A theatric example of this dilemma is found in Gilbert and Sullivan's play "Pirates of Penzance," in which the main character (who had accidentally been contractually indentured to pirates until his 21st birthday) must temporarily abjure his well-known oath to do away with his former shipmates, when he finds out that his contract is still in action. Not only must he hold off doing what he feels is right because of his sense of duty, but he finds himself compelled to do something that he has defined to be morally wrong for the same reason: namely, betraying his love's family to his sworn enemy. This particular excerpt shows his reluctant submission to his career (and his sense of duty) over his other ethics:
Conversely, in the 1967 musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," protagonist J. Pierpont Finch (a young man who works his way to being CEO of the company whose windows he used to wash) encounters a man who avoids the turmoil mentioned above by allowing his workplace to define his ethics:
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