『실낙원』과 『멕베스』에 나타난 선과 악의 대립적 이중구조 연구

Abstract

According to Tillyard and Bradley structure plays an important role in the literary works. Structure is a concept including both content and form so far as they are organized for an aesthetic purpose. The work of art is, then, considered as a whole system of signs, or structure of signs, serving a specific aesthetic purpose. To achieve an aesthetic purpose in his work Paradise Lost, Milton uses such conflicting dual structure as good and evil imagery. Satan stands in the middle of evil imagery and so does man in the middle of good imagery. Via his work he tries to announce the fact to the public that good becomes evil, and vice versa and good is always apt to be exposed to evil. He uses figures such as Satan and man for an aesthetic purpose. In Paradise Lost evil imagery denotes death, sin, and passion and good imagery indicates life, virtue, and reason. Milton puts an emphasis on the power of Christ and Protestant humanism to retrieve reason from irrational passion which is prevailing all over the human history. Shakespeare also accelerates the dramatic effect in Macbeth by using such opposing dual structure as good and evil imagery. Darkness resides in the middle of evil imagery and so does brightness in the middle of good imagery. Shakespeare is more metaphysical than Milton in dealing with good and evil imagery because he breaks this conflicting dual structure into blood and milk. In the drama Macbeth evil imagery including darkness and blood signifies death, sin, and ambition which is considered as passion and good imagery comprising brightness and milk tells us life, virtue, and conscience which is equivalent to reason.