Monday, January 14, 2013
Imagery of violence in Act II
Much
of the imagery in Act II is of violence, horror, and disruption in nature. Identify one such image that you think is
especially powerful. Quote the lines (with a citation),
label whether it is a metaphor, simile or
personification, then write a brief
account of the effect of the image, commenting on the atmosphere it creates or
what it reveals about a character.
Analyze in detail the language used!
(Blog post due 22/01)
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In lines 27 and 28 of the last scene of the second act, Ross uses a personnification, saying that the murderer’s path was led by a
ReplyDelete“Thriftless ambition that will ravin up/
Thine own life’means »
Even though it is supposed to be dealing with Malcom and Donaldbain as they are suspects, we can discern some double-meaning as it rather seems to apply to Macbeth.
This personnification traduces an idea of acting on an impulsion : indeed, it comes from a “thriftless” motive, which means it seems to Ross the murderer had no reason worth killing Duncan and had not taken much time to think before acting.
Besides, it expresses the idea of acting without making concessions, radically. In fact, this idea of a “thriftless ambition” represents an absolute desire for power. This almost bestial need to show oneself is the one male commanding to all of the others appears to be the main motivation of the murderer’s deed as the blinded character did not follow any other motivation such as reason, order or his conscience.
The use of a personnification is not pointless here : it shows Macbeth does not seek to follow reason anymore. That is to say that the subject of the action is not the character but his “thriftless ambition”, this longing for power. He is not capable of taking any decisions on his own any longer as his sanguine mood is his only guide, just as the dagger guided him. Macbeth does not appear as a reaonable person, but rather an animal, guided by a sole violent instinct.
Finally, we can see this violent desire for power has not less radical and violent consequences.
Indeed, it is said it will “ravin up” lives which radical word provokes a violent image as this greed seems to be devoring numerous lives unrationnally and at a high speed : Duncan’s murder is here referred to as a sort of cannibalism.
It strikes as a condamnation to death of the characters involved in these fights for power – whose lives will be devored -, foreshadowing the coming battle and the impossibility for Macbeth to live normally as he experiences nightmares. To make it short, it expresses physical – the murders - and moral violence – the nightmares- .
Last but not least, it is not only supposed to take lives but also people’s “own [lives] means”. This expression might mean Duncan’s murder will result into a disappearance of order as it takes off the murderer’s reasons of living - the concepts that enable him to live - which might be serving his king as a loyal thane. Or else it might result into an inversion of this order, designating the roots of the murderer’s life – in other words his humanity -, meaning the murderer is now a beast, which recalls the evolution of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s characters.
To conclude, with this personnification, Ross expresses the idea of a violent desire for power taking the whole power over the characters’ destiny and leading to a most complete disorder : violence appears to be the core of the dramatic scheme as the initial murder of Duncan will inescapably lead to more violence.
Even though this processus describes Macbeth’s actions, we can wonder whether it does not apply to the others characters in different degrees as they all will show some signs of violence in the final battle.
Margot
« Confusion now hath made his masterpiece :
ReplyDeleteMost sacrilegious murder hath broke ope
The Lord's anointed temple and stole thence
The life o'th'building » (act II, scene 3 lines 59-62)
This is a metaphor referring to Macduff's horror as he just discovered the murdered King. Indeed he compares Duncan's corpse to a church that has been broken into. This is also a wonderful metaphor and example of Shakespeare giving a character the language necessary to express the inexpressible.
This of course reveals the King's importance for Macduff, who sees him as a house of worship, a temple, as if Duncan was a kind of ''representation of God'' in the world : it reflects his loyalty for him. Moreover, the fact that the life has been stolen in the body emphasizes this idea of horror, and violence because the body is still there, with huge bloody gashes, but the King's soul isn't there anymore.
The sudden death of Duncan creates a sense of confusion in Macduff's mind, that's why he says : ''Confusion now hath made his masterpiece'', and he is by the way personifying Confusion, as he it was someone who just achieved a great thing.
This metaphor tells us and reveals Macduff's respect and even worship of the King (kingship ?), but also Macduff's sensibility. Indeed it gives the impression that Macduff can't say that ''the king has been murdered'', he is so shocked that he uses a metaphor instead. It may be compared to Act 1 scene 7 when Macbeth couldn't pronounce ''Duncan's murder'': he used, like Macduff does, a lot of metaphors, and euphemisms to say it (for instance :''the ingredience of our poisoned chalice to our own lips'' line 11) . Moreover it shows Macduff's confusion because we don't really know what he is talking about : he even confuses Lennox (''Mean you his majesty ?''). It highlights also Macduff's faith, by using religious images (''The Lord's anointed temple''). Finally, this metaphor is an image of horror, and violence at the same time, of horror because it relates Macduff's reaction; of violence because of the imagery of a stolen and destructed Church, a place that nobody should ever attack (= the respected King's wildly stolen body).
One striking feature of Shakespeare’s game with language throughout the play is the use of powerful imageries.
ReplyDeleteFor example in Act II scene 3 Lennox reports the growing disruption of nature thanks to a personification of the earth which mentions that “the obscure bird clamored the livelong night: some say the earth was feverous and did shake” l. 33-35.
First of all, the choice of words “obscure” and “night” belonging to the semantic field of darkness emphasises the growing haze in which the earth has started to being plunged into: there’s something wrong going on as Shakespeare hints when he emploies the adjective “livelong”. The night will not last the usual twelve hours but has been predicted to persist for a lifetime, most probably Macbeth’s; the sun will only show up when Macbeth will be dead and as long as he’s alive, the night will not come to an end, he and the darkness will consequently rule the world. The absence of sun thus foreshadows the discovery of some evil deeds such as Duncan’s death l. 79, a crime that Macbeth has done anonymously (except for his wife) under the covering scarf of a starless night ; we can refer this idea of concealment to commit murders in absolute darkness with Macbeth’s prayers for the stars to “hide [their] fires [not to] light[en his] black and deep desires” in act I scene 4, l. 51. The audience who already knows that Macbeth murdered the King is able to understand, by these announcing references to murk, that the growing heavy and oppresive gloom wrapping step after step the earth threatens its good health and its normal functioning like a nightmarish illness: Duncan's murder is the beginning of a disfunction in nature which may engender more dreadful consequences... and other crimes.
Moreover the word “feverous” alludes to the unusual state of the earth by conveying the impression that it is suffering under fever. The verb “shake” is the very consequence of the earth’s deseased condition. However, people normally shake because of cold instead of fever. As darkness jeopardizes the earth’s wellbeing, the sun has gone away and the earth cannot be warmed anymore by sunshines: it suffers now under freezing cold which is therefore an obvious evidence of the world’s debilitation. The sibilant alliteration in [s] easily noticeable in the words “obscure”, “some”, “say”, “was” and “feverous” stresses the importance of the words which can be compared to a hissing, the noise of a snake or the whistling of the “clamored bird”, perhaps "the raven himself" previously invoked in act I scene 5 l.40 by Lady Macbeth or even "the owl['s] scream" that Lady Macbeth heard in act II scene 2, l.15 while Macbeth was murdering his King. Instead of singing and twittering the birds hiss and cry as if something out of the ordinary had happened which could provoke great disorders in the world. Animals are right, Duncan’s death will indeed provoke chaos and turmoil in nature but also in Macbeth’s rise to power and greatness: this murder is the beginning of the end.
Victoria
Mistake in the sentence: "However, people normally shake because of cold instead of fever." I actually meant "However, people also shake when they're cold and since darkness jeopardizes..." Sorry
Delete« ROSS : And Duncan’s horses, a thing most strange and certain,
ReplyDeleteBeauteous and swift , the minions of their race,
Turned wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,
Contending ’gainst obedience as they would
Make war with mankind.
OLD MAN : ‘Tis said, they eat each other. »
[Act II, scene 4, lines 14-19]
This is a violent metaphor, that speaks both of the character of Macbeth and of a disruption of the order established by nature.
Here, Duncan’s horses represent Macbeth, who, most of all, is Duncan’s soldier. Him being called the minion of his race fits everyone’s high esteem of him, especially in act I. Moreover, the word « minion » brings us back to Act I scene 2, where it is also used, with a different meaning though, to describe Macbeth in line 19 where he is compared to « Valour’s minion », which underlines his devotion to what is right and brave and fair.
The fact that he has turned « wild in nature » can either apply to his growing insanity or to the self-unnaturalness of the murder he has committed : He, who is « a peerless kinsman » according to Duncan in Act 1, scene 4, devoted to righteousness and to royalty, even on the field of battle, has killed his own king. It could also mean that he has turned into an animal, both to serve the imagery and to show his lack of humanity in Duncan’s murder. It reminds us of the running philosophical question of the play : What is it to be a man ? Does it mean to have the guts to take matters into his own hands and to get rid of whatever stands in his way ? Or is it to be incapable of evil ? Does it mean being manly, or human ? Macbeth is slowly drifting from human to manly throughout the play ; and the change is going to gain speed starting from this point of the plot.
The breaking of his stall could be an anticipation of the third act where Macbeth gains control of the situation by overcoming the authority of his wife, as well as a reference to his recent killing of the guards : these extra murders were not part of Lady Macbeth’s plan, he was in a way breaking the walls established by the strategy and spontaneously going the extra mile.
The horses contending against obedience would therefore be a metaphor for Macbeth rejecting the powers of his king and of his wife over him, for he had always obeyed Lady Macbeth, and had always fought for Duncan. And so, by making war with mankind, the horses overthrow human ownership and domination ; just like Macbeth makes war with royalty – which he is supposed to obey and protect – represented by Duncan, Donalbain, Malcom, and later Banquo and Fleance – as Banquo has « a royalty of nature » (Act III, scene 1, line 51) and Fleance is destined to take over the throne. Royalty, that used to have his services and his life at its disposal, no longer does ; actually, he stole its powers (by killing Duncan and pushing Malcom and Donaldbain to escape) and made them his own (by becoming king himself).
(See the following post)
(And here is the rest of it)
ReplyDeleteAs the horses eat each other, we have not only a strong and violent image of cannibalism, which represents Macbeth killing among his own kind (be it in terms of species, nationality, rank and even blood affliations, since he and Duncan are cousins) and is therefore the image of a disruption in nature, an unnaturalness in the facts : horses are not supposed to eat meat, let alone horse meat ; and Macbeth is certainly not supposed to kill among humans, scots, members of his own noble (royal, even) class or family members. Yet, Duncan fills all these criterias !
In this metaphor, there is a reversal of roles between humankind and horses. It refers to the one between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in the beginning (There is an utter disrespect of the sexual stereotypes established : Lady Macbeth is clearly the one bossing her husband around.) and throughout the play (As Lady Macbeth’s powers are slowly drained out by Macbeth’s ambition and madness.).
Not only does this metaphor give a spooky atmosphere (Horses eating each other left and right is not a pleasing image to have around.), it really underlines all the changes Macbeth is going through simultaneously – as the spectator tends to focus on the action more than on the evolving personas and relationships.
ACT II - SCENE 4 - LINES 4 TO 10
ReplyDeleteROSS:
Ha, good father,
Thou seest the heavens, as troubled with man’s act,
Threatens his bloody stage. By th' clock ’tis day,
And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp.
Is ’t night’s predominance or the day’s shame
That darkness does the face of Earth entomb
When living light should kiss it?
In this passage, Ross explains that the trouble which took place in Inverness led to a disruption in nature. At a time when there should be daylight, night is still there. It has not left the castle, the “bloody stage”.
We can see that it is in fact an allegory for good and evil. Good is represented by the day and by Duncan (further in the play, it will also be Banquo and Macduff). On the contrary, night and Macbeth stand for evil. Ross hypothesizes: is the day too weak to face the night or the night stronger then the day? Nothing is happening in a normal way in nature, just like nothing is occurring in a normal way in the human world: the night killed the day, just like Macbeth killed Duncan. Another idea could be that day is ashamed of what happened during the night (“day’s shame”), therefore night is able to predominate.
Moreover, we can see that the term of “bloody stage” stands for Scotland and the world in general. Ross considers the little Scottish ‘Thane committee’ as being the only group of people on Earth. We understand that nature responds to their acts: because somebody killed Duncan, the entire world is impacted by this disruption. This could be a reference to lines 52 and 53 of the previous scene (“the earth – Was feverous and did shake.”), in which the earth stands for Macbeth’s castle in Inverness.
In addition, the murderer’s acts almost stand for God’s acts. Indeed, by killing his king, he is able to influence nature, the sky, the sun, and the night, a power that only God can have.
Finally, we may be able to consider this disruption in nature as being God’s judgment towards what happened on earth. Indeed, since the beginning of the act, we can find some references to religion. Additionally, only God can have the power to change nature at this point. God doesn’t accept Duncan’s murder, and therefore underlines the abnormality of the situation, which goes against nature: killing the king to win power is not the natural way to access to the throne. Therefore, by highlighting the murder by the endless night, God is able to convey a message to the thanes: they must understand what happened and who committed the murder.
To conclude, this allegory of good versus evil is a recurrent theme within the play. In this act, the answer to Ross’s question would be: Yes, night is stronger than day, evil wins against good.
You have nearly the same point that I have. :)
DeleteThe other semi-Indian.
The magnitude of Macbeth’s abomination has blatantly had a gargantuan impact on his moral compass. Blood, a substantial reference to Duncan’s blood in particular, throughout the second act, is a symbol of guilt and liability. Use of imagery in Act 2 is particularly violent. A concrete example of this is in Act 2 scene 2: « Will all great Neptune wash this blood/ Clean from my hand? No: this my hand will rather the multitudinous sea incarnadine/ Making the green one red. » This use of imagery is in fact the personification of « great Neptune’s » ocean. The fact that he questions himself and offers a direct response beckons his insanity and hysteria.
ReplyDeleteThrough this particular use of imagery, we understand that Macbeth’s conscience is so conspicuously marked that nothing can absolve his spirit of it. This is understood through this reference to blood: « blood », « incarnadine », « red », which he is in the total incapability of wiping off. Indeed, he makes use of hyperbole as he assures that not even « all great Neptune’s ocean », Neptune being an illusion to the Roman god of sea, will expunge the blood from his hands. This process of amplification is also exemplified through the reference to « multitudinous seas », this symbolizing the extent of his iniquity. It will thereby be a permanent reminder of his corruption and infidelity to the King, his compliant and amiable cousin. Furthermore, Macbeth continues the thread of the hyperbole by tormenting over the fact that his hands will be so soaked in blood that he shall colour the seas « incarnadine », a pink, red colour, similar to the colour of flesh. In parallel, this recalls the Bible, as Cain kills his brother and desperately tries to wipe the blood off his hands, in vain.
Whilst Macbeth rightfully frets and laments the deed, Lady Macbeth’s response to his speech will be her prosaic remark that « a little water clears us of the deed ». This is obviously an understatement as we experience her disillusion and insanity before she commits suicide.
In conclusion, the totality of this passage exemplifies the extent of Macbeth’s overpowering guilt, which will not fade until he has followed out the murders of Banquo and Macduff’s family.
Sorry, I posted the wrong one, this is the right one:
DeleteThe magnitude of Macbeth’s abomination has blatantly had a gargantuan impact on his moral compass. Blood, a substantial reference to Duncan’s blood in particular, throughout the second act, is a symbol of guilt and liability. Use of imagery in Act 2 is particularly violent. A concrete example of this is in Act 2 scene 2: « Will all great Neptune wash this blood/ Clean from my hand? No: this my hand will rather the multitudinous sea incarnadine/ Making the green one red. » This use of imagery is in fact the personification of « great Neptune’s » ocean, a metaphor to represent his guilt and his hands symbolize murder.
Through this particular use of imagery, we understand that Macbeth’s conscience is so conspicuously marked that nothing can absolve his spirit of it. This is understood through this reference to blood: “blood”, “incarnadine”, “red”, which he is in the total incapability of wiping off.
Indeed, he makes use of hyperbole as he assures that not even « all great Neptune’s ocean », Neptune being an illusion to the Roman god of sea, will expunge the blood from his hands. This process of amplification is also exemplified through the reference to « multitudinous seas », this suggesting the extent of his iniquity. It will thereby be a permanent reminder of his corruption and infidelity to the King, his compliant and amiable cousin.
Furthermore, Macbeth continues the thread of the hyperbole by tormenting over the fact that his hands will be so soaked in blood that he shall colour the seas « incarnadine », a pink, red colour, similar to the colour of flesh. In fact, Shakespeare uses the word “incarnadine” as a verb, originally an adjective meaning “pink”. We can imagine what a “sorry sight” this could be. Moreover, the fact that he questions himself and offers a direct response beckons his insanity and hysteria, epitomized by his hallucinations.
Whilst Macbeth rightfully frets and laments the deed, Lady Macbeth’s response to his speech will be her prosaic remark that “a little water clears us of the deed”. This is obviously an understatement as we experience her disillusion and insanity before she commits suicide.
To conclude, the totality of this passage exemplifies the extent of Macbeth’s overpowering guilt, which will not fade until he has followed out the murders of Banquo and Macduff’s family. In parallel, this recalls the Bible, as Cain kills his brother and desperately tries to wipe the blood off his hands, in vain.
"My hands are of your color, but I shame
ReplyDeleteto wear a heart so white".
Act II Scene 2 lines 67-68
Few tragedians exhibit more emotions than Shakespeare in his plays. In the Act II Scene 2 of Macbeth, after Duncan’s murder, we can observe Macbeth’s pangs of conscience and feeling of culpability, antagonistically to Lady Macbeth, who says that "[her] hands are of [his] color but [she] shame[s] to wear a heart so white".
In this metaphor, she expresses her violence and cruelty in murdering Duncan with sang-froid. She dares to take the daggers as well as a control over the situation and says that her hands are stained and have the same color as those of Macbeth : red - the color of blood. In a consequence, she becomes his accomplice and is just as guilty as he, though she does not feel any remorse and wish she was not such a coward and killed Duncan on her own, which would be much easier, considering her husband’s irrational behavior after the felony.
To emphasize the effect of her decadency, Shakespeare uses two color contrasting symbols: white standing for the innocence and red illustrating the blood as the eternal condemnation of Lady Macbeth. Synonymously, this is also a reference to the biblical murder of Abel killed by his brother Cain, who was not able to wash the blood of his kinsman off his hands and was marked with the bloody stigma, tantamount to the badge of shame used nowadays.
Furthermore, the words “A little water clears us of his deed” truly show how evil and heartless woman Lady Macbeth is. According to her, there is only “a little water” needed to efface all their faults. By this personification of water, she points up the discrepancy between her and Macbeth, who incompatibly deplores that even “all great Neptune’s ocean [cannot] wash this blood clean from [his] hand”.
Conventionally, women are incapable of being so nefarious and vulgar as she is. The atmosphere created by this imagery of violence, reveals the bestiality of Macbeth’s wife who is able to do whatsoever to obtain what she wants. Her overambitious aims become, eventually, the reason of her own failure, because later in the play the state of mind of Lady Macbeth is deteriorated. She is evidently not as strong as she believes she is in the Act II Scene 2.
Act II, Scene 2 – From line 56 to line 58.
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth:
“The sleeping and the dead
Are but as pictures; ‘tis the eye of childhood
That fears a painted devil.”
This extract begins with a simile. It is a simile between “the sleeping and the dead” and “pictures”. First of all, “the sleeping” represents something dreadful for Macbeth. He is afraid when he imagines that he will never sleep again because of his crime. Furthermore, Lady Macbeth adds the word “the dead”. It is a substitution of the name of the person killed; here, it is King Duncan. As we have seen before, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth usually avoid mentioning directly the name of the person they are speaking about. In my extract, the scene takes place during the night so there is a possible hypothesis: they are afraid of being heard. That’s why Lady Macbeth called King Duncan “the dead”. It is another subject terrifying Macbeth: King Duncan’s body and what he has done on him. These two horrible facts are compared to pictures. Sometimes in life, it occurs that we have to look at an image, giving us many shivers. So we can’t look at this image without turning our eyes away from it. In this piece, it seems that Macbeth is in this situation. In fact, the sleeping and King Duncan’s crime are two pictures he can’t look at. Therefore, he feels very strange when he has to face them.
After that, Lady Macbeth expresses a metaphor, linked to the simile before. It is an explanation of the “pictures” mentioned. “The eye of childhood” represents Macbeth. Lady Macbeth sees her husband as weak and as innocent as a child, who has already many regrets when he has committed a silly thing. Moreover, it is usually the eyes of someone that are really expressive. It is possible that in the eyes of Macbeth, his wife tracks down his fears. The second part of the metaphor is “painted devil”. At that period, people had many believes on the life after death. That’s why the figure of the devil is a really strong image used by Lady Macbeth. It is something on which everybody has some reluctance. It makes the audience understanding that for Macbeth, the idea of his crime is as terrible as the image of the devil.
This passage is a denunciation, made by Lady Macbeth to Macbeth, of his behavior and character. For her, Macbeth is too weak for the moment and she describes him in this way. As a matter of fact, the entire lexical field around horror, death, fears… creates a feeling of doubt and makes the audience uncomfortable such as Macbeth might be. Moreover, it is an echo of his fears at the beginning when his wife explained their future plan. After, Macbeth is changing, especially in Act III, when he takes alone the decision of Banquo’s murder. However, even if he is cold and alone when he does it, he hires two murderers to do the crime. It means that Macbeth has still some fears about this situation and this subject. Is he completely going to change?
Act 2, scene 4, lines 12-13
ReplyDeleteOld Man: « (...) On Tuesday last,
A falcon, towering in her pride of place,
Was by a mousing owl hawk'd at and kill'd. »
This metaphor belongs to the themes of death and darkness. It clearly relates to the murder of Duncan which happened the night before. Indeed, here Shakespeare draws a very clear parallel between the two birds and the characters of Macbeth and Duncan. The falcon represents Duncan, the king of Scotland, and is a greater bird than the owl representing Macbeth. A falcon has very positive connotations: it is a royal animal, noble and strong; it is a bird of prey and a hunting partner for nobility. While the falcon flying proudly over her territory, she is « hawked at » (attacked) and « killed » by the owl. This clearly echoes the murder of Duncan while he was peacefully sleeping, feeling secure and protected by his hosts he trusted. The "mousing owl" then represents Macbeth. The owl is much smaller than the falcon and weaker. Because it is a night bird, it represents the darkness, the owl is an untamable bird of night and death and isn't supposed to go out during the day, while here we can suggest that it is during daylight because the falcon is « towering in her pride of place », so it is circling high in the sky. It is then very contradictory, and emphasizes the feeling of unnatural and the disruption in nature. The fact that it is an animal of the night, with a dark connotation, that kills the other bird in daytime might relate, I think, to the dark side of man that can come out, at any time. It is not the first time we hear of this animal: a bit earlier, in the beginning of act 2, in the second scene, an owl shrieks, and Lady Macbeth reacts instantly. In Shakespeare's time, the cry of a screech owl was thought to announce death; here the owl was announcing Duncan's death. An owl killing a falcon is very unpredictable and surprising, just like the murder of Duncan. Also, even if the owl killed the falcon, it remains just an owl and can never command the respect and authority of the falcon: when Macbeth killed Duncan, he was still only a thane, and Duncan still was his king. And even if the owl killed the falcon, can it really be more than just an owl ? Is becoming a king Macbeth's rightful destiny?
Old man : "'Tis unnatural,
ReplyDeleteEven like the deed that's done . On Tuesday last,
a falcon tow'ring in her pride of place
was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed ."
ActII sc4 l 10 to 13
This metaphor is really powerful, because it sums up "the deed" by a bird imagery, which is present throughout the play .
Firstly, the hawk or "the falcon" represents king Duncan, and the "mousing owl" is a name for the unknown murderer, Macbeth .It accentuates on the "unnatural" aspect of the murder, and what it brought, such as dark night even though it is supposed to be day . The owl shouldn't kill the hawk, which is the greater hunting bird of prey. Of course, the description of the falcon before its murder has a powerful connotation : its superiority is shown by "her pride of place", whereas the owl is just a "mousing" bird, it can only hunt mice .But all make contrast between the two birds : one is tall, big, noble, and the other one is smaller, less beautiful ... This imagery praises king Duncan's nobility, and his murderer,even though he has taken his place cannot be so great .
The owk has "hawked" the hawk : it means that it has killed its enemy with its murder technique . This word contributes to laud the hawk and so Duncan: the bird was powerful, as the king, but it didn't abuse of its power, when the owl cannot content with its mice and wants more and more . And the fact that the "falcon" was "hawked at and killed" when it was "tow'ring in her pride place" emphasizes the idea that the owl is a coward, for it killed his adversary when it was taken by surprise . Of course, it is an echo . Macbeth killed Duncan while he was sleeping, and even though Duncan trusted his cousin ...
To conclude, when the hawk is dead, the owl can take its place, abandon its mice and reign . This metaphor brings a suspicion on the murderer, who should be somebody able to be the next king . Tha is why the characters think Malcolm did kill his father : being the Prince of Cumberland, he is the next crowned head . But this imagery also questions Macbeth's innocence .
In Act 2 scene 3, Macbeth tries to justify his acts, more specifically the killing of King Duncan’s two guards. During his soliloquy, line 103 to line 104 he uses a metaphor and an opposition to describe his act:
ReplyDelete“Th’expedition of my violent love/ outran the pauser, reason.”
In the first line we can sense the contradictory feelings Macbeth has had since the beginning of the play or more precisely since his wife brought up the idea of killing King Duncan. The whole meaning of the play is concentrated in those two words, “violent love”, a self-contradictory phrase that conveys the idea of how Macbeth is torn between his heart and his mind and how now, his feelings and emotions tend to trigger violent and unreasonable reactions. These are also two extremely important ideas in the play, since his acts are not also triggered by his thirst for power but also by his love for Lady Macbeth. Also, this idea of violence is carried out throughout the scene while we slowly realize how Macbeth’s first murder, King Duncan’s, has made him another man. Of course the metaphor “Th’expedition of my violent love” stands for his abominable murders : by “expedition” he means the haste, the speed with which he killed those two men after “discovering” the body of his supposed friend, the King. It takes on more meaning in the next line with “outran the pauser, reason” where this idea of spontaneity and rashness is emphasized, “outran” being the archaic past tense of “out-run” meaning his strong feelings took control of his mind and body and made him commit the murder. Plus the “pauser”, the one who hesitates and has a rational reflection draws our attention back to his “violent love” and contradictory feelings. It could mean that the rational, reasonable Macbeth had been out run by the more passionate, violent one. “Reason” has also been out-run which makes it seem even more rash. His instincts seem to have totally taken control over him.
In all, this metaphor for his murderous acts and the use of the word “pauser”, clearly referring to himself as being still uncertain of the role he has to play in the series of events, seems much more personal, much more truthful than the rest of his speech. It seems to be the only passage where we can get a glimpse of Macbeth’s feelings and his difficulty to deal with them. The way he is getting a bit carried away makes us understand why Lady Macbeth wants to prevent him from saying more, and those two lines are the proof that Macbeth is an extremely complex contradictory character struggling to tell right from wrong, usually giving in to his first impulse to kill and obtain power and putting his reason aside.
MACBETH: “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
ReplyDeleteClean from my hand? No: this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.”
This is a violent hyperbole, from Act II, scene, that shows both how Macbeth feels guilty and the horror of the crime he has done.
Macbeth has just killed King Duncan but we already see that this crime really obsesses him. Moreover, we get the impression that Macbeth is progressively falling into madness…
Indeed, first of all, this quotation is really focusing on blood: “blood”; “incarnadine” that means a pinkish, reddish colour similar to the colour of flesh or blood and “red”. In this passage blood has a double meaning: first, there is the literal meaning of “blood” that refers to Duncan’s blood; and then, there is also the symbolic meaning that refers to Macbeth’s guilt. Furthermore, this quotation is as well focusing on Macbeth’s hand, the one that has committed the deed. We can see “my hand” as a synecdoche that refers to the entire body of Macbeth. Indeed, there is only Macbeth’s hand which is covered of Duncan’s blood but it’s Macbeth’s entire body and conscience which are filled of culpability.
Then, we can see that Macbeth is so obsessed by the blood on his hands that he is questioning himself to know if they can be clean again. That’s why he makes this allusion to the Roman god of the sea “Neptune”: he wonders if the ocean can wash the blood from his hands and so, indirectly, he is also wondering if the ocean can wash his culpability and consequently release his conscience. The fact that he instantaneously answers “No” to his own question highlights the impression that Macbeth is totally afraid, nervous and on the brink of madness. Indeed, the rapidity of his answer shows that he doesn’t take the time to think about the situation, thus his answer is impulsive and reveals his moral state of mind.
So, we see that Macbeth’s answer is clear: the waters of the ocean can’t erase the blood of his hands and his culpability. He adds that there is enough blood on his hands to turn the entire green seas red. Obviously, Macbeth’s words are exaggerated but they really demonstrate the extent of his culpability which will stay with him until his death. (His guilt will “stick deep” on him as his fears in Banquo will in Act 3, scene 1)
Finally, the focusing on blood in this quotation also reveals the violence of Duncan’s murder and evokes the horror of this crime.
To conclude, this hyperbole reveals Macbeth’s insanity and shows how he feels guilty (and remorseful) for what he did.
Lucie
In Act 2 Scene 2, lines 60-65, Macbeth says : « Whence is that knocking?— How is’t with me, when every noise appals me? What hands are here! Ha, they pluck out mine eyes. Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red.
ReplyDeleteThis quote comes from the discussion between Macbeth and his wife just after the murder of Duncan, when they are afraid by a knocking coming from the outside.
First of all, there is an important biblical allusion in this quote. Indeed, in the Bible, Jesus tells his followers to pluck out their own eyes rather than sin. The fact that Macbeth uses this expression shows that he recognises the fact that he has just commited regicide, the sin of murder and that he is ashamed of it. This expression is actually an allegory for the state he is in. The contradictary feelings of shame and power that he is experiencing are personnified with the fact that his own hands will pluck out his own eyes. This shows that Macbeth is lost and that a war is going on inside his head between his feelings. The fact that Macbeth is so ashamed by what he has done shows that he is still weak and that he commited the murder for his wife. However, this also shows that he has still some humanity inside him which is not the case of his cold-hearted wife.
Then, we see a symbolism of the word blood. Indeed, the blood on Macbeth’s hands is a symbol for the sense of guilt that the crime of killing Duncan has awakened in him. Macbeth has come to recognize that his guilt can never be washed off, even if the blood can be washed from his hands. This shows that Macbeth’s sense of shame will never wear off and that he will never forgive himself for what he has done. Instead, his guilt will poison the world around him, which he compares to an ocean. The future king is in denial as he understands that his world, the ocean, will never be the same, the poison will spread around him and change him into a cold-hearted murderer forever.
This quote shows that Macbeth can only feel shame from the murder he has just committed and that he feels that his guilt will never go away. In order to live with himself after this, Macbeth will have to let go of his humanity and become as cold-hearted as his wife.
« I see thee still,
ReplyDeleteAnd on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood,
Which was not so before”. Act II, scene 1 (l.45-47)
There, Macbeth is directly talking to an imaginary dagger in his soliloquy, just before murdering Duncan. This image can be considered as a personification, as Macbeth is speaking to the dagger in the same way as he would be talking to a human being.
Macbeth is seeing “gouts of blood” which suddenly appeared on the dagger (which is actually going to be his murder weapon), as if the dagger had already committed the crime itself. We get the impression that Macbeth wishes the murder was already committed, so that he would not have to feel guilty about it.
This image is actually a real emphasis on Macbeth’s weakness. Although he seems obsessed by the deed he is going to accomplish, we feel like Macbeth is intending everything not to commit the crime (as he tries to convince himself that Duncan has already been murdered). Furthermore, from this point Macbeth’s insanity is becoming inevitable. Obviously because of the fact that he is talking to a nonexistent dagger, and because he affirms that he “see[s] [it] still”. But also, because he is irrevocably obsessed by thoughts of blood, violence, and murder. Indeed, the picture of “gouts of blood” dripping from a sharp dagger is very violent and make the audience feel uncomfortable, almost frightened. Also, the alliteration of the “d” in “blade”, “dudgeon” and “blood” emphasizes the idea of dripping blood and intensifies the discomfort.
Among the numerous images involving violence and horror, this one is, from my point of view, very powerful and relevant concerning Macbeth’s character. His will to access to the throne is strong; however he is losing his mind and is too weak, as he already fears to feel guilty about Duncan’s murder (which has not been committed yet). Moreover, his obsessional thoughts of murder show how inhuman he is becoming; an inhumanity which will eventually be the cause of his defeat.
ACT II - SCENE 4 - lines 4 to 10
ReplyDelete" ROSS: Ha, good father,
Thou seest the heavens, as troubled with man’s act,
Threatens his bloody stage. By th' clock ’tis day,
And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp.
Is ’t night’s predominance or the day’s shame
That darkness does the face of Earth entomb
When living light should kiss it?"
The opposition with good and evil is depicted in these lines on a global scale. And we can clearly understand evil take advantage. This can symbolise the eternal fight good vs. evil. But this also brings sense to the play.
Indeed they recap some major themes of the play and foreshadow the obscure future for the Scotland. I choose to deal with the metaphor ( l.4 to 6 ), then the personification (l.8 to 10) and how they create a general atmosphere and reveals about plot and characters.
The first idea is that Mankind is controlled by superior forces. The obvious reference to theatre with “stage” reveals a major aspect of Macbeth’s play : the simple mention of theatre led to this idea that actions are already planned (destiny), and the ones who plan this play are “heavens”.
The heavens can refer to god’s atmosphere or Nature on global scale, the good in other words. Here, the god is the watcher but the decider also and as a man disturbs the plan, he shows his rage through the choleric weather. As mentioned by Ross “heavens […] threatens” the mortal world and we can imagine a stormy night.
Then let’s speak about night, and darkness in the personification. All along we can observe a parallel with the mortal world and divine’s one. The darkness in sky can represent Macbeth on earth and so on with the living light and the king Duncan. It points out the illogic of situation firstly. Day should be “kiss[ing]” the earth but there is the “predominance” of dark. So is Macbeth, instead of King Duncan, about to reign. Hence the conclusion that Macbeth has stolen the role of the sweet Duncan and now the earth as well as the realm has been plunged into darkness, while given into the hand of the traitor, the bloody Macbeth. It foreshadows how Macbeth will destroy the country and “entomb” it, while good kind Duncan was “kiss[ing] it”.
The overall create an atmosphere of high tension, in human world as well as in Nature. As we said previously this symbolizes how Men’s world can influence Nature. And the fact that nature is disturbed by a small murder, emphasizes the dramatic of this murder as if it is about to change Natural order. This gives an epic dimension and a tragic suspense for the following. Moreover the fact that this is an “old man” who talk and who is just a watcher and could not intervene by his own led to a kind of fatality.
Julia
Sorry, this is the same version less mistakes.
ReplyDeleteThe opposition with good and evil is depicted in these lines on a global scale. And we can clearly understand evil takes advantage. This can symbolises the eternal fight good vs. evil. But this also brings sense to the play.
Indeed they recap some major themes of the play and foreshadow the obscure future for Scotland. I choose to deal with the metaphor (l.4 to 6 ), then the personification (l.8 to 10) and how they create a general atmosphere and reveal about plot and characters.
The first idea is that Mankind is controlled by superior forces. The obvious reference to theatre with “stage” reveals a major aspect of Macbeth’s play : the simple mention of theatre led to this idea that actions are already planned (destiny), and the ones who plan this play are “heavens”.
The heavens can refer to god’s atmosphere or Nature on global scale, the good in other words. Here, the god is the watcher but also the decider and as a man disturbs his plan, he shows his rage through the choleric weather. As mentioned by Ross “heavens […] threatens” the mortal world and we can imagine a stormy night above them.
Then let’s speak about night, and darkness in the personification. All along we can observe a parallel with the mortal world and divine’s one. The darkness in sky can represent Macbeth on earth and so on with the living light and the king Duncan. It points out the illogic of situation firstly. Day should be “kiss[ing]” the earth but there is the “predominance” of dark. So is Macbeth, instead of King Duncan, about to reign. Hence the conclusion that Macbeth has stolen the role of the sweet Duncan and now the earth as well as the realm has been plunged into darkness, while given into the hand of the traitor, the bloody Macbeth. It foreshadows how Macbeth will destroy the country and “entomb” it, while good kind Duncan was “kiss[ing] it”.
The overall create an atmosphere of high tension, in human world as well as in Nature. As we said previously this symbolizes how Men’s world can influence Nature. And the fact that nature is disturbed by a small murder, emphasizes the dramatic of this murder as if it is about to change Natural order. This gives an epic dimension and a tragic suspense for the following. Moreover the fact that this is an “old man” who talk and who is just a watcher and could not intervene by his own led to a kind of fatality.
Julia
Act II, scene 3, lines 59-62
ReplyDeleteMACDUFF:
«Confusion now hath made his masterpiece:
Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope
The Lord’s anointed temple and stole thence
The life o’th’building.»
These are the first words that Macduff pronounces after having seen Duncan murdered, after his repetition of “horror, horror, horror”. Therefore these lines are very important, as the first words of the first witness of the royal dead body.
Macduff uses a metaphor to describe Duncan’s corpse: he depicts it as an “anointed temple”, which conveys an idea of calm and solemnity, deeply contrasting with the current situation all the characters are involved in. Moreover, this temple belongs to “the Lord”, not only adding to the seriousness of the metaphor, but also making us understand how deeply Macduff respected and loved his liege, close to worshiping him. But a temple is also a place without any safety, in which everyone can go; it is a place of trust and faith, but also an image for insecurity & weakness. This metaphor conveys an idea of Goodness of the dead King and of his sanctity; and naturally, as in the whole play, Good is opposed to Evil.
The “anointed temple” has been ransacked by “Confusion”: confusion of a regicide and a country without head, confusion of an unknown guilty inside the group. This deed is considered as the “masterpiece” of Confusion, his most beautiful work, which is a very positive image, sharply contrasting with the negative meaning of a “sacrilegious murder”. A sacrilege is the act of stealing or disrespecting the Church, the representative of the Lord on Earth. This is once again contrasting sharply with Macduff’s representation of Duncan. The temple is “broke ope”, as an image to describe the King’s open sores. Stealing the life of the building is finally another metaphor to describe the murder of the King.
All these metaphors can be seen as a way for Macduff to flee from the reality of the death of his beloved liege, an attempt to reduce the hardness of reality. We can see a parallel with Macbeth’s way avoidance to talk about Duncan’s murder in Act I scene 7.
Moreover the contrasts between the words in the imagery of sacrilege put forward the opposition between the peace when Duncan was alive and the chaos that will reign after his death, and is foreshadowing the violent sequel that is going to take place.
In the second act of Macbeth most of the imagery relates to violence, horror and disruption of nature. In scene 2 Macbeth pronounce a metaphor:
ReplyDelete“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No-this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.”
This terrific figure of speech induces horror and violence in the scene. The scene happens right after the murder of Duncan when Macbeth starts to realize the consequences of his act. The blood that soil his hands is indelible and represent the crime, water should wash this blood but the contrary happens, the ocean gets contaminated by Duncan’s blood.
The metaphor seems to be separated in two parts, in the first one, Macbeths ask Neptune’s ocean to wash his hands. The words employed by Macbeth look like a prayer, water represents forgiveness and the blood illustrates the sin of the man. It is hard not to believe that there is a commonplace between what Macbeth says and Pilate’s actions facing Jesus death. He washed his hands and said to crowd “Now I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” Shakespeare chooses to do a parallel between both characters to support that every criminal want to live as their crime never happened. They hope that the simple fact of washing their hands will erase the horrible past that they hold. Macbeth begs for purification, he asks himself a rhetorical question but he already knows the severity of his acts, he will never be forgiven. It is the main difference between him and Pilate; he is not able to act like it never happened. His acts go against nature; his own hands bear witnesses to the unnatural deed of murder. Macbeth denies the fact that his hands are part of himself to feel more secure, to strengthen the difference between him and them, he says twice “my hands” as they were someone else, he wants to erase all he had done by accusing them of the forfeit and by exonerating himself. The use of a metaphor here is relevant, it goes incredibly well with Macbeths actual thoughts, the words chosen in the metaphor are symbolizing more violent terms (ex: blood = murder) as he is presently telling himself that he is more innocent than he actually is.
In the second part of the figure of speech Shakespeare hide uses colours to represent ideas. As clarified in the footnotes green is the colour of innocence this is why he chooses not to represent the sea as blue. Even with this small amount of blood he still infect enough the multitudinous seas of the world to make them incarnadine; which is a light red near pink. By pronouncing this phrase Macbeth let us understand that he realises the span of his crimes and he also recognizes that the blood that he bears even if it’s only the blood of a few men is enough to condemn his innocence. The rhythm of the metaphor is significant, Shakespeare switches from polysyllabic words to monosyllabic words, and the last four terms of the final line are monosyllabic. This breaking end establishes an effect of chute indeed, right after these words Lady Macbeth enters the scene and takes Macbeth out of his thoughts.
To conclude, this metaphor is an understatement; violence and horror are hidden by images. Macbeth comprises that as his words he will fall, there will be a chute. He also knows that it is impossible for a man who committed murder to be forgiven. Madness is growing in his mind because he is aware of the supreme act of violence that he executed against Duncan and he pertinently knows that it will bring horror in his steps along the rest of his life.
Mars
“Is ‘t night’s predominance, or the day’s shame, when darkness does the face of earth entomb, when living light should kiss it ? “( Act 2 scene 4, line 8)
ReplyDeleteThis imagery is a personification of light and darkness, both struggling to become sovereigns on the earth. With this sentence, we can feel that light and darkness are struggling, thus, disrupting nature. Under normal conditions, light and darkness share the day into two parts: daytime and night time. Every day, at twilight and sunrise, light and darkness take turns, one leaving place for the other in due time. Each time, they have equal forces but now that Macbeth has killed Duncan, the balance has been upset and darkness has won over light, overpowering it and corrupting the Human kind. Now, it is not as it “should” be. Now that the day is too weak to rise, he needs to hide his “shame” after being defeated. Because of their greed for power men are condemned to live in gloom, which reflects their darkest desires.
A man has been killed, as the word “entomb” reminds us. Moreover, the man who has been killed is the king. He is supposed to represent God on earth. As a consequence, this predominance of night on this tragic day can be as if God was mourning, refusing to greet the human beings with his light. He might either want to show his disapprobation to men or, is just too desperate to keep greeting human kind with his light. So again, we have the impression that Duncan was a good king, in contrast with the king that Macbeth will be.
This sentence can also be a metaphor of Macbeth’s state of mind. He was, as all men alive, struggling between good and bad as shows the natural scheme of the sun rising and hiding every day. Indeed, we all have choices to make to reach our goals, which will affect not only our own lives but also our fellow men’s. Now, after an inner struggle, Macbeth has chosen his side as he has killed the King. He is actually guilty and so, can’t go against his fate. He has tasted power and dark desires, he has embraced them instead of “kiss(ing)” the bright part of his mind, choosing light. As a consequence, he will be condemned to go further, caught in a vicious circle. The unusual color of the sky at this time of the day can symbolize the fact that he has now chosen his side and will have to continue in this way, killing to keep his position and so, to choose darkness again and again, as did nature choose night for this tragic day.
Louise.
MACBETH Act II scene 2
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth :"I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry.
Did not you speak?"
This personification is particularly powerful and shows a real disruption in nature. Lady Macbeth refers to the moment Macbeth killed king Duncan, meaning that even animals were affected by this crime. Moreover it is a hint on what is to come; the animals will not be the only ones going wild. Therefore Shakespeare creates at the same time suspense and atmosphere.
A scream is rarely pleasant to hear or to emit. It is usually sign of horror and fear which brings anxiety to those hearing the scream. Then again, the scene was not shown on stage which could explain the scream of the owl that gave us the hint that the deed was done.
A cry is not much more pleasant than a scream. Although the message it sends is quite different. A cry has a significant meaning, it can refer to a cry for help or to express sadness. In this context the cricket is doing both. It is an attempt to awaken people in the castle and alert them as to what is happening. But also a feeling of deep sadness maybe even cries of anger towards Macbeth's treasonous act. There is a real emphasize on how the world is and will be shaken. Once again this leaves us hints on what to expect in the next scenes. A shaken world can bring back the dead alias in act 3, the ghost of Banquo.
In all, Shakespeare leaves many clues as to what to expect in the events to come. The owl and the cricket are the first to blame Macbeth and who will play a role in the guilt and fear that he will feel.
Sorry I forget the last part (before conclusion)
DeleteHowever, night animals such as the owl usually have a dark aspect, they are the ones awake and by the murders side. On the other hand a scream and a cry can have a wicked but positive aspect. Meaning that the animals adheres the act committed and just as the invisible dagger had done before are encouraging Macbeth to continue this. It could have been an invitation to kill the guards now that he had gone so far on.
“[…] Go get some water
ReplyDeleteAnd wash this filthy witness from your hand.
Why did you bring these daggers from the place?
They must lie there. Go carry them and smear
The sleepy grooms with blood.”
In this short passage from Act 2 Scene 2, Lady Macbeth uses a metaphor to try to make her husband take her point of view: all he has to do is to “wash this filthy witness from [his] hand” to forget a murder he has just committed. The metaphor of the “filthy witness” stands for the blood adorning Macbeth’s hands. For Lady Macbeth, the only “witness” of the deed is some stains of blood on his husband’s hands; this is to say she’s not accountable to any God of superior authority. For her, it’s the only real proof the deed just happened, and she is not presenting any worry about consequences, for some stains disappear with “some water”. She’s cold and obsessed with her purpose: Duncan is dead and it is all that matters, so that his blood will easily sleep away according to her. To her, no psychological damage is conceivable yet.
However, before the very last word of these lines, she makes no direct allusion to her King’s blood, so that we might have assumed she was at least remorseful. She’s not. She can totally handle the idea of having blood on her hands, as suggests her last order to Macbeth, about “smear[ing] the sleepy grooms with blood”. Any understatement she could use would only be intended for sparing her weak husband. As a matter of fact, when she mentions Duncan’s chamber as “the place”, it’s not so as to avoid thinking about the king soaking in his blood, but only to be sure her husband will assume his responsibilities.
The idea of the “sleepy grooms” is not trivial either. In a way, it’s another “filthy witness” of their wickedness and total absence of any morality. In a house that should have been a haven, at least for the night their king spends by them, Macbeth “hath murdered sleep”. Sleep, which is the most innocuous and defenseless of the human being’s states. The Macbeths do not respect any authority: indeed, the sleep of those grooms is supposed to be protected by God, since they said their “Amen”. No salvation will help the murderous couple from now on: they can only count on their fate, which they try hard to compel. In reminding her husband of this, Lady Macbeth may be trying to push him once more into obeying her. As there is no salvation waiting for any of them anymore, he has no choice but accompany her in the destiny she’s chosen for both of them: a path led by witches and evil apparitions, punctuated by doubts and fears.
To conclude, we can see thanks to this passage how the Macbeths are now alone and not able to rely on anyone but on one another. But does Macbeth really rely on his wife? Does he really still trust her? He may have accomplished her evil plans, but something seems broken in their relationship… We get the sense that the order of it, the way she gives the orders and he obeys, may not continue for long, for he could not bear the way she interdicted God to him.
« I see thee still, and on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, which was not so before. There's no such thing : it is the bloody business which informs thus to mine eyes. » ( Macbeth, act 2 scene 1, lines 45 to 49 )
ReplyDeleteSince Macbeth is addressing to the dagger, we can notice a personification of the weapon, symbolizing the violence of the regicide he is about to commit. Moreover, we can say that this personification is divided into two parts :
In the first one, he is addressing to the dagger. ( from “I see thee still” to “which was not so before ). We can imagine that he is kind of fascinated by this vision, but also afraid of this mysterious and sudden apparition, reminding us of the mysterious apparitions of the three weird sisters in act I.
In the second one, he is also addressing to himself, trying to convince himself that there is no dagger and that he is just going mad because of the murder. ( from “ there's no such thing” to “to mine eyes”). Macbeth is trying to be reasonable, sane, but this is not really convincing, since he continues addressing to the dagger as if he was addressing to a person.
Moreover, the dudgeon gouts of blood, symbolize the time passing by, slowly, drop by drop, creating an atmosphere of mystery, making the audience and the reader wanting to know more about what will happen, wishing not to miss a single word of Macbeth's soliloquy which gives us informations about his state of mind but also about the events that are going on, whereas the blade makes us imagine a cold atmosphere, something very sharp.
More than symbolizing the violence and the blood to the murder, this dagger represents Macbeth's ambition to become king. He, who was described as a worthy gentleman as he fought for the kingdom, in act I scene 2 is now capable of committing a regicide, to threaten his king, friends and kingdom. This image makes the reader, the audience understand the complexity of Macbeth personality, as well as its duality, since he oscillates between fear and ambition.
Lady Mac Beth, just before leaving his husband to place the daggers next to the guards and cover them with Duncan blood, says to him :
ReplyDelete'' The sleeping and the dead
Are but as pictures.
'Tis the eye of childhood
That fears a painted devil. ''
With this metaphor, Lady Mac Beth critizices directly Mac Beth's attitude, and treats him as a coward or as a young child, because of his inability to go back to the scene of his crime and replace the daggers. This emphazise the evilness of Lady Mac Beth character. His husband just commited a murder and is shocked by what he did, but she considers the situation as something trivial and seems to don't understand his reaction, underlining her heartless mind.
The sleeping and the dead refers to the drugued guards and Duncan's body, of which Mac Beth is afraid, while they're totally innofensive because of their state, which is compared to a picture, a static and innofensive element. The crime is also compared to a « painted devil », an illusion, something which does not exist, that reinforces the crazyness of Mac Beth, and only a child would be afraid of these illusions. Mac Beth appears now as someone very weak and totally dominated by his wife who takes the control over the situation while he can't do anything, lost in his fears. This comparaison with a child is surprising, Mac Beth is an adult, a thane and moreover a murderer, his wife should be dependant from him and weaker than him, following the conventions. But here the roles are inverted, this creates an atmosphere of confusion and strangeness, emphasized by the huge difference between the two characters and their opposite states of mind.
This quotation shows the ability of Lady Mac Beth to belittle her husband and impose herself as superior than him. But this feeling is wrong and she later experiment the same fears of unreal images which lead her to her death.
yes
ReplyDelete