Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Could you please provide a character analysis for Lennox in Macbeth?

Lennox is the Fickle Thane:
he gravitates to whoever is in power.  First, he's "loyal" to Duncan; then Macbeth;
finally, Malcolm.


Lennox is none too bright.  Shakespeare
uses him as a mouthpiece for dunces.  He has many
dim-witted, deadpan lines that show verbal irony.  Like
this one in Act II, just before Duncan's murder is
discovered:


readability="0">

Goes the king hence
to-day?



Monty
Python has made many skits out of guys like Lennox and lines like
these.


Then, there's Lennox who echoes Macbeth's lies.  The
propaganda pitch man.  Look at these gullibly ironic lines from after the
murder:


readability="0">

Those of his chamber, as it seem'd, had
done 't:

Their hands and faces were an badged with
blood;



And then we
return to the one-liners.  At the banquet scene, when Banquo's bloody ghost has already
taken the spot:


readability="0">

May't please your highness
sit.



And there's
the Lennox that's both so gullible and fawning for power that he has to get the last
line in after Lady Macbeth has rousingly dismissed the
guests:


readability="0">

Good night; and better
health

Attend his
majesty!



Macbeth
needs a doctor about as much as the Bleeding Captain needs a
Band-Aid.


And now, my favorite.  A monologue that's so bad
that most directors cut it from the staged play.  Did Shakespeare really write this
scene?  It's so full of logical fallacy that it's
parody:


readability="0">

And the right-valiant Banquo walk'd too
late;

Whom, you may say, if't please you, Fleance
kill'd,

For Fleance fled: men must not walk too
late.



Here's a
translation: "Duncan was murdered, and Malcolm fled.  Therefore, he must have murdered
his father.  So, if Banquo was murdered, and Fleance fled, it must mean--Ipso
facto--
that he murdered his father too."


Sounds
again like Monty Python.  "If she weighs the same as a duck...she must be made of
wood...and therefore...a witch!  Burn her!"

No comments:

Post a Comment

How far is Iago justified in hating Othello?

Iago hates Othello for some of reasons. First reason could be that Othello promoted Cassio in his place; however, Iago wants it and he cosid...