Paper no 1 Assignment

 Paper 101: Literature of the Elizabethan and Restoration Periods

Personal Information:

Name : Manasi joshi 

Batch: M.A Sem(1)

Email Id : mansijoshi202@gmail.com

  Assignment Topic:

                                      William Shakespear's Macbeth 

                                               "Three Murders"

Abstract:

Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a tragedy about a Scottish general who is consumed by ambition and murders the king to take the throne.

The play explores themes of ambition, fate, power, morality, and manhood. It shows how too much ambition can destroy a person.

Introduction:

Tragedies, Shakespeare followed a traditional five-act structure but shaped it uniquely in plays like Macbeth and King Lear, arranging the acts into a "2-1-2" pattern that unfolds in three distinct cycles. Each of these cycles centers on an intense moment of realization, or "epiphanic encounter," where the main character undergoes a deep internal shift. Together, these cycles represent stages in the protagonist’s inner development or psychological journey.

In Macbeth, for example, each phase of murder marks a psychological turning point. The first murder, that of King Duncan (acts 1-2), has been widely studied as the foundation of Macbeth’s descent. This killing disrupts natural order and sparks Macbeth's moral downfall. However, there are two more killings that also contribute to his psychological unraveling: the murder of Banquo (act 3) and the massacre of Macduff's family (acts 4-5). These subsequent murders are often overlooked or seen simply as Macbeth’s attempts to hold onto power or as compulsive, repeated acts driven by guilt from the first murder.

However, each of these murders has its own unique psychological motivation and deepens Macbeth’s descent into moral darkness. Killing Banquo is a step towards securing his future by removing a perceived rival, and the brutal attack on Macduff’s family is an act of desperation and cruelty that reflects his loss of humanity. Each stage not only advances the external plot but also leads Macbeth further down his tragic path, showing the escalating consequences of his ambition and moral corruption.

Shakespeare’s structure allows each act of violence to reveal a new phase in Macbeth’s psychological breakdown. This approach presents a "holistic" development, where each stage of murder corresponds to a deeper loss of integrity and ultimately leads to Macbeth’s total inner collapse. Through this structured descent, Shakespeare illustrates a complex inner plot—a comprehensive look at the protagonist’s soul unraveling across each cycle.

About Murders: 

In Macbeth, most interpretations focus on Macbeth’s first murder—the killing of King Duncan in Acts 1 and 2. Critics often see this act as the key to understanding the play’s deeper themes, including its social, psychological, and metaphysical dimensions (issues about reality and morality).

For Understanding:

However, Macbeth commits two other murders after this: the killing of his friend Banquo in Act 3, and the murder of Macduff’s wife and children in Acts 4 and 5. These later murders are often overlooked or explained away. Some suggest they simply show Macbeth’s attempts to secure his stolen throne, while others think they reflect a psychological pattern called "repetition compulsion"—the idea that after committing one terrible act, Macbeth feels compelled to continue killing. But these explanations don’t explore the unique meaning and motivation behind each of these later murders, treating them as mere extensions of the first.

Foakes argues that in Macbeth, the murder of King Duncan represents Macbeth's greatest and most ambitious crime, comparable to reaching the highest peak in mountaineering, like climbing Mount Everest. Once Macbeth achieves this “summit” by killing Duncan, he no longer feels the same challenge with lesser actions that follow. This early achievement suggests that the first half of the play is the most intense and powerful, while the final three acts become less impactful and feel more like melodrama rather than true tragedy.

The reason for this shift lies in the diminishing symbolic weight of the later victims, who are not as significant as Duncan. With Duncan’s death, the play loses a central figure of spiritual authority, and the protagonists, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, also lose some of their original power and depth. As the play progresses, Macbeth’s speeches become less profound, and he relies more on hired killers to do his bidding, showing a decline in his own moral and emotional strength. Ultimately, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are overpowered by the less compelling but morally upright characters of Macduff and Malcolm.

Many critics, such as Bradley, Rossiter, Heilman, Sanders, Jorgensen, Mack, Kirsch, and Muir, have recognized and wrestled with this challenge in the play. They question whether Shakespeare can maintain the level of tragic grandeur when the play’s most noble and “kingly” figure, Duncan, is killed so early on. This leaves the audience with a diminished sense of heroism and spiritual struggle in the later parts of the play.

The analysis discusses how Macbeth's act of killing King Duncan in Macbeth is more complex than a simple desire for power or rebellion. Traditionally, this murder is interpreted through a Freudian lens, especially with the "Oedipal complex," which refers to a psychological conflict where a child feels both attraction and competition towards their parent, typically the parent of the same sex. This framework has led some analysts to see Macbeth’s killing of Duncan as an attempt to overthrow a fatherly figure, symbolizing the "superego" or moral authority.

In Freudian terms, the "superego" is the part of our mind that represents moral standards and societal rules, often inherited from parental figures. In Macbeth, Duncan is seen as a "superego" figure—a father-like, moral leader who embodies Scotland's identity and values, almost as if he were a sacred or godly figure ("the Lord's anointed temple"). For centuries, scholars have viewed Duncan’s fatherly characteristics as key to his identity, both as a king and as a symbol of goodness and maturity.

However, the text suggests that seeing Duncan only as a father-figure limits the interpretation. In fact, Duncan can also be seen as having motherly traits. Lady Macbeth even compares Duncan to a motherly figure, a soft and nurturing presence, which competes with her own role as Macbeth’s wife. For instance, Duncan’s caring nature is evident in his expressions of love towards Macbeth and his other thanes (loyal noblemen), which shows a more tender, nurturing side.

The analysis also notes that both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth at times imagine Duncan as a child-like or vulnerable figure. Lady Macbeth, in one soliloquy, envisions a heavenly child that she wishes would not reveal their dark plans. Macbeth, too, thinks of Duncan as a "naked new-born babe" representing innocence and compassion. This child-like image adds complexity to Duncan's character, suggesting that he isn’t just a stern father-figure but also embodies innocence and vulnerability.

So, in psychoanalytic terms, Duncan isn't just a fatherly authority figure (superego) but also represents nurturing, child-like innocence, and vulnerability. This view challenges the traditional "Oedipal" interpretation by showing that Duncan's character combines both masculine and feminine qualities, making his murder a symbolic act that disrupts not only fatherly authority but a more complex, nurturing image of power.

In Macbeth, the murder of Banquo in Act 3 marks a shift in Macbeth’s motivations. Unlike his previous ambition to gain the throne by killing King Duncan, Macbeth's desire to kill Banquo stems from envy. Banquo is not just a friend but a "brotherly" figure to Macbeth—a close companion who mirrors Macbeth in many ways. In Acts 1 and 2, Macbeth’s drive to kill Duncan was based on his hunger for power and the "fantasy" of ruling. However, after realizing that killing Duncan did not bring him the supreme power he craved, Macbeth’s ambition becomes mixed with bitterness and jealousy. This envy drives him to turn against Banquo.

The writer compares Macbeth's envy to the idea of "sinful envy" described by the philosopher Aquinas. According to Aquinas, after the sin of pride (as when Lucifer desired to be equal to God), comes envy—resentment toward someone else's good fortune. Macbeth’s resentment toward Banquo reflects this idea, much like the biblical story of Cain killing Abel out of jealousy.

Killing Banquo is also a symbolic act. Banquo is like Macbeth’s "shadow self" or double; they are so similar that Macbeth’s actions can be seen as an attack on his own identity. In his mind, Banquo's existence threatens Macbeth’s sense of greatness. This act of violence, then, becomes a way for Macbeth to confront parts of himself that he dislikes or fears.

After killing Banquo, Macbeth’s mental state deteriorates. His speeches become darker and filled with images of wild animals and ominous creatures, such as serpents, scorpions, and bats. These animal images suggest Macbeth’s inner turmoil and his descent into chaos. His language grows more confusing and intense, as he struggles with feelings he cannot fully understand or communicate clearly. This inner conflict leads him to become increasingly isolated and tormented by his own thoughts.

Every minute of his being thrusts Against my near'st of life: and though

 I could with bare-faced power sweep him from my sight,

 And bid my will avouch it, yet I must not, 

For certain friends that are both his and mine, 

Whose loves I may not drop. (3.1.116-21)

Acts 4 and 5 of Macbeth, the brutal murder of Lady Macduff and her children represents Macbeth’s annihilation of the “id,” as Freud describes it—symbolizing the most primal aspect of the psyche tied to instinctual needs and the fundamental human bonds. This act transcends mere political ambition or personal vendetta; it reflects a deeper psychological degradation. Unlike Macbeth’s prior acts of aggression—rooted in rivalry (with Banquo) and Oedipal struggle (against Duncan)—this third act of violence signals a culminating phase of scornful hatred. Here, he annihilates the “mother-and-child matrix” of selfhood, a representation of natural bonds and basic humanity, thus illustrating his perverse rejection of empathy and affection. This culmination of Macbeth’s “black and deep desires” underscores his final descent into moral and psychological ruin, going beyond mere madness to embody a complete perversion of the affective core of humanity.

Lady Macduff, in her husband’s absence, worries about providing for her son, but her son expresses confidence that divine care will sustain him, echoing a passage from the Bible (Matthew 6:26). This moment illustrates the positive influence he has absorbed from his parents, creating a wholesome bond based on spiritual values and trust.

In contrast, the scene with the witches shows a twisted, destructive form of introjection. The witches perform a grotesque ritual, throwing into their cauldron (symbolic of a dark womb or devouring mother) animal parts and items that symbolize non-Christian cultures and senses related to bodily consumption (smell and taste). This cannibalistic ritual represents a “perverse” form of introjection, where the witches' incorporate elements associated with destruction, hostility, and worldly desires rather than nurturing care.

The imagery becomes even more disturbing with the final ingredient the witches add—a finger from a baby born in tragic circumstances, symbolizing a “strangled” or aborted future. This imagery of a corrupted, devoured child conveys the notion of a perverted primal bond, one that destroys rather than nurtures.

In this twisted sense of introjection, Macbeth himself becomes increasingly aligned with the witches' values, absorbing their violent and corrupt perspective. This leads him to adopt their brutal outlook on power, seeing murder as a feast or consumption of life, culminating in his unhesitating massacre of Lady Macduff and her children. This shift signifies Macbeth’s complete submission to the witches’ dark perversion of introjection, replacing humane values with an appetite for power and violence.

Shakespeare's tragedies, particularly in their final acts, touch on deep aspects of human nature—especially through the bond between mother and child, which reveals our core humanity. Unlike characters like King Duncan and Banquo, who are largely defined by their political roles, the relationship between mother and child is rooted in primal emotions and is, therefore, less obscured by external motivations.

Conclusion: 

In each of Shakespeare’s major tragedies, the events of the last acts place this fundamental human essence in jeopardy. Acts 4 and 5 often show the tragic consequences of deception and violence, drawing women, children, or other innocent figures into harm’s way. This loss of innocence and goodness evokes strong emotions in the male authority figures, making them aware of the richness and purity of life that they have destroyed.

Macbeth, who initially understands the significance of innocence and tenderness in his image of "pity" as "like a naked new-born babe." This vision reflects a powerful connection to empathy and vulnerability. However, as Macbeth becomes increasingly ruthless, he loses this sensitivity and thus becomes unable to embody true, compassionate leadership. His descent from this ideal shows how distancing oneself from childlike innocence and emotional depth ultimately leads to a loss of humanity and moral authority.

References: 

www.wikipedia.com 

www.academia.edu 

Macbeth - William Shakespeare, 2017 Edition by Harold Bloom, (9th Edition) formatting standards

https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/4183494/mod_folder/content/0/harold-bloom-macbeth-william-shakespeare-new-bookfi-org.pdf?forcedownload=1