“Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false and by the rulers as useful.” –Seneca
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth presents a society in which religion, holiness, redemption, and the pursuit of salvation were all very prominent ideals. Those who valued these things strove to live a virtuous life that was free of all evil in order to achieve happiness after death. This theme is clearly evident, as seen in Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Malcolm, who are all liable to adhering to a moral code despite the fact that they break it often throughout the course of the play. While most of the characters are very diligent about maintaining their ethics and conscience, Macbeth and his wife are ultimately seduced…show more content… Prior to his dispute with the Church, the majority of society subscribed to the Aristotelian geocentric view that the earth was the center of the universe, and that the heavens revolved around it. For Galileo, the clear observations of a heliocentric universe were a powerful weapon against the hierarchical structure of the seventeenth century Church. He was able to scientifically prove that the planets revolve around the sun. The Church was upset by the upheaval Galileo had caused when he disputed these major aspects of Catholic theology. He was challenged during the Roman Inquisition in 1615, and was eventually banned from advocating the physical truth of heliocentrism. In response, Galileo decided to write a book called the Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems that effectively ridiculed the Church and the Pope’s decisions about his views and proofs on heliocentrism. T Galileo’s fear of the Church was due to the religious society he lived in – a mirror image of Macbeth’s similarly religious society. As…show more content… First, we see the establishment of Macbeth’s religion and conscience. The notion of jumping the, “life to come,” verifies his belief in life after death. He is evidently aware of a type of future judgment, and knows he therefore must abide by a set of rules and ethics. Clearly, Macbeth is mindful of possible consequences, should he act against this moral code. Second, Macbeth evidently knows his scheming is wrong as he constantly tries to keep his actions hidden. He tells the stars to, “hide [their] fires,” and to keep his, “black and deep,” desires concealed in the dark. Surely this suspicious activity would arouse some doubt in Macbeth’s intentions. Simply the fact that he figured these actions should be kept secret is enough to conclude that Macbeth was unconcerned with the gravity of his actions. Next, we see the first seeds of guilt start to take over in Macbeth’s mind as he observes that he is unable to, “pronounce Amen.” In fact, even before he kills Duncan he is too ashamed of his own thoughts, and unable to even talk about God as he is so guilt-ridden. Furthermore, Macbeth’s act of regicide continues to haunt him up until his death. Subsequently, Macbeth is ashamed of the crime he has just committed only seconds afterwards. He dares not to, “look on’t again,” and see the lifeless king in his bedroom. Regret is apparent in his
