Ethan Frome And Macbeth Comparison

Bravery and conscience take many forms, but the general perception of these qualities is a lack of fear in the face of danger, or the willingness to confront danger without regard for one's own life. However, one's life does not need to be at stake in order to be considered brave. Conscience, the ability to distinguish between right and wrong and to act upon that, to do what is right, and what is virtuous, even in the face of opposition, with or without the real or implicit threat of bodily harm, is what truly defines a brave individual. In the stories Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton and Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Ethan Frome followed his conscience and therefore, could be considered a brave individual, while Macbeth was not able to choose between morally right and wrong.
In Edith Wharton's novel Ethan
Although Zeena is Ethan's wife, Ethan is repelled by Zeena's constant illnesses and what is portrayed as a miserable marriage. The author used extensive characterization to describe Zeena as a gruesome, aging, flat-chested, angry, and fun-sucking person. This characterization is what turned the reader away from Zeena and edged them towards Ethan's side. Ethan often contemplated moving away to live and pursue a relationship with Mattie, but his conscience destroyed that dream. Even though Zeena was old and grotesque, she was still Ethan's wife, and it would have been morally wrong for Ethan to divorce Zeena to marry a younger and prettier, Mattie Silver. Ethan knew this and he understood it well. Sometimes when he thought of Mattie his conscience would leave him, but it would always come back before he made a