Annie Christofferson October 21, 2012 AP Prep Mr.

Jourdan On the Trail of Betrayal Betrayal; the word sounds so harsh, does it not? Harsh as it may be, betrayal is a key component in Shakespeares The Tragedy of Macbeth. It is easy for people to see the significance of obvious or physical betrayals, but could the ones behind the scenes be just as important to the plot? As Shakespeare scrutinizes many different betrayals, he proves the importance of all of them, and then clearly adds it to his play, The Tragedy of Macbeth. He also looks deeper and digs into the question what is considered a betrayal? Shakespeare explores the nature of many different kinds of betrayals, and the deeper he gets with each one, the more personal and tragic each betrayal is. One thing to analyze before going into Shakespeares examples of betrayal, is the question what is betrayal? According to the Free Online Dictionary, one definition of betray is to be false or disloyal to someone or something (Betray). That does not seem to quite answer the question, so try digging deeper. To be loyal is to have a feeling of allegiance, and allegiance is a subordinate being committed to a superior group or cause. This can lead to the conclusion that betrayal is someone of lower importance stopping support and commitment to someone of higher importance, and can, in fact, be for the better. Most people think of betrayal negatively because it most often is a negative thing. So how could it be good? In The Tragedy of Macbeth, there are examples of betraying the king, betraying a wife, betraying a friend, and this list goes on. But these all seem negative. If betrayal does indeed mean stopping commitment to a superior power, could one say that America betrays England when they became a separate country? Could one say that humans betray their own nature when they choose to submit to God instead of Satan? Could one say that one betrays their bad values when they start to bring out the good in themselves, or one betrays a violent mob when they choose to leave?

Christofferson 2 Yes, that is exactly what it means. And these are all good things. The context is key, here. The word betrayal itself is most commonly thought of as resulting in a bad situation, but the things above are all betrayals from something bad to something good. After analyzing what a betrayal is and coming to the conclusion that betrayal could be for the better, there are more examples of betrayal that a reader can find in The Tragedy of Macbeth. One deeper betrayal that Shakespeare incorporates into The Tragedy of Macbeth is the inner feelings of Lady Macbeth. She betrays her original opinions throughout the course of the play. In Act I, she is the driving force in the plot to murder Duncan. When she and Macbeth are discussing whether or not to kill Duncan, she says that all he has to do is look and act innocent, and to Leave all the rest to me (1.5.86). It doesnt take long for the audience to be able to see a slight shift in her character. When the time comes for committing the murder, she explains that she would murder him, except he looks like her father: had he not resembled/ my father as he slept, I had donet ( 2.2.1617). That displays a small betrayal inside of Lady Macbeth, which continues to progress throughout the play. By the end of the play, she is so overcome with guilt that she cannot think straight anymore. It is clear that she thinks of herself as permanently guilty when she says, What, will these hands neer be clean? (5.1.45). Her guilt is a sign of a change occurring within her; it is regret of her past. This regret signifies a betrayal inside of her, but not a betrayal for the worse. This betrayal seems to be a glimmer of hope in the play. It contradicts all other betrayals in The Tragedy of Macbeth in the fact that it is for good. Although this betrayal is definitely a harder one to pick out, it is still a very significant part of the play. Another betrayal that is a little bit easier to see, yet still obscure, is within the relationships. Relationship betrayals are prevalent in The Tragedy of Macbeth. The most evident one is Macbeth and Lady Macbeths relationship throughout the play. Now, although this betrayal doesnt follow the same

Christofferson 3 pattern as Lady Macbeths betrayal, which was from bad to good, it still has some depth to it. At the beginning of the play, the two are very close, they are equal partners, they trust each other, and they love each other. Lady Macbeth controls a lot of the relationship, but they both have a say in the final decisions. Immediately after Duncans murder, one can see Macbeth already starting to do his own thing without the knowledge of his wife. After Duncans murder, Macbeth goes ahead and kills the guards without Lady Macbeths knowledge, and when Macbeth starts planning and hiring people to murder Banquo and Fleance, he is also doing that without the understanding and consent of his wife. They are becoming unequal and their relationship is no longer in balance. That inequality is easy to see by looking at the way Macbeth addresses his wife. During the beginning of the play, Macbeth talks to Lady Macbeth as his equal My dearest love (1.5.67). Later on, when she asks about the plan about Banquo, Macbeth says Be innocent of knowledge, dearest Chuck, which is pretty much saying do not worry about it baby; I have this (3.2.51). The way Macbeth regards his wife in levels of equality is dropping significantly. This is also very personal, considering it is between a husband and a wife. Shakespeare uses it to bring tension into the play without using one specific event. This gives the audience an unsettling feeling as well as tension. One can open to the second scene of The Tragedy of Macbeth and already find evidence of betrayal. Macdonwald, a trusted, loyal subject of the king, turns against King Duncan and commits treason. Through this event, Shakespeare introduces many of the main characters, including Macbeth, Duncan, and Banquo. This betrayal may not seem incredibly significant to the play, but it clearly foreshadows Macbeths betrayal later on in the plot. Because Macdonwald is well trusted by Duncan, He was a gentleman on whom I built/ an absolute trust (1.4.15-16), the nature of the betrayal is much more personal to Duncan. Immediately after this betrayal occurs, Shakespeare sets the stage for

Christofferson 4 another. The betrayal that happens next is Macbeth betraying Duncan, in which case the foreshadowing during Macdonwalds betrayal becomes reality. This betrayal is extremely significant to the play in the fact that it is what the whole plot is based on. It is also the easiest to see. There are three main reasons that makes this betrayal unethical. Macbeth is Duncans host, family, and subject. Macbeth recognizes that fact when he says First, as I am his kindsman and his subject/...then, as his host(1.7.13-14). All three of those scream not to do it, yet Macbeth ignores them and goes ahead with the betrayal. Being a host means one is the protector of their guest. Instead of keeping Duncan safe while he is in Macbeths castle, he murders him. This goes against all etiquette, to say the least, and is the exact opposite of his duty. Macbeth is Duncans own kinsman. That should be a red flag right there. Families do not betray each other-they just do not. Finally, Macbeth is also supposed to be Duncans loyal subject, and he plays the part well. He has Duncans full trust, he is well liked by the other nobles, and he is looked up to by many. Since Macbeth is a subject of the king, it is someone of a lower rank betraying someone of a higher rank. This throws off the Chain of Being and influences the action of the rest of the play. This main physical betrayal in The Tragedy of Macbeth is the easiest to see, and has a huge significance to the entirety of the play. The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play full of betrayals. Each of Shakespeares many examples of them contribute to the play in their own unique way. The betrayals hit on a personal level with not only the characters in the play, but also with the audience. Although some betrayals seem less obvious at first, they are all vital to the plot, and it is clear that Shakespeare purposely added each and every one, whether it was to add tension, to teach a lesson, or just to help lead to yet another betrayal.

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Works Cited
"Allegiance." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 2000. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/epub/dictionaries.shtml>. "Betray." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 2000. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/epub/dictionaries.shtml>. "Loyal." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 2000. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/epub/dictionaries.shtml>. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Eds. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. Print.