本文试以文学伦理学批评方法解读《麦克白》,重新探讨女巫预言的作用和犯罪的过程,指出戏剧实质为伦理悲剧。女巫的预言对于伦理结的预设起了重要作用,麦克白听信了女巫的预言采取行动,使整部悲剧围绕"弑君篡位"这条伦理主线展开。而在这条伦理主线上,又逐渐生出其他伦理结,比如麦克白杀死班柯、追杀班柯后代、杀害苏格兰贵族麦克德夫家人,以及马尔康替父报仇等,内容涉及到伦理选择、伦理禁忌、犯罪、复仇等。因此,悲剧根源并非来自女巫预言,而是斯芬克斯因子在人物道德构建和伦理选择中作用的结果。同时,论文指出:女巫、鬼魂等神秘、恐惧的暗恐描写与伦理表达相关,对于理解犯罪过程、人物心理具有独特的作用,从而加强戏剧性与道德教诲之间的交互作用。
This article attempts to analyze Macbeth by ethical literary criticism, restudying the function of witches' prophecy and the process of crime, evincing that it is indeed an ethical tragedy. Prophecy of the witches plays an important role in predetermining the ethical knots. Macbeth believes in the prophecy and takes action, resulting in committing regicide and becoming a usurper, which becomes the main ethical line. The line further generates many other ethical knots, such as Banquo's death by Macbeth, chasing Banquo's son, killing Scottish thane Macduff and the revenge of Malcolm for his father, with the motifs of ethical choice, incest taboo, crimes and revenge. The article also points out that the uncanny depiction of witches, ghosts and other mysteries is closely related to ethical expression. The uncanny plays a significant role in the understanding of the character's murder, psychology and madness, emphasizing the interaction between moral edification and the drama.