Critical Readings of 'Macbeth'

Critical Readings of 'Macbeth'

1. G. Wilson Knight

   • 'Here life forces are vividly and very clearly contrasted with evil'
   • 'Fear is at the heart of this play'

2. Samuel Johnson

   • 'The danger of ambition is well described'

3. Sigmund Freud

   • Thinks that the Macbeth's psychological difficulties stems from the trauma of them being childless

4. Jan Kott

   • Argues that 'Macbeth' shows the absurdity of the world and that history is a nightmare
   • 'Macbeth has only one theme: murder

5. Marilyn French

   • Sees the play as showing the victory of masculine over the feminine
   • At the end of the play there is a 'totally masculine world'
   • Males problems are solved by the elimination of females

6. Germaine Greer

   • 'Macbeth's vulnerability to the witches is not caused by excessive superstition on his part, but by corrupt desire which moves him to take a false step: he misinterprets the fact that two of their predictions have come true'
   • 'Macbeth is damnable because he is a hero'
   • 'His self-delusion is wilful'