The Irrational World In Macbeth's Tragedy

Abstract:
There are two opposed worlds in “Macbeth”_ rational and irrational. Macbeth’s tragedy begins when he begins to apply the standards of the irrational world in the rational one where he lives. The rational world is marked by complexities, uncertainties and inter-dependences of events. Heroism, in this world, consists in confronting these. The irrational world is characterized by simplicities, certainties and isolation of events. Macbeth loses his heroism and becomes fear-stricken when, undeservingly, he acquires certain knowledge about a few unrelated events of his future life. Having tasted “certainty” of the irrational world, Macbeth becomes more and more troubled by the uncertainties of the rational world and his fear is aggravated and heroism disappears more and more. He turns out to be a divided personality as he lives in one world and abides by another. His reason and imagination don’t work as parts of a unified sensibility. Imagination makes him more frightened and less heroic. He regains his long-lost heroism only in the end fighting against fear and with a complete realization of

Duncan, Macbeth, Macduff and the other Scottish characters live in the first and Hecate, the three witches, Graymalkin and Paddock are the dwellers of the second. The course of life in the first, that is, the rational world, is complex, varied and marked by uncertainties and human heroism here consists in confronting these complexities, varieties and uncertainties. Macbeth’s prowess and dauntlessness exhibited in the battlefield is emphasized time and again and others endow him with honour of a warrior primarily because dauntless he admirably confronts the physical uncertainties of the battleground. Thus, in the rational world, the worth of humanity lies in such courageous confrontations with all sorts of odds and uncertainties_ courage in both physical and spiritual