Act V is a series of small scenes which encompass a larger
picture, the picture of Macbeth’s failure, one in which he had taken 4 Acts to
accomplish. The form in which Shakespeare conveys Act V is an interesting one
and it is to be noted that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s close planning led to a
whirl of scenes which not only ended all their plans, but also the lives they
so carefully nurtured.
What becomes of Lady Macbeth is even more ironic for the
life that she nurtured became, at the same time, insane. As slowly as she
sought to set her place next to her King was as quietly as madness took over
her soul and left her without anything even when she thought she had
everything. In the end of the day, she lost, and it was not because of an outer
force but because of her own self. She constantly see’s her hands as stained
with the blood of the dead king and admonishes it by screaming, “Out, damned
spot.” Her paranoia is further reinstated when she cries out of anguish how
unreal it seemed to her that, even after so long, the stain of Duncan’s blood
remained on her hands and wonders how he had “so much blood in him?”
Lady Macbeth’s original confidence and carelessness for the
murder of the King is now ruthlessly replaced by an agonizing irony of the deed
that she had committed. She had not foreseen that not only would the murder
cause her sleepless nights but would also result in her death and this is
Shakespeare, I believe, showing us how a human’s first instinct is selfish but
even that selfishness can turn upon themselves.
What I found even more painfully satirical was how Lady
Macbeth’s death was conveyed. Her death was not shown on stage and it was also
not taken with many emotions from her husband, whom she seemed to have loved so
dearly. Even though it may have been from the shock of the situation and the
growing worry over the upcoming war, Macbeth revealed a deadened response to
his wife’s death. Not only was Lady Macbeth’s death not showcased honorably but
it was not treated with honor either, a irony that she strove all her life to
avoid.
4 comments:
I like how you talk about how ironic Lady Macbeth's death was. I think her death is like karma. What goes around comes around. Lady Macbeth showed no consideration for Duncan's life and ruthlessly pushed her husband to kill the king. It is only fair that her death be treated the same way by her husband. Perhaps Shakespeare was trying to convey that message. Shakespeare treated Lady Macbeth's death in the same way that she treated Duncan's: ruthlessly and coldly.
I really like the point you make in your last paragraph. I think Macbeth's "deadened" response to hearing about his dead wife's death really highlights the 180 degree change he over-went throughout the play. In the beginning, he displayed so much fear, uncertainty, guilt, and humanity. But here, by Act V he is barely human--he has been completely taken over by greed and pride. Just as her husband, Lady Macbeth also made a 180 degree change. Her change, however, was that she became increasingly more human until her innate human nature and instincts (such as guilt and paranoia) literally destroyed her
I like this post in regards to the ironic nature that surrounds the death of Lady Macbeth. What I can't help but think of is comparing this to the rest of the "less than honorable" deaths that we have seen in the past plays. There have been several characters that, as the audience, we have no shed a tear for but in this case your satirical comments have intrigued me. Is this a way for Shakespeare to give his audience a way to take advantage of a carnial nature to make a creature suffer, not only that but a creature that we assume to be "evil". Lady Macbeth has always intrigued me as a character but her death makes me wonder what Shakespeare's intentions for her was.
I also like the point you make in your last paragraph. I think Macbeth's lack of response emphasizes the fact that he has become a monster. He no longer thinks rationally because he is consumed by fear and self-centeredness. By not including Lady Macbeth's death on stage, it is presented as insignificant. That may have been Shakespeare's intent because it shows that real life and real emotions no longer matter to the Macbeths who are dehumanized by greed and desire. I noticed the same thing as Allie too --Lady Macbeth became more and more humanized and overcome by emotions of compassion and guilt, which ultimately killed her.
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