Thursday, January 19, 2017
Social Norms in Macbeth
The reality Macbeth is in features strange behavior from people, such as the jolly porter and the obvious mistreatment of guests on Macbeth's behalf. Are these challenging conventions, or are these actually normal in these societies? This play is technically a tragedy, but this aloof behavior is featured in many of Shakespeare's comedies rather than his tragedies.
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I agree with Charlie in that what exactly constitutes a "social norm" varies based on time and place; I think that "convention" is inherently subjective. Humans can't every be sure that anyone else views reality in the same way as any other. Since one's morality is predicated on one's perception of reality, morality can't be universal. It can definitely vary from person to person and probably more markedly from society to society and time period to time period. Insofar as morality is variable, "social convention" cannot exist as an absolute because social norms change based on the geographical location of the society and the time period and because, even if such social conventions can exist, individuals will interrupt these "norms" different, resulting in subjectivity.
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