Welcome to the World of Shakespearean Crime!
Hi everyone! We are diving into William Shakespeare’s chilling tragedy, Macbeth, but we are looking at it through a very specific lens: the Elements of Crime and Mystery. Don's worry if you usually find Shakespeare tricky; by focusing on this genre, we can see *Macbeth* as one of the earliest and most profound crime stories ever written.
This study guide will help you understand how the play fits into the "crime and mystery" genre, focusing on transgression, guilt, investigation, and punishment—all key requirements for your Unit 3 analysis.
1. The Nature of the Crime: Transgression Against Order
The core of *Macbeth* is a series of crimes, starting with the ultimate transgression: Regicide (the murder of a King). In the Jacobean era, this was not just a crime against a person; it was a crime against God (the King was believed to be God’s appointed representative on Earth—the Divine Right of Kings).
Motives and Criminals’ Actions
According to the syllabus, we must explore the criminals’ motives and actions. Macbeth is driven by two powerful forces:
- Ambition and Power: This is the central motif. Macbeth commits treason and murder purely for personal gain—the crown.
- External Influence: The influence of the Witches (the supernatural element) and Lady Macbeth (emotional manipulation). They act as instigators, pushing the criminal action forward.
Key Term: Transgression
A transgression is a violation of a law, rule, or moral code. Macbeth’s transgression is so severe because it destroys the established moral and social order of Scotland.
Quick Review: The Chain of Criminal Action
- The Incitement: The Witches’ prophecy and Lady Macbeth’s goading.
- The Primary Crime: The murder of King Duncan (Act 2, Scene 2).
- The Cover-Up: Framing the guards using Duncan's bloodied daggers.
- The Escalation: Subsequent murders (Banquo, Macduff’s family) to protect the ill-gotten throne.
Think of Macbeth like a highly successful person who decides to rob a bank—not because they need money, but because they believe they deserve more power and excitement. Once they commit that first crime, they have to commit more to keep the secret safe.
Key Takeaway: The crime in *Macbeth* is primarily motivated by the desire for power, marking it as a profound act of moral failure and national treason.
2. The Mystery and the Investigation
While *Macbeth* is not a "whodunit" (the audience knows who committed the crime), it functions as a mystery concerning how the truth will be exposed and who will bring the criminals to justice.
Unravelling the Mystery
The "investigation" in *Macbeth* is less about a detective finding clues and more about the supernatural and psychological elements exposing the truth.
How the Mystery is Unravelled (Clues and Detection)
The syllabus asks how the investigation leads to the criminal's capture. In *Macbeth*, the clues are subtle and often spiritual:
- Macbeth’s Behaviour: His increasingly erratic nature and visible fear. After Banquo’s murder, seeing the ghost at the feast (Act 3, Scene 4) is a critical moment where his guilt is almost exposed to his nobles (like an unconscious confession).
- Lady Macbeth’s Confession: Her sleepwalking scene (Act 5, Scene 1) is the ultimate detection device. Her fragmented speech and attempts to wash her hands reveal the gruesome details of the murders to her Doctor and Gentlewoman, proving the couple’s crimes.
- The Settings: The chaotic atmosphere created by Macbeth’s tyranny (Scotland is "sick") serves as a backdrop. The movement of the Scottish nobles (Malcolm, Macduff) from Scotland to England becomes the physical investigation—the gathering of military force to restore order.
Did you know?
The Witches’ prophecies create a sense of mystery for the *audience* too. They make us wonder if Macbeth’s end is fate (inevitable) or if he actively chooses his downfall (free will). This tension is a classic element of tragedy.
Memory Aid: The 3 P's of Detection
The truth is exposed through Psychology (Macbeth's guilt), Physical flight (Malcolm & Macduff), and the eventual Punishment.
Key Takeaway: The play uses madness, the supernatural (ghosts), and the ultimate betrayal of the body (sleepwalking) as the primary ways of detecting and exposing the criminals.
3. Guilt, Remorse, and the Criminal Mind
One of the most engaging aspects of *Macbeth* is its deep dive into the psychological consequences of crime. This covers the syllabus point on guilt and remorse.
The Internal Suffering (Guilt and Remorse)
Unlike simple "capture and trial" stories, Shakespeare focuses on how the mind becomes the prison and the judge. The suffering of the perpetrator often outweighs the suffering of the victims, psychologically speaking.
- Macbeth: His immediate remorse is profound. He hears a voice cry "Sleep no more!" (Act 2, Scene 2). Sleep is a recurring motif representing innocence and peace. Losing sleep is the first step of his internal punishment.
- Lady Macbeth: Initially stronger, she dismisses the guilt ("A little water clears us of this deed"). However, her suppression leads to madness. Her attempts to wash the imaginary blood stain ("Out, damned spot!") demonstrates her overwhelming remorse.
Language and the World Created
The dramatic language used to heighten the tragedy also amplifies the crime and mystery elements:
- Blood Imagery: Used constantly to symbolize guilt and violence (e.g., "Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?"). This imagery makes the crime seem inescapable.
- Darkness and Night: Criminal acts occur under cover of darkness (the setting). This reflects the moral corruption taking place.
- Soliloquies: These allow the audience direct access to the criminals' thoughts, revealing their motives, their planning, and their intense feelings of guilt before anyone else knows the truth.
Common Mistake to Avoid:
Do not confuse Macbeth’s late-stage ruthlessness with a lack of remorse. His brutality in Acts 4 and 5 is driven by *fear* and a desperate attempt to ignore the moral injury he has caused himself, which proves he has not forgiven himself.
Key Takeaway: *Macbeth* shows that the most immediate and profound punishment for the criminal is psychological suffering, intensely depicted through the language of blood and sleeplessness.
4. Justice, Retribution, and Restoration of Order
Crime stories usually have a moral purpose: the expectation that the criminal will be punished and order restored. *Macbeth* follows this classic structural pattern, moving from crisis to resolution.
The Victims and Suffering
The suffering of the victims drives the retribution needed:
- Duncan: The initial victim, whose death causes national chaos.
- Banquo: Murdered because he represents a moral contrast and a threat to Macbeth’s lineage.
- Macduff’s family: The most brutal and unnecessary murders, highlighting Macbeth’s fall into pure evil. This suffering fuels Macduff's righteous desire for revenge and justice.
The Legal and Moral System
Since there is no courtroom, justice is delivered by retribution on the battlefield. The righteous forces (led by Malcolm and Macduff) act as the agents of the moral and legal system.
- Retribution for Macbeth: He is defeated and beheaded by Macduff, fulfilling the prophecy of the "not of woman born" man. This is a clear, definitive punishment.
- Retribution for Lady Macbeth: She dies off-stage, likely by suicide, proving that even a powerful villain cannot escape internal justice.
Structural Pattern: Crisis to Order
The play’s structure is fundamentally a "crime and justice" arc:
Prosperity (Duncan’s Reign) $\rightarrow$ Complication (The Prophecy) $\rightarrow$ Crisis (Duncan's Murder) $\rightarrow$ Catastrophe (Macbeth’s Tyranny) $\rightarrow$ Resolution (Macbeth’s Death and Malcolm's Crowning).
This structural patterning provides the audience with relief and confirms the moral purpose—that order is restored and evil does not triumph.
Key Takeaway: The play restores order through violent retribution, ensuring that the criminals are punished and the divine/moral law is upheld in the new reign of Malcolm.
5. Impact on the Audience: Suspense and Commentary
Finally, we consider how this crime narrative affects us, the audience, and what it comments on in the real world.
Creating Suspense and Repugnance
Shakespeare skillfully uses the elements of crime to manage the audience's emotional journey:
- Suspense: We are kept in suspense not by who did it, but by when and how Macbeth will finally be caught, especially as he seems shielded by the Witches’ prophecies.
- Repugnance: The horrific violence, particularly the slaughter of Macduff’s young son, generates strong feelings of disgust (repugnance), cementing Macbeth as a true monster.
- Pity and Fear (Catharsis): We feel pity for the victims and fear for the remaining good characters. When justice is finally delivered, we feel relief that the moral imbalance has been corrected.
Crime Writing as Social Commentary
Crime stories often comment on the society they are written in. *Macbeth*, a Jacobean play, uses crime to address real-world anxieties:
- Political Commentary: It serves as a stern warning against treason. James I (King when Shakespeare wrote this) was deeply concerned with plots against his life, especially following the Gunpowder Plot. The play warns that political crime leads only to chaos and death.
- Moral Commentary: It explores how evil is born—not just by external forces, but by internal choice (ambition). It asks audiences to consider the fine line between moral goodness and criminal desire.
Analogy: Think of it like a cautionary tale or a true-crime podcast. It reveals the horrific depth of the crime while reminding the audience that such transgressions against society must inevitably lead to punishment.
Key Takeaway: *Macbeth* uses crime elements to create intense psychological suspense and functions as a powerful political and moral commentary on the dangers of unchecked ambition.