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Unit 6: Macbeth—Concept of Tragedy of Aristotle and its Application on Macbeth, Poetic Tragedy and Motifs

• The theme of androgyny is often seen as a special aspect of the theme of disorder. Notes
• Inversion of normative gender roles is most famously associated with the witches and with
Lady Macbeth as she appears in the first act.
• In the play, the Three Witches represent darkness, chaos, and conflict, while their role is as
agents and witnesses. Their presence communicates treason and impending doom.
• 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.
• 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 is often used to symbolize guilt, or the lack of it.
• Many people throughout the play attempt to manipulate others in order to fit their own needs
and desires.
• One of the most common motifs in Macbeth is reversal of nature. This is prominent in role
reversal between characters, unnatural weather, masculinity and femininity reversal, and
unusual events.
• Hallucination is an important motif for character development because it shows how the two
main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, slowly go insane.

6.3 Keywords

Senecan : A member of the largest tribe of the iroquois Confederacy of North American
Indians, formerly inhabiting western New York and being conspicuous in the
wars south and west of Lake Erie.
Moral order : This is the idea of a continuous cycle of life and death for one's soul.
Mystery play : A medieval dramatic form based on a Biblical story, usually dealing with the
life, death, and resurrection of Christ.
Liturgical drama : Medieval drama, based on incidents in the Bible and performed in churches on
holy days, usually in Latin and often chanted.
Androgyny : Being both male and female; hermaphroditic.
Witchcraft : The art or practices of a witch; sorcery; magic.
Treason : The offense of actinsg to overthrow one's government or to harm or kill its
sovereign.

6.4 Review Questions

1. Define Aristotle tragedy.
2. Mention any two applications of Aristotle’s tragedy to Macbeth.
3. What is meant by Poetic Tragedy?
4. Write short notes on the following terms:
(a) Hallucinations (b) Reversal of nature (c) Blood
5. Write the two characters each of
(a) Tragic character (b) Moral order (c) Motifs
6. Explain the application of the motifs blood, hallucination, and manipulations to
Macbeth.

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