Vital Balance

Suspense. Adrenaline. Action. Are these not the most important ingredients that make up a thrilling and capturing novel, movie or play. This weekend I went to see a movie like that, but by the end realized that it just fell flat. It did not plunge. It did not soar. It did not plummet. And it did not rocket. It was just flat and empty, although it possessed thrilling action scenes. It was dry because the movie made no point, did not bring forth a thought and did not have a theme that tied the whole movie into one and breathed life into it.

Macbeth on the other hand is a rollercoaster ride, that takes our breath away, makes us curious to see what we will encounter after another turn and the reason for this, is the fact that it is penetrated with so many themes, thoughts, points and purposes. One of the themes that I found interesting and applicable to me personally, partially because I did a big part of my AP English work on it, is balance.

The theme of balance in Macbeth is presented using the contrast between the unreasonable and sociopathic Macbeth and the sensible and consistent Banquo and Macduf. When Macbeth is facing a choice he sees only two solutions: all or nothing. Macbeth does not adapt to the situation he is placed in, he cannot find compromise, because he forgets about the existence of compromise or misinterprets compromising as settling for something that is beneath him. For example, Macbeth wants all the prophecies (become thane of two cities and king as well) to come true. He is not content upon receiving his second title, he is not satisfied knowing that he could have more, he cannot reason and see what is good for him and reasonable to accept and what things he should just lay aside. In another case, Macbeth wants to be king and safely thus, or not at all. First of all, this is something he should have thought about before committing regicide, secondly if he sees that he is in a insecure position he should value his safety and flee for his life. But again he is not able to balance his priorities, find the golden middle and eventually this costs him his life.

Although Banquo is another character that loses his life in the duration of the book, but at least he did not assign the death penalty to himself. He finds balance in his life, is content and satisfied with himself, so when he hears the prophecy about his kids becoming kings, he makes a levelheaded decision to leave it to be and let it worry about itself.

Another character that shows sound judgment and a balanced mind is Macduf. Although he desperately wants and needs Malcolm to fight, he decides to fighting just with his own strength which could cost him his life and many other men's lived, when he learns of all Malcolm's "vices", rather than saying "fight with Malcolm or not fight at all".

Although both Banquo and Macduf suffer and go through many hardships, they are the ones to live and to die in a sane state of mind, content, satisfied and balanced, while as Macbeth, who gets to be king and possess great power, lacks the art of balancing and weighing decisions and dies insane, terrified, desperate and deserted.