Last night we went to the Seagull Theatre and watched a unique presentation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth by ‘The Handlebards’.
Pedalling from venue to venue with all of their set, props and costumes on the back of their bikes, three young women acted with energy, creativity and chaotic hilarity…
Tragedy in a different light
Musing on Macbeth….
The supernatural…The three witches with their ‘Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble,’ play a vital part…
Written at a time of deep religious belief, when spiritual forces were seen in everything… Many believed in witches who punished their enemies by causing illness death and disaster.
Reading King David’s Psalms this morning…He describes his God as his rock, shield, strength, shepherd…
In a world that emphasises wealth, possessions and material values we do well to muse on the super-natural, spiritual world…
The flaw… In all Shakespearean tragedies the hero has a major flaw that leads to his downfall. Macbeth’s tragic flaw is ambition that leads to murder, treachery and ultimately his own tragic death.
We all have flaws and faults. We all make mistakes; we should be sympathetic to others. It’s OK not to be perfect.
Unchecked and uncontrolled our flaws are destructive and can bring tragic consequences, as we see in friends with addictions, an unchecked temper, untreated depression…
The tragedy… In Shakespearean tragedies the hero’s tragic flaw leads to inevitable destruction and death.
Some folk find themselves in apparently hope-less situations. Broken family relationships, bankruptcy, debilitating illness, depression… The consequences appear to lead to inevitable tragedy.
The Jesus narrative is of facing tragedy and turning it around. Jesus heals a man who suffers with psychotic episodes/demon possession, he stills a storm when fishermen are about to drown, he changes a thieving, cheating tax-collector to be a generous philanthropist.
Finally when everyone thinks he is executed and dead he comes back to life.
Tragedy in a different light…
malcolmsmusings.org 