The Porter scene you have read is widely discussed among literary critics. Some say it is meant for comic relief, some say a stage-filler giving the actors playing Macbeth and Lady Macbeth time to wash and change clothes, some say a startling dramatic contrast to the scene of horror that we have just lived through. Coleridge and some other critics have felt that this babbling, ribald speech cannot be by Shakespeare. One writer calls it "strangely out of place amidst the horrors which surround it." The late Professor J. W. Hales and others fairly demonstrated both its fitness and its Shakespearean quality. The powerful incident of the knocking at the gate is inseparably bound up with it; and its bitter irony is intense.
Closely read the Porter scene (pg 61-62) again, and write a well thought out, though informal paragraph about your impressions. At least in preparation, you should notice the imagery, detail, wordplay, motifs, characterization, etc. Questions you may want to address are as follows: Is it an example of Shakespeare clumsily filling time? A convention of the actors' need to change clothes? Does it achieve something specific and/or meaningful? Does the differing tone affect the play as a whole?
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Come to class tomorrow prepared to discuss both your thoughts and the thoughts of one other response you found interesting.
I do, in fact, believe Shakespeare wrote the porter scene, and I think he did it for a reason other than comic relief: foreshadowing. The first thing I noticed from this scene was that the word equivocation or some form of the word was repeated multiple times. The repetition of this word got me thinking, and I realized that Macbeth is an equivocator, especially when it comes to the topic of Duncan's murder or the Weird Sisters. After this realization, I began to analyze the other two people admitted into "Hell" and found that they were admitted for sins similar to the sins Macbeth has committed. The first person admitted was admitted for his "expectation of plenty." Macbeth expects to do great things with his life such as being king, but I believe it is these expectations that will lead to his ultimate downfall. The English tailor was admitted into "Hell" due to stealing from a French hose. In my eyes, Macbeth is a thief as well because he stole Duncan's rightful position as king by murdering him. I think the main purpose of this scene was to foreshadow Macbeth's downfall and his possible deliverance to Hell.
ReplyDelete-Katelyn King
I think that Shakespeare wrote this scene as comic relief, but it also has meaning. The comic relief obviously lies in this rant of the porter as he mocks the person at the door, by repeating "knock, knock, knock" over and over, then reminding him for a tip after. However, throughout this soliloquy, the porter mentions hell and an equivocator. The porter pretends he is standing at the gate of hell and how an equivocator is entering there. In my opinion, the equivocator could be considered as Macbeth or Lady Macbeth because they both are tricky with their words and have sinned. When the porter says, "...yet he could not equivocate to heaven, " I think he is alluding to Macbeth's wrong doing and no matter how Macbeth tries to word it or justify it, he still committed murder. The porter also mentions hot and cold when he says, "But this place is too cold for hell," which, could mean something about Lady Macbeth having control over her husband because she is ice and he is fire. Also, when Shakespeare writes, "I had thought to have let in some of all professions that go the primrose way to th' everlasting bonfire," he is saying that the path to hell looks pretty and tempting and is the exact path that Macbeth chose for himself. The path looks nice because he believes he is getting what he desires, but really the path is what drives him to insanity.
ReplyDeleteWhile the drunk porter is just pretending to be the porter to Hell, he is also a real porter for the afterlife. Soon after King Duncan has been murdered, the knocking starts, as if his soul is knocking on the door of Heaven or Hell as well as causing the torment of the Macbeth household. He lets Macduff in, who will soon declare King Duncan to be dead, kind of like a Grimm Reaper here to take his soul. Also it is worth noting that the professions which the porter does “welcome to hell” have done things that are incomparable to Macbeth’s deed. The small sins contrast and show how great Macbeth’s sin was, which has yet to be punished. So while the porter does provide comic relief, he also brings back the idea of Macbeth being an unpunished guilty man.
ReplyDeleteErin says...
ReplyDeleteI feel that this scene is not written solely for the purpose of comic relief. While the comedy in the scene does give the audience a break from the dark drama it also serves a deeper purpose. The porter makes a joke about being a "porter of hell-gate." He goes on to talk about those who would come through his guarded gates. Those who use equivocation to fool others (playing into the theme of fair is foul), yet "could not equivocate to heaven". Macbeth, the porter's master uses equivocation to hide his crime. Therefore the porter is both jokingly and metaphorically opening the gate for Macbeth's damned soul. This scene serves as a passage of ultimate condemnation for Macbeth's treacherous crime.
Colin Ray
ReplyDeleteThe Porter's monologue serves as comic relief, and brings the excitement down from the previous scene. I feel Shakespeare knew he had to fill time, so he did so in a productive manner. I think this monologue was written to be a time filler, but made to seem significant and be a source of contemplation by the audience. There is comedy in his playing off the characteristics of Hell being hot. He asks the farmer if he brought a napkin to wipe the sweat off, He also says “here you may roast your goose” all because it is hot. I think he is comparing Macbeth's house to hell. It is also Ironic when he says it is “too cold for hell,” signifying him coming back into reality, and showing he has left his imaginary world, and has been welcomed back into reality. I think it also foreshadows the future of Macbeth when he dies, that he will face the same fate of all those ones who the porter welcomed.
Although the drunk porter is in this scene for comic relief to the audience, he is also their as a reminder of the idea that Macbeth just killed Duncan, who will soon be "knocking" on the gates of heaven or hell. The porter is able to provide an image of every different profession entering hell in is soliloquy through comedy but revealing some truth (like an illusion) , thus providing the audience with different reasons for these people going to hell. He allows the audience to release some of the tension they faced after Macbeth killed Duncan. I feel the reason he brought these images and characters in is to show that they did not get away with everything they did in the end. Thus, the speech also reminds us that Macbeth just killed Duncan and is (as of now) getting away with it. It proves that even though he may "innocent" now, in the end he will face his guilt. This makes the speech seem like the foreshadowing of Macbeth's future damnation. Concluding, the porters passage serves both as a relief to the audience after watching such an repulsive crime as well as reminder of the crime and a look into what is to come for Macbeth.
ReplyDeleteI think that Shakespeare may have put in the porter scene for various reasons. Shakespeare obviously knew that it would take a moment for the main characters that played Lady Macbeth and Macbeth to change their clothes and wash off the fake blood. Shakespeare also knew that up to that point he had no comic relief and that it would be a time to slip in a good laugh. With the reasons of having the actors change and providing comic relief he added the Porter scene to not only fix these problems, but to also add insight. As the Porter is drunk he talks about hell. In reality, Shakespeare could have chose any topic, but he specifically chose hell to reveal a deeper truth. As the drunken Porter speaks of hell he talks about admitting a farmer, con man, and a tailor. The sins that admit these people are for either killing themselves, lying under oath, or skimping fabric for people's clothes. These sins are remotely small and make you reflect on the sin that Macbeth and his wife have committed. Looking at killing yourself, lying and skimping fabric, one realizes that Macbeth and his wife are guaranteed a special place in hell for there greed driven murder.
ReplyDeleteBethany Gass
The "porter" scene in Macbeth creates a new vibe in this part of the story because so far, it has been very dark and depressing. Although it doesn't achieve anything meaningful in my opinion (sorry Shakespeare if that was your intention), it provides a comic relief for the audience. This quick yet funny scene is clearly out of place because it immediately follows Duncan's death. I also think it could have served as the purpose to allow the actors to change and prepare for their next scene, even though we really don't know if this was why. But the main purpose of the porter and the gates is to quickly move from Duncan's murder to Macbeth becoming king, and it definitely doesn't linger much on the king's death. Because this book is about Macbeth (notice the title), Shakespeare didn't focus as much on the atrocities of Duncan's death. Although this scene doesn't dig as deep as the rest, it doesn't mean the rest of the play will be lighter either.
ReplyDeleteRyan Cole
ReplyDeleteAlthough it may not exactly fit with the rest of the play, I think that Shakespeare did write the porter scene and I think he wrote it for a reason, or possibly for several reasons. The common interpretation of the duty of this scene, comic relief, is certainly one of the options that I explored when reading this scene. Though it is comical, I found that it may have had several other purposes. Sure, maybe it was doubly used to make time for actors to change, but I think it was primarily written to give the audience a deeper meaning of the play. When I was reading, I noticed that the word "hell" was mentioned twice: once near the beginning of the scene and then again at the end of the scene. As a parallel, "Heaven" and "God" are mentioned in the same sentence almost directly in the center of the paragraph. What I am getting at is that the paragraph seems to contain several parallels that may be meaningful to the play (Heaven vs. Hell, Hot vs. Cold ["But this place is too cold for hell."], and equivocation [truth vs. lie]). Equivocation seems to be a large part of this scene and the play as a whole because it is mentioned at least three times, twice in one sentence. With "equivocation" being mentioned so many times, it seems only fair to assume that Shakespeare is trying to make a point. To me, I feel like he is telling the audience that Macbeth is an equivocator; Macbeth may tell the truth, but he usually only tells part of it.
This scene is not necessary but can serve a purpose. The contrast between the porter's rude jokes and Macbeth's dark speech before is powerful. It is possible that Shakespeare didn't want to depress his audience. The symbolic knocking in the background is ominous, especially because it is most likely taking place as Macbeth kills Duncan. It is likely that it allowed actors to change clothes, but I think it has deeper meaning than that. The strong irony between the two scenes is important to stress the horror that is taking place in the castle. I believe this scene could have been added so actors could change clothes, but I think it fits and adds to the play.
ReplyDeleteIn the Porter scene, a hint of comical relief is added to the play by Shakespeare. I do believe that Shakespeare thoroughly thinks through all of his ideas before just writing them down. With that being said, there has to be a reason for this scene other than comic relief. Who knows what Shakespeare's actual meaning was for the scene, but I personally think it may have had something to do with the gate. The porter is introduced to three different people at the gate, the farmer, equivocator, and the English tailor. He says to "come in", (here you'll sweat for 't) alluding that it is the gate to hell. This is foreshadowing Macbeth's fate and implying he will encounter the gates of hell.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I didn't realize at first that the Porter was drunk, it only adds to the sarcastic humor he produces for the audience. I think it fits perfectly as Shakespeare's style because sarcasm is a darker version of humor just like Macbeth's intentions are darker than most. The Porter jokes about the Devil and what others do to see him in Hell, but it's twisted because it's predicting the future of the play. Macbeth will die like the farmer who expected so much for himself just as Macbeth is doing now. I seriously doubt Shakespeare didn't write this scene just to add time to change for the actors in-between scenes. There is so much to read between the lines figuratively speaking. I think the fact that the Porter is sarcastic affects the play only because it gives a break between the seriousness of the situations that the Macbeths put themselves in.
ReplyDeleteThe Porter scene in Macbeth, while it could be interpreted as mere comic relief, holds a much darker meaning. Its humorous elements merely reside on the surface, and when one reads deeper into the scene, much more morbid elements are revealed. Most obvious of these is the porter's referring to Inverness as Hell. While it may be hellish to him (as many workplaces are), the reality of his joke creates a very bitter irony. Furthermore, the imaginary sinners he greets can all be interpreted as different facets of Macbeth's own sinfulness. The farmer who "hanged himself on the expectation of plenty" represents Macbeth's dooming himself because he expects the power that the Weird Sisters promised him. The equivocator who "could not equivocate to Heaven" represents his guilt-- regardless of whether or not he is punished on Earth, "Heaven" will see past his lies and see him for what he is. The English tailor who stole "out of a French hose" represents his impatience for power that would have been his eventually, leading him to cut corners and kill Duncan. All three of these characters being admitted into Hell foreshadows Macbeth's own damnation, be it mortal or divine.
ReplyDeleteThe presentation of these factors in a humorous light could be intended to juxtapose them with the rest of the play, emphasizing their significance to the development of the story as a whole.
Elizabeth Brethen
ReplyDeleteOriginally, I did not pay much attention to this encounter with the porter, I did not think it added too or took away from the play. However, after rereading it, I noticed it was not written in iambic pentameter, Shakespeare uses the porter’s rambling to show his intoxication. He is talking to himself, pretending to be the gatekeeper to Hell and how if he were, he would be opening the gate a lot. After every knock he pretends to open the door to find some poor, new sinner condemned to Hell. Eventually, he does let in Lennox and Macduff and when he does, he proceeds to ask for a tip: “I pray you, remember the porter.” I found this ironic (which can offer come comical relief) because one, he is drunk, and two, he takes his time, pretending to let sinners into Hell, before he actually lets Lennox and Macduff in, but then still expects a tip for his “service.” The porter is also very repetitive in his rambling, he says,: “(Knock.) Knock, knock, knock! Who’s there…?” three/four times, which I think is used to emphasize his drunk thoughts about being a gatekeeper in Hell. This emphasis on him being the gatekeeper in Hell could possibly draw a line to connect Macbeth’s castle and Hell. (it was Duncan’s Hell because he was murdered there) In my opinion, I do not think this scene is simply added to give actors time to wash or change, nor is it filling time. I think it is meant to provide some comical relief (because he is drunk) and juxtaposition. His light, carefree attitude only enhances the horror about to be discovered. It also can be used to draw the connection to Macbeth’s castle, the place of Duncan’s murder, and Hell.
I believe that Shakespeare used this scene as a comic relief. The comedy of this scene breaks the tension of the previous scene, the scene where Duncan had been murdered. The drunken porter believes he is in hell. This is humorous, and yet still thematically accurate. In killing Duncan Macbeth has created a personal hell. Macduff's knocking disturbs the porter, who equates it with various sinners knocking at the gates of hell. When he finally admits Macduff, the porter goes on to joke about the effects of alcohol. Macduff reacts in amused indifference. The porter provides a comic break between major dramatic events. What follows the porter's scene is Macduff''s discovery of Duncan's body. The much needed comic relief is supplied through the drunken jokes of the porter in this scene. This scene is also the main reason why people begin to connect Macbeth's castle and Hell.
ReplyDelete-Laurel
I believe that the porter scene was written by Shakespeare and was intended to be comic relief and a mental break for the audience. Sometimes when reading these great literary works in class, I forget that these were real plays that people went to for entertainment, instead of reading them to pass an AP test. Therefore, in order to attract an audience, I think even the darkest of plays had to have moments of comedy and time for one's brain to relax. I think the porter walking on stage drunk would be a perfect time for the audience to take a breather from the high tension of the play and remember that they are there to be entertained and have a good time.
ReplyDeleteI definitely do not think that the Porter scene was a result of having to fill time. Shakespeare was much more clever than that, and it had a purpose. I personally believe that the scene, given Shakespeare's tendencies, was a comical opening, in order to create a release of tension and form suspense about the events to follow. The intensity was very high in the past few scenes with the killing of Duncan. In order to raise tension in scenes later on, he must create a diversion, of sorts, in order to calm the audience before bringing the intensity back up again when they discover the body. Another notable point about the scene is that the porter addressed Macbeth's castle as hell, and given the recent events of Macbeth killing Duncan, it seems like an intense meaning that Macbeth’s castle has truly turned into a hell. It also may be appropriate to note that the porter speaks in prose during this scene while the rest of the play is in blank verse. I do not think that this affects the play as a whole, just as the comedy in the scene does not affect the play as a whole. In fact, I think that the play does have some comedic elements within it, just in small amounts scattered around. So in consideration to that, I do not believe that the scene was unfitting, nor was it wasteful.
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