Macbeth Key Theme: Corruption of Nature (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Revision Note

Reviewed by: Kate Lee

The corruption of nature theme in each act of Macbeth:

Act	Quote	Summary
1	“So foul and fair a day I have not seen”– Macbeth	From the first moment Macbeth appears onstage, nature appears to be disrupted, foreshadowing the corruption about to occur
2	“The night has been unruly … / Our chimneys were blown down” – Lennox	After Duncan’s murder, Lennox describes unnatural occurrences in the night such as strange sounds and earthquakes, reflecting the chaos in nature
3	“By th’ clock ‘tis day, / And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp” – Ross	Even though it is daytime, it is dark and this unnatural event symbolises Macbeth’s corrupt reign
4	“Macbeth shall never vanquished be until / Great Birnam Wood to High Dunsinane Hill / Shall come against him” – Third apparition	The witches’ prophecies predict an unnatural occurrence as nature would have to be corrupted or distorted for Macbeth’s downfall to occur
5	“And now a wood / Comes toward Dunsinane” – Macbeth	Macbeth is informed that Birnam Wood appears to be moving towards his castle, fulfilling the witches’ prophecy and symbolising how nature is rebelling against Macbeth’s rule

Descriptions of nature and the weather: Shakespeare uses descriptions of the weather to foreshadow the deaths to come:
- For example, the witches meet in “thunder” and “lightning” and Macbeth pronounces the day as “foul”
Duncan’s murder: Macbeth has consciously and deliberately acted against nature and as the play progresses, he continues to destabilise ordered patterns:
- He acknowledges the dead Duncan is happier than he is and admits how “uneasy lies the head that wears the crown”
- In contrast, Shakespeare presents Duncan’s character as aligned with nature through pleasant descriptions (which Macbeth destroys): “the air/ nimbly and sweetly recommends itself/Unto our gentle senses”
Unnatural events after Duncan’s murder: Duncan’s death occurs during a night Lennox describes as ”unruly”, with “strange screams of death”:
- This reflects the evil nature of Duncan’s death
Lady Macbeth’s unnatural role: Lady Macbeth subverts the typical Jacobean gender roles, and demands the spirits to strip her of her femininity to achieve her ambition: “unsex me here”.

Character	Impact
Macbeth	Macbeth’s unnatural actions lead to a disruption of both nature and his own mental state
Lady Macbeth	Lady Macbeth’s close relationship with her husband and her knowledge of his ambitious nature enables her to manipulate him, by questioning his character: “I fear thy nature”: Her complicity in Duncan’s unnatural murder leads to her rapid descent into madness
Duncan	Duncan’s murder is the primary event that corrupts nature in the play and his death throws the natural order into chaos: Duncan’s horses “contending ‘gainst obedience” are symbolic of the collapse of the country’s social hierarchy into “most admired disorder”, leading to civil war
The witches	The witches are symbolic of nature’s corruption as they appear to have the power to predict the future, to defy the weather and have guiding spirits: Their ability to “untie the winds” and disrupt nature symbolises their corruption of both the human and natural order

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1. Setting and atmosphere

2. Plot driver

3. Audience appeal

Appeals to the audience’s interest as the play reflects the volatile nature of society during the Jacobean era and the social expectations that unlawfully killing another man would be justly punished
Challenges ideas about the role of women as Lady Macbeth’s ambitious nature and controlling influence over Macbeth could be perceived as unnatural and unfeminine

4. Dramatic device

Heightens the tension by using unnatural occurrences to signify the fundamental evil of the characters’ actions

Try planning a response to the following essay questions as part of your revision of the theme of corruption of nature:

Explore how the murder of Duncan disrupts the natural order and leads to Macbeth’s downfall. (You could start with Act 2, Scene 4.)
How does Shakespeare use the theme of the corruption of nature to portray the character of Lady Macbeth? (You could start with Act 1, Scene 5.)

Last updated: 30 October 2024

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