They Eat Horses, Don’t They?

Last updated on: August 24, 2014 at 1:06 pm by Leah Libresco

They Eat Horses, Don’t They? 2014-08-24T13:06:33-04:00 Leah Libresco

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

(from Order of the Stick)

Last night, I got to see a special screening of the Folger Theatre’s 2008 production of Macbeth (all magic courtesy of Teller — of Penn and Teller). Usually, when I see Macbeth, my focus is on the titular pair, or, barring that, the witches, but, in this production, my attention and sympathies were more with the courtiers than in any other staging I’ve seen.

For whatever reason, I was less wrapped up in the fall of Macbeth and his wife, so I kept thinking about the lives of the people in their court. As the audience, we experience the story as a tragedy, where “vaulting ambition” leads the Macbeths deeper into sin and despair, but, for the court, it must have felt more like being trapped in an absurdist story.

This is, after all, a world where, when Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost and begins screaming and strangling bystanders, them most reassuring lie that Lady Macbeth can come up with is:

Sit, worthy friends: my lord is often thus,
And hath been from his youth: pray you, keep seat;
The fit is momentary; upon a thought
He will again be well: if much you note him,
You shall offend him and extend his passion:
Feed, and regard him not.

While she covers for her husband, she anticipates that she’ll need an excuse she can use again, so she invents a persistent madness, but what small comfort that must be to her husband’s retainers, to know that this violence could break out at any moment.

The whole show felt unsettled and unnatural, with a real terror for the people at Dunsinane, who, far from just fearing death, were in a world so addled by evil that you couldn’t even know what to fear. In one scene, two characters recount the strange upending of the world around them:

OLD MAN:
On Tuesday last,
A falcon, towering in her pride of place,
Was by a mousing owl hawk’d at and kill’d.

ROSS
And Duncan’s horses–a thing most strange and certain–
Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race,
Turn’d wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,
Contending ‘gainst obedience, as they would make
War with mankind.

So far, so normal (for the paranormal) I thought. The scene was reminding me of Titania’s “These are the forgeries of jealousy” speech, when she explains how the disagreement between herself and Oberon has upset the natural law. But then, the players went on to say this, which I had somehow missed in previous productions:

OLD MAN
‘Tis said they eat each other.

ROSS
They did so, to the amazement of mine eyes
That look’d upon’t.

I think I missed the next few lines because, really.

Horses.

Eating each other.

From that point onward, my favorite character was Macduff, who buffeted by tragedy and Malcolm’s pretended malfeasance, just wails “O, Scotland, Scotland!” Instead of worrying about the collapse of Macbeth, this production, more than any other, made me frightened for the country, rather than its king.

(for your enjoyment, here’s the first few minutes of the production I saw)

Reviews/Recommendations

at the theatre

Previous Post

August 23, 2014

Why is it easier to ask out strangers than friends?

Next Post

August 25, 2014 Solving a Problem vs Being with a Person [Pope Francis Bookclub]

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 7 Quick Takes Apologetics Atheism Book Conversion Debate Tactics Debates Epistemology/Philosophy Housekeeping Ideological Turing Test Marriage Morality in Practice Parsing Catholicism Possibly Heretical Radio Reviews/Recommendations Sequence Index Spiritual Practice Uncategorized

Select a Month April 2017 March 2017 January 2017 December 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which tribe of Israel did NOT receive a land inheritance?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Judah Levi Gad Benjamin