George Washington University

In Deepest Consequence: Macbeth

Author(s): Herbert R. Coursen, Jr.
Source: Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Autumn, 1967), pp. 375-388
Published by: Folger Shakespeare Library in association with George Washington University
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Macbeth
In DeepestConsequence:
HERBERT R. COURSEN, JR.
ACBETH is powerfuleven for the mature Shakespeare.
The play demands that we share its experienceintensely,
that we feel the strengthof Macbeth'sthirstfor kingship,
theanguishof Macthe forceof Lady Macbeth'spersuasions,
beth'sstrugglebeforethemurder,and theimpactof nature's
retributionafterthe murder.' The play partakesof what
GilbertMurraycalls "the strange,unanalyzedvibrationbelow the surface...
yeteternally
of desiresand fearsand passions,long slumbering
an undercurrent
familiar,which have for thousandsof yearslain near the root of our most
magicaldramas."2This essaywill attemptto analyzethatsubsurfacevibration,
to examine at least one source of the play's power-the mythwhich Shakeinto drama.Such examinationshouldgive the play
speare'sgeniustransmutes
meaningslong recognizedin Macbeth
a new context,one whichwill reinforce
severalotherwisedisparateelementsof the
bringintorelationship
and, further,
play.
termmyth,I shall assume
Withoutattemptingto definethe over-defined
with Philip Wheelwrightthat it concerns"the original and essentiallyunchangeableconditionsof human insight."3The mythvibratingbeneaththe
surfaceof Macbethis one of the originalmyths-thatof the fall froma state
of grace. That it is a sourceof the play's power suggestsits continuingreleitstruth.The mannerin whichthemythis manivanceto thehumansituation,
festedin Macbethis perhapsbestsuggestedbyLady Macbeth:
flower,
. . . lookliketheinnocent
But be theserpentunder't.(I. v. 66-67)4
1 In a recentarticle,
MaryMcCarthyseemsto takeexceptionto theplay'spower.She findsMacmaterialism",
a victimof "know-nothing
mediocrity",
beth ratherdull, a man of "unimaginative
he somewhatimShe suggeststhat"Macbethdoes not fall; if anything,
"timorous,unimaginative".
provesas a resultof his careerin crime"("GeneralMacbeth",Harper's (June,I962), pp. 35-39).
one has onlyto
thatMiss McCarthyintendsto be takenseriously,
Assuming,perhapsdangerously,
as she claims,the play whichbearshis name would not
pointout thatwere Macbethas stultified
have survivedforher to attack.For morepositivefemininereactionssee MargaretWebster,Shakespeare WithoutTears (New York, 1955), pp. I69-174, and Dame Edith Sitwell,A Notebookon
WilliamShakespeare(London, 1948), pp. 24-46. For a morepersuasiveversionof the materialist
argument,see WalterC. Curry,Shakespeare'sPhilosophicalPatterns(Baton Rouge,1937), pp. 112negativeopinionis thatof G. B. Harrison,who says that"Macbethhas been exII9. A further
overpraised. . . it is the weakestof Shakespeare'sgreattragedies . .", Shakespeare's
travagantly
Tragedies(New York, 1956), p. i84.
"An Examinationof the Mythand RitualApproachto Shake2 Quoted in HerbertWeisinger,
York,i960), p. 140.
(New
and
Mythmaking
Myth
speare",
3 "Poetry,Myth,and Reality",in The Language of Poetry,Allen Tate, ed. (Princeton,1942),
PP. 3-33.
4AIl quotationsfromMacbethare in accordancewith the G. L. Kittredgeedition (Boston,

1936)

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376

SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

Creationand linksitselfwiththeplay'smanyimagesof
suggests
The flower
intoEden
whichslithered
thedeception
suggests
The serpent
growingthings.
xii:g,
to temptEve-as the GenevaBible callsit in theglossto Revelation
Heaven
was
hurled
from
which
calledthedevillandSatan"
"Thatoldeserpent
all theworlde."Lady Macbethhereis the
by Michaeland "whichdeceiveth
In thatMacbethis a man
is alsothedeceived.
and,ofcourse,
serpent
tempting
fallofman-thelossofhissoul.
thefurther
in a fallenworld,theplayconcerns
But in thatMacbethstandsclosestto royalfavor(with the exceptionof
world,his fallparallelsthatofLucifer,
redeemable
Malcolm)in a potentially
oftheSon). The fallofMacbeth
to God (withtheexception
whostoodclosest
thefirstand thelast
drawsforitsprecedent
on bothGenesisand Revelation,
of his
implications
thefundamental
booksof theBible,a factwhichsuggests
twotragedies
"recognizes
saysWalterC. Curry,
philosophy",
crime."Christian
(i) thefallof Luciferand a thirdpartof theangelic
of cosmicimportance:
againstGod and werecastout,and (2) thefallofAdam,
hosts,whorebelled
butwhosethiswill
andfreedom
endowedwithperfection
whowasoriginally
uponmankind"
sin and limitedfreedom
againstGod's will and so brought
powerofthoseofLucifer
(p. 67). The fallofMacbethdrawson thecombined
sinceitis alsohisown.
andAdam-andonmore,ofcourse,
"Belzetofallenangels.The Portermentions
The playaboundsin allusions
of itsfall.
thedimensions
soulis absorbing
bub" (II. iii.4) evenas Macbeth's
Malcolmsaysthat"Angelsarebrightstill,thoughthe
of Macduff,
Suspicious
Malcolmgoeson
of Macbeth,
fell"(IV.iii.22). Thinkingprobably
brightest
in the
themind'sconstruction
oncesaidaboutfinding
torecastwhathisfather
face:
ofgrace
foulwouldwearthebrows
Thoughallthings
Yetgracemuststilllookso.
(IV. iii. 23-24)

thefirstglosson Genesisiii in the GenevaBible;

Malcolmis paraphrasing
ofEden:
angelis linkedtothemyth
deceitful
here,thebright
so didhe abusethe
intoan Angeloflight,
As Satancanchangehimselfe
man.
todeceive
wisdome
oftheserpent
to "DevilishMacbeth"(IV. iii.
The play,of course,is fullof directreferences
(V. viii.3). Hell can
(IV. iii.2I7) and a "hellhound"5
II7). He is a "hell-kite"
a "devilmoredamn'd/Inevils"(IV. iii. 56-57)nora "hotter
produceneither
tauntshim
thatMacbethis doomed,Macduff
name"(V. vii.6). Recognizing
as a subordinate
fiend:
Despairthycharm!
Andlettheangelwhomthoustillhastserv'd
womb
hismother's
wasfrom
Tellthee,Macduff
ripp'd.(V. viii. I3-i6)
Untimely

?Shakespeare'sconstantequation of Macbethwith bestialityin Act Five ("my fell of haire,

v. xI: "harnesson our back", v. 52: "They have tiedme to a stake. . . bear-likeI mustfightthe
course",vii. I-2: "our rarermonsters",viii.25: "baitedwith the rabble'scurse",viii.29) suggests
into monstersaftertheir
the traditionthatboth the fallenangelsand the titanswere transformed
falls.Macduff's"By thisgreatclatterone of greatestnote/Seems bruited"(vii. 2I-22) may be a
metrecallsthe bear-baiting
by adversaries
of a warriorsurrounded
pun on "brute".The suggestion
aphor.

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IN DEEPEST CONSEQUENCE

377

The powerbeneaththesurface,
then,is themythof thefallfroma stateof
grace,whether
thefallfromthebeneficent
lightofGod or theexpulsion
from
paradiseon Earth.The mythhas threebasic manifestations
:6
in Macbeth
moraldecision,
feminine
persuasion,
andcosmicretribution.
I

The auditorofMacbethis projected

intoa fallenworld,onewhichseemsto
haveeatenofthefruit
ofthetreeofgoodandevilandwhichcannottellthetwo
apart.Therearetheobviousambiguities-"Fair
isfoul,andfoulisfair"(I. i. Io),
"fairand foul"(I. iii.38)-whichresoundso ominously
theearlyporthrough
tionsoftheplay,as twoofBanquo'sutterances
testify:
Goodsir,whydoyoustart
andseemtofear
Thingsthatdo soundsofair?(I. iii. 5I-52)
Andmorenegatively,
Thouhastit now-King,Cawdor,
Glamis,
all,
As theWeirdWomenpromis'd;
and,I fear
Thouplay'dst
mostfoully
for't.
(III. i. i-3)
Moralconfusion
is concentrated,
ofcourse,
inMacbeth:
Thissupernatural
soliciting

Cannotbe ill; cannotbe good.(L iii. I30-I30)

. . .function
Is smother'd
in surmise.
And nothing
is
Butwhatis not.(I. iii. I40-I42)

The wordsoftheopeningscenesarelikethosetwospentswimmers
ofwhom
the woundedCaptainspeaks-they"clingtogether/
And choketheirart"
(I. i 8-9).OftenthelinessaytwothingsaboutMacbeth-they
praisehimas a
heroand,prophet-like,
predict
hiscomingtreason:
Norwayhimself,
Withterrible
numbers,
Assistedby thatmostdisloyaltraitor,
The ThaneofCawdor,begana dismalconflict,
Till thatBellona'sbridegroom,
lapp'din proof,
Confronted
himwithself-comparisons,
Pointagainstpoint,rebellious
arm'gainstarm..
(IL ii. 50-56)

The linesareconstructed
tosuggest
thatMacbeth
confronted
Cawdoras wellas
Sweno-a self-comparison
whichbecomesan ominousmirrorreflecting
treason presentand future.
The hintis reinforced
by the adjective"rebellious",

which pointsacrossthe sentenceto modifythe second arm-Macbeth's.This

subversionofa line'sprimarymeaningrecursin Ross'sgreetingto Macbeth:

6 A fourthpossiblemanifestation,
thatof deception,or appearanceversusreality,
is too pervasive
a Shakespearian
themeto be attributable
to theEden portionof themythof thefall.This aspectof
Macbethis discussedby TheodoreSpencer,Shakespeareand the Natureof Man (New York,i96i),
pp. I53-i62, and by L. C. Knights,"King Lear and the GreatTragedies",The Age of Shakespeare
(Baltimore,I955), pp. 24I-245.

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378

SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

Macbeth,
The Kinghathhappilyreceiv'd,
The newsof thysuccess;and whenhe reads
Thy personalventurein therebel'sfight,
His wondersand his praisesdo contend,
Whichshouldbe thineor his.(I. iii. 89-93)

and
rebellion
against
effort
heroic
fight"-his
in therebel's
"Personal
venture
linescontinue,
The contradictory
treason.
hispersonal
rolein theultimate
meaning:
itsostensible
against
treason
committing
itself
thepoetry
ranks,
He findstheein thestoutNorweyan
didstmake,
Nothingafeardofwhatthyself
Strangeimagesofdeath.(I. iii. 95-97)
As the lines predict,Macbethwill soon be among the enemiesof the King,
makinga strangerimage of death,the "greatdoom's image" (II. iii. 83). It is
him.
that"horridimage" (I. iii. I35) whichhas alreadyfrightened
The actionsof Duncan duringthe openingscenesshare the predominant
ambiguousquality; he attemptsto engenderEden on earthyet helps to promotehis murder.As Macbethreturnsfrombattle,Duncan assumesthe role of
Creator,hisrightful
rolewithintheKingdomofScotland:
I havebeginto plantthee,and willlabour
To maketheefullofgrowing.(I. iv. 28-29)
Macbethis in a stateof grace. The choice of remainingin Eden under this
beneficent
aegisis his.If he does so,he is toldthat"signsof nobleness,like stars,
to encourages
shall shine/On all deservers"(I. iv.4V-42) 7 But while attempting
promotestreason.In languagewhichthroughan.
Eden, Duncan unconsciously
again withDelphic tones,the King investsMacominousrhymereverberates
beth with the traitor'stitle,thus promptingMacbeth to assume the traitor's.
reality:
No morethatThaneofCawdorshalldeceive
death
Our bosominterest.
hispresent
Go pronounce
titlegreetMacbeth.(I. ii,63-65)
And withhisformer
No more shall thatThane of Cawdor deceiveus-but what of the new one?
The "carelesstrifle"(I. iv. ii) which Cawdor discardsbecomes an "honesttrifle"(I. iii.I25) which wins Macbeth.The pervasiveconfusionof the opening scenes is perhapssuggestedbest when the graciousDuncan echoes theWeird Sisters(I. i. 4)-as Macbethhad done earlier:"What he hathlostnoble
Macbethhath won" (I. ii. 67). Duncan incitestreasonfurtherby establishing
his estateon Malcolm,just as Milton'sGod exaltshis Son and activatesSatan's.
dormantdisobedience.8
Macbethadjuresthe starsto hide theirfires(I. iv.50);.
7 One suchsignis thediamond,noblestof gemsand like a star,withwhichDuncangreetsLady
Macbeth"By the name of mostkind hostess"(I. i. i5-i6). As Derek Traversisays,"Duncan'sbrief
to which
appearancesbeforehis murderare invariablyinvestedwith imagesof lightand fertility
comof worshipin a magnificent
are joined at momentsof deepestfeelingthe religiousassociations
grace" (An Approachto Shakespeare(New York, i956), pa
prehensiveimpressionof overflowing
I54).

8 The parallelwas notedby Coleridge,whom A. C. Bradleyquotes as saying,"It is a fancy;

but I can neverread this [Duncan's successionspeech,I. iv. 35-43], and the followingspeechesof

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IN DEEPEST CONSEQUENCE

379

heinstructs
hisownsignsofnobleness
toextinguish
themselves
andsofacilitate
theattainment
ofhis"black
anddeepdesires"
(I. iv.51).
The language
ofgood
oftheopening
scenesintermingles
thepossibilities
andofevil,suggesting
theterms
ofMacbeth's
decision.
Ironically,
as hecomes
closer
tokilling
Duncan,
hisawareness
oftheheinousness
ofthecrime
becomes
clearer.
LikeAdam,Macbeth
knowsclearly
whatGod'swordis andwhatthe
general
results
ofDuncan's
murder
must
be:
... hisvirtues
Willpleadlikeangels,
trumpet-tongu'd,
against
Thedeepdamnation
ofhistaking-off.
(I. vii.i8-20)
Anactwhich
wouldoutrage
angels,
involve
theperpetrator
in damnation-the
dimensions
of thefallare suggested
by thedropfrom"angelstrumpet
tongu'd"
to"deepdamnation"
whichthevoicemustmakeas thelineis read.
Theattainment
of"black
anddeepdesires"
willhavethe"deepest
consequence"
itnotso
adviceto"Consider
(I. iii.I26). Macbeth
is unabletofollow
hiswife's
deeply"
(II. ii.30). Butagainst
theawareness
ofthedepthtowhichthedeed
He rewill drivehim is theupwardand irresistible
surgeof his ambition.

phrases
whathehadsaidonhearing
ofMalcolm's
elevation
(I. iv.48-49):
I haveno spur
butonly
To prick
thesidesofmyintent,
whicho'erleaps
itself
Vaulting
ambition,
And fallson th'other.... (I.

Vii. 25-28)

In a fallen
worldhiseyesareopentothemeaning
ofgoodandevilandtothe
forfurther
fall.Atthismoment,
potential
heis a symbol
ofanymanwhohas
beensimilarly
tornbetween
"hisvirtuous
understanding
and his corrupt
will".9

II

ofAdam'stemptation
orofMacbeth's
mustinvolve
Eve-or
Anydiscussion
offeminine
thespurofwhichMacelement
LadyMacbeth-the
persuasion,
bethspeaks
attheendofhissoliloquy.
SomewillarguethattheWeirdSisters
thinkingof the MiltonicMessiahand Satan" (ShakespeareanTragMacbeth,withoutinvoluntarily
edy (New York, 1955), p. 433). Anotherversion(simplythenotation,"Messiah-Satan")appearsin
TerenceHawkes,ed. (New York,i959), p. I92. The parallel
on Shakespeare,
Coleridge'sWritings
is developedin greaterdetail by JohnW. Hales, "Milton'sMacbeth",NineteenthCentury,XXX
(Dec. i89i), 919-932. In this engagingessay,Hales examinesthe thematiclinks betweenMacbethand ParadiseLost: "no otherof Shakespeare'splayscomesso near dealingwiththe verysubMacbeth'sis "the disject of ParadiseLost or . . . does in factso fullydeal withit, as Macbeth.-`
fruitand was expelledfromhis
obedienceof a remoteson of Adam ... he too pluckedforbidden
Eden-expelled fromthe stateof happiness,honor,and peace." See also Paul Siegel,Shakespearean
Tragedyand the ElizabethanCompromise(New York,1957), pp. 142-i60 (in whichtheEve-Lady
is noted briefly,
pp. 143-I44), M.D.H. Parker,The Slave of Life (London,
Macbethrelationship
J.Dover Wilson,Macbeth(Cambridge,1947), pp. Ixiv-lxvi, and Helen Gard1953), pp. i62-i64,
ner, "Milton's'Satan' and the Theme of Damnationin ElizabethanTragedy",Essaysand Studies,
I (I948), 46-66.
9 E. M. W. Tillyard,Shakespeare'sHistoryPlays (London, 1959), p. 3I5. Similarly,Alfred
Harbage says,"If Macbethwere otherthanhe is, less like ourselves,he would be a less powerful
and theabysswe have escaped"(Macbeth(Baltimore,1956),
symbolof our own worstpotentialities
p. 19).

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380

SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

arethespurtoMacbeth's
intent,10
andbecausethisis partially
true,Shakespeare
is carefulto createmanylinksbetweenthemand Lady Macbeth.Twice she
echoestheirwordsandrhythms:
i. Witch.
Allhail,Macbeth!
Hailtothee,
ThaneofGlamis!
2. Witch.
Allhail,Macbeth!
Hailtothee,
ThaneofCawdor!
3. Witch.
Allhail,Macbeth,
thatshaltbeKinghereafter!
LadyM. Glamisthouart,andCawdor,
andshaltbeWhatthouartpromis'd.(I. v. i6-I7)

LadyM. GreatGlamis!worthy
Cawdor!
Greater
thanbothbytheall-hail
hereafter!"
(I. v. 55-56)
She woulddenature
herself
liketheSisters,
whomBanquowouldhavecalled
theinterpretation
womenhad theirbeardsnotforbidden
(I. iii.45-47):
Come,youspirits
Thattendonmortal
unsexmehere.... (I. v. 40-4I)
thoughts,
Like theSisters,
shewouldbe an "instrument
ofa hellish
ofdarkness",
creator
of"filthy
atmosphere
air":
Come,thicknight,
Andpalltheein thedunnest
smoke
ofhell.... (I. vi. 5I-52)
ofsunsetmadebytheThirdWitch
theprediction
She wouldmakepermanent

(I. i.5):

0 never
see!12(I. vi. 6i-62)
Shallsunthatmorrow
withtheWeirdSisters,
the
WhileLady Macbethis linkedunmistakably
temptation
sceneringswithechoesofEden:
Macbeth.
Hathhe ask'dforme?

Lady M. Knowyounothe has? (I. vii.29-30)

10 Cf. Hardin Craig: "He is seducedby the witches,clearlypowersof evil,who exemplify
the
moralitydoctrinethatSatan is a deceiver"("MoralityPlaysand ElizabethanDrama", SQ, I (April,
i950),
64-72). ProfessorCraig's neglectof Macbeth'sspiritualstrugglekeeps Macbethin line
or any inwardstruggle",but such a view
with the moralityhero,who "lacks personalmotivation
of Macbeth'smovementtowardsevil. A morequalifiedview is
resultsin a vast oversimplification
thatof WillardFarnham:"Macbethis a moralityplay writtenin termsof JacobeanTragedy.Its
in spiteof all thathis consciencecan do
herois workedupon by forcesof evil,yieldsto temptation
to stop him . . . and is broughtto retribution
by his death" (Shakespeare'sTragicFrontier(Berkeley,1950), p. 79).
11Macbethhimselfengagesin some significant
echoing:"'Glamis hath murther'dsleep,and
therefore
Cawdor/Shall sleep no more! Macbethshall sleep no more!'" (II. ii. 40-41). The final
step in the sequenceshould be King; insteadMacbethcomesback in horrorto himself,to thehumanityhe has lost in becomingKing.
to becomeLilith,Adam's shadowyfirst
12 At thispoint,Lady Macbethseemsto be attempting
a witchbewife,whosename means"of the night",a demonor vampire,or, in Medievalfolklore,
lieved to be a menaceto littlechildren,as Lady Macbethclaimsto be (I. vii. 54-59). Lilith is associatedwitha screechowl as is Lady Macbeth(II. ii. 3-4; II. ii. i6). FrancisFergussonstatesthat
"Accordingto folklore. . . Harpier[the familiarof theThirdWitch] [is] an owl" (Shakespeare's
link
Tragediesof Monarchy(New York,i962), p. I73). This would createa slenderbutsignificant
betweenLady Macbeth,who feels"the futurein the instant"(I. v. 59), and the Third Witch,the
witchof the future.

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IN DEEPEST CONSEQUENCE

38i

Eden calling,"Whereartthou?"to Adam.The Geneva

God walkedthrough
fromthebanquet
departure
to Macbeth's
glosson God'ssearchgivescontext
God's
fleeth
conscience
guiltysoliloquy:"The sinnefull
and to thesubsequent
To avoid the deed and at the same timeplacateLady Macbeth,
presense."
terms:
tomaterial
ofhissoliloquy
theabstractions
reduces
Macbeth
I havebought
ofpeople.
allsorts
from
opinions
Golden
newest
gloss,
Whichwouldbewornnowintheir
Notcastasidesosoon.(I. vii.32-35)13
at thispointin theplaytoseebebyherinability
is conditioned
His argument
yondthe tangible.Macbethcannotspeakof "doubletrust"or of Duncan's
("Whatdo youmean?"she
his wifewouldnot understand
clarityin office;
aboutthesleepwhichhe will never
askslater,as Macbethwaxeshyperbolic
a
excusefornotpursuing
knowagain-II. ii.40). Buttoemploya materialistic
reMacbeth
Lady
counterattack.
for
courseis to openoneselfup
materialistic
witha sneerthatcowardicelurksbeneaththe thane'snew
torts,implying
clothes:"Whenyou durstdo it, thenyou werea man" (I. vii.49). As Dr.
critic,"Courageis
of an eighteenth-century
says,withthe certainty
Johnson
cowardicecannot
of
reproach
the
and
virtueof a soldier,
the distinguishing
be borneby any man withoutgreatimpatience.'914Her skillfulblendof scorn

balance
feminineweapons-upsetsthe precarious
and sex-the primordial
submission
withinMacbeth.The wordsin theGenevamarginaboutAdam's
at
"Not so muchto pleasehiswife,as moovedbyambition
becomerelevant:
coinEve andLadyMacbeth
The rolesofthesixteenth-century
herpersuasion."
breast.'5
latentwithinherhusband's
cide-eachignitestheambition
a Lilith,shehas
to makeherself
Thus whileLady Macbethhas attempted
She has
qualitiesofEve to temptMacbeth.
toemploythefeminine
beenforced
Her linkto thequalitiesoftheWeirdSistersis onlyverbal,
notbeenunsexed.
ifshebasesheractionsupon
equationwhichwillprovedisastrous
a rhetorical
it-as shedoes,ofcourse:
andthedead
Thesleeping
Givemethedaggers.
'Tistheeyeofchildhood
Arebutas pictures.
devil.(II. ii. 53-55)
Thatfearsa painted
onlymoments
has seenwiththeeyesofchildhood
She forgets
thatsheherself
before:
Had he notresembled
as he slept,I haddone't.(II. ii. I3-I4)
Myfather
13 Miss McCarthy
contendsthatMacbethsaysthis "to himself"(p. 37). I have not seen a text
however,in supportof her arguwhich supportsthis contention;it is a convenientassumption,
materialism".
mentforMacbeth's"know-nothing
14 W. K. Wimsatt,
Jr.,ed., Samuel Johnsonon Shakespeare(New York,i960), p. I03.
15 That the witcheshave only reminded
him of previousthoughtsis impliedeven beforeLady
Macbeth'ssuggestionthat the murderwas conceivedoriginallyby Macbeth(I. vii.47-52). When
Duncan afterthe witcheshave appeared
about murdering
Macbeth'sspeculations
Banquo interrupts
(I. iii.
(I. iii. I52), Macbethapologizes,saying,"My dull brainwas wroughtwiththingsforgotten"
thoughtssus154). The lines suggestthat the witcheshave merelyremindedhim of murderous
of battle.Curiously,Coleridgecalls Macbeth'sexcusea "lie" (Hawkes,
pendedamid the hurlyburly

p. 191)

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382

SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

We learn suddenlythatshe was once a child,thather attemptto subverther

bodyof Duncan is to become
naturehas beenunsuccessful.The blood-covered
a picturewhichwill pursueherintothehellishmurkofhermadness:"Yet who
would have thoughtthe old man to have had so much blood in him?" (V. i.
44-45).The blood was real,notmerepaint.17The wordsof theGeneva glosson
Genesis ii defineher tragicfailure,her inabilityto see soon enoughthe difference betweenthe painteddevil which mightbe scornedand the image of a
fathermurdered,as capturedby the child's eye withinher: "This is Satans
Ichiefest
to causeus notto feareGods threatenings."
subtiltie,
The contradictory
characterof Lady Macbeth,the elementsof Lilith and
Eve withinher,can bestbe summarizedby examiningone of the play'smost
(II. iii. I24) .18 The argumentson each side
controversial
aspects-herfeint-faint
requireonly briefsummary.Some claim thatthe feintis merelyanotherimprovisationby the skillfultactician,anothermaskingof realitywith appearance,thatit drawsattentionaway fromMacbeth'ssuspiciousrhetoricand from
his questionablekillingof thegrooms,thatit represents
to reactas a
her effort
woman shouldreact(an "innocentflower"),thatit atonesforthe blundershe
has alreadymade (II. iii. 92-93), that the woman who could take the knives
back into the murderchamberwould hardlycollapseat the mere mentionof
blood, thatMacbeth'sunconcernforher shows thathe, at least,knows she is
faking,etc.These argumentsare persuasive.Most criticsbelieve,however,that
she does faint.'9They suggestthatthe murderhas been a greatstrainon her,
thatshe has beenactiveformanyhoursand has been drinkingbesides(II. ii. iimpression
2), that,as her mad sceneproves,Duncan's blood made a frightful
on her,that the faces of the group assembledsuggestfor the firsttime the
heinousnessof the deed,20etc. These too are persuasivearguments.We have
in fact,thatthestrength
of one case tends
such a perfectmomentin ambiguity,
to cancel the otherout. The solution,perhaps,is to admitthe validityof each
case,to move intothe zone of negativecapabilityand recognizethatthismoment definestwo Lady Macbeths.The feintsuggeststhe schemingplotterof
woman of the FifthAct. If
the earlyscenes;the faintpredictsthe sin-haunted
or another,themomentpointsbackward
we do notinsiston one interpretation
16 Cf. Fergusson,
alone,she would look less like thepowerp. i9i, on V. i: "In her nightgown,
-madwomanof Act I thanlike a littlegirllostin thedark."
17 Dr. Johnson's
questionon II.ii.54-55, "Could Shakespearepossiblymean to playon thesimilitude of gild and guilt?" (Wimsatt,p. I03), is pursuedby CleanthBrooks,who says,"for [Lady
like gilt--onecan wash it offor paintit on"
Macbeth],thereis no moralorder:guiltis something
Poet", The Yale Review,XXXIV (June,I945), p. 66o).
("Shakespeareas a Symbolist
18 See the VariorumEdition,pp. i6i-i64, fora summary
of the debate.Amongthosewho believe thatLady Macbethreallyfaintsare Bradley,pp. 394-395; Edward Dowden, Shakspere:His
-Mindand Art (New York, i962), p. 254; Sir Edmund Chambers,Shakespeare:A Survey(New
York, i960), p. 236; G. Wilson Knight,"Macbethand the Metaphysicof Evil", The Wheel of
p. I46; W. A. Neilson,Shakespeare(Cambridge,Mass.,
Fire (New York, I957), p. I52; Kittredge,
p. ii82;
Thomas M. Parrott,Shakespeare(New York, I953), p. 826; and IrvingRibner,
I942),
Patternsof ShakespearianTragedy(London, 1960), p. I62.
withsuggestions
19Lendingsupportto thispositionis thefactthatthescene(II.iii) reverberates
*ofJudgment
Day. MacduffcommandsMalcolm,Donalbain,and Banquo to rise "As fromyour
graves. . . and walk like sprites"to view "thegreatdoom'simage" (83-84). Lady Macbethaskson
"What's the business/That such a hideoustrumpetcalls to parley/The sleepersof the
,entering,
house?" (86-88). The scene fulfillsMacbeth'spredictionthat "we still have judgementhere"

(I.vii.8)

20 Harold Goddardsuggests
that"the actingby her bodyof an assumedfear[opens] a channel
.to the genuinefearshe is tryingto hide" (The Meaningof Shakespeare(Chicago,I951), p. I20).

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IN DEEPEST CONSEQUENCE

383

and forward,
accomplishing
theimpossible
bycapturing
thecontradictory
featuresofLady Macbeth's
careerwithina singleinstant.
Suchambiguity
is appropriate
to a playin whichfouland fairelements
are blendedinextricably.
LadyMacbeth's
subsequent
history-the
emergence
ofthewomanwithinherto
increases
ourappreciation
ofthefeminine
powerwhichlaybehindhereffort
persuade
herhusbandtokilltheKing.
III
Whiletheretribution
whichLady Macbethexperiences
is definedby the
Doctoras "a greatperturbation
in nature"(V. i. io), itis personal
andinternal.
Nature'sperturbation
in Macbeth,however,is limitless,
in HenryAdams'
phrase"an insanity
of force,"'"
morepervasive
perhapseventhanthattitanic
stormwhichswirlsaroundand withintheheadof King Lear.Nature'soutrageinMacbeth
swellstotheproportions
ofan anti-Creation.22
Duncanrepresents
of ScotGod,thecreative
principle;
he is thearchitect
land'sgarden.The themeof Eden is perhapsbestarticulated
as Banquoand
theKingapproach
Dunsinane:
Duncan.Thiscastlehatha pleasant
seat.The air
and sweetly
itself
Nimbly
recommends
Untoourgentlesenses.
Thisguestofsummer,
Banquo.
The temple-haunting
martlet,
doesapprove,
breath
Byhislov'dmasonry,
thattheheaven's
Smellswooingly
here.No jutty,
frieze,
Buttress,
norcoignofvantage,
butthisbird
cradle.
Hathmadehispendant
bedandprocreant
I haveobserv'd
Where
mostbreedandhaunt,
they
The air is delicate.(I. vi. i-io)

The worldwhichtheysee,likeEden,existsin harmony

withHeaven;it is a
in
of man hospitable,
creativeworldin whichnestsfindthe constructions
whichthedelicateairofHeavenat onceencourages
newlifeintobeingandis
is sugrecreated
bythatnewlife.23
The linkbetween
Duncanand theMartlet
it is no
gestedby RobertSpeaight:"Bothare guestsand bothare innocent;
But this
accidentthattheKing is seenin relationto uncorrupted
nature."24
DunsiforScotlandunderDuncan,is deceptive;
glimpseofEden,a metaphor
is pureand martlets
haunttheair,but
naneis a placewhere"theatmosphere
thedarkest
WiththemurderofDundesignsarehatchedwithinitswalls."25
is forced
martlet"
tofleewhen
can,procreation
vanishes.
The "temple-haunting
murther"
"theLord'sanointed
temple"is desecrated
by"mostsacrilegious
(II.
"another
iii.68-69).WhenMacbethmemorizes
Golgotha"(I. ii.40), theprinversesofGenesis,
The first
ofcourse,
cipleofanti-Creation
becomesdominant.
21 The Educationof HenryAdams (New York, I931),

p. 228.

with
of destruction
Cf. G. WilsonKnight:"The wholeplaymay be writdown as a wrestling
in Macbeth",The ImperialTheme (Oxford,I931), p.
creation"("An Essay on the Life-themes
153). G. R. Elliottcompares"the dreadfuldisorder"to "that of primalchaos" (DramaticProvidencein 'Macbeth'(Princeton,i958), p. I04, n. 36).
23 Commenting
on Duncan's approachto Dunsinane,L. C. Knightssays,"We do violenceto
as opposedto the 'supernatural
soliciting'of the
the play when we ignorethe 'holy supernatural'
witches"(Explorations(London, I946), p. 22).
24Naturcin ShakespeareanTragedy(New York,i962), p. 6x.
25 HenriFluchere,
Shakespeareand theElizabethans(New York,i956), p. 217.
22

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384

SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

betweenlight("thatit was good") and darksuggestorder-thedistinction

ness,heavenand earth,sea and land,day and night,seasons,years,sun and
things:
growing
ofGenesisemphasize
verses
moon.The opening
thatseedeth
oftheherbe,
thefruit
buddeforth
ThenGodsaid,lettheearth
to hiskinde,which
fruitaccording
tree,whichbareth
seed,thefruitfull
upontheearth....
hathhisseedinitselfe
merelyblurredin theopeningscenesbecome
distinctions
Withthemurder,
preyson fieldmice,risesup to downa
An owl,whichnormally
obliterated.
turn
'gainstobedience",
falcon(II. iV. I2-I3). Horses,"Contending
towering
wild,eat each otherand seem"as theywouldmake/War withmankind"
identities
(II. iv.I4-i8). Nightand morning"at odds" lose theirdistinctive
gardenof God and Duncan is destroyed;
(III. iv.I27). The well-planned
Scotlandbecomesa kingdomof "weeds"(V.ii.30). "Answerme",Macbeth
"Thoughbladedcornbe lodg'dandtreesblowndown. . .
shoutsat theSisters,
Even tilldetumbleall together,/
Of nature'sgermens
thoughthetreasure/
It is as if the
sicken"(IV. i.5-60). God's initialfiatlux is refuted.
struction
"Stars,hideyourfires!"(I.iv.50), or LadyMacworldhas heededMacbeth's
Scarf
"Come,seelingnight,/
beth's"Come,thicknight"(I. v.51), orMacbeth's
up thetendereyeof pitifulday" (III. ii.46-47).The commandis "Let there
be darkness":
inheaven;
husbandry
There's
areallout.(II. i. 4-5)
Theircandles
Byth'clock'tisday,
lamp.
thetravelling
strangles
Andyetdarknight
ortheday'sshame,
predominance,
Is'tnight's
entomb,
doesthefaceofearth
Thatdarkness
kissit? (II. iv.6-io)
lightshould
Whenliving
butourgrave"(IV.
"It cannot/Be call'dourmother,
Scotlandliesentombed;
the
iii.i65-i66).Once an Eden wooedby "heaven'sbreath", landnow rejects
thekissoflivinglight:
Eachnewmorn... newsorrows
Strike
heavenon theface.. . . (IV. iii.4-6)
(III. ii.i6).
is gone;now"boththeworldssuffer"
relationship
The harmonious
in Macbeth:
of course,
is concentrated,
The sterile
principle
crown
Uponmyheadtheyplac'da fruitless
inmygripe....(III. i. 6i-62)
sceptre
Andputa barren
AgainthelinesechotheGenevaglosson Genesis:"So thatwe see it is the
whichels naturally
onelypowerofGodswordthatmakeththeearthfruitful,
therulesof
Havingsuspended
is baren."Duncanhadsaidas muchlongbefore.
BanquocomestothebanMacbethfindsthattheycannotbe reinstated;
nature,
inflicted
uponhim.He pushesMacmortalmurthers"
quetdespitethe"twenty
tooccupy
hisstool(III. iv.8i-82)-a hintthatBanquo'slineisdestined
bethfrom
(III.
thethrone-andbreaksup theroyalfeast"Withmostadmir'ddisorder"
to his deleadsinevitably
of an anti-Creation
iv.i09). Macbeth'spromotion

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IN DEEPEST CONSEQUENCE

385

spairingdemandforhis own annihilation("Out, out,briefcandle!",V. v. 23).

inadequatebeforethe
Lady Macbeth'scommandforlight(V. i. 26) is pitifully
darkness.
inner
her
of
immensity
More permanentthan sterilityin this life,however,and more terrifying
We have seen Lady Macis damnationin the life-to-come.
than annihilation,
we have seen Macbeth's
her
hell,
and
of
in
dun
smoke
the
already
bethgroping
and nightmare(III.
(II.
ii.
35-40)
insomnia
life devolveinto a choicebetween
ii. i8-i9). His ultimatedamnationis impliedin an eerielittlescenewhichgoes
almostunnoticedbetweenhis sombersoliloquiesand thesweep of thefinalacMacbethbeginsa soliloquy:
tion.Having dismisseda pale messenger,
Seyton!-I am sickat heart,

I say!(V. iii. i9-20)

WhenI behold-Seyton,
What was to be theobjectof "behold"?Since therestof thesoliloquyconcerns
whatMacbethhas lost,it maybe thathe was aboutto mentionthesoul he has
himselfwith
lost. But, perhapsunwillingto confrontthat loss,he interrupts
which
thoughts
the
check
call
his
does
But
armor-bearer.26
his
anothershoutto
theme-the
same
the
may be flowingtowardsdamnation?Perhaps it echoes
eventualitywhich must be ever lurkingon the bordersof Macbeth's consciousness."Seyton",afterall, soundsalmostlike "Satan."27Macbethcontinues:
I haveliv'dlongenough.My wayoflife
Is fallenintothesere,theyellowleaf.(V. iii. 22-23)28
Macbeth'sfallis linkedto imagesof a fadedEden. Having cut offthesourceof
his growth,he has "made of himselfa rootlessbranchthatmustbecomedessiwitha barrenparadeof all thathe cannotlook to have:
cated."29He continues,
". . . honour,love,obedience,troopsof friends. . ." (V. iii.24-25). "Deep damnation"becomes"Curses,not loud but deep" (V. iii. 27). The soliloquycloses
with anothershoutof "Seyton!"The cryhas been repeatedthreetimes,linkwith the Weird Sisters.Perhaps each cry mingles
ing Seyton appropriately
suggested
of damnationwiththeworld-weariness
awareness
Macbeth'sgrowing
inevitable.80
the
to
on
with
he
bythesoliloquy;perhaps wants get
As if conjuredup by the repeatedshouts,Seytonenters,and with what
would seem to be Mephistophelianironyasks, "What's your graciouspleasure?" (V. iii. 29). Few words could be more inappropriateto Macbeth than
"graciouspleasure".It was Duncan who was "gracious",as Lennox says (III.
26 Accordingto French,quoted in the VariorumEdition,p. 320,
"The Setonsof Touch were
armour-bearers
to the Kings of Scotland;thereis thusa peculiarfitness
(and stillare) hereditary
in thechoiceof thisname."
of "Seyton"in i6o8 was close to that of "Satan".
27 It is probablethat the pronounciation
Helge Kokeritzsays that "Hodges (i643) listssay and sea as homonyms"(Shakespeare'sProspelledthe
thatShakespeare
(New Haven,I953), p. I44). WhiletheOED suggests
nounciation
word "Sathan",the Geneva Bible (0594 Edition) spellsit "Satan". Even if the word were spelled
"Sathan,"it mightstillbe pronounced"Satan" (Cf. "Much Ado About'Noting'").
offersa concisesummaryof Macbeth'scareerin termsof the treemetaphor:"And
28 Arviragus
when a soldierwas the theme,my name/Was not faroff.Then was I as a tree/Whose boughs
call it whatyou will,/Shookdownmy
did bend withfruit;butin one night,/A stormor robbery,
mellow hangings,nay,my leaves,/And leftme bare to weather"(CymbelineIII.iii.59-64).
29 SylvanBarnet,Macbeth(New York, i963), p. xxvi.
80 The scenewould be a directcontrast,
then,to the finalsceneof The TragicalHistoryof Dr.
Faustus.

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386

SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

iv. 3), as Macbethimpliesafterthemurder("Renown and graceis dead",II. iii.

99), and as he reiterates
in a speechwhichresemblesthe one on whichSeyton
enters:
For themthegraciousDuncanhaveI murther'd;
Putrancours
in thevesselofmypeace
Onlyforthem,and mineeternaljewell
Giventothecommonenemyofman... (III. i. 66-69)
This speechmentionsthe loss of his soul-the jewel he has tossedaway like a
carelesstrifle-a loss furthersuggestedby the image of a defiledcommunion
cup. And Macbeth can know no pleasure; his speecheslist the joys of life
whichhe has forsaken,
thejoyswhichDuncan had in abundanceand offered
to
Macbeth, which Duncan retains ("he sleeps well", III. ii. 23) and which
Macbeth will never know again. At the momentin which Seytonuses it,
"pleasure"is doublyironic; a King's pleasureis translatedimmediatelyinto
reality.
Royalpleasuremeanscontrol,
and thisMacbethis losingalso:
z. Witch.[toMacbethabouttheFirstApparition]
He willnotbe commanded.
(IV. i. 75)
He cannotbucklehis distemper'd
cause
Withinthebeltof rule.(V. ii. i5-i6)
Now minutely
revoltsupbraidhis faith-breach.
(V. ii. i8)
The richnessof Seyton'sironysuggeststhathe maybe morethana merearmorbearer.
Macbeth demandsmore news of him. Seytontells him that "All is confirm'd,my lord,which was reported"(V. iii. 3). All?-perhaps all that the
Sistersreportedto Macbethon his secondencounterwith them.The line suggestsmorethana meremilitaryreport;it suggestsa strangeand encompassing
knowledgeof the movementof BirnamWood and the approachof the untimely-born
Macduff.Macbethdemandshis armor.Seytontellshim that"'Tis
not needed yet" (V. iii.34), implyingagain a knowledgeof the futureappropriateto a play in whichpropheciesecho throughthe air. In Act Five, of all
thosewho appear in Dunsinane beforeinvadingforcesbreak in-the Doctor
and the Gentlewoman,Macbeth and Lady Macbeth,the two messengersSeytonalonedisplaysno signoffear.His attitudeis almostcomplacent.
Later, as the enemypushes closer,Macbethhears a shriekand demands,
"What is that noise?" (V.v.7). Seytonreplies,"It is the cryof women,my
good lord" (V. v. 8). Again, ironyringsin the termsof address.Seytonleaves
and returnswithword that"The Queen, my lord,is dead" (V. v. i6). Within
the messageof death,Seytonplaces yet anothertermof preeminentposition.
Macbeth'sfinal hope for an heir is snuffed,his last link with this world is
deliveredby a Seyton-Satan,
snapped. Such crushingnews is appropriately
existsbetween
of absoluteloss."1Seyton,theironicarmor-bearer,
representative
two barrensoliloquies; he entersand departsto words which defineMacbeth's meaninglessness.
Seyton'spresenceimplies that death is not all that
awaits Macbeth-he reinforcesthe rhythmof damnationwith which Mac31His verypositionis ironic;no externalarmorcan save Macbeth.

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IN DEEPEST CONSEQUENCE

387

in Hell; we
We seeLadyMacbeth
fromthefirst.32
beth'ssoulhasbeenmerging

ontheway.33
seeMacbeth
havecalledShakewhatsomecritics
exemplifies
ofMalcolm
Therestoration
thatitfalls
wayofsaying
Thisisanother
governance.34
ofdivine
myth
speare's
by
defined
whether
of destiny,
control
withinthemythof God'sultimate
by
magnificently
sceneis captured
The restoration
Genesisor Revelation.35
pearl"(V. viii.56). The
withthykingdom's
"I seetheecompass'd
Macduff:
thatofa
relationship,
noblesandtheKingareplacedagainin a harmonious
ringof
withMalcolmthecentral
crown,
jewel,thenoblesthesubordinate
designof governance,
of thereestablished
hisawareness
pearls.To express
signsof
bybestowing
crown
thevalueofthemetaphorical
Malcolm
enhances
isobvious:
him.Thepunon"pearl"
whosurround
onthose
nobleness
MyThanesandkinsmen,
thateverScotland
be Earls,thefirst
Henceforth
nam'd.(V. vii.62-64)
In suchanhonour

toitsnatNowthattimeis restored
tampering.
Thetimeis freeofMacbeth's
Scotreturned,
(V. ii.30) has
flower"
nowthat"thesovereign
uralsequence,
withthetime"(V. viii.65).Malcolm
planted
land'sgardenwillbe "newly
Appearance
movesfromhisroleas Messiahto thatof hisfather-Creator.
thebrows
lurkbeneath
doesfoulness
again;no longer
areattuned
andreality
ofgrace:
else
whatneedful
Thatcallsuponus,bythegraceofGrace
andplace.(V. viii.71-73)
time,
Wewillperform
inmeasure,

rebrow-are
ofgraceonMalcolm's
andthecircle
Godandthecrown-Grace
the
implies
bytherhyme
reinforced
ofthemeter
movement
united.
Thestately
bythewords.
defined
oforder
oftheelements
return
calls"thewilling
forwhatColeridge
thenecessity
Macbeth
movesbeyond
As
poeticfaith."
whichconstitutes
forthemoment,
of disbelief
suspension
32 Aftercompleting
thisessay,I foundthisdisconcerting
note: "One criticsuggestswildlythat
Shakespeareintended[in 'Seyton']a quibbleon Satan",The New ArdenEditionof Macbeth,Kenthisanticcritic.While I
nethMuir,ed. (London, 1951), p. 152). I have been unable to identify
would not argue thatBushyand Greenin Richard11 relateto the gardenimageryof the play,I
do believethatAntony'srepeatedcriesof "Erosl" in Antonyand Cleopatrabecomecriesto his god,
as do Macbeth'sshoutsof "Seytonl"As Thomas McFarlandsays,"Eros the servantbecomesEros
At leastone directhe god" ("Antonyand Octavius",Yale Review (Winter,1954), pp. 204-228).
in Seyton'spart,as indicatedin thisreview
tor,Mr. Donald McWhinnie,has seen the possibilities
by J. C. Trewin: "Seytonin thisrevivalbecamea characterof some consequence.Justas Catesby
must be always with RichardIII, so Seytonwas always with Macbeth.He was the mysterious
thirdmurdererat Banquo's ambush" ("The Old Vic and Stratford-upon-Avon,
i96i-I962",
SQ,
XIII (Autumn,
I962), 5i6).
33 For a discussionof damnationin Hamlet,Macbeth,and Othello,and its probableeffecton
an Elizabethanaudience,see Kenneth0. Myrick,"The Theme of Damnationin Shakespearean
Tragedy",SP, XXXVIII (1941), 221-245.
34 Cf. Wheelwright,
p. 29: "The mythof universalgovernance,divine and earthly,has its
and in Elizabethanpatrioticconsciousness
. . . it expressesa harmony
double sourcein Christianity
thatjoins mankindwithdivinityand with orderednature."See also RobertHeilman,"The Lear
World",EnglishInstituteEssays (New York, 1948), pp. 29-57.
35 Malcolmhimselfsuggeststhathis returnto Scotlandrepresents
a Crusadewhen he describes
Siward: "An older and a bettersoldiernone/ That Christendom
gives out" (IV. iii. 191-2).

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388

SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

FrancisFergusson
says,"it takespossession
of themindand theimagination
directly"
(p. I79). Suchpoweris at leastpartially
explainedby thepowerof
themythwhichShakespeare
employs,
thedeeporiginal
forcewhichsurgesup
intotheactionandlanguageoftheplayandwhichforces
us toseewhatDover
Wilsoncalls"a gigantic
reflexion
ofoursinfulselvesthrown
upontheimmeasurable
screen
oftheuniverse.
. ." (p. lxviii).
BowdoinCollege

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