Macbeth Key Theme: Corruption of Nature (Edexcel IGCSE English Literature)

Macbeth: Key Theme: Corruption of nature: Corruption of nature mind map

Spec point — IGCSE_ENGLISH_LITERATURE:C2T07

Corruption of nature timeline

The corruption of nature theme in each act of Macbeth:

Macbeth corruption of nature timeline

Macbeth: Key Theme: Corruption of nature: Which elements link to the corruption of nature in Macbeth?

Spec point — IGCSE_ENGLISH_LITERATURE:C2T07

Which elements link to the corruption of nature in Macbeth?

• Descriptions of nature and the weather: Shakespeare uses descriptions of the weather to foreshadow the deaths to come:

  • For example, the witches meet in “thunder” and “lightning” and Macbeth pronounces the day as “foul”

• Duncan’s murder: Macbeth has consciously and deliberately acted against nature and as the play progresses, he continues to destabilise ordered patterns:

  • He acknowledges the dead Duncan is happier than he is and admits how “uneasy lies the head that wears a crown”
  • In contrast, Shakespeare presents Duncan’s character as aligned with nature through pleasant descriptions (which Macbeth destroys): “the air / nimbly and sweetly recommends itself / Unto our gentle senses”

• Unnatural events after Duncan’s murder: Duncan’s death occurs during a night Lennox describes as “unruly”, with “strange screams of death”:

  • This reflects the evil nature of Duncan’s death

• Lady Macbeth’s unnatural role: Lady Macbeth subverts the typical Jacobean gender roles, and demands the spirits to strip her of her femininity to achieve her ambition: “unsex me here”

Exam Hint Examiners note that the strongest answers connect a theme to the way the play is built rather than collecting examples. Here the disorder begins in the witches’ language and spreads outwards.

For example, you could write: “The witches’ claim that ‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair’ describes the whole play, because after Duncan’s death nothing behaves as it should”. Showing an idea spread from one scene through the rest of the play is a point about structure.

Macbeth: Key Theme: Corruption of nature: The impact of the corruption of nature on characters

Spec point — IGCSE_ENGLISH_LITERATURE:C2T07

The impact of the corruption of nature on characters

Corruption of nature in Macbeth

Macbeth: Key Theme: Corruption of nature: Why does Shakespeare use the theme of the corruption of nature in his play?

Spec point — IGCSE_ENGLISH_LITERATURE:C2T07

Why does Shakespeare use the theme of the corruption of nature in his play?

1. Setting and atmosphere

• Establishes a disrupted natural order from the beginning of the play
• Creates an eerie and foreboding tone

2. Plot driver

• Drives Macbeth’s downfall as his actions continue to corrupt nature

3. Audience appeal

• Appeals to the audience’s interest as the play reflects the volatile nature of society during the Jacobean era and the social expectations that unlawfully killing another man would be justly punished
• Challenges ideas about the role of women as Lady Macbeth’s ambitious nature and controlling influence over Macbeth could be perceived as unnatural and unfeminine

4. Dramatic device

• Heightens the tension by using unnatural occurrences to signify the fundamental evil of the characters’ actions

Macbeth: Key Theme: Corruption of nature: Exam-style questions on the theme of corruption of nature

Spec point — IGCSE_ENGLISH_LITERATURE:C2T07

Exam-style questions on the theme of corruption of nature

Try planning a response to the following essay questions as part of your revision of the theme of corruption of nature:

• Explore how the murder of Duncan disrupts the natural order and leads to Macbeth’s downfall. (You could start with Act 2, Scene 4.)
• How does Shakespeare use the theme of the corruption of nature to portray the character of Lady Macbeth? (You could start with Act 1, Scene 5.)

Sources

Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor (eds), 2005, The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works (Second Edition), Oxford University Press