Thursday, April 19, 2012
The elements of tragedy in Macbeth
Comment on one of the following elements of Aristotelian or Shakespearean tragedy as it pertains to Macbeth: tragic hero, anagnorisis (tragic recognition), catastrophe (denouement), catastasis (climax), catharsis, hamartia (tragic flaw or error in judgement), hubris (excessive pride or self-confidence), peripeteia (sudden turn of events), fate, the supernatural. Make sure to make specific reference to the text to back up your argument(s). Due May 15, but the sooner, the better --> more posts = more discussion! Feel free to comment on your classmates' posts, and don't forget to sign your name. *Let's try not to exceed 500 words per blog post - less is more on the Internet, as you all know!! And less than that is perfectly fine - work on writing succinctly!
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In this Shakespearian play, Macbeth represents many of the tragedy characteristics, notably a recurrent element called "hubris". From the very beginning of the play, the three witches announce to the eponymous character he is about to rise up the social scale to finally reach the throne of Scotland. Yet, they add that Banquo will be in the end "Lesser than Macbeth, and greater. / Not so happy, yet much happier", of course insinuating that Banquo is going to be king, to the detriment of Macbeth's status. A bit after this appearance, Macbeth who is now Thane of Cawdor concludes that "[He has] no spur/ To prick the sides of [his] intent, but only/ vaulting ambition", that will lead him to death. Here uprises his hubris ; from this point of the play, Macbeth's sole excessive ambition starts to make him believe himself invincible. In this spirit of conquest, he kills Duncan in order to take over from him and dares provoke fate, encouraging it to "come […] into the list,/ And champion [him] to th'utterance", meaning that he considers himself superior to fate, predictions and prophecies, superior to what is meant to be irrefutable, by definition. Wanting to pull himself up to the level of gods, roughly, and also forget his "fruitless crown", he gets Banquo assassinated, as well as Macduff incidentally, after having heard the three witches advising him to "beware/ [of] Macduff". Those three murders show clearly Macbeth's will to tackle fate, and thus his vanity, the whole lot backed up with an excentric ambition that is finally proving to be fatal, causing his own fall. To conclude, the hubris which the protagonist demonstrates participates obviously to the tragic outcome of the play, and generously gives weight to one of the famous Aristotle's principles, that is to say catharsis.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone! In response to SC's post, I decided to make a brief summary of how fate is important in Shakespeare's Macbeth.
ReplyDeleteAs we all know, everything seems to be controlled by the three weird sisters... Indeed, it all begins in the very first scene of the play, as the three witches meet in a stormy atmosphere. Two of them already know they shall meet when “the battle [will be] lost and won”, when this “hurly-burly [will be] done”, so “[before] the set of sun”. But on top of predicting the time, they also know they will “meet with Macbeth” and where it will happen. All this foreshadowing implies that every thing is already planned, whatever happens, nothing can change the course of events. In the very next scene, we notice the wounded captain speaks of luck and we see how it does not affect the outcome of the battle. When Banquo and Macbeth see the witches for the first time in Act I, scene 3, we see the realisation of the second saying of the witches, but also the announcement of what will come next. “Macbeth […] shallt be king”, so say the three witches, and Thane of Cawdor. If Macbeth seems, on one hand, to resist fate (at first), on the other we notice that, along with his new title(Thane of Cawdor) come “black end deep desires” that make him write an inspiring letter to his wife, that pushes fate forward and eventually leads to sainted King Duncan's murder. Then it all starts again after Macbeth's second encounter with the sisters. Three different apparitions warn Macbeth from Macduff but tell him he cannot be defeated till “Birnam Wood [comes to] Dunsinane hill” and that “none of human born shall harm [him]”. Yet Malcom's army hides behind trees ; and Macbeth is finally killed by Macduff, who was “from his mother's womb Untimely ripped”. Once again, even if these conditions seemed impossible, it seems that fate still managed to lead the way...
If the idea of fate is present throughout the whole play, we can still distinguish a few unanswered questions. We are still left wondering whether Macbeth would have been king if he had not been told this by the witches. Are they really the masters of the game or are they also victims of fate (note: remember they also have beings superior to them: Hecate ; they have no control on life and death...) ? Moreover, wherefore if Fleance, who, as Banquo's only heir, was to become king? Will he be back or has he somehow managed to escape his fate? ...
I think that the issue of fate vs. decision is present throughout the whole play. Indeed,Shakespeare raises a very important question here. Do events happen owing to chance or are they the consequences of previous decisions?
DeleteIn my opinion, this question is worth considering and is still valid nowadays...
I have decided to talk about catharsis in Macbeth. According to Aristotle tragedy needs a way to purge emotions and passions and he called it catharsis. In this tragedy, Shakespeare wanted to show his spectators how they shouldn't behave. For instance, the character of Macbeth allows them to think about betrayal and murder. By seeing Macbeth's punishment the readers understand that “blood will have blood” as he is dethroned and killed by his victims' relatives. This is also shown in the beginning of the first act when the Thane of Cawdor, the “most disloyal traitor”, “under heavy judgment bears that life / Which deserves to lose”. Macbeth also allowed Shakespeare to purge other passions that could be the spectators': they shouldn't desire more power over the others and they shouldn't do things to others that they wouldn't appreciate to be done to them. This is shown by Macbeth tyranny as he is seen as a “tyrant, whose sole name blisters [some of his subjects'] tongues” who “was once thought honest” and who had been “loved well [by them]”. Macbeth's rise only granted him disdain from all his former brethren. Through fear, the spectators are involved in what is occurring on the scene as they consider that the punishment afflicted to Macbeth could be afflicted to themselves and through pity, fear becomes a credible feeling as Macbeth's suffering is shared with the spectators. It's also applicable for “[Macbeth's] dearest love”. Lady Macbeth is also used by Shakespeare to instruct the spectators and to purge their passions and emotions. For instance, Lady Macbeth asks “spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, [to] unsex [her] / And [to] fill [her] from the crown to the toe, top-full / Of direst cruelty” and she persuades Macbeth's to “[stop] the fountain of [Duncan's] blood” and “draw the wine of [his] life. But Shakespeare decided to punish her for behaving in such a way: he decided to give her a “disease that is beyond [doctor's] practice” and to make her commit suicide in the fifth act. And in this tragedy, murderers acting under Macbeth's direction are then murdered. As a conclusion, we can say that this tragedy is a way for Shakespeare to discourage them from behaving like the main characters through catharsis and to warn them that “blood will have blood”.
ReplyDeleteFor me, catharsis is also based on hubris, as it shows the audience that overwhelming confidence and excessive pride lead to drastic events, namely judgment errors (hamartia) and catastrophe. Indeed, it promotes humility showing how fatal pride can be.
DeleteOne of the most recurrent elements of Shakespearean tragedy I noticed in Macbeth is peripeteia. Indeed, all along the play there are sudden turns of events that also happen to contribute to other elements such as fate, catastrophe and even hubris. The first one occurs in act I, scene 3 when the witches announce to Macbeth that he is not only Thane of Glamis but will also become Thane of Cawdor and then king. They also tell Banquo that he "shalt get kings", speaking of his children. This is very important because it is basically where the whole story starts : it is what leads Macbeth to his "dark and deep desires", therefore to the murder of King Duncan, then to the assassination of his own best friend, Banquo, turning him into a complete monster (contrary to what he was supposed to be at the beginning of the play). The next one also happens thanks to the Weird sisters when Macbeth sees them again in act IV, scene 1 : they create apparitions to warn Macbeth to "beware Macduff", that "the power of man, for none of woman born/Shall harm [him]" and that "[he] shall never vanquished be until/Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane hill/Shall come against him." This shows Macbeth's hubris when he claims that "that will never be" and makes him want to try to change fate, once again, by killing Macduff (which he won't even be able to do). This time he fails at accomplishing what he wanted to do and this leads to the last big turn of events, which could also be seen as the climax and takes place in act V, scene 8 when Macbeth is (finally) killed by Macduff. I consider this as a kind of peripeteia because at the end of the play, Macbeth seems so sure of himself and he had been so powerful up to this point that it seems as if it is impossible for him to be killed (but then, it wouldn't be a real tragedy, would it?). To put it in a nutshell, peripeteia is present many times along the play and it is thanks to these sudden changes of events that the story turned out the way it did. Therefore, I see it as one of the most important elements of this book and of Shakespearean tragedy as a whole.
ReplyDeleteHubris, Greek for “insolence”, refers to a protagonist’s tragic flaw of overbearing pride, often leading to his reversal of fortune or downfall. This element of tragedy is crucial in Macbeth because it is very present throughout the play and consequently leads Macbeth to his final death. Indeed, one can say that at several moments in the play, Macbeth could have decided to stop what he was doing, limiting the damage he was causing. However, at each of these turning points, he showed hubris.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, after Malcolm has been named as the next king in line, Macbeth feels that he deserves the throne more than anybody else and sees Malcolm as “a step/On which [he] must fall down, or else o[v]erleap”, an excellent demonstration of overwhelming pride that will lead him to evil desires. Then, hubris is also present in the form of excessive ambition when Macbeth, full of “vaulting ambition, which o[v]erleaps itself”, kills Duncan, a violation of moral and divine law.
Further on, Macbeth lets himself be persuaded by the hubris of his wife, for whom “[them] fail[ing]” is impossible, “a little water clear[ing them] of [their] deed”. Thus Macbeth thinks that he will be able to look at the murders without feeling a twinge of guilt, which we know will not be the case.
Moreover, Macbeth is sure that he is able to beat the witches’ prophecy by killing every character mentioned in the prophecies: Banquo, Fleance and later in the play, Macduff’s family.
Finally, in Act V, although everything the witches have predicted so far has come true, Macbeth stays unconcerned by the two last prophecies and doesn’t “[b]eware Macduff”, an error that will be fatal afterwards. Therefore, Macbeth believes in his own invulnerability, killing Young Siward who “was born of woman” while “smil[ing] at swords [and] laugh[ing at] weapons”.
Overall, hubris is, in my opinion, a capital element in a tragedy, if not the most important, as it draws the protagonist to an error in judgment and, as a consequence, to a tragic denouement. Thus, it can be said that hubris entails hamartia and catastrophe.
During Shakespeare’s lifetime people had a strong belief in the existence of the supernatural (it referred to things that were "above Nature"; things which could exist, but not part of the normal human life). Thus it is a recurrent aspect in many of Shakespeare’s plays and especially in Macbeth. In the first scene, Banquo clearly understands the evil consequences it would entail: “But ‘tis strange:/And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,/ The instruments of Darkness tell us truths;/ Win us with honest trifles, to betray's/ In deepest consequence” (I, 3, I22): here is the main dramatic focus of the supernatural in the tragedy, which dominates and influences Macbeth
ReplyDeleteThe supernatural is present throughout the tragedy in many varied forms (through the witches, their master Hecate, black spirits, prophetic apparitions, ghosts…). But of these supernatural elements the witches represent perhaps the most important. They are integral characters of the tragedy and play a major role in the action, from Macbeth’s criminal ascension to his downfall. They are the ones who prophecy Macbeth’s fate and the ones who unleash his evil aspirations. In the first scene, the audience discovers these three weird sisters, who don’t look “like th’inhabitants o’th’earth” (I, 3, 38) though they can live on earth and speak with others human beings. Their gender stays mysterious (Banquo would easily consider them as women however their “beards forbid [him] to interpret that [they are] so” (I, 3, 44)). They seem material and immaterial at the same time. These three beings embody an evil chaos that will lead to the triumph and finally to the downfall of Macbeth. “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (I, 2, 12) assert them: they do not want to link the contraries, they actually want to underline the absolute reign of chaos. They perform first a prophetic mission by revealing to Macbeth his close and brilliant future and by revealing in a more mysterious way Banquo’s destiny. Their role changes after Duncan’s murder. They became avengers in charge of the punishment of the murder who committed a crime against the familial and social order: Macbeth became their prey as soon as he became all-powerful. Thus these three witches control the action of the play. Without their predictions Macbeth would surely not have committed the crime. He trusts these “secret, black, and midnight hags” (IV, 1, 47) who actually betray him. They terrify him with apparitions, visions and double-meaning expressions: “no man that’s born of woman/ Shall e’er have power upon thee’” (V, 2, 7). This knowledge gives Macbeth a false sense of security and he will discover their trick far too late…
In Macbeth the supernatural provides a catalyst for action by the characters, but also for suspense, thrill insight into character, foreshadowing...It appeals to the audience’s curiosity of the mysterious and thus strengthens their interest. Each of the instances of the supernatural in Macbeth cause action or are the results of an action: without the witches’ prophesy, no plot could have been set. Thus the supernatural is at the very essence of this tragedy...
A tragic flaw or an error in judgment; excesses or mistakes in behaviour committed by the hero of a story allowing the reversal of the latter’s situation and that generally leads to the fall of the namely noble man; that’s what is hamartia and what Shakespeare’s handwriting expresses to emphasize the tragic aspect of the play with flying colours.
ReplyDeleteBy rising Macbeth to the rank of eponymous character; like Voltaire did to Phedre or Shophocle to Elektra; Shakespeare exposes Macbeth’s acts and thoughts to such an extent that his flaws are known to all even though the first impressions given are those of a brave, valiant and candid man.
Once his profile is staged up in such a tricky situation, we witness his descent into hell knowing when he has tripped whereas he doesn’t.
Macbeth’s first and considerable flaw is to be impressionable and consequently ductile. The prophecy the witches delivered in Act 1, Scene 3 that, according to him, «cannot be ill [and neither] good » is well-proven shortly after they spelled it. This former event enables the protagonist to blindly believe in an effected fate instead of discrediting these supernatural apparition’s speech.
Secondly, as King Duncan says « There’s no art / To the mind’s construction in the face »; a statement Macbeth perfectly fits in since even his wife noticed that his face « look[s] like th’innocent flower, / But [hides] the serpent under’t. What is more is that Macbeth’s character isn’t exempt from a natural yet destructive aptitude given to men that is over thinking. Once his thoughts transform themselves into concrete plans so that it’s beyond him, he needs to share it to, objectively, be stopped and argue the cons of any future deadly acts but actually and unconsciously in order to be reassured in his absolute right of thinking about doing whatever it takes to get to the honourable status of king and to stand not alone when regardless of his former values. His most captive audience is his wife. She always finds a way to attack his pride and Macbeth’s instinctive reaction is to « proceed no further in this business » but the ability of her words convinces him to act in favour of their brief ascension.
From then on the inertia of mistakes is set in motion and that’s what cunningly mislead Macbeth. Overall hamartia unveil and stresses on the immoderate hubris of this tragic character. It also places him later on anagnorisis and doesn’t prevent him from facing any catastrophe.
I totally agree with what you proved here, and I would even say that Macbeth's main "problem" is that he doesn't trust himself. That's why he is impressed by the witches and influenced by his wife. Becoming king and daring to kill people is a mask for him that allows him to hide this former and unconscious personal problem. By using these means, he wants to show himself as a strong and important person but at the end, the mask falls and he is overtaken by the situation and finally dies.
DeleteAnagnorisis originally means "recognition" in Greek. Aristotle, in his Poetics, used this word to name a phenomenon in the tragedy : the fact, for a character to realize what he has done, the change from ignorance to knowledge of a real situation.
ReplyDeleteIn Macbeth, this notion takes an important place. Indeed, as the situation often changes due to the several murders, the characters get a new status, especially Macbeth himself (as a murderer) and his wife. It can takes some time for them to realize the new status they got because of their action. For instance, when Macbeth thinks about killing Duncan he sometimes is ready to do it, but some other times he wants to stop everything. Finally, his wife convinces him to go on, therefore he kills his king. After this murder stands the most striking example of anagnorisis. When Lady Macbeth asks him to go back to put the daggers where the murder took place, he refuses. Here the anagnorisis has operated : Macbeth realizes for real what he has done, hence "[He is] afraid to think about what [he has] done; / Look on [i]t again, [he dares] not." (2.2.53/54)
Another striking example of anagnorisis occurs at the very end of the play. The witches' prophecy happened but "Though Birnam Wood [has] come to Dunsinane and [Macduff opposes] being of no woman born, [...] [Macbeth] will try the last." (5.8.30/31/32). Here Macbeth aknowledges that he is going to die.
To conclude, anagnorisis bears an important role throughout the play. But unfortunately for Macbeth, it always operates too late in the plot therefore this is what slowly drives him to death.
Throughout the story, according to own's sensibility and interpretation, we can find different main peripeteia, which are actually sudden turning points. It can have major consequences, as it is the case in Macbeth.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I am concerned the main peripeteia happens when the king greats Macbeth but says that his son will be the next king in Act 1, scene 4, l. p.137, l.37-39 . Eventually Duncan announces that “ [he] will establish [his] estate upon / [His] eldest, Malcolm, whom [he] name hereafter / The Prince of Cumberland (Act 1, scene 4). This declaration is very surprising for both the audience and Macbeth. Indeed this one becomes violent internally and we discover an other side of his personality that we did not know. In fact, it entails more and more murdering thoughts from Macbeth towards King Duncan , for instance when Macbeth orders to the stars to “hide [their] fires” and to “let no light see [his] black and deep desires” (Act 1, scene 4, p.137, l.51-52). In my view if Duncan had not named his son heir of the throne, nothing would have probably happened and Macbeth would not have killed so many people. So, actually King Duncan has a bit of responsibility in the fate of Macbeth because his declaration is the last straw that breaks the camel's back and so, presumably the main peripeteia in the play. Indeed, even if Macbeth's reaction towards the witches was a bit strange and suspicious; it is really after this that his intentions of killing the king are clearly established. Besides, at this moment we can reckon that he feels less guilty about his weird murdering thoughts than before. As a matter of fact, it launches the murdering madness of Macbeth.
To put it in a nutshell, for me, this very moment of the play is one of the main, if not the most important peripeteia because we can notice that unconsciously, King Duncan with his notification, makes about 70% of the job, meaning that he is mainly responsible for Macbeth's fate. Eventually, the other part is made by Lady Macbeth who pushes her husband to kill the king. At this point, a great part of the damages has already been made. We can also consider the interview with the witches as the other main peripeteia, but one can wonder: if only one of the two events had happened, would it have been sufficient for Macbeth to kill Duncan and all the others?
According to Aristotle's Poetics which defines the rules of the tragedy, this kind of theatre is supposed to appeal fear and pity; that is why the tragic hero can not be completly good or bad. He has to be mediocre, contradictory, beyond understanding, who takes part in the action but who also undergoes it; who is lucid about the situation but also blind. Tragic heroes are often issued from a high social rank, most of the time, nobles, impotent at the hands of upper forces. This definition is very well applied in Macbeth.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Macbeth is king of Scotland, so, issued from the nobility. He is constantly manipulated by different other characters, such as his wife Lady Macbeth, as we see in her different sililoquies, made in order to persuade Macbeth to act; and above all by the witches, who represent the supernatural power through the play, that is to say, a superior force.
Also, Macbeth has a part of responsability is the action of the play, he kills his victims himself but then, he is devoured by guilt and does once again references to superior forces: God, from whom he expects to be forgiven, he wants « all great Neptune's ocean [to] wash this blood »
Furthermore, Macbeth has two different faces, maybe could we say that he is kind of bipolar. He can be very cruel, full of hate and then, victim of childish fears, after visions of Banquo's ghost, screaming his remorse. He is guilty and also victim.
These aspects are the peculiar of the tragic hero and we see that Macbeth has the appropriate profile.
Aristotle suggests that a hero of a tragedy must evoke in the audience a sense of pity or fear. He establishes the concept that the emotion of pity stems not from a person becoming better but when a person receives undeserved misfortune and fear comes when the misfortune befalls a man like us. In Bacbeth, by Shakespeare, Macbeth is the perfect example of a tragic hero. Although some might think he got what he deserved by being killed and being betray by his landlords, others –like me- might feel some pity for him, when his all world collapses and when he knows he is going to be beaten. In tragedies, the tragic hero is victim of faith, and he desperately tries to escape his destiny. This is when you feel pity, and sometimes fear for him, because he is an ordinary man on who everything happens. Macbeth is, at the beginning, a great soldier, victorious and loyal, but, he meets three witches who predict him a great future. And from that turning point, Bacbeth starts to become the tragic hero we all know. He has murderous intentions, and dark thoughts, which leads him to take the wrong decisions. However, we could think that if the witches did not predict him the future, he might never become this tyrant. We can say, here, that he is, indeed, victim of undeserved misfortune, because if the weird sisters did not put those thoughts in his mind, he might never have the idea of killing the king to become himself the king. That is why we feel pity at the end, because he never asked for that destiny. What is more, Aristotle is not making the hero entirely good in whom he can do no wrong but rather has the hero committing an injury or a great wrong leading to his misfortune. Here, Macbeth’s injury was to listen and believe to the witches prediction, and act to make it becomes true and not to have wait until it actually becomes true.
ReplyDeleteIn every tragedy, there is a tragic hero. Macbeth is a good example of a Shakespearean tragic hero since most the characteristics of a tragic hero as defined by Aristotle can be applied to Macbeth. Indeed, according to Aristotle, a tragic hero must firstly be of noble birth : here it is the case since we learn in Act 1 Scene 4 that Macbeth is king Duncan's cousin, and furthermore, Macbeth is, at the beginning of the play, described as a noble warrior for having fought with bravery against the invadings forces. Although he is pre-eminently great, he cannot and is not perfect, otherwise, the rest of us--mere mortals--would be unable to identify with the tragic hero. As a result, a tragic hero is always destined to have a drastic downfall, suffering or defeat. In fact, for Aristotle, the hero's downfall must be partially or entirely his own fault, the result of free choice. Macbeth's downfall starts when he crossed over into the side of evil, thus tuning his back on honor and respect, and killed the king, and ends with...death. In this play Macbeth's downfall is triggered by a character flaw, or harmatia, which can be resumed as being Macbeth's overpowering ambition. Hence Macbeth's character degenerates from a noble brave man into a violent man by selling his humanity to ambition as he clearyl states“ ...I have no spur
ReplyDeleteTo prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
And falls on the other.”
Three important factors contribute to Macbeth's degeneration: the prophecy which was told to him by the witches, how Lady Macbeth influenced and manipulated Macbeth's judgment, and finally, well, Macbeth's long time ambition which drove his desire to be king. Moreover, his harmatia was reinforced by his excessive pride, or hubris, like the others above me have explained. Therefore Macbeth is indeed a tragic hero since in a way, he is doomed from the start, he bears no responsibility for possessing his flaw, but bears responsibility for his actions. Futhermore, in a tragedy the downfall is not necessarily pure loss; there is also some increase in awareness, some gain in self-knowledge, some discovery on the part of the tragic hero. Indeed Macbeth realizes that “blood will have blood” and that now he can do nothing to stop it; he knows he will go on killing. Finally, another important criteria of a tragic hero is that as the audience watch Macbeth's degeneration and downfall, pity and fear is felt: Aristotle claims that one function of a tragedy is to arouse the "unhealthy" emotions of pity and fear and so through a catharsis to cleanse us of those emotions, thus through catharsis we learn the consequences of certain flaws and how to prevent ourselves from suffering the same fate. In conclusion, Macbeth is a tragic hero because most of the criteria of Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero is met. If at certain points Macbeth have made a different decision, or if he didn't have this flaw, (also exploited by the witches and Lady Macbeth in order to influence him) there is a large probablity that he would have never suffered this fate.
I thought that the “Hamartia” is a notion omnipresent in the whole play of Macbeth. First of all, Lady Macbeth made the tragic flaw to think that “fate and metaphysical aid doth seem to have [him] crowned” (I, 5) when she thought of her husband. In fact, with this feeling of a magic force helping them, the lady persuaded herself that everything could only be fine. This flaw of judgement pushed her to encourage Macbeth in his murder plan, and led her to her suicide. Maybe, if she had thought that she was lonely, she would have tempered her feelings and ambition, and nothing would have happened the way it did. Then, later in the act II scene 2, Lady Macbeth was regretful “to wear a heart so white”, but we all know that remorse will tear her down, and lead her to her suicide. Lady Macbeth had many flaws that reverse her happiness to despair, especially flaws of judgement : she had this constant feeling that she had the control on everything, including her reactions, but she will learn the hardest way that she is only a puppet like the other, in the game of the witches.
ReplyDeleteBut Lady Macbeth is not the only character to have some judgement flaw : in act III, scene 1 Macbeth thought that “there [was] none but [Banquo],/ whose being [he did] fear”, because actually Macbeth's flaw was to think that Banquo was his only enemy and the only person who would be able to threatened him. If he had thought a bit earlier – for instance before killing Duncan – that after the King's death the whole country would be against him, the protagonist may have eluded the murder. When, in act IV, the witches said to Macbeth that he had just to “speak./Demand./” and “[they will] answer.”, he trusted them and believed all the following prophecies : he clearly lacked lucidity. The character of Macbeth is presented as a man full of flaw, and who can't even recognize the truth from the false, his friends from his foes, and that is what led him to his tragic fall.
In Poetics, the Greek philosopher Aristotle prepared the ground for the dramatic theory through the definition of several elements that are essential to any tragedy. Catastrophe is one these elements and could be defined as the “final action that completes the unraveling of the plot in a play”, and brings about the resolution. If we look at the etymology, cata means down and strophe, turn.
ReplyDeleteIn Shakespeare’s Macbeth, catastrophe occurs during the last scene of the play (Act V, scene 9) which is a relatively short scene and just after Macbeth and Macduff’s fighting.
Macduff enters with Macbeth's head as a proof that he has killed him and is the one who did it. In this way, Macduff embodies the resolution of the problem that is to say Macbeth's tyranny. The only way to solve the problem was to murder him. Now that Macbeth has been killed, everything can go back to the way it was before. Indeed, now that the protagonist has been murdered, “the time is free” (l.22) which means that when he was alive, not only people were prisoners but also time. Moreover, people who fled because of the tyrant can eventually come back.
Macbeth’s name is not pronounced throughout the whole scene but he is referred as the “dead butcher” in order to emphasize his bloody and dreadful deeds. To contrast with Macbeth's tyranny which was represented by disorder and the reversal of the natural order (e.g. horses eating each other, a falcon killed by a mousing owl), Malcolm wants his subjects to “perform in measure, time, and place” (l.40). In order to distinguish himself from the tyrant Macbeth, he wants to celebrate this victory without acts of folly and quickly (“We shall not spend a large expense of time”, l.27).
The catastrophe of a tragedy also represents the death of one or several characters of the play. In this scene, Macbeth's death is obviously an important event but we are also aware of Young Siward's death. In fact, this death serves as a purpose to contrast with Macbeth's death and in this way, to show that, contrary to Young Siward who « like a man […] died », Macbeth died without honour.
Although the play reaches its denouement, there are still unanswered questions and obscurities. Indeed, the audience wonders where has Fleance fled and if Banquo’s children will become king one day. Moreover, one can notice that Macduff is the avenger, the one who brings news of victory but is not awarded for his bravery, which is emphasized by the fact that the audience, contrary to the characters, knows that he is the only one who had the power to kill Macbeth for being born of a caesarean section.
In his work Poetics, the Greek philosopher Aristotle defined the notion of tragedy. According to him, the fall of a tragic hero is partly caused by an error in judgment. This is called hamartia. While reading Macbeth, one can wonder which main error Macbeth commits in the play.
ReplyDeleteIn the first scene of act 4, Macbeth is told by the third apparition (a crowned child), that he "shall never [be vanquished] until Great Birnam Wood [...] shall come against him". Moreover, he learns that "none of woman born [will be able to] harm [him]”.
Macbeth wonders “who [is able] to impress the forest[, and to] bid the tree [to] unfix his earthbound root ”, and also “what [he does need to] fear of [Macduff]”. Of course, these are rhetorical questions ; it could show that Macbeth needs to convince himself that he will be safe anyway (he then states that “he will make assurance double sure and take a bond of fate”, and that he is going to kill Macduff and “his wife, his babes, and all [the]unfortunate souls that trace him in his line”), or that he is confident that these apparent absurdities (the predictions sound impossible, even to the reader's or in the audience's mind) will not actually happen, especially when he ironically asks the “rebellious dead [not to] rise until the wood of Birnam rise[s]”. Moreover, within the same line, he uses “our” to speak of himself. This was a habit of Kings at that time, but it could also reflect the excessive pride that he is developing, and therefore the reason of his fatal error of judgment : not taking the witches' warnings seriously (thinking they can not be fulfilled), and believing that he is superior to everyone, even to supernatural beings, will lead him to his fall.
Later on, in act 5, scene 5, Macbeth, believing that the prediction is impossible, still believes that he is stronger than Malcolm's army. He states that “[his] castle's strength will laugh a siege to scorn”, for the only reason that he does not believe that a moving wood exists, and therefore that his defeat is impossible. However, the prediction is actually “fulfilled” (the wood was soldiers in disguise), something that Macbeth did not expect, and could not prevent.
Last but not least, when Macduff arrives to kill him, Macbeth, too confident in the absurdity of the foretell, does not try to escape nor to commit suicide (which, in Roman culture, would have been an honorable end for a defeated man), as he “bear[s] a charmed life which must not yield to one of woman born”. The witches' warning become clearer, and able to be fulfilled (Macduff was born by cesarean), so Macbeth ends up fighting to death.
As a conclusion, we can say that the principal error in judgment Macbeth commits is that he limits himself to the primary sense of the predictions and does not go further, through deep analysis. This error, combined to too much pride, leads Macbeth to be mistaken, and not to prepare sufficient means of action to survive.
According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, a tragic hero is a character with heroic qualities and is of noble birth, but above all, this character struggles against his own fate, but ends up losing this internal battle because of a personality flaw. In Macbeth, by Shakespeare, we can see that Macbeth's character could correspond to this definition.
ReplyDeleteWe could fisrt say that Macbeth seems to be a noble character with heroic qualities. Indeed, “worthy Macbeth” (l.147), that is to say Banquo's “noble partner” (l. 52), has just won a battle thanks to his military talent. Then, like Aristotle's tragic hero, Macbeth's fate is dictated by a supernatural force, as three dark witches announce that he will be King of Scotland. Nevertheless, Macbeth's main flaw triggers his fall. Indeed, the worthy Thane of Cawdor is manipulable : Lady Macbeth uses this weakness to impose him an unwanted behavior, by challenging his masculinity and ambition. From this moment, the protagonist isn't master of his acts - imposed by Lady Macbeth- and so, in Act II scene 2, he is now “afraid to think what [he] ha[s] done”, that is to say having killed King Duncan. Regret is commonly felt by tragic heroes, but this feeling usually leads to mental disease. In Act III, scene 4, we learn that “he grows worse and worse” (l.117) and in fact, the strong regret makes him hallucinate as he sees Banquo's ghost. Seeing that his power is threatened, Macbeth starts trying to control his destiny, by eradicating the possible threats -according to him-, like Macduff's family. We can see how a simple personality flaw turned Macbeth into an unhuman tyrant, trying to struggle against his fate, but in vain has he is finally murdered because of his madness.
As a conclusion, Macbeth can be defined as a tragic hero according to Aristotle's definition, as he once was a noble character who, because of a simple weakness, began to struggle against fate and eventually lose everything, including life. Without this tragic flaw ( Macbeth's weakness), the brave and loyal soldier probable would've waited the realization of the prophecy and would not have obeyed to his wife.
One of the criteria for Macbeth to be a tragic hero, and I think he is one even if Emma doesn't agree, is that he "struggles mightily" against a predetermined fate that will be his downfall. There are several examples of this, always linked to one of the witches prophecies.
ReplyDeleteThe most obvious is of course the prediction concerning Banquo, that he will be "Lesser than Macbeth, but greater". When Macbeth realizes what this means it takes him little time to work out that he must kill his friend. Although he has acted on the weird sisters word before now this is the first time he has actively worked against their predictions and demands that the murderers "sweep him from [his] sight", in an attempt to try and cheat his own destiny, the mark of a true tragic hero.
Another example is simply Macbeth's attitude of stoic belief that he truly is invincible. He even goes as far as to mock the dire circumstances he finds himself in at the end of the play, "10,000- Geese villain?". This shows that it never occurs to Macbeth that he could possibly fail. In fact Macbeth only questions his chances of success once in the play when talking to Lady Macbeth, an event that is is not repeated.
As a decent tragedy, the play ends with a catastrophe, the denouement that would once and for all resolve everything. This catastrophe, in act 5 scene 9, is the moment when Malcolm is recognised as the rightful king and is crowded after having the proof of Macbeth’s death brought by Macduff, nevertheless, at the end; some points are yet to be resolved.
ReplyDeleteIn act 1 scene 3, the witches foretell Macbeth and Banquo that Banquo “[shall] get king” and then later on in the play, when Macbeth meets the witches for the second time after he let Fleance get away and saw Banquo ghost, he has a vision of a line of kings whose genitor is Banquo but at the end Malcolm become a king that is accepted by everyone and seems to want to redress the country that Macbeth had injured, then why would Fleance be king?
Shakespeare gives some clues at the end of the play but nothing really concrete, for example in Malcolm’s first speech as a king, he wants to “make even with [his thanes and kinsmen]” by entitling them first earls of Scotland even Macduff who supported him from the start and who put an end to the tyrants reign and thus deserves a more important reward like Duncan in act 1 scene 4 who did not reward Macbeth enough even after the battle where he risked his life for his king and his country. Like his father, Malcolm’s lack of gratitude might be a lethal mistake. Shakespeare might also imply that Malcolm will become a megalomaniac like Macbeth was as he ends his victory by a rhyming couplet like Macbeth used to do.
On the other hand, the conclusion of might be a real catastrophe as it ends with a flourish that sound like the definite end of the play, a symbol of royalty, importance and grandeur that Macbeth did not have at all while he was King of Scotland.
Even if there are still some points to be clarified, this is the catastrophe Shakespeare absolutely wanted in order to conclude his play; the rest is left to the public to guess.
The supernatural is omnipresent in Macbeth. First of all because of the three witches who appear all along the play and have a very special role. Indeed they are the first characters of the play and they announce the prophecy which will influence Macbeth in his choices. In my opinion the role of the supernatural in this play is to test the qualities of the different characters without directly acting in their choices. For example, in act I scene 2, the weird sisters announce to Macbeth that he "shall be king hereafter" but they never tell him to kill Duncan to achieve this rank. However Macbeth is quickly obsessed with "black and deep desires" because he chose the wrong way which is murder and treason. On the contrary,while in the meantime Duncan is told that "[he] shalt get kings" he decides to stay loyal to the crown and not to take into account the prophecy. In my opinion this shows well how the witches only test the human qualities of the characters and give the choices between good and evil.
ReplyDeleteAnother supernatural apparition is the one in actIII scene 4 which is also a way to test the characters and show their weaknesses. In fact the ghost of Banquo and the reaction that it provokes in Macbeth shows his weakness of mind and makes him appear completly mad in front of his lords. Later in act V scene 1 the sleepwalking of Lady Macbeth makes us understand that "unnatural deeds / do breed unnatural troubles". We find once again this idea of supernatural events which are here to test the human qualities and also show their weaknesses.
Excessive self-confidence that leads to overwhelming pride and a certain downfall: it is the definition of hubris given by Aristotle. Considered as a part of hamartia, hubris is a kind of blindness of the character, and his refusal to recognize he is not perfect. Macbeth is a striking example of this element in Shakespeare’s tragedy: from the beginning to the end of the play, the audience sees his character in several different states that all imply hubris at a certain level.
ReplyDeleteExcept for some moments of dilemma, Macbeth appears as a very proud character who trusts in his own actions and who even refuses his wife’s company, as when he says “we will keep ourself / [t]ill supper-time alone.” The use of the first person plural highlights Macbeth’s high opinion of himself, and the fact that he doesn’t need any company. He indeed thinks he can defy such things as fate or supernatural creatures, and believes himself invincible. When he learns that he will be crowned king, but that Banquo’s son will defeat and kill him, an idea progressively grows in his mind, and he takes the resolution not to let this be. He shows his ambition in act I scene 7: “I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition”, insisting that it prevails over his lack of courage. In a word, he renews his self-confidence. Moreover, he is extremely sensitive to Lady Macbeth’s attacks to his manhood in act I scene 7, as it has an impact on his self-esteem : “And to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man.” He then decides to do what she requests in order to emphasize his determination, and later on appropriates himself his wife’s ideas.
This huge self-confidence will inevitably cause catastrophic results, leading towards Macbeth’s downfall throughout the entire play. The protagonist for instance commits regicide which, in those days, was considered as the murder of God. In fact, the King was supposed to embody God on Earth, as well as a venerable and wise person. This assassination allows him to get the throne which, according to him, he deserved better than anyone else: “that is a step / On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, / For in my way it lies.” (Act I, scene 4) Macbeth also comes to kill Banquo, one of his best friends, as he doesn’t want his descendants to take the power away from him. He in fact completely neglects friendship in favor of his desire of self-accomplishment. However, he finally gets killed, despite the witches’ warnings about Macduff. Here is one of the consequences of his highly developed hubris,that leads him to his own death.
To put it in a nutshell (!), it can be said that hubris has an extremely negative connotation and is very meaningful in terms of tragedy. Indeed, even when Macbeth realizes that his actions are unworthy, he still decides to go on : “ I am in blood / Stepped in so far that I should wade no more / Returning were as tedious as go o’er”.
Agathe
I decided to focus on catharsis in Macbeth, because in the playwright's mind, catharsis was essential for the education of people. Aristotle used to say that it was an "emotional cleasning", but anyway, there is a beautiful Wikipedia article if you want to know more about it.
ReplyDeleteCatharsis is possible in Macbeth thanks to the extreme behavior of the characters. For instance, Macbeth is loyal towards his king at the beginning and despotic with all his subjects at the end. Thanks to the end of of play, Catharsis is very effective : indeed, the death of Macbeth can be shocking, terrifying for the audience. All the people that identified themselves to the protagonist understand that ambition can be devastating for you and your circle, and you can have a lot of enemies that want your fall. For instance, Malcom tells during the play that "Macbeth is ripe for shaking" Act 4 scene 3, l.240.
Shakespeare shows us that such power cannot be taken by any kind of of man because it always brings to a sort of excessiveness ( or hubris). For Instance when Macbeth orders to the murderers that "Banquo was your enemy", he shows that he is ready to eliminate anyone that could be disturbing for his plans. Macbeth tells himself that he is a sort of god and that he has the power on everything. That is why the end is so tragic and violent : to make understand us that we do not have the decision on life on anyone, and that gods are above us.
The character of Lady Macbeth is also very important for catharsis, after sawing her, the doctor came to the conclusion that "Unnatural deeds do breed unnatural troubles".
The repetition of the "unnatural" is very important, it shows how Lady Macbeth has been affected by the conspiracy, and the violence of her troubles caused by the murder of King Duncan, and the despotic reign of her husband.
The aim of this tragedy was to dissuade people of committing Machiavellian actions, and when they see how Macbeth ends up, they are supposed to be purged of their evil emotions.
Hugo
Shakespeare is considered to be one of the most famous playwrights of the whole history with Aristotle. They both wrote many plays and mainly tragedies, which are characterized by numerous elements, such as the presence of a tragic hero, of the catharsis, etc. I chose to explore the effect of hamartia in Macbeth, as some of you already did, because I think it is one of the most important elements of this tragic play and that it mostly contributes to its construction. Indeed, It leads to many catastrophes and create Macbeth's tragic situation.
ReplyDeleteThere are three situations that show the effect of hamartia in this play : first, Macbeth listening to his power-thirst, mistaking while choosing his friends and his enemies, then believing in the supernatural forces.
The first time we can distinguish a form of error in judgment is when the current King Duncan and the others characters around are worshiping “brave Macbeth[‘s]” courageous and loyal behavior during the battle. This argument can be counterbalanced by the fact that the one “[who] deserves that name” was sincere and truly fought for Duncan at this point of the play, but it is a way for the writer to foreshadow what is going to happen (Macbeth’s treachery, it is to say King Duncan’s murder). He is congratulated by the King himself in act I scene IV, who had “built/An absolute trust” on the previous Thane of Cawdor and was betrayed. But can the King rely on the new “worthy Cawdor”? This answer is given with Macbeth killing Duncan in act II. The trust given to Macbeth is betrayed by his power-thirst. In fact, even if the King gives him a new title (Thane of Cawdor), he kills him because he wants more.
This power-desire is provoked by the Three Weïrd Sisters. They make prophesies concerning Macbeth, telling him that he “shalt be king hereafter”. These characters play a major role in the play, because it is their “fault” (if a fault there is) if Macbeth starts to think about taking power, which never came to his mind before this moment. After all, “[it] cannot be ill, cannot be good”! He takes theses promises into account, and speaks to his wife about it. Lady Macbeth is the character in whom Macbeth has an unlimited trust. She knows him “without ambition”, and this is the main reason she tries to convince him to kill Duncan. It is the first step for both characters to their damnation. Lady Macbeth is Macbeth's wife. She is his confident, she is supposed to wish her husband the best, and to be part of his “friends”, but she is the one which leads to his fall.
The same way as Lady Macbeth, Banquo is an important character in the play. He is Macbeth's best friend, and he assists to his first meeting with the witches. In act I scene , he promises to “worthy Macbeth, [that he stays]upon [his] leasure” after the witches speech. But after Duncan's murder, he begins to be suspicious, and he becomes an enemy for Macbeth. He is characterized as being on the good side, loyal to his king and his own values. Progressively, both characters go away from each other, though they were very close in the beginning of the play ; Banquo doing good things and Macbeth blinded by the devil forces, listens to them.
I would also like to focus of the cathartic role of Macbeth, but in a slightly different meaning. Like Valentin and Hugo already said, this play has indeed an educational function: even if the distinction between good and evil is not always clear (for instance – the character of Lady Macbeth), people generally understand that Shakespeare denounces greed and lust for power. However, I think that showing people what they shouldn’t do is not the only role of catharsis taken over from the classic tragedies defined by Aristotle.
ReplyDeleteActually, catharsis allows also a certain “refreshment” of the spirit. It’s firmly bound with the process of identification, but a specific kind of identification, which is temporary, usually occurring in the beginning of the play and gradually disappearing with the course of events. Let me explain – in the beginning of the play we tend to identify ourselves with the brave, gentle and “noble Macbeth” praised by the king himself, but we also soon understand that he is able to give up his conscience to reach his objective. Paradoxically, this is a way to comfort people: most of us would share Macbeth’s hopes for the crown in the beginning, but when he asks the heavens to ignore his “black and deep desires” we think: “I would never be able to kill to reach my objective – I’m not like him, I’m an honest man.” - and well… we just feel better.
Similarly, watching the tragic peripeteia can simply make us appreciate our own lifestyle. I think that the sentiment of pity, stronger or weaker according to our character, follows us the entire length of the play. It begins with the compassion for king Duncan, when he claims that the treacherous Thane of Cawdor “was a gentleman on whom [he] built / An absolute trust”, and moreover, the spectator is conscious of the terrible foreshadowing. Then, despite his inexcusable act, we feel pity for Macbeth in Act II scene 2, when he returns completely wrecked with the bloody daggers, crying that “To know [his] deed, 'twere best not know [himself] », which means that he’d prefer to be unconscious than to think about his crime. Finally, we « sympathize » with Lady Macbeth – as it turns out - a fragile person, who did not stand the pressure and who is simply devoured by the remorse. We can’t also forget about the deep feeling of pity for Macduff, who lost “all [his] pretty chickens, and their dam /At one fell swoop”. Indeed, all these cases, which can be more or less linked with people’s everyday problems: treason, remorse, mental disorder of a close person or a painful loss, remind us of our luck and thus trivialize our own personal issues, making our moral “purgation” possible.
In the ancient tragedy, heros of drama were in a specific existential situation. Their fate was predetermined; trying to avoid the destination, they were doomed to failure.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of Fatum in Macbeth is brought up in a slightly different way. The Witches' prophecies come true .Macbeth becomes <>, <>, and << King>> , the descendant of Banquo escapes; even the circumstances of the death of the protagonist is fulfilled with prophecy..
In ancient tragedy, the hero usually tried to escape from disaster. But in that case, Macbeth was supposed to have a bright future (which was predicted by The Weird Sisters "All hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!").
.So what was the fault of Macbeth? Theoretically, he could wait until the fate would appoint a moment to seize the power… But he was impatient, he wanted to become a king as soon as possible..What’s more, his ambition is fueled by his wife, who is also greedy for power and encourages him to <> . Deciding to commit that cruel crime, he’s aware of the fact that he will be condemned.
The crime, that he had committed has a triple dimension. He killed his senior what means that he had desecrated his knightly honor. Besides , the king was his guest and relative .Therefore Macbeth committed a grave sin so that he could be sure that he would go to hell in which he undoubtedly believed. Exercising the tyrannical governments, he does not hesitate to commit further crimes, because it has no influence on his fate after death (what proves that he’s a religious person and worries about the end of his life-time) .
In Macbeth, the role of destination is really significant, but the man has a choice. There is no indication that Macbeth had to become a felon...
That’s why, in part, we can compare it to the ancient Fate. But in the Antiquity the tragic hero, even doomed to failure, want to ‘’act in a good way’’ doing it consciously or not . As in the case of King Oedipus or even Antigone. Macbeth does not undertake any attempts to choose a good path. And at the time of preparation, committing crimes and even after the whole ‘’event’’ has a really few and insignificant perplexities, which soon he forgets and becomes a cold-blooded ruler. What in the near future, as a continuation of the prophecy, leads him to the ruin – his death.
Aleksandra
I think that in Macbeth, the role of destination is probably really significant, but the man has a choice. What is his problem? Find out one of the most reputable resources, such as the problem of macbeth to finally identify the issue.
ReplyDeleteMost of these comments were made 7 years ago and for, I’m assuming, a school assignment – however I must say, they’re bloody brilliant. I doubt I’ll get a reply, but I’m assuming (again) that you are all native French speakers – which honestly impresses me more. These answers of yours have helped me a lot, thank you! (Or, should I say « merci beaucoup » as one does in France? I digress; I’m an idiot. Sorry.)
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