I begin writing on Macbeth today, the play I have connected with the covenantal concept of Sanctions. It could really be a play about ethics too, but I think the play’s action is more about the consequences for Macbeth’s murder of Duncan rather than the ethical decision itself.
PLOT
- Macbeth, Scotland’s greatest warrior, receives a prophecy from three witches that he will become king.
- With his wife’s help, Macbeth murders the Scottish king Duncan and assumes the throne.
- Macbeth becomes a tyrant, killing anyone he deems a threat to his power including his friend Banquo and the family of his rival Macduff.
- While the witches give Macbeth ambiguous prophecies concerning his future, Duncan’s son Malcolm builds an army of Scottish expatriates and English soldiers to challenge Macbeth.
- Lady Macbeth commits suicide out of guilt, and Macbeth comes to see the world as meaningless, falling in battle to Macduff. As the play ends, Malcolm assumes the throne.
CONTEXTS
- King James I was fascinated with demonology (he wrote a book on the subject), and the contemporary discussion about witches helps explain the actions of the play’s obvious antagonists.
- King James I traced his own line back to Fleance, Banquo’s son. The play, of course, was performed by The King’s Men and has been supposed a tribute to James.
- Contemporary political theorists spilled a lot of ink on rebelling against a tyrant. Killing a king when he’s a rightful ruler (like Duncan)? Much different than killing a king when he’s an usurping tyrant (like Macbeth).
- One year before this play, Catholic rebels attempted to assassinate James and most of parliament in the Gunpowder Plot. Allusions to this event and its consequences are sprinkled throughout the play.
- Shakespeare changes his source, Holinshed’s Chronicle, at key moments, including the fact that in the historical account, Banquo conspired with Macbeth to kill Duncan.
SYMBOLS
Heaven: A symbol of eternity, “heaven” shows the stakes of the play’s action include the afterlife.
Sun/Moon/Stars: The opposed worlds of day and night cover different kinds of rulers. Macbeth is ruled by the dark and is himself a ruler of the night.
Gold: This metal is associated with ethical purity. Duncan has golden blood. The slain Banquo has a “gold-bound” brow. Macbeth does not want to sacrifice “golden opinions” by killing Duncan. Gold is the symbol that Macbeth tarnishes through his unethical choices.
Plants/Animals: Macbeth worries about wearing a fruitless crown because Banquo’s children, not his, are supposed to inherit the throne. This is a statement about the curses that Macbeth’s actions bring upon him. The raven too is a harbinger of judgment, first on Duncan then on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
Angels: The play connects angels with grace and the hope for redemption in the midst of judgment and death.
Experiments in Criticism 