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The tragedy of Macbeth is
centralized around the corruption of Macbeth’s soul and his internal
suffering that is within him. He is
struggling with his conscience after he kills Duncan, which shows he still
had a soul at that point because it was torturing him from underneath. The central image in the play is the
picture of “A naked new-born babe, Striding the blast” (Act I Scene VII).
That image represents the goodness of Macbeth’s soul in the beginning of the
play and throughout the play it is altered slightly to fit the current status
of Macbeth’s soul. Such as during the
banquet scene when Macbeth vanquishes the ghost he says “If trembling I inhabit
then, protest me The baby of a girl” (Act II Scene VI). He is showing that he
no longer cares for the baby, and finds the innocence of a baby almost
appalling. This is the point in which
he destroys his soul, as he drives the Ghost of Banquo
from his hall. In the scene of the Lady Macduff’s murder, it depicts the murder of a child,
showing the total corruption of Macbeth’s soul. He orders the murderers to kill the
children and the wife of Macduff. This savage act of barbarianism shows
Macbeth destroying the central image of the play, the babe. Macbeth had already destroyed his soul in
the banquet scene, but this scene overlays that same image except he is
literally killing children. It is one
of the most essential scenes because it shows the final stage of Macbeth’s
ruthlessness and lack of compassion.
In the overall play this is one of the climaxes that give the audience
a glimpse at the condition of Macbeth’s soul. |
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