PT Do you believe that Palpatine considers himself evil?

I'm pretty sure Palpatine knows he's evil. The only rogue line that seems to suggest otherwise is the "...and we shall have peace" line. But honestly, all throughout that movie, he's been playing on Anakin's shaky faith in the Jedi, so that line is no exception.

 

I think Palpatine considers himself beyond good and evil.

 

I was going to say that!

I'm reasonably sure Palps doesn't really have a conception of good-evil. "Morals" and a morality scale are too limiting. His scale Is power - that only the weak worry about labels while men like him get things done. He might have started off thinking death and suffering is of no consequence if the goal is met, unfortunate but necessary - though by the time we see him, I get he feeling he gets pleasure from others pain and fear.

 

I tend to take Palpatine at his word on most things. I think he does mean all the things he says--from a certain point of view. The problem is, everyone always assumes he means something else. For example, Palpatine might say he loves democracy, but he really only means it in an ironic sense: he just loves democracy, because it's so weak and easily exploitable. He might say he wants peace, but what he really wants is a galaxy free of any opposition to his singular will.

 

Palpatine thinks he's a good guy and is doing the right thing. In his mind, though, he figures anything that benefits him and increases his power and authority is, of course, good and the right thing. And anyone who opposes that is, by his definition, evil. His moral sense is entirely self-centered.

 

In my opinion, Palpatine believes he is doing what is right for the galaxy. He rationalizes his actions based on the perceived wrongdoings of the jedi order and the senate.
He also mentions in the opera scene that good and evil are subject to ones own "point of view". His tone suggests he finds squabbles over good and evil to be petty.