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Struggle between Good and Evil in The Scarlet Letter and Macbeth

Decent Essays

Struggle between Good and Evil in The Scarlet Letter and Macbeth

It is said that “all conflict in literature is, in its simplest form, a struggle

between good and evil.” Indeed, the fundamental conflict of human nature is that of

darkness and light; and as a mirror to life, the conflicts in literature is not different

from those in human nature. The struggle of good and evil is shown in Nathaniel

Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, which portrays the spiritual battle between and evil

man and a sinned minister, as well as the minister’s internal turmoil. William

Shakespeare’s Macbeth, similarly describes a man’s moral decay and the vengeance of

the wronged good people. Both authors use various literary elements and …show more content…

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end of the novel, however, the dying minister finally gathers up the courage to expose

his scarlet A, thus earning his illegitimate daughter’s forgiveness and escaping external

damnation of his soul. “Thou hast escaped me,” exclaims Chillingsworth, whose soul

remains unredeemed, as well as unredeemable. In the end, good has, in a sense,

triumphed over evil.

Shakespeare’s play Macbeth also revolves around the question of goodness and

evil. The very theme of the play is how an honest man can be dehumanized by

temptation. The character of Macbeth initially is the “valiant cousin, worthy

gentleman” of old king Duncan. Tempted by the three Weird sisters and pressed by his

evil wife, Macbeth gradually becomes a ruthless and corrupt ruler. At first he

assassinates Duncan to climb onto the throne, and then murders his best friend

Banquo in fear and greed. Finally, the last breath of humanity and goodness leaves

him when he orders the slaughtering of Macduff’s entire household. At the end of the

play when he receives the news of his wife’s death, he only remarks indifferently: “she

should have died hereafter.” The bloody tyrant’s downfall, however, is foreshadowed by

one of the witches’ second prophecies: “Beware Macduff.” After receiving the

devastating news of the massacre, Macduff is resolved more

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