Everyone acts according to their individual inner awareness of the right and wrong. So many times, in fact, we blame ourselves for doing things that are morally are wrong, but we do them anyways. Certainly, the moral sense inhibits actions by generating and creating fear. We, as human beings, have the ability to distinguish between good and evil, but it seems that for some ones have their own concept of good and evil, and do things their own way according to their interests and beliefs.
In Shakespeare's Hamlet, there is an eternal game with the mind and conscience. Actually, I could ditinguish consciousness, self-consciousness and reflection within the play, which are differente things. But, I would like to focus on Claudius. At the beginning of act III, Claudious states, "how smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience" (actIII, sc. III, 49-50). Claudious disguises his ugliness and evilness with clever words and false emotions; he hides his sins because he knows what he did wrong and the reason of his murder: "My crown, my own ambition and my queen." He recognizes his guilt but he does not regret at all. He reflects about their actions, he looks into his soul and kneels to pray, hoping to purge his guilt , but reflects that this penance will not be true and genuine since he will still retain the prized for which he committed the murder and he is proud of them.
Even though throughout the play we can perceive Claudius as a celever monster, this is the first time the king confesses comitting the crime (act III, sc. III); he does have conscience, he acknowledges enjoying his ungodly gains; therefore, he just reflects about his actions. Claudious is not completely beyong redemption.
Nowadays, there are a lot of Claudius in the world. People recongnize doing wrong, and still continue doing it; people committed bad actions but tehy are justify by the end (Machiavelli's idea). Today, we live in a society where coscience exists but it is not taken into account nor even present when acting or taking decisions. I must say that everyone constructs their own conscience regarding their own interests and needs; what is wrong for me, for you is good; what is morally correct for me, for you it is not. This leads to frustration, madnees, and more wickedness at a personal level. Having coscience does not mean you are a a good person, it means you are human prompt to sin at any time.
As we can see, human mind is a mess. Check this video about it.
As we can see, human mind is a mess. Check this video about it.
I agree on what you are saying about moral judgment. Nowadays, we live in a wild world in which interests are above everything else, and not any interest, but personal interests. As you said “the end justify the means” and we can almost touch that idea every day, since we are immersed in an individualistic and selfish society in which what I think and what I need is more important than others’ necessities, thoughts and feelings. In relation to what you are exposing about Claudius not sense of regret, when reading that scene of the play I also thought that (so naïve) he was really sorry about what he had done. He claims for heaven’s redemption and mercy! But at the same time, he justifies his action by stating that “Offence’s gilded hand may shove by justice, and oft ’this seen the wicked prize itself buys out the law (…)”
ResponderEliminarAs the plays continues, we can hardly evidence any other expression of self-reproach; in fact he displays his evilness when plotting with Laertes an infallible plan to kill Hamlet, in which nothing could go wrong.
How is Claudius different from us? Just by giving (fairly) good reasons and arguments on what you are doing can justify any good o bad action?
I think this is what Hamlet (the play) made us all think about. At least, personally, I came to the same idea in one point of my reading. Questioning what is right or wrong, is the oldest though ever reflected and we are still trying to define the line between this two extremes. As some psychologists must state, conciousness is what make us humans and not animals. Regreting over our acts is a normal process of what it is called thinking, and I think we should just carry on with this uncomfortable truth or stay mad. Really interesting point! as always.
ResponderEliminar