MACBETH
He's here in double trust; First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been So clear in his great office, that his virtues Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against The deep damnation of his taking-off; And pity, like a naked new-born babe, Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubim, horsed Upon the sightless couriers of the air, Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye, That tears shall drown the wind.
Macbeth’s soliloquy continues; after the thoughts on retribution, he comes back – for the fourth time – to “here”. Where the previous three have been hard to pin down, this “here” feels more clearly referential, bringing us back to the hospitality of the dumb-show we have just seen. Duncan is here as a guest, in “double trust” as Macbeth is both “his kinsman and his subject” and “his host”. The trust being “double” should make it stronger, but the repetitions of “double” throughout the play somehow destabilize it – the heroic “double” of Macbeth’s fighting in 1.2, the “double service” of Lady Macbeth in 1.6, the “double, double” of the witches in 4.1 which leads Macbeth to be “double sure” of the murders of Macduff’s family, the witches’ paltering “double sense” in 5.8. He can talk openly about his duties, but he speaks of himself as “the murtherer” in the third person – even in his private thought, he cannot voice the act. Macbeth seems to be deciding against “the deed”, and he continues his argument with the trappings of logic in his linking adverb “besides”. His focus on the present situation, though, gives way to a new series of metaphors and he associates Duncan with the imagery of heaven – “virtues”, “meek”, “angels”, “cherubim”. Macbeth’s doubts about his intended regicide are not voiced directly, but shown through imagery: Duncan should live and rule rightfully, as he is a reflection of the virtues of heaven and his approval is God-given. The image of Duncan that Macbeth conjures is difficult to wholly reconcile with the politically motivated King we have seen so far. The “plead[ing]” “angels, trumpet-tongued” stand in contrast to the “deep damnation” and “even-handed justice” Macbeth realizes he would face (a contrast also reflected in the violent verbs – “blow”, “blast”, “drown”, which – whilst used metaphorically – punctuate the peace of the imagery) . From the angels, the metaphor shifts to the personified “Pity, like a naked new born-babe”, summoning the grief of mourners. The “babe” connotes purity and innocence uncontaminated by the sin that litters the play-world of Macbeth (and the Southwark world outside it). The image of the “babe” prefigures Lady Macbeth’s image of the “dashed” babe, setting up the contrast of innocence and evil, one which Macbeth seems to want to make more extreme, more clear, than it actually is. By attempting to create an image of Duncan’s goodness so strongly that he can convince himself not to act, he appears to in fact render it ridiculous. It becomes too metaphorical, too abstract – we first have to imagine “pity”, then a “babe”, then place that babe “striding the blast” (whether the wind or the sound of a trumpet is left to us – it seems to both finish the preceding metaphor and start the next one), then switch to a “cherubim”, “horsed upon the sightless couriers of the air” (whether blindly following or aided by invisible forces is - like Lady Macbeth’s “sightless substances” in 1.5 – ambiguous). The line of thought’s conclusion is no less hyperbolic: “tears shall drown the wind”. The sentiment tries to appear heartfelt, but it ends in impossibility (however hard we might try to imagine the metaphor). The effect is that the speech seems to falter, to give way under its density. The metaphor is so muddled that it is unconvincing, so full of deviation from its stated purpose that it stutters and hesitates, at the same time as (somewhat paradoxically) suggesting an urgency which prevents Macbeth from thinking properly.
- Ruiyun
Comments