In this blog post, we take a deep look at whether the protagonist is a conflicted human being or a ruthless murderer through Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth.
Can Macbeth be forgiven?
Macbeth, one of the Four Great Tragedies of Shakespeare, can be described as a world stained with blood. It contains the tragic content of many people losing their lives in the course of the play’s development, and the main character eventually meeting his death. This work is set in the dark Scotland of the Middle Ages, and depicts the ruin of Macbeth, the lord, and his wife, who commit murder to gain power.
The protagonist, who led everything with a desire for power, ends his life in misery. Shakespeare probably intended to convey the lesson of retribution through this story. However, in modern times, classical literature is interpreted in many ways. Rather than the author’s intention, the works themselves tend to give modern meanings and interpretations. There are various interpretations of Macbeth as well, especially the one that gives room for sympathy and understanding to Macbeth’s conflicted state of mind, torn between his desire for power and his conscience. There is also a view that his actions were driven by the witch’s prophecy and his wife’s encouragement, and that he was trying to protect himself. There is also an interpretation that it represents the conflicted state of modern people in an era of endless competition. Of course, no reader would think Macbeth’s actions are justified. But many people feel compassion and sympathy for Macbeth in the midst of his personal conflicts and the circumstances around him, and even try to protect him. His conflict between the dichotomy of good and evil makes him seem like a tragic hero who proves the nobility of humanity, rather than a simple murderer.
However, this interpretation of Macbeth is too lenient. In modern society, where even stealing a loaf of bread is frowned upon, there is no reason to be lenient with Macbeth, who committed a series of murders for his own power. Even if the circumstances around him drove him to murder, the core issue lies with Macbeth himself, and there is no room for sympathy.
Murder is unforgivable, regardless of the motive!
The play delicately depicts Macbeth’s psychological changes before he kills the king. After killing the king at the encouragement of his wife, Macbeth is overwhelmed by anxiety and feels that he will never sleep soundly again. The audience can feel compassion and sympathy for Macbeth as he experiences the human conflict of committing murder and the anxiety and guilt he feels after the murder.
But if you think about it, who among us does not feel conflict, anxiety, and guilt when we commit murder? That does not mean we sympathize with such murderers. Murder itself is inhuman.
All human beings are conflicted between good and evil. We cannot help but feel these emotions when we commit acts that are considered evil according to universal standards, from minor public order violations to theft and murder. Didn’t the wife of Macbeth, who seemed strong, commit suicide out of guilt? However, it is an overly generous attitude to sympathize with a person who has committed the most inhuman murder because he felt human conflict and anxiety. If you think about the victims and their families who have suffered from the murder, can you bring up the word “sympathy” in front of them? I bet there are probably no normal people.
In the play, Macbeth takes the lives of numerous people, including the king, two guards, Banquo, and Macduff’s family. Whether Macbeth proves the nobility of humanity or feels guilty, he can never be forgiven. Macbeth cannot be made to pay for the lives of so many people. Moreover, it is even more outrageous that he did this for nothing more than personal desire and power, not for any righteous cause.
It all started with Macbeth’s own desire!
Macbeth’s mind was shaken when the first prophecy of the witch that he would become a lord came true. It was also his wife who encouraged Macbeth to kill the king before he hesitated. In this respect, there seems to be room to shift the blame for the murder.
However, if we consider the fundamental starting point, this is not the case. It all started with Macbeth’s own desire. When he first heard the witch’s prophecy, he may have been tempted. Anyone can be tempted, but not everyone betrays their superiors. Even considering the many loyal subjects known to date, Macbeth’s betrayal cannot be excused simply because he was tempted. In other words, he had a desire for power from the very beginning. The witches’ prophecies merely confirmed it. The first prophecy was a hit by chance, but the second prophecy, that he would become king, was made by Macbeth himself. Macbeth writes a letter to his wife and makes a plan, even going so far as to kill the king himself. Of course, Macbeth was conflicted in the meantime, but he eventually acted according to his own will and brought about the outcome. Perhaps he just lacked the courage to execute it, but the plan was so elaborate that he may have already decided everything in his mind.
After becoming king, Macbeth cannot control his desires and greed. Macbeth crosses the line he must not cross, massacres Macduff’s family as if on a rampage, and reigns as a tyrant. He is not surprised by the death of his wife, who committed suicide out of guilt, and focuses only on Macduff’s army, which threatens his power. This can be seen as a premonition of his wife’s death. However, it is a scene that shows that he is strong enough to protect his power and desire to trivialize his wife’s death.
If Macbeth had no desire for power, he would have ignored the witches’ prophecies. If his loyalty to the king was greater than his desire for power, he would have chosen loyalty to the king in the midst of the conflict. He would not have sent his wife a letter about the witches’ prophecies. Therefore, he would not have had a wife who encouraged him to commit the murder. Even if his wife had known about the witches’ prophecy and knew that Macbeth had no desire for power, she would have abandoned the plan beforehand. Everything stems from Macbeth’s own excessive desire, and he cannot shift the blame onto anyone else.
There is no room for sympathy for Macbeth!
Most people live by their conscience and morals. Even if they are tempted, they rarely cross the line. This is not because they lack the courage, but because they have a conscience and beliefs that allow them to restrain themselves.
However, Macbeth did not. Macbeth’s desire, amplified by the witch’s prophecy, crossed the line that should not be crossed, and he ended up committing murder. Of course, he experienced mental conflict before committing the murder and was later plagued by guilt, but the consequences were irreversible. He continued to kill to relieve the guilt and anxiety of the murder, and eventually fell into ruin. Rather than feeling compassion for Macbeth in this context, it is more natural to learn a lesson of cause and effect from his story. Macbeth is nothing more than a murderer blinded by ambition and power. He had only desire, and so he sought to gain power by extreme means of murder. He lacked the courage to uphold his conscience and beliefs. If he had only had the courage to uphold his conscience and beliefs, he would not have met a miserable end.
We must learn a lesson from Macbeth’s story. There are still many voices of witches in the world. However, it is important that we do not be swayed by the prophecies of witches and walk our own path silently. Through Macbeth, who is left with only desire and murder, we should realize the importance of living by one’s beliefs and conscience. Today, we should also look back to see if we are on the path to destruction, being led astray by the voices of witches.
