Order and Chaos in Macbeth

Macbeth was an orderly person. He was a soldier, and brutal one at that, so it didn't matter who he killed as long as it's alright with the King (making it an orderly act).

Macbeth is a reasonably sane person, respectful to his wife, and loyal to the king. This all changes when he confronted with prophecy that he will be king. Once his wife is told of the supposed prophecy, she begins planning of how to achieve it, beginning their overall downfall.

When told the plan to kill Duncan Macbeth refuses and sticks to being an orderly and noble person, contemplating how he might be punished for acting out of line, but in the end his wife convinces him to kill king Duncan and take the throne.

Immediately before going through with the murder it is apparent that Macbeth is losing his sanity by hallucinating, he has begun suffering from straying off a noble, orderly path.

“Is this a dagger which I see before me,

The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.

I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.” (II, I, 40-443 )

After killing Duncan, Macbeth is no longer feels attached to god. He can recognize that he is no longer, a person who respects the Elizabethan order of how things should be.

"One cried 'God bless us!' and 'Amen' the other;

As they had seen me with these hangman's hands.

Listening their fear, I could not say 'Amen,'

When they did say 'God bless us!' "

Macbeth remembers of what the witches say about Banquo being father to a line of kings.

"Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none:

So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!" (I, III, 70-71)

He hires murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance, while they skip out on Macbeth's dinner party, these aren’t the acts of a sane man.

This drives Macbeth insane because as soon as Macbeth returns to his party after hearing of Banquo’s death he begins hallucinating. Seeing Banquo’s ghost at the dinner party and leading Macbeth to spout nonsense. This fall into madness is noticed by Ross who even goes as far to say:

“Gentlemen, rise: his highness is not well.” (III, IV, 65)

and

"What sights, my lord?" (III, IV, 142)

Implying that he is not mentally well, and it's being noticed

Macbeth takes action from the warning the witches gave to him about him.

Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! beware Macduff; Beware the thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough." (IV, I, 78-79)

So instead of keeping a calm head about things he sends murderers to kill Macduff and his family. This needless murder shows the chaos he brings, and that his not of a stable mind.

By the time Lady Macbeth dies, Macbeth is so disillusioned that he no longer cares and simply carries on. It takes a cruel person to not care at their own wife's death. Macbeth is a broken man.

In the end Macduff kills Macbeth, ending his tyranny, and freeing them all from his hopeless insanity. Macbeth changed from the caring husband, and loyal soldier. To an immoral king, and deranged man. From order to chaos.

Order and Chaos:

The Kingdom

Macbeth's Rule:

Order and Chaos

in Macbeth

Once Macbeth killed Duncan it was the start of chaos in the kingdom because the natural order and the chain of being, were disrupted.

While Macbeth ruled the country panic and crime increased. There was talk of evil, and strange behavior.

“Threescore and ten I can remember well: Within the volume of which time I have seen Hours dreadful and things strange; but this sore night Hath trifled former knowings.”(II, IV, 1-4)

“Tis unnatural,

Even like the deed that’s done. On Tuesday last

A falcon towering in her pride of place

Was by a mousing owl hawk’d at and kill’d”(II,VI, 12-15)

“And Duncan’s horses --a thing most strange and

certain--

Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race,

Turn’d wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,

Contending ‘gainst obedience, as they would make

War with mankind” (II, IV, 16-20)

"Tis said they [the horses] eat, each other." (II, IV, 23-24).

"They did do, to the amazement of mine eyes,

That look’d upon ‘t"(II, IV, 23-24)

Order and Chaos:

The Kingdom

Order and Chaos

Characters - Lady Macbeth

King Duncan's Rule:

In the beginning when introduced, Lady Macbeth seems to be a relatively normal person, until she was made aware of the prophecy that the witches told Macbeth. From that point forward all she wants is for Macbeth to be king and began planning out the death of the current king of Scotland, king Duncan; that beginning her descent into madness.

During Duncan's rule the people were happy and satisfied. There wasn't anything strange or overall evil going on throughout the kingdom

Act 1 scene 5

Lady Macbeth:“Come, you spirits

That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here”(I, V, 44-45)

Act 1 scene 7

“When Duncan is asleep--

Whereto the rather shall his day’s hard journey

Soundly invite him--his two chamberlains

Will I with wine and wassail so convince,

That memory, the warder of the brain,

Shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason

A limbec only: when in swinish sleep

Their drenched natures lie as in a death,

What cannot you and I preform upon

The unguarded Ducan? what not put upon

His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt

Of our great quell” (I, VII, 69-80).

Also Mental States

Act 5 scene 1

“Out damned spot! Out, I say! One: Two:

why, then ‘tis time to do ’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord,

fie! a soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows

it, when none can call our power to account? Yet who

would have thought the old man would have so much

blood in him” (V, I, 32-37)

“Here’s the smell of the blood still: all the

Perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand” (V, I, 47-48)

Thesis

When there is order and chaos in the kingdom it is reflected in the people, as within the people there is also the struggle of being orderly or chaotic. Such as Duncan who is an orderly person and the proper ruler, whom the kingdom flourishes under, but with Macbeth’s rule who took the role of being king chaotically, the kingdom dissolves into disorder.

Order and Chaos

Characters - Macbeth

By Eyal and Linh

"The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, is a story about how a man, Macbeth, and his wife tried to meddle with order and fate, and how this backfired tragically." Sara Barkat (1. 1-2)

What Is Orderly?

This is the Chain of Being and dictate who has dominion over whom

It is orderly for things to happen as their supposed to. I.e. Without chaotic acts intervening, such as Duncan ruling the kingdom, and then having his eldest son Malcolm, rule after him.

That is how it was supposed to happen, but Macbeth intervened by killing Duncan and making himself king. This isn't considered orderly because it's not how it's meant to be, and he had killed someone, (which is a chaotic act alone) and then took place as king which is not how things were supposed to go. Disrupting everything.

Specifically it is the King who is meant to be a representation of God, this is why the King is allowed to rule over people, he is supposed to.

References

M, Nick. “The Order and Chaos in Macbeth.” Prezi.com, 21 Mar. 2014, prezi.com/j19xqp-st7yr/the-order-and-chaos-in-macbeth/. Accessed 31 May 2017.

Barkat, Sara, et al. “Order and Disorder in Macbeth -.” Poetry, 13 Mar. 2017, www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2015/05/29/order-and-disorder-in-macbeth/. Accessed 31 May 2017.

http://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2015/05/29/order-and-disorder-in-macbeth/

https://prezi.com/j19xqp-st7yr/the-order-and-chaos-in-macbeth/