Moral Thoughts Essays

Submitted By Inessa1970
Words: 814
Pages: 4
Open Document
Come, you spirits
That tend on moral thoughts, unsex me here,
And fillme, from the crown to the toe, top-full
Of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood,
Stop up th'access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
Th'effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts,
And take my milk for gall, you murd'ring ministers,
Whatever in your sightless substances
You wait on nature's mischief! Come thick night,
And pass thee in the dunnest smoke of hell
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,
To cry "Hold, hold! (I.5.41-55)

Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare. The story is about a Scottish lord whose quest for power had caused him to murder a lot of people. This paper will dissect a passage of the play in which Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth is asking for courage to be able to kill someone. This passage has a dark feministic leaning in which Lady Macbeth asks for a man’s courage to be able to fulfill her plan of killing someone without any feeling of remorse. The passage opens with Lady Macbeth asking for the spirit’s intervention to “unsex” her which can be interpreted to mean that she wants to have the courage of a man. She wants to have the firm resolve of which a man is known for however, there is also the possibility that Lady Macbeth wants the physical strength of a man so that she can execute her plan of killing someone who is stronger than she. Women are known to be the weaker sex and compared to a man’s physical strength, the woman’s strength can be considered as puny, thus, Lady Macbeth’s plea for intervention, "Come, you spirits,/That tend on moral thoughts, unsex me here." Lady Macbeth also wants to be firm in her resolve and does not want to feel any remorse. “Make thick my blood,/ Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse.” She uttered those words because she does not want her courage to escape her at a crucial moment when she will be given an opportunity to execute her plans of killing the said person. Not only that, Lady Macbeth is consumed with evil desire because she wants to get away with the murder that she intends to make. “And pass thee in the dunnest of smoke of hell,/ That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,/ Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark.” The passage is saturated with feminine undertones that emphasized the weakness and disadvantage of being a female. The feminine parts of a woman are present in the text as the poem talks about breasts and milk, the only physiological parts of a woman. It is not clear in the play if Lady Macbeth had a baby. Words such as unsex means that Lady Macbeth wants to become a man because for her woman is incapable of doing the deed. However, it is contradiction in itself for the reason that a
Show More

Related Documents: Moral Thoughts Essays

Courage Essay

is to the person. But in a exact description on courage. Courage, as an idea , is the ability to overcome or persevere through a tough situation. Being categorized, courage, is broken down to three principals : Mental courage, Physical courage, and Moral courage. When someone thinks of the word “physical” one may think of the body, or contact with the use of the body. Using that statement the question may develop as to what is physical courage. Physical courage is the ability to withstand the risk…

Words 507 - Pages 3

Philosophy: Sociology and Different Moral Approaches Essay

the What is Philosophy? Performance Aid this author discovered that he is a moral type of philosopher. There are many different types of philosophical outlooks; these include epistemology, moral, metaphysics, social, political, structuralism, deconstruction, eastern, postcolonial, feminism. Epistemology is the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge especially with reference to its limits and validity. Moral is the study of human conduct and values ("Merriam Webster", 2012). Metaphysics…

Words 820 - Pages 4

Immanuel Kant Metaphysics of Morals Essay

argued that moral requirements are based on a standard of rationality he dubbed the "Categorical Imperative" (CI). Immorality thus involves a violation of the CI and is thereby irrational. This argument was based on his striking doctrine that a rational will must be regarded as autonomous, or free in the sense of being the author of the law that binds it. The fundamental principle of morality — the CI — is none other than this law of an autonomous will. Thus, at the heart of Kant's moral philosophy…

Words 906 - Pages 4

Ethical Criticism In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

Society Rules Society Rules Ethical Criticism is a tactic used to better understanding morals, through characters actions and thoughts. In modern literature the characters act differently given the circumstances. In the novel Lord of the Flies written by William Golding a group of young boys are left on island due to a plane crash. There is no else to seen. As they try to survive characters morals are tested, with no structure or societal laws to follow. When society seizes to exist the nature…

Words 1033 - Pages 5

Social and Moral Development Essay example

Much of what we know about the intellectual, social and moral development of infants at birth and as they grow into adults are through the developmental theories. Some of the developmental theories are sexual development, social development and moral development. Both Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg view similarities as well as differences between the theories they each believe in regards to the development of a child social and moral development. Jean Piaget put forth the theory of cognitive…

Words 1109 - Pages 5

Kant's Conception Of Categorical Imperative

When reading chapter eleven we come to understand the term “Categorical Imperative” a direct command that is ubiquitous binding on all rational creatures, humans alike the ultimate foundation of moral law. To act as if the maxim of thy universal law of nature. All moral duties must be universally -but not conditionally binding. The difference between actually telling the truth because we see it as our duty too and telling it might be and could actually give something positive in return by doing…

Words 427 - Pages 2

Social Conditioning: Holden Caulfield And Chris Mccandless

these social constructs, and these kinds of people are seen as outcasts. This includes Holden Caulfield from Catcher in The Rye, and Chris McCandless. Both characters struggled when those who inherit the grand beliefs of our society surrounded them. Moral authenticity is being able to think in your own way and being able to confront your true shadow self. The deeper the physiological connection to our conditioning, the more intense the emotional reaction when our pre-programmed beliefs are challenged…

Words 804 - Pages 4

Macbeth's First Soliloquy

Thoughts are often reflections of oneself, and are usually left unspoken. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth has a number of soliloquies which reveal these thoughts to the audience. His soliloquies are a significant part of the play as they cause the audience to distance themselves from Macbeth through the reveal of his inner thoughts and morals, his character development and changes, which in turn, reflect his downfall. To begin with, Macbeth’s soliloquies initially allow for the audience…

Words 1007 - Pages 5

Essay on Kant: Morality and Kant

Duty Amongst Ones Morality Kant provides a number of interesting and thought provoking ideas based around the concept of morality in his book, “Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals”. He claims there is a systematic formula to ethics which consists of law, respect, and duty. After reading Kant's Grounding I found his views on the concept of duty to be by far the most intriguing aspect of his book. Although at times I found the concepts of Kant to be very complex and hard to fully grasp…

Words 1035 - Pages 5

Essay On Jefferson Hope Should Be Judged As A Thoughtful Criminal

evaluated as a conscientious criminal. Jefferson Hope should be judged as a thoughtful criminal with moral reasoning. In order for someone to be a criminal the would have to be charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage. But if someone were to be a thoughtful or conscientious criminal like Jefferson Hope, they would have certain drive to commit a crime. And for the character to have a moral reason like Hope one must be concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and must know…

Words 413 - Pages 2