GCS English

Introduction In this essay I will be examining Macbeth and Animal Farm, focusing on its main protagonists: Macbeth and Napoleon. I will be exploring the theme of choices and how these lead to corruption and disaster. Both texts were written around major events: Macbeth was practically written to order to impress James I, the incoming King of England around 1604. To gain James’ approval, Shakespeare includes elements of the supernatural and Scottish heritage, areas which James was particularly interested. On the other hand, Orwell wrote at the end of the Second World War, with the book being published in 1945. As a socialist, Orwell is particularly concerned how Stalin has employed Communism. He clearly wants to champion Animalism (or Communism in the allegory) however; there is no doubt that this system, like Macbeth’s character, is fatally flawed. In the real world, both James and Stalin had to make a range of choices for themselves, and supposedly for their country. These decisions have the greatest impact as they are in charge of an entire country. Social Background Shakespeare’s play deals with themes he has already explored in the past, in his history plays and particularly in Richard III (1591), such as the importance of leadership, a monarch’s duty of care and the affects of the supernatural, which similar to Macbeth, lead to Richard’s downfall at Bosworth. With a new monarch these are particularly key questions for the audience, but also Shakespeare flatters James by including his ancestor Banquo. In ‘Richard III’ the would-be King states: “I am determined to prove a villain / And hate the idle pleasures of these days.” This use of monologue is a theatrical technique that Shakespeare chooses to employ. However, the difference between these characters is that Richard deliberately sets out to be a “villain,” Shakespeare uses juxtaposing emotive language (“Hate” and “Pleasures”) to emphasise the change in state that he wishes to cause. Richard, like Macbeth, makes choices which he later regrets. Contrastingly, Orwell follows up the success of Animal Farm with another critique of the corruption of the Communist system, with his futurist novel 1984. Here elements of Communism, such as the Party and use of “comrade” are used to show a totalitarian future society where the protagonist, Winston Smith encounters Big Brother, a constant presence. “If the party could thrust its hand into the past and say this or that even, it never happened - that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death.” The dynamic verb “thrust” mirrors the perceived power the leader has chosen to take for himself, this directly relates to Animal Farm because Napoleon constantly reinvents both the rules but also perceptions of the past, who chooses to control the rest of the farm. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” Macbeth, at first, is presented as a positive character, through the view of Ross and the surgeon. They say: “For brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name - disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, which smoked with bloody execution.” The “brave” suggests he is a fearless warrior who is loyal to his king and country; however, his choices lead him onto a different path, corrupted by the power he gains. The idea of “bloody execution” could show how he has defended Scotland but could also slightly foreshadow the deaths in the play. Lady Macbeth is also attracted to power. After reading the letter explaining the witches’ prophecy, she greets him: “My dearest partner of greatness.” Shakespeare uses the technique of hyperbole and emotive language to emphasise how Lady Macbeth is both pleased to see her husband, but also revelling in the power he now represents. She is clearly corrupted by the potential power they could now have, and she quickly comes up with the idea of killing Duncan. She makes Macbeth choose to either be cowardly or manly. After killing the king, Macbeth’s choice to follow his wife’s suggestion leaves him a changed man. He says: “All is but toys: renown and grace is dead; The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees is left this vault to brag of.” This complex sentence uses both metaphors and extended metaphors to portray his guilt and new state of mind. Firstly, he compares life to “toys” suggesting that he now has complete control over people and can choose to “play” with them or do whatever he likes to them because he has the power. Secondly, he uses the extended metaphor of life representing a bottle of wine, and instead of being joyful that he is one step closer to achieving his desires, Macbeth feels he has the leftover peel and pips of the grape “mere lees” rather than the wine. The choice to kill Duncan leaves Macbeth feeling hollow and disillusioned. The allure of power has lost its shine already and the rest of the play sees Macbeth dealing with this guilt and corruption. Malcolm at the close of the play refers to the couple as “this dead butcher and his fiend-like queen.” Similarly, Napoleon is attracted to power easily but he is more confident in his approach and chooses to overthrow Snowball to achieve his goal of absolute power. By calling him after the French military leader, Orwell is foreshadowing is hinting at the pigs’ brutal nature and drive to gain power. “From now on the Sunday morning Meetings would come to an end. They were unnecessary, he said, and wasted time. In future all questions relating to the working of the farm would be settled by a special committee of pigs.” The idea of a “special committee” seems like a euphemism for Napoleon’s control without the opinions of the other animals. Manipulation of Power In Macbeth, the titular character only gains the Thane of Cawdor through his own ability. The rest of his fate comes to him via the witches and he chooses to believe and to act on their advice in order to fulfil these goals. A simple command such as “Beware Macduff,” Macbeth sees as a command to slaughter the kinsman’s entire family - an exaggerated act which makes him feel safer, but ultimately this is the final act before a rebellion is raised. The witches’ words plant the seed in Macbeth’s head, the driving force for him and his wife, but they also manage his fall, as well as his rise. When the witches say “The power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.” This implies that he will die of natural causes or in some tragic accident. Macbeth chooses to think that he is superior and starts to neglect his kingly duties. However, the truth of the “prophecy” is not yet known to him. To an audience of the time the inclusion of the supernatural would have caused excitement and terror. For us the juxtaposition of the real and unreal, especially in the opening scenes with its “filthy hags” followed by bloody men in action, Shakespeare chooses to keep the audience on edge and not entirely sure what is real and what is not: just as Macbeth feels when encountering these “weird sisters.” Also, another important figure in Macbeth’s life is his wife. Like the witches, she chooses to easily manipulate him for her own end. At the beginning of the play, we are constantly asked to evaluate whether she is supportive or power hungry herself. She can be seen as the catalyst in Macbeth’s drive to kill Duncan and so we need to decide whether Macbeth has any choice in the matter or not. To encourage him, Lady Macbeth says: “When you durst do it, then you were a man; And, to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man.” This quote uses repetition to reinforce his masculinity and his ability. She mocks him suggesting that if he is a coward he is not a man, which ironically gives her these qualities. The alliteration in “much more the man,” reinforces the power he is going to gain, “once the deed is done.” The choice of power over fidelity comes at the cost of their relationship. In Animal Farm the manipulation of power is quite an easy choice for Napoleon to make. He uses Squealer as his Propaganda machine, influencing the animals, which are seen as too stupid or frightened by his control to question the changing of commandments. “‘No Animal shall kill another Animal without cause.’ Somehow or other the last two words had slipped out of the Animals’ memory.” The word “slipped” suggests how forgetful and uneducated the animals are in contrast to the pigs. Napoleon chooses to discretely add these two words into the commandments and the animals do not question what he has done. The words “somehow or other” are particularly vague and don’t lead them to suspect Napoleon and his gang. Those Who Rebel, Die To secure power, both Napoleon and Macbeth make brutal choices which end with deadly consequences. In Animal Farm, Orwell uses the hens as a symbol of his total control, both through the exploitation of their eggs, but also their “corpses lying before Napoleon’s feet” as so-called traitors to the farm. To show the affect of this Orwell comments: “The remaining animals, except for the pigs and dogs, crept away in a body. They were shaken and miserable. They did not know which was more shocking the treachery of the animals who had leagued themselves with Snowball or the cruel retribution they had just witnessed.” Orwell uses the personal pro-noun of “they” to suggest the collection of animals, but also to show how they feel themselves separate from the others, which implies they are against the deaths. The use of emotive language reinforces this with “cruel retribution” showing their emotional reaction, but “miserable” suggesting that they will not oppose Napoleon in the future. Snowball and Banquo are very similar characters, in that they start off as the protagonists’ right hand man, but get to the point where they “know” to much, and are seen as potential threats and so dispatched. “Just at this moment Napoleon stood up and, casting a peculiar sidelong look at Snowball, uttered a high pitch whimper of a kind no one had ever heard him mutter before.” This signal then leads to Snowball’s exile from the farm, which the word “peculiar” emphasises. The idea of a “whimper” to signal a death seems quite ironic and cowardly for the leader. Similarly, Macbeth gets murderers to do his dirty work, “Banquo was your enemy.” His use of past tense shows the audience how he views the still living character. Conclusion To conclude, Orwell and Shakespeare present Napoleon and Macbeth’s choices in a variety of ways. Both of these rulers have chosen to become corrupt during the novel and play. Orwell uses a satire to criticise the Russian Revolution whilst Macbeth writes the play to entertain the new King (James I) and to get his approval. Each piece of work shows that choices are influenced by many people. In Macbeth, the witches and Lady Macbeth both play a significant role in manipulating Macbeth to become King of Scotland. However, in Animal Farm Napoleon is not manipulated by anyone and tries to take power of the farm to benefit himself. He is fully confident in what he is done and none of the animals are educated or clever enough to realise how selfish Napoleon has become. He is throughout the novel seen as their hero and the animals always say “Napoleon is never wrong.” The animals do not want to resemble man, but in the end all of Old Majors (Karl Marx – founder of communism) original commandments have changed and the pigs behaviour throughout the novel make them resemble man e.g. lying, cheating and corruption to gain power. In spite of this, I think that Macbeth is a worse leader than Napoleon because of the choices that Macbeth makes. Macbeth is a mass murderer like Napoleon, but his choices have a greater effect on his people compared to Napoleon. Napoleon chooses to be corrupt and is not influenced by anyone. Macbeth is manipulated easily by Lady Macbeth and the Three Witches throughout.