An Absurd Hero

The present MA thesis makes a critical study of Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth~1 in the perspective of existentialism.Different from the traditional western philosophy,existentialism is inclined to be irrational,it concerns itself most about human beings and their existence.Likewise,Shakespeare was also interested greatly in the problem of human existence in his Macbeth.The philosophical implication in the play is well congruent with the chief ideas of existentialism.In this aspect,Macbeth can be regarded as a pioneer work of existentialism in the field of literature.The thesis falls into six parts.The introductory part states the motive that dictated the author of the thesis to choose to interpret Macbeth in the perspective of existentialism,gives a brief introduction to the play as well as the theory,makes a literature review of the study of the play and outlines the organization of the thesis.A panoramic view of the play as well as a deeper interpretation to the characters in the play in the perspective of existentialism is expected to expose where the very originality of this thesis lies.Chapter One,"The Age of Shakespeare",devotes a warm-up discussion on the changes of religion,economy,politics and philosophy in Shakespeare's society,giving an exposition of the various factors that might affect Shakespeare's thought.The affirmation of man and the weakening of the power of God in the Renaissance propelled the philosophers' bold speculation on the problem of human existence.The great impacts from the social changes and the brutal religious conflicts brought Shakespeare into a theological predicament.As the last one of Shakespeare's great tragedies, Macbeth can be considered the summary of his contemplation of human existence. Comparing the similarity between the speculation of Shakespeare over the plight of human beings and that of the chief exponents of existentialism,this chapter gives the feasibility of the thesis. Chapter Two,"Macbeth and 'Dread'",by applying the vital concept "dread" of Kierkegaard,the father of existentialism,gives the interpretation to the behaviors of Macbeth and Banquo.Dread is "a sympathetic antipathy and antipathetic sympathy", the critical situation between the possibility and the reality,the desire for what one fears, and the psychological nothingness when man is confronted with the absolute freedom of choices.As the important factor,dread stimulates Macbeth to make up his final decision, and at the same time it inhabits in Banquo too.Dread precedes choice,and prohibition urges dread.In fact,prohibition is embedded in various ethics,restraining and suppressing the pursuit of freedom.From this angle,Macbeth's dread is actually his yearning for freedom.Chapter Three,"Macbeth and 'Choice'",analyzes the different choices of Lady Macbeth,Macbeth and Banquo in accordance with the different views regarding "choice" by Kierkegaard and Sartre.Kierkegaard's dialectics divides human existence into three stages:the aesthetic stage,the ethical stage and the religious stage.His advocation is in fact the conversion to God and the fulfillment of being a real Christian. Along this direction,Lady Macbeth makes her choices.Yet in contrast with his wife, Macbeth falls from the ethical stage to the aesthetic stage.While,Sartre asserts that humans are condemned to be free;they have to make their choices by themselves. According to his "existence precedes essence",any forms of human existence is but the result of his free choices.After a series of psychological struggles,Macbeth breaks with God,making his authentic choice at the cost of his life.As to Banquo,Sartre's "bad faith" is the best account of the vacillation between his ethic and his inner self.Although he does not kill Duncan himself,yet he may not be aware that doing nothing is also a choice.Chapter Four,"Macbeth and 'The Absurd'",points out that Shakespeare disclosed to the readers an absurd world and the absurd state of humans in the world.Camus puts forward that humans have nostalgia to recognize the world in a rational way.However, the reality always appears irrational.Humans' absurdity derives from the confrontation between the very irrational and the clarity that human hearts long for eagerly.It is a divorce between man and his life.Macbeth is suffering from such a divorce.Failing to get a clear decree of his fate from the witches,murdering his sovereign,deserted by his wife and betrayed by his friends,Macbeth has already been separated from his life.And Camus holds that there are three different responses when humans are facing the absurd: committing suicide,maintaining hope and rising to revolt.Lady Macbeth commits suicide in despair;Banquo hallucinates in his na(i|¨)ive hope;yet Macbeth revolts fruitlessly in the austere absurd world.He has no yesterday,no tomorrow,but only now.As Sisyphus,he exhausts his passion and seeks the meaning of life in the revolt.Therefore, Macbeth is a thorough absurd hero by Shakespeare."Conclusion" gives a summary of the image of Macbeth,reviews briefly the existential views involved in the thesis and shows Shakespeare's tactics in conveying the similar views,pointing out that Macbeth is in fact a pioneer work in the perspective of existentialism in the field of literature.