Garden Of Eden In Macbeth

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Before their transgressions, Macbeth and the original man experience similar patterns of temptation. For example, Macbeth lives in an idyllic castle, overwhelmingly reminiscent of Eden in its depiction. After all, visitors, visibly impressed with the grounds, even exclaim, "this castle hath a pleasant seat. The air nimbly and sweetly recommended itself unto our gentle senses" (1.6.1-3). Canonically, the Garden of Eden is the epitome of beauty. However, Adam, senselessly pursuing temptation, grows disenchanted, dreaming of the forbidden fruit. So too here, Macbeth risks his status and land chasing the kingship. Both Adam and Macbeth desire the unattainable, and both cases conclude with tragic results. Moreover, though the ambitious remain aware …show more content…

"Oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles to betray 's in deepest consequence" (1.3.125-129). Banquo refers to the Serpent of Eden 's nature, which was temptation 's personification. The Serpent infamously never directly attacks the truth, but instead circumvents it. Essentially, though God only forbade consuming the fruit 's, mankind inadvertently infers its own "truth": one may not even touch the Tree of Knowledge. Seizing this advantage, the Serpent never challenges God ' s word, but instead challenges mankind 's fabrication. Naturally, after man 's own truth was proven incorrect, man foolishly disregards God 's legitimate truth. Macbeth 's desire to kill Duncan similarly capitalizes on truth 's malleable properties. From the truth that he will become king, Macbeth infers his own reign must be brought about by murder, while in reality, the witches never foretold anything of the sort. Furthermore, the Serpent and the witches are not the source of the temptation; the real cause was fermenting within the ambitious, awaiting a …show more content…

In fact, nowhere is the comparison more obvious than the fallout after the Macbeths ' sin. Almost immediately after Duncan 's assassination, repercussions begin to catch up with them. Unsurprisingly, the most brutal punishments are self-inflicted: the dreadful warping of a guilty mind. For instance, in the murder 's aftermath, the Macbeths seek to distance themselves from the deed, partially to avoid suspicion, but just as much to flee from gut-wrenching guilt. Indeed, Lady Macbeth hopes to wash away the sin. She directs her husband to wash his bloody hands, as, "a little water clears us of this dead" (2.2.65), followed by the command to, "get on your nightgown lest occasion call on us and show us to be watchers" (2.2.68-69). Surely, not only does the clothing almost act as a protective buffer between the Macbeths and the murder, but it also parallels Adam and Eve 's reaction toward their own sin. In fact, directly after eating from the Tree of Knowledge, the original man and woman seek to cover themselves as well, fashioning clothing from fig leaves. Clothing embodies a certain aspect of shelter, and in both sins ' aftermath, the couples experience a primal fear to hide. Additionally, the witch 's most iconic line itself testifies to the distance

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