Macbeth’s Tragic Fate in Macbeth

朱倩茹

【Abstract】In Macbeth， the vivid mental portray and the ups and downs of the plot show us the process of Macbeths changing from a national hero to a regicide traitor. As a meritorious general for counterinsurgency， Macbeths lust for power is ever expanding. The personality of id， ego and superego fight with each other repeatedly， making Macbeth lose the control of personality， and finally leading him to a dead end. This paper analyzes the process of Macbeths personality transformation from the angle of Freuds personality theory， so as to explore how the desire for power makes Macbeth lose his mind gradually and ultimately get self-destructed.

【Key words】Macbeth； tragic fate； Freuds personality theory

I. Introduction

Macbeth is a famous psychodrama of Shakespeare. Through the mental description of Macbeth before and after his regicide， it shows us a character who changes from a hero to a demon for the reason of the lust of power， and ultimately to self-destruction. This paper is based on Freuds famous Personality Theory， which is focused on the analysis of how the personality of id， ego and superego fight with each other， finally leading to Macbeths self-destruction.

II. Freuds Personality Theory

Freud s personality structure is composed of id， ego and superego. He points out that “From a moral point of view， we can say that the id is completely non-moral， the ego strives to be moral， and the superego can become super-moral.”（Freud： 1987） The id is the original self， which contains basic survival desires， impulses and vitality. The “id” performs according to the “Pleasure Principle”， which ignores the external social and moral code of conduct. The “ego” is the part of the self， which we can realize through our own thinking， feeling， judgment or memory. The “ego” follows the “Reality Principle”， searching a balance between the reality and the ego. The “superego” is the part of the individual which internalizes ethical social values and supervision in the process of growing. The superego follows the “Moral Principle”， which requires the ego to meet the demands of id in a socially acceptable way.

III. Personality Theory Reflected in the Drama

3.1 The fighting between the id and the ego in Macbeths personality

In Macbeth， the imbalance between the id and the ego is manifested through the Witches performance. The emergence of the Witches is not by accident， but “the manifestation of Macbeths subconscious—the ambition and ulterior motives in the soul”. （Si Yang： 1980）

Although Macbeth is depicted as a heroic image， there lurks some desire in the id. As Lady Macbeth has said： “what thou wouldst highly. That thou wouldst holily； wouldst not play false， and yet wouldst wrongly win”. （Shakespeare 1994：849） Thus， in the nature of Macbeth there is a wild ambition. But since he takes into account of his identity and moral ethics， his ambition and lust for power has been under control of the rational ego.

In Macbeth， the imbalance between the id and the ego is manifested through the Witches performance. The emergence of the Witches is not by accident， but “the manifestation of Macbeths subconscious—the ambition and ulterior motives in the soul”. （Si Yang： 1980）

Although Macbeth is depicted as a heroic image， there lurks some desire in the id. As Lady Macbeth has said： “what thou wouldst highly. That thou wouldst holily； wouldst not play false， and yet wouldst wrongly win”. （Shakespeare 1994：849） Thus， in the nature of Macbeth there is a wild ambition. But since he takes into account of his identity and moral ethics， his ambition and lust for power has been under control of the rational ego.

However， after his outstanding military exploits， his original ambition begins to break through the constraints of the rational ego. The emergence of the Witches is just an attempt of the id to break through the control of the ego in his heart， which is also the germination of the desire for power. The key to the destruction of Macbeth is the three blessings the Witches give to him. These blessings make him “start”， and “he seems rapt withal” （Shakespeare 1994：847）. After he is bestowed the title of “Thane of Cowdor”， the Witches first prophecy is fulfilled. The attempt of the id achieves certain results and his inner ambition is also expanding.

Although Macbeth understands that to usurp the throne is not justified， the lust for power has made him out of mind. The ego which follows the moral and ethical rules begins to lose its way， and the lust for power has got out of the rational egos control. Driven by the wild ambition， Macbeth kills Duncan to win the throne first， and then sends assassins to kill the upright brave Banquo.

As a result， the id controlled by the desire for power wins the battle against the ego. Macbeth takes the initiative to see the three witches again. So at this point， Macbeths ego has been completely dominated by the id， which succumbs to the desire for power. Consequently， he turns Scotland into the land of the killing， and the destruction of Macbeth is irreparable.

The Witches several emergences mark the relationship between the rational ego and the ambitious id in Macbeths personality—from the balanced point to the ids attempt to breakthrough， and from the breakthrough to a final unbalanced point where the ego is completely subservient to the id. This is the very process of the destruction of Macbeths personality.

3.2 The fighting between the ego and the superego in Macbeths personality

In the play， Duncan and Banquo are the embodiment of Macbeths superego. In Macbeths heart， he hopes that “thou wouldst be great” （Shakespeare 1994：849）. And the great man is like Duncan who is kind and loved by the people. Thus， Duncan is his ideal superego. When Lady Macbeth urges him to kill Duncan， he thinks of Duncans good nature as “his faculties so meek， hath been so clear in his great office， which his virtues will plead like angles”（Shakespeare 1994：850） And Duncan “hath honourd me of late” （Shakespeare 1994：851）. Finally in preparation for the killing of Duncan， he still hopes that Duncan “hear it not” （Shakespeare 1994：852）. After he kills Duncan， he also wishes that the knock on the door can awaken Duncan. Macbeths assassination of Duncan is the egos destruction of the superego under the control of the id. This regicide can be said to be Macbeths moral destruction.

The reactions of Macbeth and Banquo to the prophecies of the witches are different. The former sees his lust for power， but the latter smells of the dangerous ingredients keenly. And the thought of Banquo is just what Macbeth should get understood clearly. When evil thoughts get into Macbeth， Banquo requires himself to “restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature gives way to in repose”. （Shakespeare 1994：851） When Macbeth tries to persuade Banquo to join the assassination， Banquo counters that “ In seeking to augment it， but still keep my bosom franchisd and allegiance clear， I shall be counselld” （Shakespeare 1994：851）. These words pierce into Macbeths conscience， which is a manifestation of the superego driven by the moral standard controlling the id. But the wild ambition restrains the conscience so that he commits the crime of infidelity.

After the assassination of Banquo， Macbeths soul suffers a lot. In the subconscious， he hopes that the party is fulfilled. He is reluctant to admit that Banquo was dead， and he is unwilling to admit that he did it. Macbeth desires to get rid of the blame of the moral conscience， and hopes to live righteously like the past. “Thou canst not say I did it： never shake thy gory locks at me.” “Ay， and a bold one， that dare look on that which might appal the devil.”（Shakespeare 1994：858） From Macbeths aphasia， we can see that Macbeth is eager to follow the social code of conduct， but the reality makes him in a dilemma， for the conflict between the id and the superego makes it difficult for the ego to get away from the trouble. The Murder of Banquo put the tragedy to a climax， which is also the ultimate destruction of Macbeths conscience. The death of Duncan and Banquo mark the destruction of the superego. And the inharmonious relation between the id and the superego is at the same time Macbeths self-destruction.

IV. Conclusion

In general， Macbeth has strong ambition but weak will. On hearing the prophecies of the witches from the beginning， the desire in Macbeths id reveals， and the desire to become the king has been dominating him. From the point where the desire is controlled by reason to the time when the desire eventually dominates Macbeth himself， the id of Macbeth beats the ego and the superego cant control the id， which will eventually lead to the irreversible tragedy. The conflict between moral conscience and desire， the id and the ego， and the id and the superego mix together. The imbalance of the id， ego and superego will inevitably lead to the peoples spiritual breakdown and the destruction of the figure.

Human being should act in good way. Once the id gets out of the control of the superego， and the ego breaks through the moral line， tragedy happens. Living in the society， if people dont know how to control the ids desire， they can not only miss happiness， but also be tortured by ruthless moral ethics. This is an incontrovertible truth and also the value of Freuds personality theory about the relationship between social ethics and human behaviors.

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