Milford High School - Oak Lily and Ivy Yearbook (Milford, MA)

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20 THE OAK, LILY AND IVY. that Banquo is dangerous to his peace, and his mind is all afire with the thought of getting rid of him. And in contemplation of this crime he says: “But let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer, Ere we will eat our meals in fear, and sleep In the affliction of those terrible dreams That shake us nightly: better be with the dead, Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, Than on the torture of the mind to lie In restless ecstasy.” So it is seen that the strange effect of the crime on Macbeth is that he seems more alive to the dangers of his deed, than to the guilt of it, and his thoughts become almost frenzied in his efforts to ward off any possible danger to his security. He commits murder still, desperately seeking peace of mind, and each murder affects him only more strongly until he becomes almost indifferent about it, for, as he explains: “I am in blood Stepp’d in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o’er .” But Macbeth realizes before he dies, how his life has been wasted, realizes that fame and wealth were not worth the agonies and sacrifices he suffered, and that nothing can make up for the loss of a clear state of mind, for he exclaims sadly: “My way of life Is fall’n into the sear, the yellow leaf; And that which should accompany old age, As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends I must not look to have; but, in their stead, Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath Which the poor heart would vain deny, and dare not.” So Macbeth dies at the hand of Macduff, thus fulfilling the prophecies of the Weird Sisters, the precipitating cause of Macbeth’s crime, who have brought out the half-formed evil and temptation in Macbeth’s mind. By showing Macbeth’s crime, and by tracing his mental processes as a con¬ sequence of it, Shakespeare emphasizes the priceless value of a mind unstained by crime. The effect of the crime on Lady Macbeth is no less significant. Her suffer¬ ing, although different, is no less severe. It is her admirable self-control and will power which make her punishment different. It is not inborn heartlessness, but a courage “screwed to the sticking place” for the desires of ambition wrongly evaluated, that is the cause of her really greater participation in the crime. She has no hallucinations or delusions, because her existence is too evenly regu¬ lated by her will for any possible betrayal of her feelings. Her punishment is harder because she has the double burden of remorse and of hiding that remorse. It is only under the most trying conditions, over which she has no control, that she reveals the evidence of her suffering. Who can forget Lady Macbeth, with eyes staring straight before her, walking in her sleep, reenacting the scene of the murder and her suffering thereof? She gives vent to all the pent up agony of years and the revelation is pitifully enlightening. That she had remorse she has already shown to her husband in the words:

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THE OAK, LILY AND IVY. 19 THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH: ITS ETHICAL CONTENT. Every work worthy of the name of literature deals with human behavior. And human nature, at its best or worst, droll or tragic, is at all times interesting, and its study is often enlightening. So literature gives pleasure, but literature also emphasizes and points to a better standard of behavior—a standard stressed by the author in such a way that the reader profits by participating in the world experience depicted by the writer, without making the experience himself. It is against human nature to accept direct moral advice, and we do not like to have its application made personal. But in literature we see the moral energies of society acting upon ideal persons, and the lesson we receive is more impressive and beneficial because we accept it at our freedom. So Shakespeare, the greatest English writer of all times, in his stupendous tragedy “Macbeth,” offers us his moral advice through a convincing portrayal of the possibilities of crime and punishment in a human being. It is in Shakespeare’s method of characterization, although sometimes be¬ wildering, that lies the chief source of his charm and interest. Upon an old plot he focuses all his astounding interest in human nature, and his characters be¬ come magnificent portraits of human conduct, containing a wealth of material for study. Shakespeare shows us tragic deeds followed by their necessary con¬ sequences, and thus arouses our pity for the well intentioned tragic character, and terror if his mistakes are such as we should commit under like circumstances. Aristotle held that tragedy purifies the spectator by showing him how his feel¬ ings and convictions will result when carried out. And such a revelation must needs have its effects in establishing a more wholesome standard of behavior. Hence “Macbeth,” with its central theme of criminal ambition and its con¬ sequences, becomes fit material for tragedy and the contemplation of it purges the emotions through pity and terror. Macbeth, a general in the army of Duncan, king of Scotland, is not satis¬ fied with the honor and prestige bestowed upon him for his military exploits, for his ever-mounting ambition has brought him thoughts of the kingship. Although Duncan is beloved and “his virtues plead like angels, trumpet-tongu’d, against the deep damnation of his taking off,” Macbeth plans to murder the king to satisfy his love of power and wealth. His aim, which becomes slightly weakened in the face of the crime, is made fast by his equally ambitious but more strong- willed wife. Macbeth murders Duncan when the latter is a guest at Macbeth’s home, and with Duncan’s two sons fled, Macbeth becomes king. After some years, however, Macbeth realizes that Banquo and Macduff, both generals in Duncan’s army, are suspicious of him, and realizing their danger to his safety, Macbeth has Banquo murdered as well as the entire family of Macduff. Fleance, the son of Banquo, whom Macbeth had meant to kill, escapes. The ghost of Banquo appears before Macbeth at a banquet which Banquo was to have at¬ tended. Meanwhile Macduff and the sons of the murdered Duncan plot to de¬ pose Macbeth and place Malcolm, the rightful heir, upon the throne. The castle of Macbeth is besieged by Malcolm and his followers, and Macduff kills Macbeth. Lady Macbeth dies by her own hand. With death their troubles are over, but the lives of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have been one long suffering of fear and remorse. Macbeth’s life has been one long torture of imaginings and fears—fear of discovery, fear of any hindrances to his safety. His life is made up of hallucinations and self-delu¬ sions. His very active imagination, spell-binding his other faculties, shows him

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THE OAK, LILY AND IVY. 21 “Nought’s had all’s spent. Where our desire is got without content.” Finally she brings an end to her brooding melancholy herself, realizing as keenly as her husband that her ambition was not worth the price she paid. Peace of mind is too dear a blessing to be sold, especially since it cannot be rebought. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have both realized before their death their folly, and Shakespeare, in showing us their mistake, makes us acutely conscious of a better standard of behavior. He emphasizes the insignificance of prestige and wealth in stressing the value of a clear conscience. It does not seem likely that universal interest will ever be centered on the study of some class or form of organization rather than on the study of the individual. So it does not seem probable that Shakespeare will ever lose his pre¬ eminence, for as long as our chief occupation is the study of human nature, and as long as we believe that the great purpose of literature is to uplift and ennoble, Shakespeare and his dramas will maintain their place in the world’s literature. Esther Broudy, ’27. FROM THE DIARY OF MONSIEUR HENRI DE RIVORAL. June 1: This first day of June, 1917, marks the ninth day since the woman who calls herself Jacqueline Valny came to dwell under my roof. She thinks she is deceiving me, but I have proved satisfactorily to myself that she is a spy, a spy of those people who killed my three sons,—the Germans. I sigh no longer over the destruction of the village inn, for its demolition has given me my chance for revenge. But to-night I completed my plans. To-night I swore before the Almighty that this woman should pay for the death of my loved ones. To-morrow I hope to see my plans bear fruit. June 2: At breakfast this morning the reason of her presence here suddenly dawned upon me. The cure tells me that the German forces are rapidly advancing, and they wish, undoubtedly, to use my ancestral home to house their filthy soldiery. The thought of it increases my hatred a hundredfold. The Chateau de Rivoral a shelter for the foes of France? Never! It makes me twice as determined that I shall obtain the plans of the German advance, which I am certain she possesses. Then I will communicate them to Paris, thus saving my estates and the estates of my neighbors! If only my brother Jean were here to help me! But I have neither seen nor heard from him since my father disowned him, thirty long years ago. Even now I could pick him from among a thousand, but this is no time for idle musings, for to-night 1 must strike. In a few minutes Mademoiselle Valny will appear, so I must prepare myself. I sincerely hope that Madame Corteau, my only remaining servant, who is almost totally deaf, will remain in the sanctuary of her kitchen. June 5: I have committed a grievous sin. Who am I to wrest the power of revenge from the hands of our Creator? I shudder as I think of the mangled, torn, blood-stained corpse that lies at the foot of the stairs lead¬ ing to the wine vaults. If I had but given her a chance to deny my accusa¬ tions. I have often read of the tortured mind of a murderer, but to have murdered an innocent woman!