Corruption of nature

• Great Chain of Being


  A hierarchy of all things that asserted God's authority at the top of the chain
• Great Chain of Being

  • It served as a social hierarchy with kings above lords, and lords above peasants
  • Men were above women in this social order
• Witches


  A corrupting influence that seek to undermine the Great Chain of Being
• It was believed that any disruption to this Great Chain of Being would cause chaos
• Disruption of the Great Chain of Being in the play

  1. The regicide of King Duncan

  2. Macbeth becoming king (when he was not chosen by God)

  3. Lady Macbeth – a woman – dominating Macbeth
• Consequences of the disruption

  • Storms the night of Duncan's murder
  • An earthquake (described in Act II, Scene III)
  • An owl killing a falcon
  • Duncan's horses eating each other
  • The day being as dark as night (all described in Act II, Scene IV)
• This disruption is seen in the instability of the Kingdom of Scotland under Macbeth's rule
• Other examples of the effects of this disruption

  • Macbeth's murder of innocent people
  • His and his wife's descent into madness
  • The battle at Macbeth's castle
• Shakespeare is suggesting that the consequences of disrupting the Great Chain of Being are extremely serious, not just for those who disrupt it, but for the whole world
• Shakespeare ends the play with the restoration of order: Malcolm – who is the rightful king – becomes monarch. The suggestion is that the chaos is now over