LEC052031Mousumi Akter

2.critically discuss the significance of the refrence to the equivocator in the shakesperean play Macbeth?

Introduction:

Macbeth  was written by Shakespeare  between 1603 and 1606.It is the story of a murderer and usurper. In Macbeth , he is writing about things which would please the king as it is the witches who plant the ideas in Macbeth’s mind which lead to his murder of king Duncan.this is the natural order as it was believed that the king had been appointed by the God.

 critically discuss the significance of the refrence to the equivocator in the shakesperean play Macbeth:

1.The significance of the porter within Macbeth is twofold. primarily the porter function as comic relief, lessening the tension in the audience after the murder of king Duncan. The porter also serves a thematic function ,indicating that the gates of Macbeth’s home are synonymous with the gates of hell .the porter scene entirely destoroys the scene and intended to be  contrasted to his master ,come out better man morally superior to Macbeth.

2.Equivocations in Macbeth are meant kindly as when ross tries to spare macduff’s by telling him that his wife and son are “Well” .macduff initially takes this to mean that his family is alive and healthy but Ross means that they are dead and in heaven ,such ambiguous statement lead to harm and it gives mislead.

3. It is ironic that Macbeth falls for the witches’ equivocations, because Macbeth and his wife are master equivocators themselves. Duncan laments that there’s no method with which one may find “the mind’s construction in the face,” meaning that it is impossible to know what a person is truly thinking just from his or her outward appearance. Lady Macbeth mimics this language when she directs her husband to look like an “innocent flower” in order to hide the “serpent” that truly lurks in his heart. The Macbeths know how to use imagery and appearance to conceal the truth, and sometimes they even use those skills on themselves. Macbeth asks the stars to extinguish their light so that his “eye” cannot see what his “hand” does. Similarly, Lady Macbeth asks the night to grow as dark as the “smoke of hell” so that her knife cannot see itself slash its victim. The Macbeths know that their acts are wicked, so they try to hide the knowledge of their deeds from their own consciousness. In a sense, they wish to equivocate to themselves.

4.Lady Macbeth twice talk to to Macbeth about concealing his feelings and plots beneath a normal exterior ,for instance , and Malcom suspects Macduff of playing falsely when Macduff comes to England to join malcom in the fight against Macbeth .Here is another equivocation and dramatic irony flows .

5.Equivocation has great significance from beginning to end ,its deals with deception.

 Conclusion: In the play ,Shakespeare has made use of equivocation in various circumstances throughout the play .