In Shakespeare's Macbeth, there are
really two civil wars: the play begins and ends with civil
wars.
At the start of the play, Macdonwald and Cawdor, two
Scottish thanes, are revolting against the ruling monarch, King Duncan. The two
traitors are joined by an opportunistic monarch from another country, but he doesn't get
much attention in the dialogue. Macbeth, Banquo, and Macduff, presumably, lead
Duncan's forces in battle and defeat the traitors. Macbeth, especially, gains favor and
fame and reputation for his prowess on the battlefield.
By
the end of the play, Malcolm, Duncan's son, and Macduff, lead an army against Macbeth
that consists of both Scottish and English forces. This battle, however, is very much
over before it begins, since Macbeth's forces, for the most part, are no longer loyal to
Macbeth. Macduff defeats Macbeth in one-on-one battle, and Malcolm's forces are
victorious.
That the play's structure is encircled in wars
is telling. This is a violent and bloody drama--from the description in Act 1 of
Macbeth cutting Macdonwald from the navel to the jaw (in other words, he disemboweled
him), to Macduff entering the stage carrying Macbeth's head in Act 5--violence and blood
and the unnatural dominate this play.
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