Introduction:
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is one of the greatest tragic plays in English literature, celebrated for its profound exploration of ambition, fate, guilt, and moral corruption. Written around 1606, the play presents the rise and fall of the brave Scottish general Macbeth, whose overwhelming ambition and desire for power lead him to commit a series of dreadful crimes. Influenced by the prophecies of the witches and the relentless encouragement of Lady Macbeth, he murders King Duncan and seizes the throne. However, the rewards of power soon turn into unbearable fear, guilt, and psychological torment, ultimately leading to his destruction. Through Macbeth’s tragic journey, Shakespeare demonstrates how unchecked ambition and moral weakness can transform a noble hero into a ruthless tyrant.
The effect of Macbeth as a tragedy lies in its powerful emotional and moral impact upon the audience. The play evokes deep feelings of pity and fear as viewers witness the gradual downfall of a courageous and honourable man who possesses a fatal flaw. Shakespeare masterfully illustrates the devastating consequences of evil actions, proving that crime never brings lasting happiness but instead leads to suffering, isolation, and death. The psychological conflict experienced by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, together with the horrifying atmosphere created by supernatural elements such as the witches, visions, and ghosts, intensifies the tragic effect and keeps the audience emotionally engaged throughout the play.
Moreover, Macbeth fulfils the essential characteristics of a Shakespearean tragedy. It features a tragic hero of noble birth, a tragic flaw (ambition), internal and external conflicts, moral decline, supernatural intervention, and a catastrophic ending. The restoration of justice after Macbeth’s death reinforces the moral order, emphasizing that evil ultimately destroys itself while virtue triumphs in the end. Shakespeare also explores universal themes such as the corrupting influence of power, the struggle between fate and free will, the burden of guilt, and the consequences of violating natural and moral laws.
Thus, the enduring effect of Macbeth as a tragedy lies in its timeless portrayal of human ambition, psychological conflict, and moral responsibility. Its unforgettable characters, gripping plot, poetic language, and profound philosophical insights continue to captivate readers and audiences across generations. As a result, Macbeth remains one of Shakespeare’s finest tragic masterpieces and one of the most influential works in world literature.
Aristotle’s Concept of Catharsis in Tragedy:
It was Aristotle who said that the function of tragedy is to arouse the emotions of pity and fear in the audience and by so doing effect a catharsis of these emotions. The pity is generally aroused at the contemplation of the tragic fate of the hero which results due to his blindness; the fear or terror is provoked by the consideration of the dreadful circumstances that surround the hero or the terrible actions which he performs. By experiencing these emotions the audience gets emotional relief.
Nature of pleasure afforded by tragedy:
There are many views about the nature of pleasure offered by tragedy. There is the view that tragedy affords us pleasure through the portrayal of human endurance in the face of all odds. When we see a man like Lear or Hamlet suffer and face his misfortunes bravely, our hope in humankind is encouraged and this is the pleasure of tragedy. Another view of tragic pleasure says that the pleasure is gained when we perceive in the working out of the action the existence of a moral order in the universe. There is intellectual pleasure in contemplating the working of an eternal justice which ensures that man must face the consequences of his errors and faults. This perception evokes in the audience a feeling of reconciliation to misfortune.
No despair in Shakespearean tragedy:
Shakespearean tragedy arouses no simple reaction to it. We feel a variety of emotions as we live through the experience of the tragedy. All we can say is that in spite of the suffering and disaster embodied in the tragedy we do not feel a sense of despair. The heroic manner in which suffering is borne and faced imbues in the audience or reader a feeling of respect for human ability and nobility. At the same time we get a clear sense of the ‘even handed’ justice which causes man to suffer the consequences of his act. If one commits an error of judgement or gives in to frailty, one is bound to suffer the effects. There is also the pleasure to be derived from the use of language in these plays; the poetic grandeur is no mean source of tragic pleasure.
Feeling of terror in ‘Macbeth’:
In Macbeth we have the feeling of terror and pity also. The atmosphere evoked contributes much to the feeling of fear and gloom in the play. The three Witches evoke a sense of unease if not exactly terror. Their statement of “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” gives a sense of the confusion and mystery in the universe of Macbeth. Hecate, the chief Witch, predicts the fall of Macbeth saying that he would be prey to mortals chief enemy, namely over – confidence. There is a sense of foreboding all through the play. These supernatural beings are successfully used by Shakespeare to create an atmosphere of evil, which cannot but cause fear. Indeed, there is a feeling of fear running throughout the play, felt deeply by the sensitive Macbeth. Images of confusion and disorder also contribute to the uneasy feeling.
Terror is also aroused by the speeches of Lady Macbeth as she exhorts Macbeth to commit the crime of killing Duncan. The speech in which she asks the Spirits to ‘unsex’ her and fill her breasts with poison instead of milk is horrifying. So is the image aroused by the speech is which she says that she would have plucked the suckling babe from her breast and dashed its brains out if she had pledged to do so. Ironically, when she desperately seeks to wash her hand of the imaginary blood in the sleep – walking scene, she arouses a different kind of terror in us – when we see the consequences of the guilt produced by rash and unscrupulous criminal action.
The atmosphere of terror is enhanced by Macbeth’s murders and growing callousness. We not only have three clear murders in the play— those of Duncan, Banquo and Macduff’s family— but we also hear of daily atrocities perpetrated by Macbeth the tyrant. The sense of foreboding and fear is further increased because of certain visions and images. The dagger that Macbeth ‘sees’ before the murder of Duncan is such a case. We are also horrified by the effects of guilt on Macbeth – the torments he undergoes mentally, feeling that all the oceans will turn red if he tries to wash his bloody hands in their waters. Macbeth’s degeneration also evokes a sense of horror in us. The growing callousness to others, suffering and his own awareness of this indifference appalls us.
The emotion of pity:
There are several situations in the play which arouse in us a sense of pity also. Duncan, Lady Macduff and her son are clear objects of pity. There is sheer poignancy in the young Macduff’s cry “He has killed me, mother” and in Lady Macduff’s desperate question, “Whither should I fly?” But we feel pity not only for the innocent sufferers; we feel pity for the two protagonists who have initiated all this suffering as well. Lady Macbeth is pitiable in the sleep – walking scene. At one level we feel that the dreadful mental torment is deserved, but on another level we also feel deep pity for her suffering. The weariness and sense of futility that Macbeth gives voice to towards the end makes us pity him. He set out to achieve greatness through evil but the life he has achieved is merely a ‘tale told by an idiot’ which has no meaning. His nostalgic feeling for the days when simple night sounds would arouse dreadful fear in him who is now completely devoid of feeling, makes us sad for this man. The trapped feeling he experiences – like a bear tied to a stake to be baited by hounds -arouses our pity. Indeed the degeneration of Macbeth’s character makes us exclaim: “O, the pity of it.”
Conclusion:
The inevitability of the action in Macbeth arising from Macbeth’s succumbing to evil in order to achieve his ambition has a profound effect on us. The overall effect of the play is one of exaltation and awe, not of despair. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth remain sublime till the end, as Bradley says. The imaginative intensity of Macbeth and the basic determined will of Lady Macbeth evoke admiration even though we abhor the use these human beings make of their great faculties. Ultimately the evil is overcome, and Malcolm assumes kingship; once more the sun shines through the murky darkness.