Macbeth Can Show You Crazy

Although they way art is portrayed may change over time, two works of art from two different times can still make anyone feel the same emotions. The song, “I'm Gonna Show You Crazy” by Bebe Rexha parallels the main character's state of mind, in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, in Act V because the lyrics in the song accurately describe Macbeth’s state of mind at that time.

The second line of Rexhas’s song is, “Sometimes I wish that I was dead; I’m broken,” which is how Shakespeare illustrated Macbeth to feel when he wrote, “My way of life is fall'n into the sere, the yellow leaf,” (V, iii) followed a few lines later by, “… which the poor heart would fain deny and dare not.”  Macbeth has lost all the respect and love of everyone around him, and his wife is sick; the only reason for him to live is his kingship. One can imagine the internal struggle Macbeth must be dealing with; whether his position is worth living for or not which is illustrated in the first line of the song, “There’s a war inside my head,” suggesting that Rexhas has done regrettable things in her life that has driven them to insanity.

However, even if someone knows they are insane, they do not always want to be cured. During the act, when Macbeth is talking with the doctor, the script reads, “Throw physic to the dogs; I’ll none of it,” (V, iii) which tells the doctor that Macbeth does not want his medicine for is mentally ill wife. The tenth line of the song is, “I don’t want your prescriptions.” Both people who are conveyed to be crazy do not want the aid of medical prescriptions, suggesting that neither of them think it is necessarily a bad thing to be crazy and they do not seek help.

Although Macbeth and the author of the song may be fine with being mentally unstable, they still have to face the thoughts and ideas of those surrounding them. Lines six through eight of Rexhas’s song are, “Just ‘cause you say I’m crazy; so what if I’m fucking crazy, yeah I’m gonna show you, loco, maniac, sick bitch, psychopath.” This is the mindset of Macbeth going into battle at the end of Act V. Everyone knows the crimes he has committed and the valuable lives he has taken; he does not care what others think of him, the only thing he has left to lose is this throne which he can protect with sword and shield.

Although trends in style of art constantly change as time progresses, the feelings and ideas they are made to portray are timeless; anyone, from any time period, can experience them

Andy Warhol and William Shakespeare

Andy Warhol and William Shakespeare are not normally considered to share similarities with each other, but Warhol’s painting “Silver Car Crash” contains a shared message with William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Both works of art have a common theme of fate and trying to avoid one’s fate.

The “Silver Car Crash” depicts a corpse lying over the interior of a car. In the painting, there are several panels which show different moments of a car crash. The work has a sense of predestination which is similar to Macbeth. The car accident seems inevitable, much like Macbeth’s fate in Macbeth. In Warhol’s piece, the driver must be doing everything in his power to avoid the accident, but it is too late. The accident is painted in black and white and shown from a variety of angles, with these two aspects of the painting combining to give the event a sense of finality.

Similarly, in Macbeth, Macbeth does everything in his power to stop the Weird Witches’ prophecy, but his effort goes in vain. Macbeth knows that Banquo’s children will take the throne after him, so he makes an attempt on the lives of Banquo and Fleance. Although Macbeth’s fall from prominence is not as rapid as the car crash, his decline is equally obvious. First he becomes jealous and then mentally unstable. Once he loses his mind, he makes a series of poor decisions which culminate with his death.

In this comparison, the driver in “Silver Car Crash” is Macbeth. Warhol does not show the events leading up to the crash, leaving the spectator clueless as to how the driver has ended up in the situation. However, the end result is the same. The driver is sprawled over his car, and Macbeth is killed in his own castle.

Victor Figol and the character of Macbeth

As a single person strides towards uncertainty a connection is made to the feeling of loneliness. Their footsteps are met by pouring rain that careens in pools under the glow of the amber streetlights.  The fleeting shadows play across the ground providing depth for a scene humans can connect their everyday lives to. Victor Figol’s exploration of light, weather, life and change within this painting provides a deeper insight than can be expected.

Within Shakespeare's tragedy of Macbeth the character of Macbeth can be seen within the brush strokes of Figol’s painting. Similarly, Macbeth stands alone, seeking a way to comfort and forgive himself until he eventually becomes numb. Destiny and fate are addressed in this painting as streetlights outline the unwavering road towards a point far in the distance. Just as the person continues down the unwavering road, Macbeth tirelessly walks towards his destiny.  Macbeth is unmoved by his setbacks as he continues towards his prescribed fate in like manner to the person in this painting walking indifferently towards the horizon despite the falling rain. As the painting progresses forwards, a rapid change in the color of the leaves from a dark green to an autumn orange indicates a passing in season. In a similar fashion, the short time Macbeth achieves his desired result as king is miniscule when a rebellion and eventually his death occurs. The character of Macbeth ties in closely with Figols brilliant exploration of a vivid scene from a rainy day.

Paul Roberts and Macbeth

In Macbeth, Macbeth killed the innocent Duncan while Duncan was sleeping. Duncan had done nothing wrong except hold a title that someone else wanted. Macbeth wanted to be king and Duncan happened to be king. Macbeth killed Duncan with a knife while he was asleep. In the Killing Painting by Paul Roberts, a woman is shown holding a knife while standing next to another woman who is asleep. Based on the expression on her face she is about to kill the presumed innocent woman. The sleeping woman has no idea that she is about to be murdered just like how Duncan had no idea he was about to be murdered by Macbeth. The sleeping woman has a happy expression on her face like she is enjoying a dream she is having. Duncan had gone to bed after a feast at Macbeth’s castle and was given special treatment. He had two guards to protect him incase anything went wrong. He was given the best room in the castle all to himself. In both cases the victim died in a happy dream. Macbeth needed to muster up the courage to kill Duncan. It took Lady Macbeth to call him a coward before he was actually able to go and kill Duncan. In the painting the soon to be murderer is holding her knife above the sleeping woman. Even though she looks like she is ready to kill, she is hesitating. It is impossible to tell why the woman is hesitating, but it is almost certain that when she feels that the time has come she will kill the innocent victim.

Mrs. Ed Sheeran

Lady Macbeth as Mrs. Ed Sheeran

While Macbeth is battling his own selfish demons and fighting his own self inflicted war, he leaves his wife falling to the hands of her own murder. Even though Lady Macbeth never kills anyone but herself directly, she encourages Macbeth to take the necessary actions to become king. Her indirect involvement causes her soul to bare the weight of the guilt, grief, and paranoia that follows a murder. The blood stains her hands and refuses to wash away as the pile of dead bodies grow with Macbeth’s greed. As demonstrated in her actions sleepwalking, Lady Macbeth has been driven to a point of insanity, unable to escape the reality of her decisions; not even in her sleep. In the wise words of Ed Sheeran, she is a mess, inside out.

In Ed Sheeran’s song “I’m a Mess,” he describes the well-known heartbreak resulting from a breakup. Sheeran depicts the sadness, the anger, the passion, the denial; all emotions Lady Macbeth fights to control up until her death. The flames inside Sheeran’s eyes are the same as Lady Macbeth’s as they yearn for something more: Ed Sheeran wanting love and Lady Macbeth wanting freedom from guilt and bloodshed. Sheeran’s used of the lyric “going through the motions, hoping you’d stop,” deeply connects to Lady Macbeth as she begins to regret her decision in encouraging Macbeth to kill his way to the top. In the same way as Sheeran, Lady Macbeth has only caused pain to her husband, the lives he took, and her kingdom.

Jackson Pollock and Macbeth

Jackson Pollock is widely regarded for his unique style of eclectic painting, often times splattering the paint onto the canvas. Pollock established himself as a standout artist with a distinctive approach to art. One of his paintings in particular, deemed simply, “Number 5”, represents many traits and characteristics of Macbeth. First off and perhaps most obvious, the red splatterings of paint spread all over the piece look like blood, portraying the actual bloodshed caused by Macbeth throughout the story. Several events such as the death of Duncan, Banquo, illustrate this idea of death and brutality. The final fight between Macbeth and Macduff also reinforces this theme of carnage, although with it eventually leading to the demise of Macbeth himself. In addition, the black paint  dispersed throughout the background represents Macbeth’s inner demons that he faces as a result of his murders. Specifically, it symbolizes the guilt that Macbeth feels and experiences for killing Duncan and Banquo, which ultimately drives him insane. Lastly, the yellow splatters signify Macbeth’s crown, which in turn represents the theme of greed that is an apparent trait of Macbeth shown throughout the play. Macbeth’s greed was overwhelming, pushing him to extreme measures, to the point at which he slaughtered his own brethren for his own self gain and benefit of being king. Similarly, Macbeth’s greed and selfishness pushed his wife to take her own life, as a response to the situation created by Macbeth’s avarice.

Kanye and Macbeth

Although Macbeth, a Shakespearean tragedy, and “Power,” a hip-hop song by Kanye West, may at first glance appear disparate, they parallel in their message of cautioning against unchecked megalomania. 

Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth explores the corruptive nature of power through its namesake protagonist, Macbeth. Although Macbeth is initially a lionhearted nobleman faithful to the Scottish king, the supernatural prophecy of his ascent to the throne catalyzes his descent into power-crazed madness. Macbeth resorts to ruthless means to attain and maintain his authority, trailing destruction and bloodshed in his wake.

In hip-hop song “Power,” Kanye West lyricizes the burden of power, with lyrics expressing both its grandeur and its danger:

Reality is catchin' up with me

Takin' my inner child, I'm fighting for it, custody

With these responsibilities that they entrusted me

As I look down at my diamond encrusted piece

Thinkin', no one man should have all that power

The clock's tickin', I just count the hours

Stop trippin', I'm trippin' off the power

'Til then, fuck that, the world's ours

The “Power” music video is a single-shot ‘tableau’ depicting West as godly and illuminated whilst surrounded by occult symbolism, such as images of the Egyptian god Horus, ionic pillars, and angelic figures. However, the most notable symbol is a suspended sword piercing through a crown hanging above West. The sword-and-crown alludes to the Greek myth of the sword of Damocles, an anecdote that aims to warn listeners of peril those in power are constantly faced with.

West’s “Power” and Macbeth are comparable in each respective work’s portrayal of power as a warning against megalomania. Aside from the fact that Kanye West is the Macbeth of choice in Macdef, the two compositions are similar in that they depict power as desirable yet consuming, but also not without its destructive side-effects. Macbeth acts as a sweeping allegory, preaching the damages that can be caused by ambition through the rise and fall of Macbeth. “Power” takes a more straightforward route in its candid wording, simultaneously praising and criticizing the use and abuse of power. The accompanying music video of “Power” delights in employing symbols and allusions to convey the same message. 

The Surrealist Movement and Macbeth

Macbeth tells the story of a man who is driven to murder because of jealousy and greed.  Macbeth’s sole motive for killing Duncan is his burning desire to be king, after jealousy struck when Malcolm was named heir.  After killing Duncan, Macbeth began to lose sight of who he was.  He began to hallucinate, and changed very significantly as a person after killing Duncan.  He acted differently, saw ghosts, and behaved oddly in some cases.  The painting “Not to be Reproduced,” by René Magritte, portrays a man looking into a mirror, but the back of his head reflected instead of the front.  There is a book on the mantel that is reflected properly, so it is evident that mirror is working.  The man in the picture can only see the back of his head, even though the mirror is normal, which could never happen without using your imagination.  Macbeth has lost himself, as he is blinded in the pursuit of power, and is reminiscent of “Not to be Reproduced.”  There is something wrong with his new personality, his new image, the backwards reflection, even though everything around him remains the same, much like the book in the mirror.  Macbeth’s relentless attempts to gain more power have changed him to the point where he is almost not recognizable.  Furthermore, the surrealism of the painting adds to the effect that the hallucinations have on him.  René Magritte’s career took place entirely during the surrealist movement, and the emphasis that the movement put on the imagination captures how Macbeth’s imagination was creating hallucinations, causing him to feel remorse.

MARTINI MURDER

Debbie McCulley's painting titled "Party Animals- Murder of Crows" reflects Macbeth's desires and fate. The painting depicts six crows plucking olives from martini glasses with smug looks on their faces. The glasses are isolated and therefor accessible. The pungent olives are desirable and initially rewarding. However, each crow's accomplishment is soon degraded when the crow is poisoned by the alcohol. In the corner of the painting is what I interpret to be a crow's ghost. If the story told by this painting were to be translated into Shakespearean terms, the olive-eating crows would be Macbeth killing King Duncan with relatively little effort and then enjoying the short-lived royal life. The alcohol which the olives soaked in, representing MacDuff and Malcolm, came back to haunt the perpetrator. Macbeth underestimated the implications of his deed and those unforseeable consequences were responsible for Macbeth's death.

         The colors in "Party Animals- Murder of Crows" relate to Macbeth, as well. The olives are green, ironically symbolizing safety and life, because that is how Macbeth forsees his future after killing the king. Green also represents the desire to increase or expand, which flawlessly ties into Macbeth's plan to increase his reign of power. In contrast, the inside of the olives are red. This color symbolizes temper, danger, and blood. The hidden olive center foreshadows Macbeth's unexpected and unfortunate end. The black crows are a representation of Macbeth's inner demons because black is the absense of light. The background is made up of different swirling shades of orange. Orange is believed to increase hunger, so the background is reminiscent of Lady Macbeth influencing her husband to crave the king's lifestyle and kill him for it. McCulley's painting is a portrayal of Shakespeare's Macbeth, and that's not only because a group of crows is called a murder.

Power: Macbeth's Apple

Rene Magritte’s 1946 surrealist painting The Son of Man shares a distinct connection with Shakespeare’s Macbeth. In The Son of Man, a man in a jacket and hat stands before a wall, beyond which lies a vast expanse of ocean, as he stares ahead; his view, however, is almost entirely blocked by a green apple floating in front of his face. This painting communicates the message that the apple, maybe a metaphor for emotion or some event, prevents the man from seeing everything else around him. In Macbeth, the witches’ prophesied power is Macbeth’s apple; he is incapable of foreseeing the actions that lead to his fulfillment of the prophecy, just as the man cannot see the ocean behind him, and the prophecy prevents him from clearly understanding the other ramifications of these actions, just as the apple prevents the man from seeing what is in front of him. Additionally, the viewer of the painting cannot see what lies before the man – a direct parallel to the blindness of a reader of Macbeth to what waits for the protagonist with every step he takes toward power. Magritte once said of the painting, “Everything we see hides another thing.” Macbeth is blinded by the idea of ultimate power and respect, his apple consuming his ability to think logically and act rationally. However, the man’s left arm in the painting is bent backwards, a sign that despite the apple blocking his view, he is maybe already imperfect; even without the apple, his ability to act is impaired. Macbeth is clearly an unstable character, consumed by power but also damaged from the beginning of the story. Power is Macbeth’s surrealist apple, preventing him from understanding the present and foreseeing his future, but even if he could look past it, he would still be handicapped by his own inherent faults.

Guernica and Shakespeare

Pablo Picasso’s Guernica is strikingly similar to Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The painting Guernica represents the horrors displayed by the Nazis during the practice bombing of the city Guernica. Macbeth also deals with the horrors of killing, and the tragedies that war can bring. Guernica and Macbeth both also deal with some psychedelic aspects of war as well. Picasso’s painting depics several animals and bodies, as well as a warped sun. On the left of the painting there is a chimney with smoke coming out. These aspects play on the mind of the view as the killing of Duncan and Banquo play on the mind of Macbeth. The smoke coming out of the chimney on the left of the painting seems to suggest that while the horrors of war are occuring, life goes on. This can also be seen in Macbeth with the doctor. The doctor knows that there is no more oppertunity in Macbeth’s castle, so he leaves as soon as he can. The doctor knows that life will go on after the war, so he must plan accordingly. The carnage depicted in Guernica represent the carnage that war can bring. Like in Macbeth however, it is not humans. The majority of Guernica is animal carcasses, and Shakespeare uses trees and the forest to depict the horrors. Guernica and Macbeth both deal with the tragities of war, and makes the reader or viewer think about all of the death and destruction that war can bring.

http://www.pablopicasso.org/guernica.jsp

The Threat of Being Killed Through Time

     In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, characters are killed left and right. Most of them fall victim to the weapons of the time period: swords, daggers, and the like. In modern times, people live under a far greater shadow: the impending nuclear holocaust. A threat illustrated in a beautiful, yet terrifying, way by artist Isao Hashimoto. His video, “A Time-Lapse Map of Every Nuclear Explosion Since 1945” shows all 2056 nuclear explosions that have ever occurred on Earth. The piece is beautiful, thought-provoking, and extraordinarily information-dense. In his video, which consists almost entirely of a map, Hashimoto assigns every nation a color and tone. When that county detonates a nuclear weapon, the country’s tone is heard and a flash of the country’s color appears in the exact geographic location where that weapon exploded. Watching the video creates an eerie song as each nation’s tone is heard. The viewer can learn a lot about the history of nuclear weapons by watching the video.

     In Macbeth’s time, people, especially those in power, had to live in fear of being attacked by an assailant with a blade. Today, people worry about the chances of the world being blown to smithereens by mutually assured destruction. This change parallels other changes in society. As technology improves, society becomes more globalized, with billions of people interacting in a less-personal, virtual way. This contrasts to the times in which Macbeth lived, where it would have been rare to meet someone from a different town that your own. Duncan worried–though perhaps not enough–about being murdered by someone he knew personally. Conversely, people now live with the threat of being blown up by some across the globe who could never know your name. The threats that society lives with remain, though in different forms. And even though modern technology makes it possible to kill millions at once, a given person now is no more likely to die as a result of nuclear attack than a given person in Macbeth’s time.

A Time-Lapse Map of Every Nuclear Explosion 
The piece I reference

Cruel Bombs 
Vsauce's excellent video about nuclear weapons

A Ruined Mind and Ruined Relationships

Land of Wandering by David Fedeli

        Macbeth has a recurring theme of death. Not only is the theme about the death of people around Macbeth, but also the death of former relationships and kingdoms. In David Fedeli’s painting, “Land of the Wandering,” there is man walking back to what seems to be ruins. As a connection to Macbeth, there is the death of his rule, his family, his former friends, and trust. As Macbeth goes on, Macbeth orders people to be executed. Some that were close to him, but they were seen as the enemy. They were seen as a threat to his gain in power as time went on. This was the serial killing of people, relationships, and the fall of a formerly strong kingdom.

            This painting could foreshadow what Macbeth sees as he is dying. It could be interpreted as Macbeth trying to return home thinking that there will be people waiting for his arrival, but in reality there is no one there because of his ruined relationships with those he was once close with. He is waking up after death, as he walks into to the deserted land of wandering. It’s a place where he will be lonely, ridden with the thought of all the people he killed just to have as much power as possible. A place made just for him to experience what it’s like to be left with nothing. A place where he will be in continuous isolation and self reflecting, because of the greed for power and a fear of people getting in his way.

Exploration of Immortality: Macbeth and Dalí

 

Salvador Dalí explored many different parts of life in his paintings as did Shakespeare in his plays. Macbeth has much in common with one of Dalí’s most famous works, “The Persistence of Memory.” The painting revolves around the “melting clocks” which question the significance of time. Throughout Macbeth’s reign as King of Scotland, he toys with the idea of time and how much it matters. As Macbeth gains ultimate power as King, he feels immortal. Many of the decisions that Macbeth makes as the “Immortal King of Scotland,” bring him down in the end. His decision to kill Banquo, his best friend, and Banquo's son, Fleance, haunt him until his death. The title of Dalí’s work, “Persistence of Memory,” embodies the nature of Macbeth’s downfall. His terrible decisions to kill remain in the forefront of his memory and deteriorate his seemingly immortal being. Immortality is expressed in Dalí’s painting through the clocks that physically stretch time and in many ways seem to make it stop all together. In Macbeth’s famous “Tomorrow” soliloquy he discuss the ideas of time and death and their relation. He questions the timing of Lady Macbeth’s death, but cannot seem to feel grief over the loss of someone who was once his true love. After Lady Macbeth’s death, Macbeth plays a waiting game. He knows that Macduff will soon be at his doorstep to kill him. In Dalí’s painting the soft clocks parallel Macbeth’s train of thought. Macbeth does not seem care whether or not he dies, and the contorted clocks evoke the same idea. Does time matter?

Macbeth and Migrant Mother

During the 1930’s, the United States went into economic strife following the crashing of the stock market. Millions of people lost their jobs and found themselves on the streets with little to no money or resources to support themselves or their families. The families during this time often had to move around to find new homes and available work. Each family had their own unique labors that came from the crash and everyday was a struggle to get through. In addition the casualties of this depression were immense because of the lack of food and resources. In Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother, this mother seen with two of her seven children are shown in great distress. However, the mother looks numb to this pain most likely feels responsible to be the source of strength for her family. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth a certain numbness to pain is evident in his “tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow” speech in act V. The casualties in this tragic play were both substantial and painful for Macbeth despite his role in them. This speech follows the death of Lady Macbeth and from his tone the death does not seem to take a toll on his overall goals. Learning of a death would be paralyzing for many people but after the amount to deaths that came from the conflicts in the play, death loses its significance. In both Macbeth and during the Great Depression, death lost some of its meaning and though painful, people became numb to it. In Lange’s photograph the pain in the woman’s eyes is piercing however it is not paralyzing to her just as the pain of Lady Macbeth’s death was not paralyzing to Macbeth.

Macbeth and The Useless Machine

For hundreds of years, Shakespeare has been known as one of the most brilliant writers in the world, perhaps even the greatest. English classes and teachers all around the world teach and learn Shakespeare’s works of art. One of his most famous pieces is his play titled, Macbeth. Macbeth is regarded as one of the greatest plays of all time; however, what is its actual worth and value? The whole play concentrates on a man named Macbeth who throws his life away, kills his best friend, kills the King of Scotland, and indirectly kills his wife by creating extreme turmoil and finally ends up dead, all for nothing. To some people, the entire play seems to be pointless. If the average play were to have so many deaths, many would be led to believe that the main character would at least achieve his final goal. This “pointlessness” relates extremely similarly to the “Useless Machine” invented in 1952 by a professor from MIT. To operate this machine, one must flip a switch which lifts the top of the machine and allows a mechanical hand to come out and flip the switch back off, which in turn turns the entire machine off. In both this machine and the plot of Macbeth, the beginning and ending is fairly similar, with no one specifically achieving what they want. To some, this leads to thinking why either the play or the machine was invented. Both the machine and the play question the idea of free will. In the beginning of Macbeth, Macbeth believes he is killing King Duncan by his own will; however, this quickly transformed into his wife’s, Lady Macbeth. Similarly, this machine creates a need to always re-flip the switch by flipping it off itself because for some reason, some people think they can trick it and “beat” the machine. Both the play Macbeth and the “Useless Machine” demonstrate something extremely pointless, yet also complex. See how truly useless this machine is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z86V_ICUCD4

Macbeth and This Painting of Adam and Eve

This painting of Adam & Eve reminds admirers of it of the story that goes along with it.  The story this painting tells is incredibly similar to the story of Macbeth. In Macbeth, Macbeth and his wife are in the King’s favor. They are treated extremely well, and are pampered at feasts and ceremonies. In addition to this, the King rewards them by giving them a new area to rule, when he makes Macbeth the Thane of Cawdor. However, this was not enough for Macbeth. Macbeth had wanted more ever since the three witches had told him that he was going to be king.  However in attempting to gain more, he and his wife lost everything in the end, and died disgraceful deaths.

Macbeth’s story of misfortune is nearly identical to that of the painting. The story of the painting tells that of Adam & Eve.  Adam & Eve lived incredible lives.  However, a snake set in motion a wicked idea in their head. This idea caused them to become increasingly greedy, and to desire more. This ended up being the downfall of Adam & Eve. They were kicked out of their home and lost everything due to their despicable behavior. They suffered the consequences of greed, just like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth did. Both couples were given more than enough to live a happy life on, but they were tempted by the idea of more. In the end, it ended up poisoning their minds, and either ruining their lives or ending them. In addition to this, in both cases the couples betrayed one of their closest friends. In Macbeth’s case, he killed the king who had treated Macbeth as his own song. In Adam & Eve’s situation, they made a point of doing the complete opposite of what God had commanded, and in doing so, lost his trust entirely. 

Lady Macbeth and Marilyn Monroe: Enigmatic Women

            Shakespeare’s Macbeth connects to Andy Warhol’s pop art painting of Marilyn Monroe because both of these works prominently feature enigmatic women. At the forefront of Macbeth is the character of Lady Macbeth, who is the driving force behind Duncan’s murder. However, later in the play, Lady Macbeth is plagued by intense feelings of remorse. She sleepwalks and tries to scrub away nonexistent bloodstains. Towards the end of the play, Lady Macbeth flings herself off of the balcony, presumably because she could not handle the guilt from Duncan’s murder. To the untrained eye, Lady Macbeth was simply a beautiful, young queen. When examined further, however, Lady Macbeth becomes a puzzling character. One of Warhol’s most famous works consists of multiple pictures of Marilyn Monroe silkscreened in different colors. Marilyn Monroe, like Lady Macbeth, was in a position of power in society. While she may not have been as evil or conniving as Lady Macbeth, she certainly had some flaws. Monroe allegedly had an affair with President Kennedy, who was married at the time. Just like that of Lady Macbeth, there was a significant amount of controversy surrounding Monroe’s death. She was found in her bed with an empty bottle of pills and a phone in her hand, but the witnesses and timelines surrounding her death are inconsistent. On the surface, Monroe was a beautiful woman, a sex symbol, and a role model for many. But underneath the façade was a very different person, one who cheated and lied. While these women existed hundreds of years apart, they were both enigmatic to the core.    

Caesar, Macbeth, and yes, Death

A prevalent theme in the play of “Macbeth” is that of death. The painting above depicts Cesar, arguably the most successful Roman Empire to ever live, being stabbed to death by his senators, including his best friend Brutus. Cesar lived a life that people can only dream of. He had an affair with the beautiful Egyptian Pharaoh Cleopatra, enjoyed luxuries because of his high status as emperor, and maintained power over a massive and powerful country. His reign compared to Macbeth, the King of Scotland, not in how he achieved it, but in the way that any people in positions of power compare to one another; they both have a lifestyle limited to a select few people and supreme power and influence. Death for Cesar, depicted in the painting above, directly relates to Macbeth because it is what makes them equivalent to any other member of the global community. It is permanent and the same for everyone. Caesar and Macbeth had the luxury of being powerful, and when they were killed (as a result of mistakes made with that power) they were dead. Their high status no longer mattered, nor did their power or influence. it put them both on the same level as any other living thing in the world. Death for Macbeth, Caesar, and anyone is equitable and permanent.