I was floored by the depth and diversity of responses I received in response to my Shakespeare post. Such a waste if I don’t tap on the pool of insights here.
I started off with Macbeth first. I know I read abridged versions but nonetheless, thought Andrew Matthews was a fine writer.
Consider these gems:
A small, cold fear entered Macbeth’s heart, and he snarled to conceal it.
The guilty secret of Duncan’s murder gnawed at Lady Macbeth’s mind like a maggot inside an apple.
I think it’s amazing how a seed of ill intent can grow so quickly and turn a human heart rotten so fast. I’d like to think that we are more resilient against insidious influences, but the infamous Stanford Prison experiment showed us all how we can easily let our devilish side overwhelm and dominate us when exposed to the “right” conditions. Personally, I would have liked to see Macbeth resist harder against the invasion of his heart, but I guess that when goaded by Lady Macbeth, he accelerated his gear towards the dark side. Which goes to show that choosing a lifelong partner is the most significant decision a man will make in his life.
I was a bit saddened at how the murder of Duncan tore Macbeth and his wife apart. It’s sad to imagine Lady Macbeth dying alone, having lost her mind. Would I have preferred it if the couple remained united and even enjoyed their ill-gotten gains deviously after ascending to the crown? It wouldn’t make for a good virtuous tale, but well, in real life, there are people who revel in being evil.
I wonder why Macduff didn’t take his wife and children with him when he fled to England.
I think that given the drastic and tragic things that happened to Macbeth and his wife, it’s easy to not give the three witches a second thought. They remain an enigma. Where did they come from? Why did they reveal themselves to Macbeth only? Were they his assets or foes?
And as an extension, why did Shakespeare like to introduce characters from another world? Did he feel stifled if he had kept to a one-universe world instead? These are nice questions worth mulling over.
Thank you for reading my rambling thoughts.