The Conflict Between Good And Evil - 1426 Words

Notions of good and evil appear in every social sphere of influence and each serve an influential role in how humanity interacts within itself. Shakespearean works often rely on a wrongful act being corrected, a specific moral dilemma that often revolves around themes of death. Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Hamlet’, akin to Macbeth in tragic scope, explores the idea of morality as well as how it impacts the lives of each character, but is Hamlet a play about the conflict between good and evil? Hamlet delves into the notions good and evil by focusing on the spheres of politics, personal relationships and religion. Claudius’ rise to power in Denmark, as well as how he chose to use his power and the end of his rule are depictions of political and†¦show more content†¦However, now that he knows that Hamlet is coming back from England, Claudius takes a different approach to the situation. He decides to tell Laertes that Hamlet killed his father and essentially goads Laertes into killing Hamlet for him. Closely related to Claudius’ manoeuvring is him sending Hamlet to England in the first place. â€Å"Our sovereign process; which imports at full, By letters conjuring to that effect, The present death of Hamlet.† (4.3, 64-66) Instead of dealing with the problem of Hamlet himself, Claudius lies to Hamlet about his going to England for safety: what Claudius actually intends is for Hamlet to be killed there. Ultimately, the immoral and unnatural acts committed by Claudius politically enable evil to infiltrate the lives and morals of the other characters, Hamlet in particular. Although Claudius actively worked against Hamlet, Hamlet himself was not immune to immoral behaviour. In fact, Hamlet has caused much undue hardship and even death to many of the characters, but he caused the most pain to Ophelia. Throughout their tempestuous relationship, Hamlet treated Ophelia poorly and even continued to do so once the relationship was over. â€Å"IShow MoreRelatedThe Conflict Between Good And Evil Essay1611 Words   |  7 Pages Since the rise of storytelling, one of the most important themes has been the conflict between good and evil. Often, audiences could gauge whether a character was going to be virtuous or villainous based on their role in society. Princes, kings, knights, these were the â€Å"good† characters. Tax collectors, witches, and other scoundrels were quite obviously evil. In modern times, the public generally considers law enforcement officers to be on the side of righteousness. However, we expect charactersRead MoreGood vs. Evil Found in Beowulf807 Words   |  3 PagesGood vs. Evil Found in Beowulf In the story of Beowulf, there are many different themes found. Many people argue the main theme found in this story. 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