"Hence, horrible shadow!
Unreal mockery, hence!"
These lines are spoken by Macbeth upon seeing Banquo's ghost, an event that symbolizes Macbeth's descent into madness. Lady Macbeth begins to lose trust in her husband and his sanity at this point. Similar, this quote begins a chapter in which many of the characters continue to lose trust in La Motte. His wife still believes that he is having an affair with Adeline, and his private meetings with the Marquis leave the rest of the inhabitants of the abbey uneasy. La Motte's behavior becomes increasingly mysterious throughout the chapter, specifically in his encounters with the Marquis, leaving both Adeline and Madame La Motte worried for his well being. Adeline suffers from "anxiety for the welfare of La Motte" in the same way that Lady Macbeth does during her husband's insane outburst at the banquet. Madame La Motte views "the mysterious conduct of La Motte" with "a pang of self-accusation," and feels guilt similar to Lady Macbeth's guilt over planning the murder of the king. Quoting this specific act from Macbeth makes the reader skeptical of La Motte's sanity and intents as well, and adds to the mystery of the novel. The quote also lends a gothic tone to the chapter by referencing such a well known scene with supernatural elements.
Very good connection with the story of Macbeth with La Motte. However, to add on what you were saying, I do believe the author himself added the mention of Macbeth to further emphasize the personal conflict within each character and to further display the human weakness of the mind when there is no certainty. However, as you said the distrust of the characters do make the readers skeptical to La Motte credibility.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great example of how the epigrams were used to direct the emotion and overall tone of individual chapters. I particularly liked this MacBeth quote, because of the ironic/legitimate tie to an apparition. LaMotte, believing the Marquis to be dead, is genuinely terrified that the Marquis may be a ghost of himself, and in many ways haunts LaMotte through the halls. His sense of unease and doubt spread to others throughout the chapter, and the 'madness' that others believe they see in LaMotte is indeed felt by all to some small degree. It's also interesting to think about what recognition we give to 'spectres' and 'apparitions', when they could really just be a figment of our imagination. Had LaMotte been rational about the situation from the start, there would not be the same sense of unease and paranoia spread between all the characters.
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