Macbeth is
one of Shakespeare’s best known plays and his shortest tragedy. It is often performed at both, amateur and professional
levels, and has been often modified into operas, films, stage and screen. There are various themes that unfold the play. Examples
of these themes are tragic hero, no limits to one’s ambitions, the role of woman, the association between violence and
masculinity and the difference between kingship and tyranny.
A very important
theme is tragic hero. The tragic hero is clearly Macbeth. A tragic hero is a literary character who makes an error in judgment
that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction. The audience is able to sympathize with this character regardless of his/her
actions. The reader can sympathize with Macbeth because in his defense, he did not want to kill Duncan, until his wife pushed
him to. Macbeth then had to live with the guilt of doing something he didn’t want to do. He is unable to sleep and is
constantly tormented by his conscious. Lady Macbeth goes through the same torture throughout the story making her a tragic
hero as well. She goes crazy towards the end and commits suicide.
Macbeth’s
ambitions to rule and enjoy power have no limits. As a courageous Scottish general, he is not likely to be evil; however Macbeth
has a strong desire to be king and rule. Macbeth wants to be the king of Scotland, and kills Duncan, without realizing the
torture he will go through with his conscious. In the beginning, Lady Macbeth is more determined to get what her husband wants.
She even has to get the dagger Macbeth used to kill the Duncan, when Macbeth leaves it in Duncan’s room. Lady Macbeth
was superior at carrying out the crimes, but less capable of emotionally dealing with the repercussions of her immoral actions.
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are faced with the problem of having to stop, using violence to gain more power. This is very difficult
to do considering that there are always potential threats to the throne such as Banquo, Fleance, and Macduff. Throughout the
play, they are tempted to using violence against them as well.
In the play,
there is a very few connection between the violent acts committed by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and masculinity. In the play,
whenever masculinity is being questioned, a violent act follows. Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth into killing Duncan by questioning
his masculinity. She basically tells him that he isn’t man enough, to be able to kill somebody. Macbeth does the same
thing when he hires the murderers for Banquo. The fact that they both are questioning masculinity in these situations shows
us what they associate it with. They associate masculinity with hostility, which eventually leads to chaos in the play.
The women
have a very important role in this play. Shakespeare’s woman characters are usually very strong and smart. The violence
that takes place in the play arises from the malevolence of woman. The witches’ prophecies give Macbeth the spark he
needed to pursue his ambitions at whatever cost. Lady Macbeth provides the intelligence and will to carry out the forms of
violence. Macbeth was initial having dark thoughts, but it isn’t until the women in the story encourage him, that he
is convinced of what to do. Encouragement of violence by women is rare and contrary to how women should act. It shows that
both, men and woman can be ambitious and cruel.
When, Macbeth
takes over, the readers are introduced to the difference between kingship and tyranny. The difference is explained in a conversation
between Macduff and Malcolm, in England, where Malcolm tests Macduff’s loyalty to Scotland. Malcolm pretends that he
would be a worse king than Macbeth. Macduff believes Macbeth has unfavorable qualities such as a thirst for personal power
and a violent temperament. Malcolm says, “The king-becoming graces / [are] justice, verity, temp’rance, stableness,
/ Bounty, perseverance, mercy, [and] lowliness”. This line means that under a king, subjects are rewarded according
to their merits, such as when Duncan makes Macbeth thane of Cawdor after Macbeth’s victory over the invaders. The king
must also be loyal to Scotland above his own interests. The only thing Macbeth does is bring chaos to Scotland, which is symbolized
in the bad weather and bizarre supernatural events.
Macbeth’s
themes are not outdated and can be used today, to relate to people’s everyday actions in today’s world. There
are people who would do anything to acquire their goals just like Macbeth. Some would be encouragers of violence such as Lady
Macbeth. The themes can be applied to today’s society, particularly that of the no limits to one’s ambitions and
the association of masculinity and violence.
