Through a close sequential reading of the play, we will explore together what sets its notorious protagonists, Lord and Lady Macbeth, so far apart from more conventional villains. We will follow in detail the way in which Shakespeare represents them as relentlessly making the choices that will destroy their own peace and the peace of their kingdom, asking, how is this manifestly self-destructive course made to seem believable and even compelling?
Overtly supernatural elements, including witchcraft, ghosts, and demonic prophecy, figure more prominently in Macbeth than in any other Shakespeare play. But so too do the darker and more uncontrollable products of the imagination, such as hallucinations, nightmares, somnambulism, compulsive criminal thoughts, and the inescapable horror associated with blood-guiltiness. We will examine how the play powerfully depicts the murky, undecided region where experiences of the subconscious and of the supernatural bleed into one another ― and how, by such means, it raises deep questions about human agency and moral responsibility. We will see how Macbeth asks, from its particularly dark angle, dramatically engaging questions about the very meaning of life and the possibility of living in a fulfilled way. We will also consider how the play’s notoriously dense and sometimes obscure language contributes to its dramatic treatment of such themes.
Learning outcomes
- To develop a greater critical understanding of the ways in which human deeds and their consequences are represented and explored in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
- To gain an appreciation of how themes of supernatural and psychological horror are used in the play and how they contribute to its tragic effect.
- To be able to discuss the reading in class and to contribute usefully to general debate about the issues of the course.
