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Nature in a Negative Context
Throughout the course of literature, the portrayal of the natural world has always been central to the development and the intriguing nature of a written piece of work. Nature imagery in Macbeth is pivotal to the advancement and depiction of the negative aspects of the plot, main characters, and central themes. Negative context in Macbeth can be perceived as the evil, murderous, dangerous, and immoral aspects being foreshadowed and personified, as well as the inhumane and dark characteristics that flaunt the play. Natural imagery is central to the play for the following reasons: firstly, it furthers the negative portions of the plot and atmosphere; secondly, it underscores the negative aspects of the characters’ personalities in the play; and lastly, it illustrates the negative parts of the reoccurring themes throughout the play. The various themes and motifs that are apparent in they play include, but are not limited to the notion that appearances can often be deceiving and the violation of the Great Order of Being resulting in moral and political chaos. William Shakespeare uses the negative attributes of the natural world in Macbeth to affect the plot and atmospheric mood in the play.
The dark qualities exhibited in nature are fundamental for certain actions taking place to advance the plot and stimulate an eerie mood in Macbeth. Events in the interconnected world of nature provide an inherently sinister yet conscious atmosphere in which both of the play’s murders take place. Lady Macbeth herself heard unnatural cries and disturbances in the natural world before Duncan’s death: “It was the owl that shriek’d, the fatal bellman,” (2.2.3). The owl is a bird of ill omen and a bellman visited condemned criminals before their execution, and thus the owl’s weird shriek inspired the dark and tense mood that is instilled in the play before and after Duncan’s murder. Fleance makes his own reference to the moon being down, which indicates that the night of the murder is one of absolute darkness, as if Scotland is thrown into an abyss of death, destruction, and evil. The famous romantic essayist Thomas De Quincey hints at the notion that a “world of darkness” replaces the world of “ordinary life” in Macbeth. On the morning after Duncan’s murder Lennox mentions that “The night has been unruly...Our chimneys were blown down, and, as they say, / Lamentings heard I’ the air, strange screams of death,” (2.3.54-56). Thus, the wind was so unusually strong that it knocked a chimney down and in the air screams of death in the natural world were heard, which signifies that evil was afoot. Malevolent aspects of natural world preclude Banquo’s murder and assist in advancing the plot when Macbeth says: “Good things of day begin to droop and drowse, / Whiles night’s black agents to their preys do rouse.” (3.3.52-53). Thus, the plot develops as the forces of darkness seize control of the weather when night falls and the forces of goodness grow tired as evil steps in. Furthermore, when the witches prophesize that Macbeth will be defeated when Birnam Woods move to Dunsinane, this preludes to the actual “moving” of the trees by English soldiers and ultimately represents Macbeth’s defeat. Before the war with the tyrant begins, Lennox says: “To dew to sovereign flower, and drown the weeds:” (5.3.30). Hence, he is referring to Malcolm (the flower) as the cure for the weeds (Macbeth and Lady Macbeth). In saying that he foreshadows Malcolm’s victory and Macbeth’s hasty demise, as well as good reigning over Scotland yet again. In addition to advancing the plot and stimulating the mood in the dark corners of the play, nature imagery yields a substantial amount of insight into a character’s personality and mindset.
It is well known that humankind grew up in nature; makes use of nature, and will always remain interconnected with nature. Thus, characters in Macbeth often use the attributes of the natural world, which in turn reveals a great deal about them and their personality. The play begins with the appearance of three hideous, dark witches who immediately draw parallels with nature and themselves: “When shall we three meet again? / In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” (1.1.1-2). There are three negative representations of weather: Thunder, lightning, and rain; all which are destructive, dark, and gloomy. Those three unpleasant and disastrous weather conditions correspond to the three revolting, evil witches, thus personifying them. thus personifying the witches whose actions and personality are reminiscent of the weather they appear with. They also mention fog and filthy air, which is an accurate portrayal of them as they have filthy, dark, and clouded ideas and appearances. Furthermore, several witches refer to their familiars, who at the time were thought to be incarnations of the devil, thus signifying evil, immorality, and the maliciousness that surrounds the character of the satanic evil witches. While plotting Duncan’s bloody murder, Lady Macbeth instructs her husband to: “…look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t…” (1.5.65-66). Hence, Lady Macbeth is deceptive for immoral and sinister purposes. Macbeth asserts his confidence when he says: “What man dare, I dare: / Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear, / The arm’d rhinoceros, or the Hycran tiger, / Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves / Shall never tremble…” (3.4.100-103). Hence, he refers to three of the fiercest animals known at the time, and boasts that he is not afraid of any of them. The animals he refers too, are also animals who known for their ferocity and often pompous assertion of strength at the expense of the lives and well-being of other animals. Thus, the comparison between those animals and Macbeth reveals that he affirms his power and pursues his ambitions with actions reminiscent of the devil. The personalities of the characters in Macbeth have a direct and coherent impact on their action, which in turn guide the underlying themes in the play.
The foremost themes and motifs in Macbeth underscore events throughout the play and are the basis for the plot itself. Shakespeare skilfully uses events and occurrences in the realm of nature to strengthen the foundation that holds several key themes and motifs in place. One principal theme seen in Macbeth is the belief that appearances can be deceiving; and these appearances are deceptive for malicious purposes. Before the unsuspecting Duncan is murdered, Macbeth is told by his wife to “look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t” (1.6.65-66). Consequently, Macbeth hides his true, wicked intent by working to appease Duncan and his entourage in a comfortable atmosphere while Macbeth and his wife plan the naïve king’s murder. Shortly after Banquo’s death, Macbeth says this about Fleance: “There the grown serpent lies, the worm that’s fled / Hath nature in time will venom breed…” (3.4.29-30). Thus, the threat to Macbeth’s throne that Fleance presents at present is much greater than one would think due to his young age. Henceforth, Macbeth must be weary of Fleance and find some way of neutralizing the threat he poses. Another theme embedded within the plot of the play is the belief that when the violation of the Great Order of Being occurs, then chaos ensues. As a precursor to the foul events that Scotland was about to face, unpleasant weather, and dark days overshadowed Scotland. Thus, as the Great Order begins to be defied, dark weather appears and symbolises and foreshadows the malevolent perils that Scotland is about to be subjected to. As Macbeth meets with the malicious witches for the second time, he says:
Though you untie the winds, and let them fight
Against the churches; though the yesty waves
Confound and swallow navigation up;
Though bladed corn be lodg’d, and trees blown down,
Though castles topple on their warders’ heads;
Though palaces and pyramids do slope
Their heads to their foundations; though the treasure
Of nature’s germins tumble all together,
Even till destruction sicken;… (4.1.51-60)
The last passage depicts hurricanes and heavy winds charging across land as well as a wild, restless sea. Those portrayals are accurate because the Great Order has been spitefully tampered with for some time now in the play, and havoc has been wrought all across Scotland. Thus nature is used often to portray the Great Order which itself is out of order due to evil and dark deeds.
In conclusion, Shakespeare uses nature imagery to portray, enhance, and further the negative attributes that apparent in the plot, main characters, and central themes. He does so by using the natural world to advance negative elements of the plot and atmosphere; by using it to give emphasis to the dark and undesirable parts of many characters; and by using the natural environment to underscore the sinister features of several key themes. Thus, one must ask oneself whether nature deserves to be used almost exclusively to depict dark, evil, and negative attributes or whether it deserves to be used in a desirable, good, and positive context.
Throughout the course of literature, the portrayal of the natural world has always been central to the development and the intriguing nature of a written piece of work. Nature imagery in Macbeth is pivotal to the advancement and depiction of the negative aspects of the plot, main characters, and central themes. Negative context in Macbeth can be perceived as the evil, murderous, dangerous, and immoral aspects being foreshadowed and personified, as well as the inhumane and dark characteristics that flaunt the play. Natural imagery is central to the play for the following reasons: firstly, it furthers the negative portions of the plot and atmosphere; secondly, it underscores the negative aspects of the characters’ personalities in the play; and lastly, it illustrates the negative parts of the reoccurring themes throughout the play. The various themes and motifs that are apparent in they play include, but are not limited to the notion that appearances can often be deceiving and the violation of the Great Order of Being resulting in moral and political chaos. William Shakespeare uses the negative attributes of the natural world in Macbeth to affect the plot and atmospheric mood in the play.
The dark qualities exhibited in nature are fundamental for certain actions taking place to advance the plot and stimulate an eerie mood in Macbeth. Events in the interconnected world of nature provide an inherently sinister yet conscious atmosphere in which both of the play’s murders take place. Lady Macbeth herself heard unnatural cries and disturbances in the natural world before Duncan’s death: “It was the owl that shriek’d, the fatal bellman,” (2.2.3). The owl is a bird of ill omen and a bellman visited condemned criminals before their execution, and thus the owl’s weird shriek inspired the dark and tense mood that is instilled in the play before and after Duncan’s murder. Fleance makes his own reference to the moon being down, which indicates that the night of the murder is one of absolute darkness, as if Scotland is thrown into an abyss of death, destruction, and evil. The famous romantic essayist Thomas De Quincey hints at the notion that a “world of darkness” replaces the world of “ordinary life” in Macbeth. On the morning after Duncan’s murder Lennox mentions that “The night has been unruly...Our chimneys were blown down, and, as they say, / Lamentings heard I’ the air, strange screams of death,” (2.3.54-56). Thus, the wind was so unusually strong that it knocked a chimney down and in the air screams of death in the natural world were heard, which signifies that evil was afoot. Malevolent aspects of natural world preclude Banquo’s murder and assist in advancing the plot when Macbeth says: “Good things of day begin to droop and drowse, / Whiles night’s black agents to their preys do rouse.” (3.3.52-53). Thus, the plot develops as the forces of darkness seize control of the weather when night falls and the forces of goodness grow tired as evil steps in. Furthermore, when the witches prophesize that Macbeth will be defeated when Birnam Woods move to Dunsinane, this preludes to the actual “moving” of the trees by English soldiers and ultimately represents Macbeth’s defeat. Before the war with the tyrant begins, Lennox says: “To dew to sovereign flower, and drown the weeds:” (5.3.30). Hence, he is referring to Malcolm (the flower) as the cure for the weeds (Macbeth and Lady Macbeth). In saying that he foreshadows Malcolm’s victory and Macbeth’s hasty demise, as well as good reigning over Scotland yet again. In addition to advancing the plot and stimulating the mood in the dark corners of the play, nature imagery yields a substantial amount of insight into a character’s personality and mindset.
It is well known that humankind grew up in nature; makes use of nature, and will always remain interconnected with nature. Thus, characters in Macbeth often use the attributes of the natural world, which in turn reveals a great deal about them and their personality. The play begins with the appearance of three hideous, dark witches who immediately draw parallels with nature and themselves: “When shall we three meet again? / In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” (1.1.1-2). There are three negative representations of weather: Thunder, lightning, and rain; all which are destructive, dark, and gloomy. Those three unpleasant and disastrous weather conditions correspond to the three revolting, evil witches, thus personifying them. thus personifying the witches whose actions and personality are reminiscent of the weather they appear with. They also mention fog and filthy air, which is an accurate portrayal of them as they have filthy, dark, and clouded ideas and appearances. Furthermore, several witches refer to their familiars, who at the time were thought to be incarnations of the devil, thus signifying evil, immorality, and the maliciousness that surrounds the character of the satanic evil witches. While plotting Duncan’s bloody murder, Lady Macbeth instructs her husband to: “…look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t…” (1.5.65-66). Hence, Lady Macbeth is deceptive for immoral and sinister purposes. Macbeth asserts his confidence when he says: “What man dare, I dare: / Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear, / The arm’d rhinoceros, or the Hycran tiger, / Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves / Shall never tremble…” (3.4.100-103). Hence, he refers to three of the fiercest animals known at the time, and boasts that he is not afraid of any of them. The animals he refers too, are also animals who known for their ferocity and often pompous assertion of strength at the expense of the lives and well-being of other animals. Thus, the comparison between those animals and Macbeth reveals that he affirms his power and pursues his ambitions with actions reminiscent of the devil. The personalities of the characters in Macbeth have a direct and coherent impact on their action, which in turn guide the underlying themes in the play.
The foremost themes and motifs in Macbeth underscore events throughout the play and are the basis for the plot itself. Shakespeare skilfully uses events and occurrences in the realm of nature to strengthen the foundation that holds several key themes and motifs in place. One principal theme seen in Macbeth is the belief that appearances can be deceiving; and these appearances are deceptive for malicious purposes. Before the unsuspecting Duncan is murdered, Macbeth is told by his wife to “look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t” (1.6.65-66). Consequently, Macbeth hides his true, wicked intent by working to appease Duncan and his entourage in a comfortable atmosphere while Macbeth and his wife plan the naïve king’s murder. Shortly after Banquo’s death, Macbeth says this about Fleance: “There the grown serpent lies, the worm that’s fled / Hath nature in time will venom breed…” (3.4.29-30). Thus, the threat to Macbeth’s throne that Fleance presents at present is much greater than one would think due to his young age. Henceforth, Macbeth must be weary of Fleance and find some way of neutralizing the threat he poses. Another theme embedded within the plot of the play is the belief that when the violation of the Great Order of Being occurs, then chaos ensues. As a precursor to the foul events that Scotland was about to face, unpleasant weather, and dark days overshadowed Scotland. Thus, as the Great Order begins to be defied, dark weather appears and symbolises and foreshadows the malevolent perils that Scotland is about to be subjected to. As Macbeth meets with the malicious witches for the second time, he says:
Though you untie the winds, and let them fight
Against the churches; though the yesty waves
Confound and swallow navigation up;
Though bladed corn be lodg’d, and trees blown down,
Though castles topple on their warders’ heads;
Though palaces and pyramids do slope
Their heads to their foundations; though the treasure
Of nature’s germins tumble all together,
Even till destruction sicken;… (4.1.51-60)
The last passage depicts hurricanes and heavy winds charging across land as well as a wild, restless sea. Those portrayals are accurate because the Great Order has been spitefully tampered with for some time now in the play, and havoc has been wrought all across Scotland. Thus nature is used often to portray the Great Order which itself is out of order due to evil and dark deeds.
In conclusion, Shakespeare uses nature imagery to portray, enhance, and further the negative attributes that apparent in the plot, main characters, and central themes. He does so by using the natural world to advance negative elements of the plot and atmosphere; by using it to give emphasis to the dark and undesirable parts of many characters; and by using the natural environment to underscore the sinister features of several key themes. Thus, one must ask oneself whether nature deserves to be used almost exclusively to depict dark, evil, and negative attributes or whether it deserves to be used in a desirable, good, and positive context.
