macbeth 5

• keywords:

  • Catharsis, anagnorisis, turmoil, pity, unjustified confidence, hubris, tragic hero, imminent death, inevitable death, puppet for evil.
• Macbeth's wife's death is a pitiful moment of realisation for Macbeth, he realises the hollowness of the Witches' prophecies and the futility of the mental turmoil.

  • The important role of the tragic hero is to bring out catharsis, this is seen here.
• Catharsis is a mix of pity and fear from the audience.
• Macbeth, Act 5: "life is but a walking shadow... it is a tale... signifying nothing."

  • The noun "tale" extends the idea that the Witches' influence was like an ominous nursery rhyme - they speak in trochaic tetrameter and rhyming couplets which almost parody their dialogue.
  • It appears the Witches have been engaging in devious, childlike meddling just to cause turmoil for Macbeth- he realises that he has been placed upon a "stage" for the Witches' entertainment.
• Macbeth, Act 5: "Out, out brief candle! Life is but a walking shadow... it is a tale... signifying nothing."

  • Macbeth's lexis almost creates a semantic field of transience (semi-permanent), the nouns "candle" and "shadow" are impermanent and fragile in the sense that they can be extinguished.
  • His tyrannical and barbaric power is not permanent.
• Macbeth undergoes two moments of anagnorisis (the moment the character realises their downfall).
• Macbeth's moments of anagnorisis:

  • First, the realisation of the futility of his actions consequently he submits himself to nihilism (rejecting moral and religious principles due to the belief that life is meaningless).
• Macbeth's moments of anagnorisis:

  • Macbeth retreats to his ingrained role as a soldier, he enters a battle knowing that fate will likely not work in his favor.
  • It could be argued that this is an act of martyrdom (dying or exaggerated suffering to obtain sympathy).
  • He believes he has been exploited by the Witches and almost submits himself to death out of self-pity.
• Macbeth arguably could be seen to have many anagnorises.

  • Firstly, after his murder of Duncan as he begins to hallucinate and go into a state of panic.
• In Act 5, it could be interpreted he has two moments of anagnorisis:

  1. When he realises his wife has committed suicide - alluding to how his death will be imminent as he physically committed the murders.
  2. Secondly, when Macduff reveals he was not "born of woman", is a clear moment of anagnorisis as Macbeth knows his fortunes are no longer and his death is inevitable.
• Shakespeare interrogates Macbeth's internal divisions between guilt, unjustified confidence, and a propensity toward violence.
• Initially, Macbeth's guilt begins to surface, claiming "my soul is too charg'd with blood of thine already" which maintains his sense of humanity as he has a capacity for remorse.

  • This reiterates the notion that Macbeth must remain somewhat redeemable to be characterised as a tragic hero, he is not merely a villain.
• Macbeth begins with elevated confidence, gloating that he cannot be killed by a man "of woman born" yet Macduff soon disparages him by revealing "Macduff was from his mother's womb/Untimely ripp'd" meaning he was born by Cesarean section.
• This moment of anagnorisis (finding out Macduff was born by Caeseran) for Macbeth strips him of his hubris, courage, tenacity, and his intrinsic cowardice (which Lady Macbeth formerly ridiculed) rises to the surface again.

  • He concludes that "I'll not fight with thee".
• Shakespeare reminds us that Macbeth is merely a puppet for evil, it is his intrinsic qualities of being a soldier (an inclination to violence and bloodthirst) which are extrapolated by external forces in the play i.e. Lady Macbeth and the Witches.

  • This is integral in characterising him as a tragic hero, a figure with noble traits that descends from a position of grace due to their harmartia (fatal flaw).
• Machiavellian : sly, deceptive, distrusting and manipulative.