Monday, March 3, 2014

What do the major occurrences of nature in Macbeth represent?

Since the murder of a king is an unnatural action, nature
is affected.  The report of the storm is evidence of nature's reaction to Macbeth's
murder of Duncan.  Order can only be restored by Malcolm taking his rightful place as
king.  It is only by the death of Macbeth that order will be restored.  "Blood will have
blood, they say."


From that point in the play until MacDuff
kills Macbeth, the world of the play is "unnatural".  Macbeth steeps himself in blood to
keep covering up his crime.  He kills his good friend, Banqueo since he knows that
Banqueo suspects him.  He tries to neutralize the prophesy that Banqueo will beget a
line of kings, thus interfering with the supernatural.  He kills the MacDuff family out
of fear.  Making war against women and children is
unnatural.    


Fear and suspicion become the way of life in
Scotland.  Friends are afraid of to speak their mind.  MacDuff must convince Malcolm he
is not a spy but sincere in his desire to help him.


All of
this is unnatural.  The references to nature in the play are all predatory for the most
part.  There are very few positive nature references.  Ravens and violent storms are
more the norm here.


It is interesting that the play deals
with natural, unnatural and supernatural.  Shakespeare ingeniously mixes them all
together.


It is also necessary to realize that plots
against the monarchs at this time were rampant.  Numerous plots were hatched to oust
Elizabeth I and the Gunpowder Plot which would have killed James I and a majority of the
government and church leadership had just been discovered and thawarted.  These issues
were very real to Shakespeare's audiences.  There is a reference to the Gunpowder Plot
in the Porter's speech.


In the Elizabethean world,
order was important and any disturbance of that order was
considered unnatural.    

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