Relationship Dynamics: Macbeth and the Tempest - Essay Example

College: Lecturer: Relationship Dynamics: Macbeth and the Tempest In both Macbeth and the Tempest, there exist various dynamicsof relationship and love. Relationships also exist in different perspectives and arenas. These include but not limited to husband and wife, son and father, master and workers and, mother and son. The love and passions expressed in these relationships create the disparities in their dynamisms and perceptions. As a matter of fact, most relationships have been ironically portrayed in both of the plays. For instance, an audience would expect the relationship between son and father to be very personal and passionate. However, this has not been the case, especially in Macbeth. King Duncan had sons who depicted contrasting relations with him. Some, like Donalbain, seem to love his father yet this is not for sure. Malcolm, on the other hand, keeps the relationship between him the father very formal. To him, the father is just a king. However, he does not let it show until his father dies. When King Duncan dies, his sons fail to show their bereavement. None of them shed tears before the public; not even crocodile tears. If they must shed any tear, then they would rather do it in private places. To them, it is just the death of a king. Before the people, Malcolm and Donalbain keep it formal as if to show the relationship with the father was entirely kingship. The sons show further that their relationship with the father was merely kingship by their actions after he has been murdered. The first thing they thought of was how to escape from the anonymous murderer. If they really loved the father at personal levels, they would investigate the homicide first, instead of saving their lives. By the action of escaping and neglecting the case shows that they care much. The sons of King Duncan gave the dynasty first priority. Even as they escaped, their main objective was to save the kingdom of their fallen father. This is clearly depicted when the revenge time came. Malcolm’s revenge on the murderer, Macbeth, seems less personal. He just wants to punish Macbeth for killing a king, not the father. And by revenging, his aim was to restore the throne of the long gone king; not to repay the death of his father. The brave Macduff is, by contrast, a defender of the parents. The relationship between him and the father portrays true love and protection. Even though Macbeth succeeded in wiping out the family of Macduff, he fought tirelessly before his abandoned mother for the honor of his father. In his relentless defense, he dies in the line of duty. However, his death does not dispute his undying love and the strong bond between him and the parents. For this very love, he was ready to die. This shows a more personalized relationship and love of son to the father. It contrasts the unclear relationship between Malcolm and his father. There exists another uniquely passionate relationship between father and son in Macbeth. Banquo loves his son Fleance a lot. When the assassins sent by Macbeth arrive, Banquo urges his beloved son to flee. Fleance heeds to the words of his father and escapes death. He later comes back to take over the kingdom. Other than the son-father relationship, the relationship between Macbeth and his subjects has also been portrayed as bitter and full of jealousy. Macbeth has no son to inherit the dynasty. He cannot stand the fact that Banquo’s son may be his successor. When the witches tell Macbeth about the descendants of Banquo, he gets very angry and launches a hunt to finish them. “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none: So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!” (Shakespeare, 6) He feels that these descendants will deny him his dynasty. This situation creates enmity between Macbeth and his kinsmen, thus, a poisonous relationship. Macbeth, by killing Duncan, betrays the sacred bond that had always existed between the king and the subjects. Before the act, kings had always treated the subjects and kinsmen with care and understanding. This was not the case during the reign of Macbeth. There is also another dimension of relationship portrayed between Macbeth and his lady. It is evident that the two are not affectionate at all. Lady Macbeth only relies on Macbeth for her own status. This is why she uses Macbeth to kill Duncan. She is here to use the powers of the king and not to love. Macbeth, just like his lady, only relies on her as a source of moral strength and counseling. The lady draws plans whereas Macbeth executes them. In fact, it was Lady Macbeth’s master mind to kill Duncan. Macbeth only accomplished what was already arranged. The relationship between Macbeth and his lady exhibits a wavy trend. In the first two Acts, the husband and wife are so much into each other. The lady shows her respect for Macbeth by addressing him as “husband”. However, after the killing of Duncan, the two seem to coil themselves in their cocoons of guilt. The love and respects has dried out from the lady, even though the husbands still tries hard to address her with the reserved respect. The second play by William Shakespeare in this context is The Tempest. In this play, there also exists the issue of relationship dynamism. This is brought by what can be perceived as reversed roles; ‘slaves’ ordering ‘masters’. Generally, the controversial relationship between masters and their subjects forms the main issue in this play. In Scene 1, Act 1, there is an attempt to disrupt the traditional relationship between masters and the subjects; a move that resulted into deathly repercussion. Boatswain is on board with passengers who are noble persons. When the storms hit hard on the ship, he bravely orders these dignitaries to stoop below the decks. “Heigh, my hearts! Cheerly, cheerly, my hearts! Yare, yare! Take in the topsail. Tend to the Master’ whistle. Blow, till thou burst thy wind, If room enough! …………………………………. ………………………………………….. I pray now, keep below” (Shakespeare, 2-4) The passengers do not take such orders lightly. To show their fury, they decide to disobey the orders. As a result of their defiance, the ship sinks. In the scene above, the masters (noble passengers) were used to being on the ‘giving’ end and not on the ‘receiving’ end. Usually, the information and orders were to flow from the masters to the servants. The servants were to receive the orders and act without questioning. Therefore, the servants had always been very submissive and timid before their masters. Shakespeare constantly disturbs this traditional relationship by making masters to become slaves and, slaves are made masters. Apart from the example of Boatswain above, there are more scenes that depict this relationship. For instance, Caliban had been the master in the island until Prospero and Miranda joined him. Upon their arrival, Prospero made Caliban a servant while he makes himself a master. Stephano is also made a master by Caliban. In the island exists a warm relationship between Miranda and his father; Prospero. Miranda had been brought up in a very responsible way by his father. He gave her all the comfort and protection she deserved. He had also been her sole teacher and care taker. When they arrive in the island Prospero says to her beloved daughter: “Here in this island we arrived, and here Have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit Than other princess can, that have more time For vainer hours, and tutors not so careful” (Shakespeare, 12) Both Macbeth and The Tempest have been modified and amplified in one way or the other in filming. For instance, the killing of Duncan by the assassins from Macbeth has been vividly filmed, making it the scene horrific and disturbing. It is also disturbing to watch the ship sink in The Tempest. Nonetheless, the visualization of these plays makes them easy to follow and interpret. It also simplifies the communication by enhancing the complex language used in the printed scenes. The visualization has helped to accomplish actions that words could not express, thus enriching the theme of relationship dynamics. Work Cited Shakespeare, William. Shakespeares Comedy of The Tempest. Ed. William J. Rofe. New York: American Book Company. 1904. Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2009. http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/thetempest/mirandaferdinand.html >. Read More