Violence in Macbeth is so excessive it ceases to have any effect on the audience.’- To what extent do you think that the violence in the play is excessive?

Gothic literature could be argued to be preoccupied with excess and extremes, whether it is opulent castle décor, excessive use of blood extreme supernatural experiences or excessive violence. Excess within the genre has perhaps become commonplace or unremarkable as it may be expected. Violence could be argued to be excessive in society, in the Jacobean era, public executions may have led to desensitisation amongst audiences as excessive violence was common in both drama and reality. Similarly, for modern audiences, violence has become perhaps even more so excessive with the widespread glamorisation of violence through various media portals, leading to desensitisation. Whilst Macbeth encompasses an array of violent acts, references to violence and violent characters making it arguably excessive and perhaps leading to a desensitised audience, it could be argued the shocking nature of the violence or who it is inflicted upon invokes strong reaction from audiences, whilst the way in which violence is condemned or commended may provoke political debate suggesting whilst excessive violence can cease to affect audiences due to being consistent, it could be argued despite this, violence is a key component of Macbeth that drives the plot, provokes debate and shocks or terrifies audiences, having a profound effect.

Who the victims of violence are, could create a sense of shock amongst audiences. To a religious, Jacobean audience, the violence involved in Macbeth’s regicide could be seen as terrifying as Christianity proposed the Divine right of King’s. The Divine right of King’s suggests that King’s are appointed by and affiliated with God, suggesting that any attack on the King or Duncan, is an attack on God, the brutal murder of Duncan could be seen as terrifying by Jacobean audiences as it is an act of violence against God, disrupting the natural hierarchy and destabilising religious rules. Similarly, Lady Macbeth’s arguably sadistic metaphorical act of violence against a new born baby “I would, while it was smiling in my face…have dash’d the brains out” could be argued as particularly shocking and unsettling for audiences as for Jacobean and some modern audiences goes against the natural role of women as nurturing mothers. Whilst feminists may suggest this violence is perhaps needed to  shock the patriarchal system into change, it could be argued the sinister nature of “while it was smiling in my face” evokes horror from audiences, rather than being desensitised by the excessive violence their senses are perhaps fully awakened by this cruel, unnatural act of violence. Interestingly, the victims of violence in Macbeth are all similarly innocent and vulnerable, Duncan, a new born baby and Lady Macduff creating the sense of unjust violence perhaps evoking sadness and shock from audiences rather than ceasing to affect them.

It could be argued Shakespeare’s structure determines the effect of violence on the audience. The play commences with violent weather and a bloody battle perhaps setting up expectations of violence, this could perhaps make violence have a lesser effect as audiences are almost pre-warned of further violence to come, similarly the use of gothic elements such as wilderness landscape and darkness could create expectations of violence as these are perhaps associated with violence. For Jacobean audiences, the most sinful act of violence, regicide, comes at the beginning of the play, rather than a building suspense which could evoke anticipation amongst audiences, this act of violence is at the start which could suggest other acts of violence cease to have an effect as they may be seen as inferior or less shocking to this attack against God. There is a cyclical nature of violence in the play, as it opens and ends with battle scenes of brutality which could further cease to have an effect on the audience as the entirety of the play has featured violence, similarly to that of violence through public executions and the media, violence has been depicted from beginning to end suggesting the excessive nature of violence in Macbeth, desensitising audiences as it becomes unremarkable due to its prevalence.

The way in which violence is portrayed could suggest it does have an effect on audiences as the ambiguity surrounding violence may provoke thought or debate, the excess of different types of violence and reactions to it could actually create a profound effect rather than numbing the audience to violence. For instance, there is a certain ambivalence to violence in the play as Macbeth’s violent murders “unseam’d him from the nave to the chaps” within the context of a battle scene is suggested as being “noble” and commended as valiant and patriotic, despite the gruesome nature of the violence of slicing a man in two, this type of violence is rewarded with celebration. However, Macbeth’s less gruesome murder of Duncan provokes a reaction of horror from fellow characters, Macbeth transitions from a man of nobility to a tyrant despite the actual physical act being less violent. This ambiguity surrounding violence in the play could conjure up a political debate amongst audiences, perhaps questioning when and why is violence acceptable in some contexts but not in others? Macbeth is commended in battle for his violence and yet condemned for his violence in a domestic setting perhaps evoking political and philosophical debate within audiences rather which could suggest despite the excess of violence it cannot cease to have an effect as violence is a debatable topic.

Despite audience’s perhaps desensitisation from violence in public or the media and the continued desensitisation from the excess of violence in the play, it could be argued the violence in Macbeth, albeit excessive, has an interesting effect on audiences provoking thought and in some cases horror. Whether violence ceases to have an effect could be determined by its victims, the type of violence and the reaction it produces suggesting that violence may be in abundance in Macbeth but it will continue to affect modern audiences as it did original, Jacobean audiences as violence is associated with harm, which may always be considered as shocking and unsettling.