In short, Hamlet is a man in search of a reason to blame his hated uncle for some wrongdoing, the realization that the current king is a criminal comes as no shock. Medea is shunned by Jason's court as a foreigner, even before he casts her off, and his careless treatment of her should have proved a warning. Likewise, although Hester is sympathetic, she knew her relationship with Dimmesdale was illicit, and that he was a weak man. Finally, in the "Inferno" when God created hell, he surely knew Man would sin, even though he also gave humanity free will.

The looming specter of betrayal in a dangerous and mendacious world is often obvious. Just like when God forbade Eve to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, when there is an obligation there is also the corresponding temptation to flout that obligation, a temptation seemingly ingrained within...
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