Theme+-+Order+&+Disorder

Only a century earlier, England had suffered under the massive disorder of the [|**Wars of the Roses**]. Civil disorder was now seen as the ultimate disaster, and also as an ungodly state. In Macbeth, Shakespeare reminds his audience of this, as a further warning against treachery.

The play begins with disorder as a battle is raging between the Scots and the Norwegians, assisted by some traitors. The "thunder and lightning" of the stage direction symbolises this "hurly-burly", as the witches flippantly refer to the fighting. Order is restored by the "captains, Macbeth and Banquo" who are victorious. At this stage, Macbeth could be seen as a force for good. However, his bloodthirsty brutality in the battle contradicts this impression: in killing Macdonald, he "unseamed him from the nave to the chaps and fixed his head upon our battlements." The order restored is soon seen to be an illusion.

The fact that Macbeth's opening words "So foul and fair a day I have not seen"echo the chant of the witches links Macbeth with the forces of disorder, as does his eagerness to communicate with them, "Tell me more!"

The fact that both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth frequently invoke darkness, always linked to the forces of evil and disorder, prepares the audience for the disorder to come: "Stars, hide your fires"; "Come thick night" etc. Darkness allows evil to flourish. In seeking to make the witches' prophecies come true, Macbeth brings about disorder. The Elizabethans believed in "The Great Chain of Being". This was the idea that everyone was ordered by God into his allotted place, with the king at the head. By killing the king and taking his place, Macbeth was subverting this natural order. Disorder in nature reflects the disorder in human affairs. On the night Duncan is murdered, Lennox describes the 'unruly' storm, and even an earthquake: "chimneys were blown down…the earth was feverous and did shake."

Order and disorder are clearly illustrated at Macbeth's banquet. When his guests arrive, he greets them with the words, "You know your own degrees, sit down". This is ironic, in that he has ignored his own 'degree' or station in life, and tried to take a higher place. With the appearance of the ghost and Macbeth's loss of control, the banquet breaks up in disorder, with Lady Macbeth confirming this with her words, 'Stand not upon the order of your going, but go at once'.

Disorder is described in the reign of terror conducted by Macbeth, culminating in the second great battle between Macbeth and the forces of Macduff and Malcolm. With Malcolm's victory, order is truly restored.

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