Talking about the stages of life's way, I couldn't help but relate it to the most recent Batman film, The Dark Knight. It relates heavily to these stages as the Batman and The Joker go back and forth as The Joker tries to coax Batman out of his heroic ways. In the realm of the ethical, I'm reminded of the ferry scene in which two ferries, one carrying citizens and the other prisoners, are given the remote to bomb the other before midnight in order to survive. This is just like Agamemnon as he kills his daughter to save everyone. This is in the realm of ethical because his sacrifice leads to good, helping everyone. The suggested decision of the "innocent citizens" to blow up the boat of prisoners would be likened to Agamemnon. This sacrifice would lead to good because the innocent are saved while the prisoners are sacrificed. The two ferries choose not to use the remote, saving everyone. Much to the surprise of the Joker who strives to break the citizens and Batman from a seemingly religious stage.
Afterwards, The Joker says to Batman "You are truly incorruptible, aren't you? Huh? You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness." To this Batman replies, "This city just showed you that it's full of people ready to believe in good." This sense of self-righteousness, this good, is rightly placed in the religious sphere. The citizens of Gotham and Batman show The Joker that they are both not dedicated to doing the ethical until they are pushed to choose otherwise, but that they are driven by a purity of heart, a uniiversal which cannot be justified or understood at all.
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