Page 94 - DENG403_BRITISH_DRAMA

British Drama

Notes While the witches do not tell Macbeth directly to kill King Duncan, they use a subtle form of
temptation when they tell Macbeth that he is destined to be king. By placing this thought in his
mind, they effectively guide him on the path to his own destruction. This follows the pattern of
temptation many believed the Devil used at the time of Shakespeare. First, they argued, a thought is
put in a man’s mind, then the person may either indulge in the thought or reject it. Macbeth indulges
in it, while Banquo rejects.
According to J. A. Bryant Jr., Macbeth also makes use of Biblical parallels, notably between King
Duncan’s murder and the murder of Christ.

Example: No matter how one looks at it, whether as history or as tragedy, Macbeth is
distinctively Christian. One may simply count the Biblical allusions as Richmond Noble has done;
one may go further and study the parallels between Shakespeare’s story and the Old Testament
stories of Saul and Jezebel as Miss Jane H. Jack has done; or one may examine with W. C. Curry the
progressive degeneration of Macbeth from the point of view of medieval theology.

6.1.4 Motifs

A motif is a recurring element, event, idea, or theme in a story. Shakespeare, when writing Macbeth,
included many different motifs that added depth to this magnificent work.

Blood
Blood is often used to symbolize guilt, or the lack of it. For example, Macbeth has just murdered
King Duncan and feels horribly guilty for his deed. Duncan had thought rather fondly of Macbeth,
and had trusted him after his previous Thane of Cawdor had betrayed him.
This means that he feels extremely guilty, and does not believe that he will ever be able to overcome
it. Not even Neptune, the god of the sea, could wash all of the blood away. In fact, it would turn the
ocean red with blood.
Macbeth describes Duncan as having had "golden blood," which contrasts with his own. Duncan
had no guilt and had done nothing to anger Macbeth, or to make him worthy of being murdered. In
spite of this fact, Macbeth still murdered King Duncan and contaminated his blood in the process.
Another example of the blood motif occurs in Act V. Macduff has come and challenged Macbeth to
a sword fight to which Macbeth refused. This happened because Macbeth didn't want to shed
anymore blood (kill people) than he already has and because more bloodshed is more guilt. Macbeth
is already suffering from his guilt and more guilt would just cause more problems for him.

Manipulation
Another motif in Macbeth is manipulation. Many people throughout the play attempt to manipulate
others in order to fit their own needs and desires.
A prime example of this is with Lady Macbeth. She uses her influence with her husband to convince
to murder King Duncan. Previously, Macbeth had written her a letter telling her of the events that
had occurred, including his new title. He had just become the Thane of Cawdor and, based on the
witches' prophecy, was in line to become a king. This made him mention his thoughts of killing
King Duncan, which brought out the desire for power in his wife. When he arrived at his own
castle, he decides to go along with her new plan to poison and stab the King. However, he starts
expressing doubt later in the night after considering the King's trust in him. At this point, Lady
Macbeth continues using manipulation to try to convince him to go along with it.
A second, and major, example of manipulation in Macbeth is with the three witches. They give the
prophecy to Macbeth, knowing that he and his wife will plan to murder King Duncan in order to
fulfill it.

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