NAINA.T.P/LEC052033 /MACBETH

1.What is the significance of the reference to the equivocator in Macbeth?

Equivocation is the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or the practice of lying on both sides of justice, and sound unbelievable in both cases.This is used quite often in ShakShakespeare's plays;especially in Macbeth .

Macbeth has many equivocators present in it throughout the play. The arguements  made by them give the play a deeper concern to many weird aspects of life in the world,where haman beings turn quite animalistic in their deeds.

In Macbeth ,an equivocator appears in the third scene of the second act which is popularly known as the Porter scene.And,the equivocator is considered by the porter as the second damned soul that he encounters at the hell's gate as he imagines himself to be the gatekeeper of the hell.The equivocator that marks the scene actually alludes to the misdeeds and cruelties of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

The prophesies made by the witches can be considered as a perfect instance of equivocation. Macbeth,being overwhelmed by the ambition of becoming  king with the witches equivocation;make him power hungry and cruel and indulge in killing the King Duncan at his palace Inverness. 

The equivocator in the play can be considered as a symbol that forecasts the tragic end  that awaits Macbeth at the end of the play.

2.Critically discuss the significance of the reference to the equivocator in the Shakespearean play Macbeth?

An equivocator is a person who use ambiguous language to conceal the truth in his/her speech .The characteristics of an ideal equivocator are evident in many of the characters in the play Macbeth.

On critical references, the equivocator in the Porter scene can be alluded to the Jesuit priest Father Henry Garnet known as the 'Great Equivocator ';who was a conspirator in the Gunpowder plot of 1605.

The equivocation of the three witches which led Macbeth to his wicked thoughts and the tragic flaw of 'ambition',has made Macbeth a threat to human race because of his great cruelties in order to gain the power.Thus Macbeth can be drawn parallel to the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Both of them were very power hungry and  thus also were very ambitious and murderers.

The equivocators in certain circumstances play the function of chorus as in the classical Greek drama.Like the chorus,the eqivocators help in forecasting the future events of the play through certain characteristic witty conversations and dialogues .

The different equivocators in the paly function a crucial role in the sense that they help the audience to grasp the complex plot of the play,which at times the characters on the stage fail to tell the audience.

The use of the equivocators by Shakespeare in his plays can be considered as a distinct trait of the brightest playwright because it unveils the deeper nuances of the plot through the technique of dramatic irony which is presented in a different mode.



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