The works of William Shakespeare are classics of English and world literature. Based on his books, it is possible to study linguistics and construct a dramatic work and disciplines that are not directly related to literature. This paper will analyze Jeffrey R. Wilson’s article Macbeth and criminology, which explores Shakespeare’s play because of the possibility of using some elements to study the phenomenon of criminality. The overall argument is that Shakespeare is the creator of the early versions of criminology as a science by describing the protagonists’ characters and decision-making principles.
Early manifestations of modern criminology can be seen in Shakespeare’s dramatic means of expression. The genre of tragedy used in Macbeth poses the question to the reader: who is responsible for committing a crime – the individual or the society? Many of the answers found in work, along with modern criminology, are involved in nature. The first chapter, “Gender and Crime in Macbeth,” shows how Shakespeare came across criminological works and how his work can be used to test existing criminological theories and create new ones (Wilson 471). The second section, “The American Dream and a Scottish Play,” shows how criminological theories can help Shakespeare’s drama’s literary analysis (Wilson 471). The third section, “Madness, Murder, and Cure in Macbeth,” shows how criminological theories can influence modern Shakespearean thinking and how current productions influenced by criminological theories can open up new perspectives on Shakespeare’s original text (Wilson 471). Thus, the source used provides diverse arguments in defense of the thesis about the possibility of using Shakespeare’s literature as the basis for the compilation of criminological theories.
The first chapter of the study mainly explores the phenomenon of female perception and manifestations of crime. According to Shakespeare, Scotland in Macbeth represents a particular society with traditional patriarchal values, where men are judged for their masculinity and women for their femininity. The central thesis is that men can only show masculinity in war, and the war itself, which completes the main plot of the play, is a kind of social dynamics that allows them to change their position in society. In a culture where the amount of power you have is directly dependent on violence, one of the easiest ways to become a man in such circumstances is to become a criminal who will do anything (Wilson 475). Thus, the desire to gain masculinity can manifest itself in a committed crime, which has the likelihood of ending in tragedy, as happened in the story of Macbeth. In the play, Lady Macbeth uses her husband’s natural desire to be a man for her selfish ends, although Lord Macbeth has repeatedly shown himself fighting in the war. Upon her return, Lady Macbeth managed to force her husband to kill the king, making him insecure about his gender identity. Thus, according to Shakespeare, a woman perceives generally accepted concepts of cruelty and can use them for her purposes gain.
The second chapter takes a closer look at the origins of criminology in the context of fiction. Distinctive elements in the text indicate that in some cases, a person’s decision to commit a crime does not come from his consciousness but from public opinion. A detailed analysis of Macbeth allows to hypothesize that tragedy as a genre was a medieval version of criminology (Wilson, 469). This conclusion can be drawn from Shakespeare’s main questions in work: why do some people harm others? The same goal is pursued by modern criminology using scientific methods. Interpretation of both tragedy genre plots in literature and crimes in real life aims to identify patterns to form new theories that develop scientific knowledge.
The third chapter demonstrates a more detailed approach to exploring the relationship between criminology and Shakespeare’s works. In this section, the behavior of Lord and Lady Macbeth is examined from the perspective of the presence of mental illnesses that lead them to use cruelty to achieve their own goals (Wilson 478). In criminology, this section is given special attention, because during the investigation of crimes, it often turns out that criminals indeed have syndromes of depression, insanity, and other mental disorders. Studying methods the characters in the play Macbeth make decisions allows to consider the work as the basis for criminological research. Moreover, in the text, Shakespeare explains why the heroes make this or that decision.
I like all three parts of this article because I have never met this kind of interpretation of Shakespeare’s works. The very idea that Macbeth can be used to research criminology is new to me. The presence of a study with a large number of links to related works and detailed work with the text, which allows you to support the theses put forward, will enable you to verify the quality of the job done. Of course, the construction of criminological theories exclusively on literary works is impossible since the data’s scientific nature and validity may be in doubt. However, such an unorthodox approach can yield positive results when researching criminals’ behavior, and by looking at the work of Jeffrey R. Wilson, one can be convinced of this.
Work Cited
Wilson, Jeffrey R. “Macbeth and Criminology.” College Literature, vol. 46, no.2, 2019, pp. 453-485.