Morality in Literature

Journey as pursuit for 'true' morality: Literary analysis of works from William Shakespeare, Jonathan Swift, Moliere, Dante, and Samuel Coleridge

More than depicting the nature of humanity, literature has also seen the preponderance of artistic works that delve into the morality of humans. Society has been exposed to the dichotomy and conflict between goodness and evil, or, more concretely, between what is considered as right or wrong. The standard of morality prevalent in the society was distinctly distinguished between right or wrong; ultimately, humanity should only commit, behave, and think 'rightly' -- that is, actions must benefit the greater good.

Indeed, contemplation on humanity's continuous pursuit for committing moral actions and behaving and thinking morally has been interpreted in famous works of literature. While other works centered on the 'rightness' of what society considers as moral acts and behavior, other literary works have focused on providing a...
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