Use of the Greek Tragic Structure in Macbeth
How can one best show a man’s rise and fall? Authors have chosen a variety of ways to best display this tragic fall. Arthur Miller mixed flashbacks into his general storyline that allowed the reader to infer what set his main character on his path to destruction. William Shakespeare chose to catalog the meteoric rise and fall of Macbeth by using the traditional tragic Greek structure. This setup allows him to provide the reader with a clear theme that grants a strong catharsis. Shakespeare uses the traditional Greek tragic structure to effectively warn the audience of the damage that can be caused by one man’s blind ambition.
The prologos shows the audience that Macbeth was not an evil man until he chose to follow his wild ambitions. In the beginning, Macbeth was a noble, brave, honest, and loyal follower of King Duncan. He is happy as the Thane of Glamis, and he enjoys supporting the current king. It is reported by a captain in the army that, “Brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name- disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel which smoked with bloody execution, like valor’s minion carved out his passage” (6). Macbeth risked his life to end this rebellion and by “disdaining fortune” he showed that he placed no value in his own fate. He is a soldier and it is his duty to honorably protect the king. Macbeth begins the tale as a good man.
Another focus of the play’s prologos is to establish the exact timeframe of the story, which is ambiguous, but it is clear that it takes place during a very troubled part of Scotland’s past. It is clear that rebellions are always a threat, and that fights for power often occur. Macbeth begins the tale as one of the few men who fight to maintain the balance of power. This would change soon though, as Macbeth’s ambition drives him to betray his king and begin his own fight for power.
Betrayal is only one of several themes that are introduced in the prologos. Ambition, betrayal, and deception are all introduced in these first few pages. All of these central themes are introduced through the rebellion started by the Thane of Cawdor. The Norweyan army is “assisted by that most disloyal traitor, the Thane of Cawdor” (7). The Thane of Cawdor’s ambition for power caused him to start a war that he hoped would increase his own standing. This ambition causes him to betray and deceive the king in his quest for power. Macbeth would eventually follow a similar path due to his blind ambition.
The parados of the story introduces the complication that will lead Macbeth down this path. The conflict begins when Macbeth hears the predictions of the witches. They tell Macbeth that he will become the Thane of Cawdor, and then he will become the King of Scotland. Macbeth does not believe them at first, but when he gains the title of the Thane of Cawdor he concludes that he is also destined to be king. Macbeth tells Banquo, “This supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill, why hath it given me earnest of success commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, and make my seated heart knock at my ribs against the use of nature?” (12). Macbeth is now considering the possibility of murdering the king in order to rise to power. It was at this point that Macbeth begins to develop his ambition for power. It would be this ambition that leads him down a horrific path.
The continuing corruption of Macbeth is displayed through the rising action of the episodia. Macbeth is conflicted near the beginning. His conversation with Lady Macbeth demonstrates that Macbeth is still a good man, but he feels conflicted over what he should do. He wished that “this blow might be the be-al and the end-all,” because he feared that killing Duncan might have many unforeseen consequences (20). His ambition for power causes him to ignore his misgiving over the assassination. This one assassination caused many others though. The quest to hold onto the crown caused him to order the murder of Banquo and Macduff’s family. Banquo died out of Macbeth’s fear for his future lineage. He feared the witches’ prediction that Banquo’s son would become king. Giving the order to murder his friend clearly showed the corruption that was occurring. The subsequent appearance of Banquo’s ghost further showed the emotional damage that his bloody rise to power had caused. His order to murder Macduff’s family showed how ruthless Macbeth becomes at the end of the play. He ordered his men to “seize upon Fife, give to th’edge o’th’sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line” (57). This decision to brutally execute Macduff’s family and staff clearly displays that Macbeth has become corrupt and ruthless due his ambition for complete power. The rising conflict throughout the episodia displays Macbeth’s slow fall from honor and dignity until it climaxes with the final battle.
The climax provides the complete fall of Macbeth. It is a very short scene in the overall play. It begins with Macbeth’s realization that his entire quest for power was based upon predictions that he misunderstood. He assumed that “for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” and “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him” were “sweet bodements” stating that his reign would last forever (55). They turned out to be literal statements though. Macduff’s army cut down branches from Birnam Wood and used them to conceal their numbers. Macduff also explains that he was “from his mother’s womb untimely ripped” (80). This begins the final climatic battle that ends with Macbeth’s death and decapitation. His brutal death completes the great fall necessary in the tragic Greek structure.
This great fall is followed by the necessary cathartic exodus. The ending of the play ties all of the loose ends and gives the audience comfort that all the violence wasn’t pointless. In this case, Malcolm addresses his men and declares that all of the thanes and kinsmen were going to be promoted to earls. This was part of his plan to “make us even with you” (82). Such a step would decrease the appeal of betraying the king in order to gain power. It would prevent the rise of “cruel ministers” in the future (82). This step to decrease the power of the monarch and spread the power amongst the other lords works to guarantee that such a tragedy won’t occur again, a necessary component of a good catharsis.
Macbeth quickly rose to power through his ambition, but the corruption that his actions cause will ultimately destroy him. By showing his entire rise to power, it is possible for the reader to witness that Macbeth was truly corrupted by his ambition for power, as he was once a loyal man. The rising conflict shows the gradual decline that his ambitions cause, as well as the guilt that Macbeth feels for the damage that he has done. The climax completes the decline of Macbeth and completes his tragic fall, which was necessary for advancement to be made in the conclusion. The actions of Malcolm at the end ensure the audience that a lesson was learned from the tragedy, and all the death was not in vain. These standard elements of Greek storytelling allow the reader to witness the entire story and view the damage that a man’s ambition can cause.