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Theme of Christianity in Macbeth

One of the strongest themes in ôMacbethö is that ofChristianity. The world-view and speech of the characters is infused with God and the devil, and they clearly believe in and understand the opposing spiritual forces of the supernatural. The extensive Christian imagery in Macbeth, in fact, seems to represent the foundation that the entire story is built upon(the allegorical connection between the murder of King Duncan and the murder of Jesus Christ.

Even the most casual reader can see that Christian terminology is everywhere in Macbeth. In part, this is because Christian terms had been incorporated into the everyday colloquial expressions of the time: your highness, faith, my lord, your grace, heaven preserve you, gospellÆd, and good God, for example. In ôMacbeth,ö however, these expressions take on a deeper meaning, because its plot parallels the murder of Jesus Christ. Further, the expressions of sovereignty such as ôyour highnessö when applied to men are an upside-down reference to GodÆs supreme position in the universe. No one is higher than God, yet the term ôyour highnessö is applied to human royalty. This is one of the first symbols of the distorted spiritual hierarchy that plagues the world of Macbeth. In trying to usurp the position of ôthe most high God,ö and His authority, Macbeth succeeds in turning his world topsy-turvy, destroying his own mind, and becoming an instrument of evil.

D. R. Elloway, in ôAn Introduction to Macbeth,ö points out that as king, Duncan would have been considered ôGodÆs regent on earth, the æLordÆs anointed templeÆ (II.3 67) in which divinity resided. The sanctity of kingship and the piety of a true king are constantly stressed in the playàThus the murder of the king was not only treason, but sacrilege. It was the supreme violation of the moral order of the universe that had been ordained by Godà.ö

The imagery in ôMacbethö sustains EllowayÆs. Take, for e...

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Theme of Christianity in Macbeth. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 05:03, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1713029.html