Macbeths Irony Essays - Characters In Macbeth,

Macbeth's Irony Macbeth's Irony There can be no argument that William Shakespeare's genius and gift of poetic writing is present in Macbeth. In addition, Shakespeare makes use of many outside sources for his work, pulling from political and historical events. Nearly all of Macbeth has a basis in historical fact. Holinshed chronicled in the sixteenth century the histories of England, Scotland, and Ireland. It is from the Historie of Scotland that Shakespeare builds the significance of this popular tragedy. The historical record contains the belief of Macbeth in the prophecies of three weird sisters, soothsayers who reinforce his ambitions for the throne; records Banquo's role; presents the subsequent murder of King Duncan; and reveals Macbeth's paranoia concerning Macduff. The play weaves these separate histories into a coherent whole. Macbeth is the story of a man whose ambitions have brought him to commit treason and murder. There is irony and symbolism in the play, which contribute to the acceptance of this maste rpiece. Three forms of irony are evident in Macbeth: dramatic irony, being the difference between what the audience sees and what the characters believe to be true; verbal irony, the difference between what is said and what is meant; and situational irony, the difference between what actually happens and what is expected. A theatergoer witnessing a performance of Macbeth may develop presumptions about what is actually true and what is actually a truth. When it is contrary to what the character in the play believes to be true, a dramatic irony occurs. This is evident when Lennox asks Macbeth whether the king is to leave Macbeth's castle for home: 1 Len. Goes the king hence to-day? Macb. He does; he did appoint so. (Macbeth. II, iii, 54-55) Obviously, Macbeth is consciously lying, for the audience is fully aware of his plans to murder King Duncan that night. With Macbeth's reply interpreted literally, the viewer is convinced Duncan does intend to leave the castle the next day. Therein lies the truth. Looking back at the opening of this scene, hidden truths of the porter are exposed: Port. Knock, knock! Who's there, in th' 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. O, come in, equivocator. (Macbeth. II. iii. 7-11) Macbeth is playing the part of the equivocator again, equivocation being a form of double talk in which a remark considered true could be argued as truth from one viewpoint. One significant example of dramatic irony is again evident in the porter scene in Act II, scene iii, because of the masked reality the stuporous drunk reveals. The porter plays the part of porter at Hell-Gate in lines 1-3: Port. If a man were porter at Hell-Gate, he should have old turning the key. He continues to dramatize through line 16: Port. But this place is too cold for hell. I'll devil-porter it no further. With the king's murder discovered, it is nearly comedic when Lady Macbeth responds to the announcement of King Duncan's murder. She first enters in mock confusion, questioning: Lady M. What's the business, That such a hideous trumpet calls to parley The sleepers of the house? Speak, speak! (Macbeth. II, iii, 81-83) This scene could be directed in such a way to have the actor portraying Lady Macbeth embellish her performance to the point of dramatically emoting. Then, upon hearing Macduff refuse to tell her what has happened for The repetition in a woman's ear/Would murder as it fell (Macbeth. II, iii, 85-86) the viewer cannot help ignoring the serious tone of the scene and laughing at the irony in his choice of words. The lady then plays her innocence once more by replying in alarm to Macduff's telling Banquo of the murder: Lady M. Woe, alas! What in our house? (Macbeth. II, iii, 86-87) The most enjoyable form of irony in this play is verbal. Verbal irony is specifically when a person says that which is contrary to fact in order to make a point rather than to deceive. Sarcasm is one type of verbal irony. However, there are many. On the exit of Macbeth's final visit to the weird sisters, the first witch wryly comments on Macbeth's forgetting to thank them: 1. Witch. That this great king may kindly say Our