James on the Porter scene in Macbeth

Macbeth and the Porter (2.3)  (James Dreyer)

From Westminster Abbey,  King Henry the Third https://www.westminster-abbey.org/about-the-abbey/history/royal-tombs

                In this part of the play, King Duncan has just been murdered by Macbeth and we open to a drunken Porter talking about being a porter for hell.  This scene is not meant to be comical in of itself, but how one reads the play and the interpretation of the part in the play can be comical.  For example, MacDuff could perform his lines to be relatively serious and anxious, or he could be played to be obnoxiously dramatic, along with supporting characters such as Lady Macbeth.  Regardless of how the play is performed, the purpose is not to include comic relief, but instead shows the repercussions of the king’s death, and the events surrounding it, thus sending off the rest of the play.  As mentioned before, the scene opens on a drunk porter hearing a knock at the door and discussing three situations in which consist of him letting these people into the gates of hell.  This part of the play begins to show, if the reader has not picked up on it before, that Macbeth is not of the highest moral character.  This scene seems to say that with this previous deed, Macbeth has descended into the pits of hall and was readily accepted.  This is also supported by earlier text when Macbeth says “We’d jump the life to come. “(MACBETH 1.7.7 ) as if to say that he is willing to risk his time in hell for this act of murdering the king.  The quote becomes figuratively, and maybe literally fulfilled in this scene.  Due to the time the play was written, people were very influenced by nature, and many believed that everything had a double meaning.  So, when the king died, because he was a good king, nature around responded to the action by it being an unruly night, as was described by Lennox in line 50 through 57.  The events described in 2.3, then also in 2.4, seem to also resemble Christ’s death on the cross with the earth shaking and the sky going dark, furthering the fact that King Duncan was a very good and Christ like King.  After this, franticness runs through the house like wildfire.  When reading, one can feel the tension and anxiety of the household, it almost seems that the text reads faster and much more nervous.  Then of course you have the obvious irony of Macbeth expressing his love and deep devotion for the king.  This scene is very important, it starts begins the ball rolling for prophecies being fulfilled, the storyline coming together, and characters developing throughout the play.  The prophecies that Macbeth will be king is about to be fulfilled and he is clearly to be king, considering the two sons are on the run, and no one will suspect Macbeth.  The previous scenes were in many ways almost developing this scene and the death of the king, this sets the rest of the storyline in motion.  Finally, Macbeth is being developed into someone that was once deeply ashamed of what he did, but now seems to not care as much for what he did as he builds a very believable lie surrounding the guard’s deaths in lines 103 and 105-114.  The previous scenes seem to be building up to this part of the play, and then sends off to the rest of the play.  Also, don’t ever kill your King, unless you want earthquakes, owl, whispering chimney, and of course a panic-stricken household.