojevich] is in federal custody on corruption charges. He attempted to gain financial benefits by appointing President Obama’s Senate replacement (Griffin). He let his desire of financial gain cloud his judgement. The moral, avarice, is related to the Great Chain of Being because everyone in the society is affected by Macbeth’s poor decisions. The [|Great Chain of Being]can also be found in __Macbeth__. It is an Elizabethan concept where are all things are under a social hierarchy. God and humans can be found at the uppermost level where the fundamental elements are found at the bottom (Stoddard). If one link is tainted, the rest of the links will be infected with corruption. Macbeth moves up to the top of the hierarchy by killing King Duncan (2.1.75-77). Paranoid that someone will try to replace him, he carries out several despicable murders, which include Banquo and Macduff's wife and children (3.3.20-26; 4.3.90-98). The whole kingdom is affected by their leader who has become a tyrant (Stoddard). In Act Three, Scene Six, Lennox hopes that Malcolm will come save Scotland from the oppressor saying, "His message ere he come, that a swift blessing / May soon return to this our suffering country / Under a hand accursed" (53-55). Other references in the play also express that Scotland is in trouble. Macduff travels to Malcom to plead for help. Let us rather Hold fast the mortal sword and, like good men, Bestride our downfalll'n birthdom. Each new morn New widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows Strike heaven on the face, that is resounds As if it felt with Scotland, and yelled out Like syllable of dolor. (4.3.3-9)

Unfortunately, the theory of the Great Chain of Being still exists today. There are many dictators, also known as vampire leaders, that can be likened to Macbeth. [|North Korea]suffers currently because of the reign of [|Kim Jong Il]. Because he is paranoid of becoming assassinated and losing power, he controls every aspect of the Korean's lives (Allison). If any choose not to submit to his will, they are swiftly sent to a concentration camp along with the rest of their family where a painful death is anticipated (Kristof). Not only do the people of North Korea have to worry about their lives, but they are forced to listen to false propaganda and as a result end up brainwashed. The people cannot escape from this tyrant. Kim Jong Il is also known for his egotistical and narcissistic personality. He uses his country's money to pay for his permed hair and lifted shoes (Knox). Because the people are either brainwashed or fearful for their lives, they live in extreme poverty.

[|Omar al-Bashir]of [|Sudan]is another foul leader. He began the genocide in [|Darfur],organized mass killings and mass rapings, and slaughtered many southerners in the [|North-South War].He also supported the [|Lord's Resistance Army]by having initiated children kill their parents (Kristof). These corrupted children will be brought up to believe that al-Bashir is a good leader and they will cause a large amount of destruction. The cycle will continue and will be nearly impossible to correct.

 Avarice and the theory of the Great Chain of Being are two prominent moral issues that exist in __Macbeth__. In today's society, these moral issues are incredibly common. Corruptness and dishonesty have immersed our nation as well as other nations. Rod Blagojevich, Kim Jong Il, and Omar al-Bashir are only a few examples of people have moral issues and who have destroyed the lives of others because of their greed. Unfortunately there are more power hungry and depraved people out there.