Ethics The word ethics can have many definitions depending on the person. One individual may view ethics as how a person should act, but another may say that ethics is the rights and wrongs when making a decision. No matter where one may go or what one may do, they will always have a set of standards they are held to. In the book Macbeth by William Shakespeare, there are characters making unethical decisions on every page. The main character in the book, Macbeth, makes unethical decisions throughout the book trying to become king. Most characters in this book make decisions that would not be considered ethical in the world today. In the book The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, characters are making unethical decisions left and right.
…show more content…
The Count himself made an ethical decision towards the end of the book; he saved Valentine’s life. The Count knows that Madame Villefort is putting brucine in Valentine’s drink, so he stays in her room and tells her not to drink it (Dumas 424). In order for Madame Villefort to think that she had poisoned Valentine, the Count gave her a pill that put her in a coma (427). This is an ethical decision because it was for the greater good (Hopper). The Count had no obligation to save Valentine’s life; he could have let her drink the water and die, but instead he saved her life which allowed Maximilien to be happy with Valentine (Dumas 527). The Count of Monte Cristo may have decided to save Valentine’s life for many reasons. The reward for saving Valentine’s life is he had all of his bad actions from the past taken off his shoulders (Dumas 531). The decision to save Valentine’s life resulted in the greater good for the greater amount of people, and impacted people in a positive …show more content…
These decisions will affect the people around them. Villefort makes many unethical decisions. One of his decisions was to cheat on his wife with Madame Danglars. This decision is considered unethical because he would not be able to defend his actions (Hopper). If Villefort and Madame Danglars were to be questioned, neither of them would be able to give good reasoning. Along with not being able to defend their actions, neither of them thought about what the consequences could be when making their decision (Boatman). After the affair, both received a punishment. Madame Danglars became pregnant with Villefort’s child. Villefort then tried to cover up his mistakes by burying the baby alive (Dumas 187-188). If Madame Danglars and Villefort had thought about what the consequences of an affair could be, they could have prevented the situation as a whole. Ultimately, the decision to have an affair ended badly for
The Count himself made an ethical decision towards the end of the book; he saved Valentine’s life. The Count knows that Madame Villefort is putting brucine in Valentine’s drink, so he stays in her room and tells her not to drink it (Dumas 424). In order for Madame Villefort to think that she had poisoned Valentine, the Count gave her a pill that put her in a coma (427). This is an ethical decision because it was for the greater good (Hopper). The Count had no obligation to save Valentine’s life; he could have let her drink the water and die, but instead he saved her life which allowed Maximilien to be happy with Valentine (Dumas 527). The Count of Monte Cristo may have decided to save Valentine’s life for many reasons. The reward for saving Valentine’s life is he had all of his bad actions from the past taken off his shoulders (Dumas 531). The decision to save Valentine’s life resulted in the greater good for the greater amount of people, and impacted people in a positive …show more content…
These decisions will affect the people around them. Villefort makes many unethical decisions. One of his decisions was to cheat on his wife with Madame Danglars. This decision is considered unethical because he would not be able to defend his actions (Hopper). If Villefort and Madame Danglars were to be questioned, neither of them would be able to give good reasoning. Along with not being able to defend their actions, neither of them thought about what the consequences could be when making their decision (Boatman). After the affair, both received a punishment. Madame Danglars became pregnant with Villefort’s child. Villefort then tried to cover up his mistakes by burying the baby alive (Dumas 187-188). If Madame Danglars and Villefort had thought about what the consequences of an affair could be, they could have prevented the situation as a whole. Ultimately, the decision to have an affair ended badly for