Final Macbeth Review

1. Final Macbeth Review Feraco SFHP 20 January 2009

2. Action/Reaction • Macbeth’s personality – suited to rule? • The Pong ball • Redirected by people, prophecies, or circumstances instead of choosing his own course • Macbeth often does something based only on what someone tells him • Exceptions: His murder of Macduff’s family, his attempted murder of Fleance • Are these exceptions? Think about the prophecies

3. Action/Reaction • Malcolm is independent • Does he make the right decision by heading to England? • He does eventually avenge Duncan’s death, although one could argue Macduff did it for him • He also buys himself time that he wouldn’t have had if he had stayed in Scotland • We know from I.iv that Macbeth had already seen him as a threat • Considering how Macbeth deals with threats, he likely would have killed both of Duncan’s sons – or somehow marginalized them • It would have taken time…it’s the only part of Lady Macbeth’s plan that isn’t clear • Now that we’ve killed the king…what do we do with his successors without getting caught?

4. Action/Reaction • Macduff is also independent • Does he make the right choice by going to England? • Without him, Macbeth doesn’t die – and without the visit to England, Macduff’s family survives (removing his need for vengeance) • Is Macduff’s family a necessary sacrifice?

5. Loyalty and Trust • Malcolm’s loyalty test isn’t really a test of Macduff’s allegiance to him • Interesting, because so much of Macbeth is about personal betrayal (for even the professional betrayals are – or feel – personal…witness Duncan’s reaction to the Thane of Cawdor’s treason) • Yet the test does something else interesting; it colors our perception of Malcolm, whom we know little about, and makes it harder for us to accept him as a better alternative to Macbeth • Puzzle pieces – you still see the seams

6. Loyalty and Trust • Macbeth knows – or believes – that he shouldn’t allow anyone to get too close to him • He knows the dangers of trusting someone you shouldn’t all too well • This hyper-awareness of the differences between our public appearances and our private selves makes Macbeth paranoid, and serves to isolate him • As time passes, Macbeth isolates himself further and further – weakening himself in the name of not weakening himself!

7. Loyalty and Trust • Finally, we get to the question many of you have been asking: Can the witches really see the future? • If they can, is Macbeth still responsible for his actions? • If they cannot, how is Macbeth able to make events play out in ways that make their words come true? • In any case, should the witches be trusted? • Do they have Macbeth’s (and Banquo’s) best interests in mind? (Keep in mind that they originally didn’t tell Banquo his son would be king.) • Can Macbeth even resist their prophecies? (Think about what happens to Macbeth when he starts “acting on his own.”)

8. Independence in a Lonely World • Watch the ways in which morals shift in response to the prophecy • In many ways, Macbeth’s morals are stronger when he is less aware of fate’s imperatives – which then become his needs • When he’s “on his own” (pre-prophecy), he doesn’t need power, at least not Duncan’s • When he’s acting in “accordance” with the prophecies, he becomes much more amoral – and ruthless • It’s an interesting spin on the question of whether morality can exist without faith; in this case, Macbeth’s faith in the path that has been laid out for him causes his morals to degenerate

9. Independence in a Lonely World • The bloodstains that Lady Macbeth cannot wash from her hands are a symbol of guilt, as well as a “physical” representation of the cost of her ambition • It cannot be washed out because their actions cannot be undone; we see that both Macbeths are haunted (to different degrees) by their actions • The blood dripping from the dagger Macbeth sees in II.i is both cautionary and seductive – for if Macbeth’s fate is already written, if the dagger is already dripping in blood, if Nature and Fate have decided that Duncan must die…why wouldn’t you kill the king? • Blood keeps flowing, and flowing, and flowing…and once you spill blood, it’s difficult to stop doing it in the name of preserving what you’ve won

10. Independence in a Lonely World • The crown rests uneasily on Macbeth’s head; was it ever supposed to be there? • He wins the crown through illicit action (although you could argue he was fated to do so) • He is plagued by what he fears – and what he sees • Banquo’s ghost • The threats that seem to pop up like moles • The prophecies that serve to reinforce his fears

11. Same in the End • The final battle between Macduff and Macbeth is somewhat frustrating for audiences because it (like many of the play’s important scenes) takes place offstage • Macbeth initially hesitates for the oddest reason – because he has already killed Macduff’s entire family! • After an entire play of essentially going “all in” when it comes to murdering people, Macbeth is going to hesitate? • Perhaps Lady Macbeth’s recent death has changed him a bit…or perhaps his hubris has finally gotten the best of him • After all, we see him switch from arrogant to fearful once he discovers Macduff was delivered via caesarean section

12. Same in the End • There’s almost a sense of inevitability to Macbeth’s final defeat, for a number of reasons • Firstly, we have the prophecies that scream warnings to us (warnings Macbeth misinterprets) • We can sense Macbeth’s doom before he does • We have Macbeth isolated and desperate, having abandoned the throne he spilled so much blood to win • Finally, we see vengeance wreaking what vengeance often does – spilled blood leads to spilled blood • For someone who killed as many – and as ruthlessly – as Macbeth, could there have been any other fate?

13. Same in the End • At the end, Macbeth’s head rests on a pike, and Malcolm has been crowned as the new king of Scotland • Yet no one feels particularly happy or relieved when the curtain finally falls • Not only do we still have a fresh memory of Malcolm’s self-denigration from IV.iii, but we see him doing what his father did – assigning new titles to the people who seem most loyal to him, and to those who played the largest roles in helping him win the battle • It was these promotions that exposed Duncan to treachery – and we worry that Malcolm may be following in his father’s footsteps

14. A Final Word • “To thine own self be true” • Macbeth is about pursuing greatness – and all of the ways that an indiscriminate pursuit can be harmful • We see concerns about identity, independence, security, and even love perverted • We see a world where a lack of enlightenment and perception is fatal – both on the part of the tyrant and his victims • Macbeth wishes so desperately to hang onto what he has that he loses everything he has – and everything he is • It’s the mirror image of Siddhartha, where love sets us free; in Macbeth, love helps to entrap Macbeth and seal his fate • In one, a man seeks enlightenment in order to find spiritual perfection – and while his search is difficult, he reaches his goal • In the other, a man’s misunderstanding drives him to seek earthly perfection (power, after all, is control) – and he falls terribly, terribly short

15. Extras and Miscellany • Disorder: The natural order (of succession) has been disturbed • The friendships we rely upon as a source of strength cannot be trusted • The weather is odd; constant darkness and storms provide the impression that things have gone horribly wrong • Are the gods angry? • Consult the omens in II.iv

16. Extras and Miscellany • Truth: The hallucinations we see often reveal deeper truths • It’s an odd move on Shakespeare’s part – using the unreal to reveal the real – but it also functions symbolically • These peoples’ dreams drive them to do in secret what they could never do in the light • Why wouldn’t visions of a different sort reveal just as much about them?

17. Extras and Miscellany • Darkness: Besides the pervading darkness of the skies over Scotland, it’s worth noting that most of the murders (Banquo’s, Duncan’s) take place at night • Perhaps this reflects the darkness of Macbeth’s soul! • Also, pay attention to how much of the important action takes place offscreen – unseen and unheard (Macbeth’s death, Duncan’s murder, etc.).

18. Extras and Miscellany • Desperation: Think about the murderers, men who have nothing left to lose • Contrast them with Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, who one could argue are equally desperate • What does desperation reveal about human nature?

19. That’s It! • If you have any questions, please contact me via e-mail or the blog. • Online Study Session from 5-8pm on Thursday, January 22nd.