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  • Essay / The Good, the Bad and the Tragic: Morality in Hamlet, the Once and Future King and Oedipus

    We face moral dilemmas every day of our lives, whether it is giving money to a homeless person or peeking at a peer chemistry test. Fortunately, the stakes aren't high. The tragic figures of Hamlet, the Once and Future King, and Oedipus also face moral dilemmas; only these characters instead fight against violence, murder and manipulation. The protagonists strive to overcome these difficulties within the strict confines of religion. This all-consuming dogma subjects the protagonists to a fragile morality. Hamlet, Arthur and Oedipus rely on the divine to determine good and evil. Faced with their inevitable transgressions against dogmatic belief, the characters excuse their sin instead of recognizing man's tendency to sin. Through their tragedy, Hamlet, Arthur and Oedipus discover redemption in moral responsibility. The authors promote this recognition of humanity above piety. In Hamlet, The Once and Future King and Oedipus, the moral construction of the protagonists is at the origin of their tragedy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay White and Sophocles mock humanity's dependence on the gods to define morality. In The Once and Future King and Oedipus, this addiction confuses the characters' morality and triggers their downfall. Recognizing Oedipus' guilt, the Chorus implores the gods to punish him. “Zeus, if you are the king of kings, let this offense not remain hidden from you and from your great eternal eye. » (Sophocles 243) This forces them to rely more on a system of punishment and reward. If Oedipus were to escape unscathed, it would disrupt the morality on which the townspeople base their lives. The Once and Future King reflects this blind dependence on religion. Lionel's tale of Bors' quest challenges our most cherished moral beliefs. The king mused, "I suppose the moral is... that you must not commit a mortal sin, even if twelve lives depend on it." From a dogmatic point of view, I believe it is valid” (White 446). White draws the reader's attention to the poor logic of Arthur's resolution. Most would say that the loss of twelve human lives presents a moral dilemma, but dogma disagrees. At the same time, the Chorus dethrones Oedipus as king once their moral conception of him is thwarted. Their self-evident truths are transformed based on the authority of dogma. Instead, Arthur and the Chorus return to a continuous and comfortable moral presence: religion. By using two extremes – “mortal sin” versus “twelve lives” – White draws attention to the all-consuming nature of dogma. The Chorus glorifies the gods, calling Zeus “king of kings” and invoking his “great eternal eye.” This signifies the constant and alarming presence of the gods in their lives. Respect for the divine takes precedence over moral conscience. In Oedipus and The Once and Future King, blind religion propels the characters' tragedy. They find themselves unable to formulate a moral compass independent of religion and therefore have difficulty defining good and evil. Their restrictive dogma makes them more sensitive to the temptations of human nature. Strict religious norms lead to inevitable transgressions by the protagonists. Instead of admitting their faults, Arthur and Oedipus pervert morality to justify their actions. King Arthur reflects on his flimsy justification for his rashness: "Everyone told me what a terrible sin it was and how nothing but sorrow would result from it...I wanted to destroy Mordred for.