Moral Responsibility in Shakespeare

Paper Summary:

The paper examines the similarities between the three characters Malcolm, Cordelia and Hamlet. It looks at how all are the children of kings and all have been usurped and attempts to determine what moral responsibility each holds towards their kingdoms and how this is manifested in the plays. It discusses the idea of legitimacy and how only the rightful heir can truly rule a kingdom and how any subversion of this "rule" leads to chaos and discord. It also goes on to examine the ways in which the responsibilities of the three characters in question differ from each other, asking whether it is possible to arrive at a definitive conclusion of how Shakespeare presents the theme of moral responsibility in his work.

From the Paper:

"The whole tragedy of MacBeth seems designed to illustrate that this is the only possible outcome if the natural heir is usurped: we could conclude from this that Malcolm's moral responsibility, and indeed the responsibility of any such "natural" heir, is to reassert his own right to the throne in such circumstances. But can this view of moral responsibility be extended to the other two characters in question: Hamlet and Cordelia?"

More papers on Moral Responsibility in Shakespeare:

• Essay # 3541 : "Freedom and Responsibility"
• Analytical Essay # 58877 : "Brother in "As You Like It"'"
• Analytical Essay # 112590 : "Lady Macbeth and Guilt"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: