Nero, an ancient roman emperor of nearly 14 years, committed many morally reprehensible acts during his reign. Throughout his lifetime, he murdered thousands of individuals, including several members of his own family (Owen). He burned down the city of Rome in its entirety, killing thousands in the process (Owen). Even further, Nero systematically oppressed, tortured, and killed thousands of individuals simply because of their religious preference. He took pride in his various creative methods of murdering others: impaling, burning, boiling, stabbing, poisoning, and beheading. It wasn’t until the year 68 C.E. that his reign of terror finally ended as he took his own life (Owen). What caused Nero to act in such ways? What motivated him to
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Macbeth is a warrior, and a good one at that. As literary expert and author Richard F. Whalen writes, “Macbeth is essentially a brave and honorable commanding general and combat fighter who is drawn into a disastrous course of action in the corridors of political power” (An Originalist Reading). He is often commended for his success in battle (by the King, no less). In scene four of act one, Duncan tells Macbeth: “The sin of my ingratitude even now / Was heavy on me...More is thy due than more than all can pay” (16-17, 24). Having established that Macbeth certainly has military prowess, it becomes patently clear that Macbeth was exposed to a great deal of violence on a frequent basis, and as the testimonials from Duncan evidence, he was offered rewarded for …show more content…
Recall that Duncan often expresses gratitude to Macbeth for victories in battle, and even states that he owes Macbeth for his heroism. Through a process called operant conditioning, Macbeth learns to forever associate killing with benefits. In operant conditioning, certain behavior is reinforced through rewards; thus, the individual in question learns to associate the behavior with good feelings (Myers 267). Similar to the effects of habituation, this process, even if inadvertent, substantially increases one’s tendency to act in certain ways. Macbeth, having been constantly praised for killing hundreds of people at a time, learns to associate the act of killing with positive outcomes. As a result, Macbeth becomes even more likely to kill, as he is subconsciously hopeful that the act of murder will bring benefits to him. With a skewed perception of morality that resulted from interaction with Duncan and his wife, Macbeth’s guilt in the matter begins to minimalize. If Macbeth were never married to Lady Macbeth, or if he were to have a less personal relationship with the king, he certainly would not have committed the horrible deeds described in the
Macbeth is a warrior, and a good one at that. As literary expert and author Richard F. Whalen writes, “Macbeth is essentially a brave and honorable commanding general and combat fighter who is drawn into a disastrous course of action in the corridors of political power” (An Originalist Reading). He is often commended for his success in battle (by the King, no less). In scene four of act one, Duncan tells Macbeth: “The sin of my ingratitude even now / Was heavy on me...More is thy due than more than all can pay” (16-17, 24). Having established that Macbeth certainly has military prowess, it becomes patently clear that Macbeth was exposed to a great deal of violence on a frequent basis, and as the testimonials from Duncan evidence, he was offered rewarded for …show more content…
Recall that Duncan often expresses gratitude to Macbeth for victories in battle, and even states that he owes Macbeth for his heroism. Through a process called operant conditioning, Macbeth learns to forever associate killing with benefits. In operant conditioning, certain behavior is reinforced through rewards; thus, the individual in question learns to associate the behavior with good feelings (Myers 267). Similar to the effects of habituation, this process, even if inadvertent, substantially increases one’s tendency to act in certain ways. Macbeth, having been constantly praised for killing hundreds of people at a time, learns to associate the act of killing with positive outcomes. As a result, Macbeth becomes even more likely to kill, as he is subconsciously hopeful that the act of murder will bring benefits to him. With a skewed perception of morality that resulted from interaction with Duncan and his wife, Macbeth’s guilt in the matter begins to minimalize. If Macbeth were never married to Lady Macbeth, or if he were to have a less personal relationship with the king, he certainly would not have committed the horrible deeds described in the