Disorder in Macbeth, or May We Call it ‘Entropy’?

Abstract

With universalist or globalizing tendencies of thought, order is preferred while disorder is sought to be avoided at any price; the latter might generally be linked in politics to any kind of political dissidence, wars, conflicts, riots, etc. In psychology, everyone fears mental disorders. Ethics and theology, it is linked to the cursed notions of immorality and sin. However, with the emergence of the postmodern pessimist science of chaos, the word becomes much admired. In science as in art and the humanities, disorder is inevitable; it is rather a universal feature.

Order and disorder are often important issues in the Shakespearean tragedy of Macbeth (and in fact, in all Shakespearean plays). The scientific concept of ‘entropy’ which carries the meanings of disorder and uncertainty will be discovered on a metaphorical level. Hence, it will be relevant to represent the entropic historical context of the play, the entropic world of Scotland after the murder of King Duncan, the entropic characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth after committing the crime and the entropic language that characterizes the play.