LEC052001 Adwaidh. S Critical analysis of the equivocator in Macbeth
Equivocation in Macbeth can be examined in the light of historical events. The playwright uses equivocators to condemn and criticize the act of equivocation practiced by the Jesuit Priests of England, who planned the gun powder plot to execute the king James I of Scotland . Throughout Macbeth's life equivocation is playing crucial roles from his transformation into the king to his tragic death. In Macbeth there are more episodes of equivocation, compared to a single episode in Shakespeare's early play Hamlet, which was written in 1599. The play is filled with equivocal appearances-women with beard, Macbeth in "borrowed robes", a day turned into night, a peaceful castle without and a burning cauldron of evil within.
The Gunpowder Plot was discovered in 1605,finding father Henry Garnet guilty of the plan. Macbeth was written in 1606,with much more episodes of equivocation than the early play Hamlet which was written in 1599 and had only a single episode of equivocation. Equivocation is the ambiguous use of language. When Catholic believes were banned in England, Jesuit Priests and followers of Catholicalism used equivocation to escape punishments. This included techniques such as only speaking part of a sentence out loud and finishing it or adding a qualification silently in one’s head, so as to mislead the auditor.
At the beginning of Act 2, Scene 3, the Porter amuses himself by pretending he is the gatekeeper of hell, letting in new arrivals. He exclaims:
Knock, knock! Who’s there, in the other devil’s name? Faith, here’s an equivocator that could swear in both the scales against either scale, who committed treason enough for God’s sake, yet could not equivocate to heaven. Oh, come in, equivocator."
Porter’s use of the phrase “who committed treason enough for God’s sake" reflects how the Jesuits were using equivocation to commit unlawful acts. When Macbeth finally sees Birnam wood advancing toward Dunsinane and understands the trick of the witches’ prophecy, he says ‘I … begin / To doubt th’equivocation of the fiend / That lies like truth.’ (5.5.41–43). Macbeth's encounter with the three witches can be interpreted in different ways. They have multiple episodes with Macbeth, who finds them when he wants in his subconscious mind. Their appearance, as described in the play, is criticizing the deceiving Jesuit Priests.
Macbeth is a play of treason and plot against the King, and the tragic ending of the murderers. Macbeth was written in an age that witnessed conflicts between religions, despots and landlords. Trajic end of a tyrant through predictable, yet to him unpredictable equivocations reinforces the triumph of justice over tyranny. The play celebrates Protestant beliefs over Catholics, and warns the Jesuits of the tragic end of their equivocations. In particular, the play is against father Henry Garnet, who had published “A Treatise of Equivocation” in 1598.
Shakespeare has successfully used superstition, irony, mythology and fatalism in his tragedies to show the restoration of justice over despotism. Equivocators in the play constitute the natural dramatic flow of events that leads to hamartia and catastrophe. The inner conflicts within Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is in parallel with Shakespeare's own beliefs and experiences.
References :
Macbeth and Equivocation.” The Bill / Shakespeare Project, 19 June 2016, thebillshakespeareproject.com/2016/06/macbeth-and-equivocation/#:~:text=The%20simple%20meaning%20of%20equivocator,to%20heaven%2C%20the%20Porter%20says.&text=The%20porter%20himself%20plays%20with,of%20sex.
Huntley, Frank L. “Macbeth and the Background of Jesuitical Equivocation.” PMLA, vol. 79, no. 4, 1964, pp. 390–400. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/460744.
De Quincey, Thomas. “On the Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth.” Shakespeare Online, 10 Aug. 2013, www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/macbeth/knockingatgate.html.
The Gunpowder Plot and Shakespeare's Macbeth.” Shakespeare's Globe, 5 Nov. 2014, www.shakespearesglobe.com/discover/blogs-and-features/2014/11/05/the-gunpowder-plot-and-shakespeares-macbeth/.
The Trial of Henry Garnet, 1606.” The British Library, 23 Sept. 2015, www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-trial-of-henry-garnet-1606#.
Over all the writing was in a standard language. Many references from the play was given which helps the readers to understand the context. The works cited was not in an alphabetic order and other than that the article was good in a way that it was able to give justice to the topic.
ReplyDeleteThe thesis statement gives a clear idea about the focal point of the essay. The introductory paragraph is precise but the last line seems ambiguous. In the 3rd line, 'k' should be capitalised in king and 'is playing' could have been replaced with plays. In the 2nd para, a space is missing after the comma. The 2nd sentence in that para is a repeat from the 1st para. It is 'beliefs', not believes and it is 'catholicism', not catholicalism. The last line of that para is not cited. Both the quotes from Macbeth are not cited according to the MLA format. The 2nd last sentence of the 3rd para is not clear. In the 4th para, 'k' is capitalised unnecessarily in king and the word tragic is missplet. A comma after unpredictable in the 3rd line of that para would have given the sentence more clarity. The topic sentences are good but the linking between the paragraphs seem weak. MLA format has not been followed strictly.
ReplyDeleteThe essay is written well with many background information related to the theme of the play. The transition from the first to the second paragraph is not clear. There is also a spelling error, the word tragic in the second last paragraph.
ReplyDeleteVery good writing.The introductory paragraph is very strong and clear .In the 5 th paragraph ,you have spelling mistake .There is less connection in 1st para to 2nd para .
ReplyDeleteGood writing.The end of the introductory paragraph felt vague.
ReplyDeleteGood piece of writing. Though the topic sentences were precise and focused , connection with the paragraphs seems weak.
ReplyDeleteNice writing. Introductory paragraph is good. But it could have been better if there is a proper transition from one paragraph to another. Some spelling errors are there. MLA style is not strictly followed.
ReplyDeleteThe essay has done justice in portraying the ideas. But there is no proper connection between one paragraph and the other. MLA format is not followed properly. That is, the beginning of each paragraphs are not indented and in the works cited part alphabetical order is not maintained.
ReplyDeleteThe second and third sentence of each references in the work cited part should have been indented. Historical references are effectively used. There are some grammatical errors, punctuation problems and errors in capitalization.
A good research from your side is felt in the essay rich in points. Also appreciate the perspective given to your essay. But they could have been written in a coherent manner, Felt incomplete idea in last line of the first paragraph. Preposition error in “into the King “ was felt. Capitalization error in “king”. Could have gone for a better topic sentence for the second paragraph. Spelling error in “catholicalism”. Citations are not according to MLA format also missing opening quotation marks and unwanted spaces between the words. Incorrect MLA citation in third paragraph. Requires more clarity in the supporting materials to support the topic sentence in 4th paragraph. Spelling error in “trajic” Couldn’t conclude the main idea in the concluding paragraph. Citation errors in Works cited section. Primary source was not cited.
ReplyDelete