Morality Plays and their influence on Shakespeare - Research Paper Example

Depiction of medieval morality traditions is the hallmark of most of the Shakespearean traditions, whether tragedy or comedy. Morality is the dominant trait of the heroes in the works of Shakespeare, like Macbeth, Hamlet, Tempest, Twelfth Night, etc. The final outcomes/conclusion- of his dramas highlight a significant moral choice. With hard options left to the characters as for the moral order, the plots of his dramas attains new dimensions. How is the theme of morality explored in Shakespearean dramas and what techniques are used to show this?

Some of his works are examined in this paper. Macbeth: Macbeth, a tragedy by Shakespeare (1992), has several violent incidents, with a strong undercurrent of morality relating to Macbeth’s violation of ethical norms prevailing in that era. Macbeth’s violation of the moral order with his pre-planned murder of Duncan indicates Shakespeare’s intricate representation of evil and the reaction to such deeds. Christian morality is put to severe test in this drama. In the initial stages of the drama, Macbeth is an honorable, brave soldier.

But his encounters with witches cause a dent in his moral standards. It kindles the fire of ambition in him. His action of murder of King Duncan in order to enthrone himself as the King is a mean, evil action by moral standards. His loyalty is proved dubious. Initially he had set the highest standards of morality for him and his abidance in religious principles is total. One needs to read his soliloquy (I, IV, 12-28) to understand his clear-cut stand as to why he should not kill Duncan on three counts.

He is "his kinsman," "his subject" and "his host." He pays highest tributes to his angelic qualities, which again indicates his inner moral inclinations. But the evil in Lady Macbeth intervenes to ill-advise Macbeth. She ridicules him that he is a coward, if he decides not to kill Macbeth. Macbeth is in a dilemma. As a soldier and as husband he does not desire to be labeled as a coward. His virtue and moral standards stand subjugated by his self-image and ambition. The moral dilemma doesn’t end with the murder of Duncan, but intensifies.

He totally surrenders to the evil by challenging Fate and he kills Banquo and his descendants. One evil deed follows the other and he loses his power of discrimination and is engulfed in desire for power. His convictions are now “foul is fair and fair is foul," and thus he has become a morally bankrupt individual. In the end he pays the consequences for his immorality. Hamlet: The corrupted moralities in Hamlet’s moral choices have far-reaching consequences and ultimately lead to the devastation of the royal house of Denmark.

The moral rule will not continue indefinitely, evil results follow in a time-bound manner. Every individual has to suffer the consequences in proportion to the intensity of such deeds. The negative vibrations generated by bad action will not go unpunished. The concept of revenge is a pagan act that goes against the morality of Christianity. The approach of revenge with Hamlet’s order to kill Claudius by his father’s ghost is one such act. To commit this act, Hamlet goes through one of the worst moral dilemmas, and his fears about going to hell are genuine.

Finally, Hamlet achieves his moral goal by exposing the guilt of Claudius