The Prophecy and Crimes in the Ethical Tragedy: Re-reading of Macbeth

Abstract

Abstract: This article attempts to analyze Macbeth by ethical literary criticism, restudying the function of witches' prophecy and the process of crime, evincing that it is indeed an ethical tragedy. Prophecy of the witches plays an important role in predetermining the ethical knots. Macbeth believes in the prophecy and takes action, resulting in committing regicide and becoming a usurper, which becomes the main ethical line. The line further generates many other ethical knots, such as Banquo's death by Macbeth, chasing Banquo's son, killing Scottish thane Macduff and the revenge of Malcolm for his father, with the motifs of ethical choice, incest taboo, crimes and revenge. The article also points out that the uncanny depiction of witches, ghosts and other mysteries is closely related to ethical expression. The uncanny plays a significant role in the understanding of the character's murder, psychology and madness, emphasizing the interaction between moral edification and the drama.

Key words: Macbeth, prophecy, ethical knot, ethical choice, crime

Guo Wen. The Prophecy and Crimes in the Ethical Tragedy: Re-reading of Macbeth[J]. Foreign Literature Studies, 2017, 39(2): 29-37.

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