Macbeth has been a staple of the GCSE English Literature curriculum for many years. This famous play by Shakespeare has numerous themes to be explored. In this article, we will explore the main themes that appear throughout the play: ambition, the supernatural, guilt and order vs. disorder. These complex ideas give us a glimpse into Shakespeare's commentary on human nature and societal values.
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Ambition
Ambition is a key theme in Macbeth and drives the plot. It is the root cause of many actions that lead to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's rise and eventual downfall.
Macbeth's ambition
Early in the play, three witches prophesize that Macbeth will become the King of Scotland. This is the beginning of Macbeth’s ambition. At first, Macbeth is reluctant to murder King Dunance and to over the throne. This hesitation is quickly overcome by his ambition and he ignores his moral code. This is shown in Macbeth's soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 7:
"I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on the other."
Macbeth outright states that ambition is his driving force. It leads him to commit regicide by killing the kind, beginning a snowball effect with a chain of events that follow filled with violence and treachery.
Unfortunately, Macbeth's ambition grows stronger when he becomes king. Fully aware of how he ascended the throne, he becomes increasingly paranoid about maintaining his power. It's this paranoia that leads to further violence when Macbeth hires assassins to murder his friend and ally Banquo, fearful that Banquo's descendants will inherit the throne:
"To be thus is nothing; but to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo stick deep and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be feared."
After this event, Macbeth’s ambition blinds him to the moral consequences of his actions. As we see in the play, he becomes increasingly ruthless and tyrannical.
Lady Macbeth's ambition
The ambition of Lady Macbeth is equally ambitious and it could be argued exceeds that of her husband. She often plays the role of spurring her husband to act where he is hesitant. When she learns of the prophecy, Lady Macbeth is determined Macbeth will be king and abandons her sense of right and wrong. In Act 1, Scene 5, she calls upon the spirits to "unsex" her and fill her with cruelty:
"Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty!"
She increasingly manipulates Macbeth by questioning his masculinity and resolve. Lady Macbeth is also instrumental in making sure her husband follows through with the murder of Duncan:
"When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man."
Lady Macbeth commits fully to Duncan's murder by taking part in the planning and execution of Macbeth's friend. However, unlike her husband, Lady Macbeth becomes consumed by guilt as the plot develops, which leads to her psychological unravelling.
Consequences of ambition
The play can be interpreted as a warning about the consequences of unchecked ambition. Both Macbeth and his friend pay the price for their overreaching ambition. Macbeth becomes a feared and hated tyrant who meets his end at the hands of Macduff. Lady Macbeth is overcome by guilt and falls into madness, eventually committing suicide.
"Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more."
This famous quote is from the soliloquy in Act 5, Scene 5. It shows Macbeth's despair about the futility of ambition and the fleeting nature of power and life more widely.
The Supernatural
The supernatural appears throughout Macbeth as a pervasive theme. The obvious example is the three witches, who make the prophecy that begins Macbeth's ambitious desires and sets the tragic events into motion.
The witches and their prophecies
The witches - also known as the "weird sisters" - are the most significant supernatural element in the play. The prophecies that they make play on Macbeth's ambitions and fears by being cryptic and manipulative. They greet him with three titles in Act 1, Scene 3:
"All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!"
These predictions intrigue and unsettle Macbeth. His friend Banquo is present for the prophecies and is more spectical. He sees dangers in their ambiguous words:
"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."
The witches’ prophecies create a sense of inevitability and fatalism, influencing Macbeth's decisions and actions throughout the play.
Lady Macbeth and the supernatural
In Act 1, Scene 5, Lady Macbeth calls upon spirits to fill her with cruelty and remove compassion that may hinder her plans:
"Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty!"
Lady Macbeth is openly prepared to embrace the supernatural to achieve her aims. It is again an overreach, however, comparable to her ambition: the psychological consequences of her actions become too much to bear.
Visions and hallucinations
Macbeth experiences visions and hallucinations that unsettle him throughout the play. They reflect his guilt and paranoia. One of the most famous visions is when Macbeth sees a dagger leading him to Duncan's chamber (Act 2, Scene 1):
"Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee."
Macbeth's inner turmoil is shown through this vision, which also suggests the murder he is about to commit. When Macbeth orders the murder of Banquo, he sees his ghost at a banquet (Act 3, Scene 4):
"Thou canst not say I did it; never shake thy gory locks at me."
The supernatural is used to show the psychological impact of Macbeth's actions. They also help to increase the tension as the plot develops.
The Apparitions
Macbeth returns to the witches for advice in Act 4, Scene 1. They conjure a series of apparitions depicting further prophecies, which are again ambiguous and lull Macbeth into a false sense of security, contributing to his downfall:
"Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff; Beware the Thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough."
"Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth."
"Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him."
Guilt
Guilt affects the main characters in different ways, giving rise to paranoia and in the case of Lady Macbeth, madness and death. It is the driving force for much of the play's psychological drama.
Macbeth's guilt
From the moment Macbeth murders King Duncan, he starts to feel guilt. His ambition is overbearing and yet it doesn't diminish his remorse at what he has done and paranoia. Macbeth can't face returning to where he murdered Duncan with the bloody dagger (Act 2, Scene 2):
"Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas in incarnadine, making the green one red."
This vivid imagery implies that nothing can alleviate Macbeth’s guilt. We see Macbeth's guilt in visions and illustrations, such as when he sees Banquo's ghost accusing him silently at a banquet (Act 3, Scene 4):
"Thou canst not say I did it; never shake thy gory locks at me."
Macbeth can't escape his guilt and psychological torment. His paranoia drives him to commit more murders, furthering his guilt.
Lady Macbeth's guilt
At first, Lady Macbeth seems to be stronger and far more ruthless than her husband. However, this doesn't last and her mounting guilt consumes her. After urging Macbeth to murder Duncan and seize the throne, she starts to unravel. She is seen sleepwalking and trying to wash imaginary bloodstains from her hands (Act 5, Scene 1):
"Out, damned spot! Out, I say! One, two; why, then, 'tis time to do't. Hell is murky."
This is rightly a famous line as it shows her guilt and the psychological torment it has placed on her psyche. While Macbeth battles his grief outwardly through violence and tyranny, Lady Macbeth internalises her guilt, leading to her mental breakdown.
She becomes more detached from reality as she unravels and falls into madness. The play implies that she dies from suicide. Her character arc underscores the destructive power of guilt:
"The thane of Fife had a wife: where is she now? What, will these hands ne'er be clean?"
The Psychological Impact of Guilt
The theme of guilt shows the effect of committing immoral acts. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both ambitious and determined, but their resultant guilt leads to mental anguish.
Macbeth becomes increasingly isolated, paranoid and tyrannical as a king. He can't cope with his grief so lashes out with violence, creating a vicious cycle. Lady Macbeth’s guilt consumes her from within, leading to her breakdown.
Shakespeare uses the theme of guilt to explore the human conscience and the consequences of violating moral and ethical boundaries. The relentless torment of the leading characters is a reminder of the cost of their ambition and the inevitable downfall.
Order vs Disorder
The theme of order vs. disorder reflects the chaos that ensues when the established order is overthrown. Shakespeare shows a clear harmony when the rightful ruler is on the throne and contrasts this with chaos after Macbeth usurps the throne.
The natural order
The Great Chain of Being was a widely accepted concept when Shakespeare was alive. In Shakespeare’s time, the concept of the Great Chain of Being was widely accepted. It refers to a hierarchical structure where the king or queen is at the top and has been appointed by the divine. If this order is disrupted, it leads to chaos. The reign of Duncan is presented as orderly and just in comparison to Machbeth:
"His virtues will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against the deep damnation of his taking-off." (Act 1, Scene 7)
The murder of Duncan is depicted as an affront to the natural order. To understand more about the historical and cultural context of this play, check out the historical context of Macbeth.
Macbeth's usurpation and its consequences
When Macbeth murders Duncan and assumes the throne, it represents an upheaval to the natural order. Regicide is a crime both in society and in the divine order. For this reason, Macbeth's reason is characterised by fear, tyranny and suffering:
"O nation miserable, with an untitled tyrant bloody-sceptered, when shalt thou see thy wholesome days again?" (Act 4, Scene 3)
This quote is by Macduff who overthrows Macbeth. It highlights the suffering of Scotland under Macbeth’s rule, in which the country is described as “miserable,” reflecting the widespread disorder and misery.
Symbolic representations of disorder
A variety of symbols are used to represent disorder under Macbeth's rule. One of the best examples is nature itself, which seems to react to Duncan's murder and is a clear representation of the natural order:
"By the 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?" (Act 2, Scene 4)
This unnatural darkness during the day symbolises the moral and natural chaos due to Macbeth’s actions. We can also see internal disorder in the disturbed sleep and hallucinations Macbeth and Lady Macbeth experience as a result of their guilt.
Restoration of order
The play's resolution marks the return of order after the death of Macbeth. Malcolm is Duncan's heir and he represents the return of legitimate rule to Scotland. When he becomes king, it symbolises the restoration of natural and political order:
"Hail, king! For so thou art. Behold, where stands the usurper's cursed head: the time is free." (Act 5, Scene 8)
The quote above is by Macduff proclaiming Macoln as king. The imagery of “the time is free” suggests liberation from the chaos that characterised Macbeth’s rule.
Final thoughts on Macbeth revision
We have explored the key themes of ambition, the supernatural, guilt and order vs. disorder in Macbeth. Each theme helps to direct the narrative and develop the characters, giving the audience insights into human nature and societal values. This is a quick recap of the themes:
- Ambition: This is the driving force behind Macbeth's and Lady Macbeth's actions. They commit violent crimes and engage with the supernatural until it leads to their demise. The impact of unchecked ambition is a key moral message.
- Supernatural: The witches' prophecies and Macbeth's vision influence the characters' actions and the plot's direction. They create an uneasy, foreboding atmosphere and highlight the inner turmoil of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth.
- Guilt: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are consumed by guilt as a consequence of their actions. This is evident in Macbeth's visions and hallucinations. This theme explores the impact of moral choices on the human psyche, which in particular leads Lady Macbeth to madness and death.
- Order vs. Disorder: The chaos brought about by Macbeth's rule after murdering the king and his legitimate rule reflects the theme of order versus disorder. This sense of unravelling is clear as the play progresses. Shakespeare stresses the consequence of disrupting the natural order, implying the importance of rightful leadership and moral integrity.
Shakespeare's "Macbeth" is a timeless exploration of the complexities of human ambition, morality and the consequences of disrupting the natural order. Studying these themes will help you to understand the narrative and character development from a different perspective. Remember that there are more themes to be explored and this list is not finite.
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