Macbeth V.S. A Hay Wagon: The Pursuit for Power

Macbeth V.S. A Hay Wagon: The Pursuit for Power (Part 1)

For centuries artists have explored what happens to man when he gives into temptation and the desire for power. Hieronymus Bosch, the sixteenth century Dutch and Netherlandish painter, explores these ideas in his famous work, The Haywain Triptych. This work of art was painted around 1516 and is made up of three panels of Christian scenes. The first panel shows Adam and Eve from the stories in the Old Testament of the Bible. The second panel illustrates man giving into temptation, and the third panel depicts the consequences of sinning, shown by a fiery hell. In Macbeth, Shakespeare examines how ambition and power completely corrupt a heroic and brave soldier. Although Bosch and Shakespeare worked in different types of art, they use symbolism and explore similar themes of power, ambition, greed, violence, and evil to show how temptation affects man.

Both artists begin their works with characters who are morally good. Macbeth is described as an honest, loyal soldier, similar to Adam and Eve who are painted naked in the first panel, representing their purity. In the first scene, the infamous serpent entices Adam and Eve to eat the delicious apple just as the three witches tempt Macbeth with prophecies of ruling over Scotland. The witches kindle Macbeth’s desire for power by saying, “All hail, Macbeth Thou shalt be king hereafter!” (Act 1, Scene 3). The serpent and the witches symbolize the evil effect that temptation can have on man. Adam and Eve’s hesitation about eating the apple is similar to Macbeth’s skepticism about the witches’ prophecies, yet in the end, they both fall into the trap of deceitful temptation. The image of Adam and Eve contemplating eating the enticing apple is similar to Macbeth’s soliloquy where he can’t decide whether or not to kill King Duncan. As Macbeth decides, he thinks, “And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood… / Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell / That summons thee to heaven or to hell” (Act 2, Scene 1).

In the foreground of Bosch’s first panel, an angel kicks the once pure Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden because they have sinned. This shift from good to evil also occurs in the play when Macbeth loses his morals and kills King Duncan. In the background, Bosch lightly shades angels being kicked out of Heaven because they have sinned. Macbeth also develops an evil side because of his ambition, but this side isn’t initially noticeable to the reader because it remains in the background like the demons falling from Heaven.

The second panel centers around the mighty hay wagon, which represents power. The panel reflects themes found throughout Macbeth, such as desire for power, ambition, greed, and violence. Wealthy kings, priests, nuns, and poor peasants fight and claw for the hay, showing that all types of people crave power. This same hunger for power characterizes Macbeth when he loses his principles because of his ambition. The people are so focused on gaining all the power for themselves that they are unaware that the demons, who are pulling the wagon, lead them to their damnation for their sins. This image is comparable to the evil witches’ inspiring prophecies and twisted words, which fuel Macbeth’s ambition and lead him to commit sins that ultimately cause his death. In the center of the panel a farmer brutally kills another farmer over the hay, which is similar to Macbeth’s killing of King Duncan to claim the power for himself. The clothes of the characters to the left of the hay wagon, closer to Adam and Eve, are bright and colorful, whereas, the clothes on the right side near the front of the wagon are gray and ragged. This change in color reflects the shift in the people as greed corrupts them. Macbeth also undergoes a change when his ambition and greed switch him from a heroic fighter and respected man to a power hungry and cruel tyrant. Macbeth reveals that he is changing when he says, “I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself / and falls on the other” (Act 1, Scene 7). The man being crushed by the wheels of the wagon shows how desperately he wants the power of the hay. Because Macbeth has lost his moral compass, he is also willing to do anything and sacrifice everything to become king of Scotland. There is a subtle image of a man and his child separated from the rest of the scene, watching the violence and greed take over these corrupt people. This image is similar to Banquo and his son watching Macbeth turn evil and become completely obsessed by power. Finally, to the right of the panel, a demon holds the head of a human on a stake, which represents the violence of mankind. The reader only hears about the violence in Macbeth second hand, but it’s still as gruesome as the image in the painting. When the sergeant describes to Duncan how Macbeth killed Macdonwald, he says Macbeth sliced him with his sword ”Till he unseamed him from the nave to the chops, / And fixed his head upon our battlements” (Act 1, Scene 2). Bosch’s triptych and Shakespeare’s Macbeth reveals how violent man can act when he is corrupted by desire for power.

Bosch’s third panel is a vivid depiction of hell packed with small details that bare a strong resemblance to the tyrannical reign of Macbeth. In the background, there is a burning castle, which represents the fall of good and is similar to the death of King Duncan and the end of his reign. Meanwhile, the demons build a castle, representing the rise of evil, which is similar to the rise of Macbeth’s ruthless rule. The fire can be compared to Macbeth burning away any ties to the throne of King Duncan, his sons, and any allies, asserting his absolute and unrivaled power. Macbeth’s ruthlessness is seen when Ross says to Macduff, “Your castle is surprised, your wife and babes / Savagely slaughtered. To relate the manner / Were on the quarry of these murdered deer, / To add the death of you” (Act 4, Scene 3). The demonic beings, scattered throughout the third panel, are depicted brutally killing the humans who have sinned, which is similar to the men that Macbeth sends out to kill anyone who disagrees with his rule or could steal his power. Bosch paints the violent hell man goes to when he sins, but this panel also resembles the hell Macbeth creates when he allows his desire for power and ambition to get out of control.

The themes and symbolism in The Haywain Triptych and Macbeth are frequently used in all types of art throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Bosch and Shakespeare include these ideas because Christianity played a major role in the lives of everyday people during this time. The artists wanted to show people the consequences of becoming corrupted by power, ambition, greed, violence, and evil. In both works of art, the messages affected everyone, no matter their social class, or whether they were illiterate. These themes and symbols can be seen in modern forms of art such as the Rolling Stones’ classic song “Sympathy for the Devil.”