Not Just for Laughs: Remembering the Porter Essay -- essays research p

Macbeth is one of William Shakespeares most famous plays-a story of murder, betrayal, and uninhibited ambition. later proving himself in war, the titular character is rewarded by Duncan and given the title Thane of Cawdor. Unsatisfied with his freshly position, Macbeth (partially due to temptations from the witches and his wife) decides to assassinate King Duncan and claim the throne for himself.The doorman position in Macbeth occurs at the beginning of Act 2, Scene 3, just afterward Macbeths offstage murder of Duncan. The Porter is the keeper of the Gate at Inverness Castle, and he occupies the stage while Macbeth, who hears the strike at the end of the second scene, wishes that that the knocking could bring Duncan back to life (II.ii.88-89). Though the Porter scene is precisely 40 lines, it is quite memorable and withal one of the most debated scenes in Shakespeare. The Porter is a special character he speaks in prose instead than verse. His scene is in like manner notab le because it is a dividing point in the play. After his scene, Macbeths thirst for power worsens, and his wife becomes much and more manpowertally unstable.The Porter imagines himself as keeper of the Gate to Hell. It is a suitable analogy, as he is the porter of a castle which holds a great, ambitious evil that volition soon send a nation to war. He imagines himself admitting three men into his castle a farmer, an equivocator (a Jesuit priest), and a tailor. The farmer hangs himself in the expectation of plenty, the equivocator equivocates, and the tailor cheats his customers by using generic hosiery instead of high-quality French hose. The Porter also remarks that the castle is too bleak for Hell, perhaps implying Macbeths inherent evil and sinister lust for power.The scene also advances the themes of equivocation and deceptive appearances. Each of the men mentioned by the Porter has somehow equivocated, and the Porter later speaks of alcohol and sex with Lennox and Macduff. He tells the men that much(prenominal) things are catalysts for equivocation. Drink, the Porter says, equivocates him in a sleep, and giving him the lie, leaves him, meaning that crapulence creates a false illusion of sexual pleasure in a dream (II.ii.34-35). His dialogue, while humorous, reinforces some of the broader themes of the play.There are numerous scholarly ar... ...nces to Hell are Christian, the idea of Macduff as a Christ-like figure is also Christian. Though I say the Nicene Creed every sunlight at church, the idea of Macduff descending into Hell never occurred to me. If anything, he obviously seemed nothing more than Duncans loyal servant. I never made the tie-up to the end of the play, when Macduff brings about Macbeths downfall. It is an expansion on Shakespeares use of Christianity in the play. Macduff lay out Malcolm and an army to defeat Macbeth at the court of Edward I, a man believed to have got the power to cure people with the touch of his hands. The Church provided redemption for Scotland, and by associating Macduff with a Christ-like figure, this motif is continued.The Porter scene is not as unbiased as it appears. A close, scholarly analysis produces a scene that is more layered than originally thought. Scholars of earlier centuries ignored the scene because of its seemingly crude, prose course however, it becomes obvious that without the scene, Macbeth loses some of its thematic significance.Works CitedHarcourt, John B. 1961. I solicit You, Remember the Porter. Shakespeare Quarterly 12 393-402.