For Old Mac, The Farm Wasn't Enough

Honestly, after finishing Macbeth, I am overwhelmingly puzzled by the play, its plot, characters, and supposedly flowery Elizabethan language (I can barely comprehend it, much less truly appreciate it).  I am not really sure what kinds of messages Shakespeare was trying to convey.                                                                             

Although I am not particularly well acquainted with the form of classic Greek tragedies, it's possible to draw a few parallels, such as the use of three fates, the idea of of bad things happening to good people, and that favorite humanist theme of a man a the height of power losing it all.  Shakespeare uses the porter, and later the dialogue between Lady Macduff and her son as comic relief, but I didn't find his ribald sense of humor particularly comedic.                                                

Macbeth starts out as a potentially heroic protagonist, but his character quickly shifts into that of a heinous villain.  This occurs after he meets three cotton tops on the side of the road who think they know something about his future.  For a thane of Scotland, Macbeth is pretty gullible.  Just because they tell him that he will be king, he decides that makes it okay to massacre his fellow countrymen, including assassinating the king, who was doing a perfectly fine job of ruling Scotland, and his best friend, Banquo.  Macbeth doesn't stop to consider for one moment that those pruny old ladies could have no idea what they are talking about.  He also automatically assumes that he has to murder everyone he comes in contact with in order to fulfill their prophecy.             

Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, contrasts the cultural and historical roles of women in her character.  In order not to hurt her feelings, let's start by complimenting her leadership skills.  While most women in medieval Scotland stayed home and cared for children, with little to no influence on their husbands’ actions, Lady Macbeth rules the roost.  She adroitly manipulates Macbeth into doing what she wants him to do, whether or not he has any qualms about it.  She is also an unconventional woman because she defies the status quo of women's traditional roles.  Lady Macbeth is ambitious and realizes that there's more to life for a woman than having children, like orchestrating assassinations and plotting ways to obtain power (of course).  She is so steadfastly loyal that she would rather smash out a baby's brains than break her word.  Most people can't claim to have a modicum of her dedication.  However, she's stuck playing the traditional role of woman as temptress, which is pretty stereotypical.  (I mean, we've seen this since Adam and Eve.  Everyone knows that women are the root of all evil in the world.  That's just so obvious.  Why else would we have war, plagues, and death?)                                   

Macbeth does have some redeeming qualities, though.  All of the important characters die in the end, which is perversely amusing.  I was at least able to understand that much of this inscrutable play.