Ariella Gross Mr. Fleischer
May 14, 2023 10.27
Macbeth VS Religion
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth decides to murder King Duncan so he could take the throne. As Macbeth considers the murder he could commit, he explains, “But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, / We'd jump the life to come” (1.7.6-7). Macbeth is thinking about what would happen if he actually follows through with the murder. The phrase “upon this bank and shoal of time” refers to the current world, his human life. When he mentions that he and Lady Macbeth could “jump the life to come,” he is worried that the murder of King Duncan would risk them being at peace in our afterlife. Macbeth believing and caring about his after life proves that he does have a religious side and does believe in God. Although Macbeth makes unethical decisions and does awful crimes, he always comes back to his religious morality when feeling guilty.
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As he begins to panic he exclaims:“Methought I heard a voice cry 'Sleep no more / Macbeth does murder sleep'..... great nature's second course, / Chief nourisher in life's feast” (2.2.34-39). Macbeth is starting to understand the severity of the crime he just committed. Shakespere uses sleep as a metaphor for innocence because people are their true, vulnerable self while sleeping. Macbeth refers to sleep as “The death of each day's life,” which indicates that he believes in the after life. He obviously understands that sleep is crucial to every human being, but Macbeth realizes that the phrase “Macbeth does murder sleep” means he has disrupted his normal cycle, and that goes against his religious