Essay: Macbeth and Slaughterhouse-Five

At first glance, Macbeth and Slaughterhouse-Five have very little in common. However, both pieces of literature show main characters that go through traumatic events such as war and the lasting effects that affect the characters’ actions throughout the books. In both books, characters are subjected to traumatic events that have a negative effect on their mental state, their relationships, but they both attempt to overcome the effects of trauma in the end.
As a result of traumatic events, the main character in both Macbeth and Slaughterhouse-Five has degraded interpersonal relationships. In Macbeth, his relationship with his wife suffers as the result of the path he has taken. Macbeth and committed to obtaining and maintaining his position as King of Scotland and his need to embark on that journey alone has led him to push his wife away. When Macbeth decides to kill Banquo, he tells Lady Macbeth to “be innocent of the knowledge…” (Shakespeare X), a difference from before when he called her his “dearest partner in greatness”. This is partially due to Lady Macbeth’s continued attacks on Macbeth’s masculinity, as she made Macbeth feel that he needs to handle the situation on his own, leading Macbeth to distance himself from her. Macbeth used to be a fair and well-liked ruler, but his neglect for his country cause his lords to wish for Macduff, someone Macbeth declares as an enemy, to “give [Scotland’s] tables meat, sleep to [Scotland’s] nights, free from [Scotland’s] feasts and banquets bloody knives” (Shakespeare X) Scotland has disintegrated into chaos under Macbeth’s rule because as his position was illegitimately obtained, he must constantly fear the discovery of his crime and conquer potential threats.
In Slaughterhouse-Five, Billy’s wartime experiences were highly traumatizing, and that trauma continues to affect him and his relationships many years after the war. In a relationship, it is generally expected that both partners would be able to confide in each other and be open, but Billy has trouble sharing his war experiences with Valencia, even though those experiences make up an important component of Billy. Valencia notices this and “[feels] that [Billy is] full of secrets” (Vonnegut 154). When Valencia tries to ask Billy about his time in the war, Billy excuses himself from the situation and as he “[feels] the rough walls [of the bathroom]…he had traveled back to 1944, to the prison hospital again.” The traumatic experience, even though decades old, makes Billy feel alone and incomprehensible, affecting his relationship with his wife. Billy’s relationship with his daughter Barbara is also highly strained as his daughter fails to understand the extent of his trauma and attacks him over his letter about the Tralfamadorians. Barbara believes Billy to be childish because the idea of aliens and time travel seem absurd and the product of an immature and childish mind, but her evaluation of him as such isolates Billy further and makes him feel as if no one could understand him. Billy would rather he be left alone but the curiosity of some and the apathy form others frustrate him and makes him distance himself emotionally from those he is meant to be close with. Macbeth suffers from a similar situation when he feels isolated by the specificity of his experiences. The main difference, however, is that unlike Billy, Macbeth is not a helpless or meek character. Macbeth had full control over his situation and it was his choice to listen to the word of the witches and murder Duncan, meaning his miseries are a product of his own doing. Unlike with Billy and Valencia, the damage caused to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship is not as accidental. Valencia’s behavior is normal and expected—civilians are often curious about the experiences of veterans and it is not reasonable to expect her to be knowledgeable about dealing with Billy’s PTSD. On the other hand, the tension between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is a result of her attacks on his masculinity, leading him to distance himself from the relationship. Billy and Macbeth are also criticized for their eccentric behavior. Billy is ridiculed by his daughter for his belief in the Tralfamadorians, while Macbeth is judged by his lords for his distracted governing. Again, the difference is that Billy did not choose to be sent into war and be traumatized, but Macbeth’s traumatic experiences were a result of his own actions.
Characters in both Macbeth and Slaughterhouse-Five suffer mental health issues as a result of traumatic experiences. A key turning point for Macbeth was his murder of Duncan. Macbeth had hesitations about the murder from the very beginning and it was only at the continued persuasion of Lady Macbeth that he actually followed through. As a result, the murder caused great trauma for Macbeth, leading to mental health issues. Immediately after the murder of Duncan, Macbeth starts having hallucinations and hearing voices. The immense guilt and regret Macbeth feels are evident in how he “could not…pronounce ‘Amen’ / [when he] had most need of blessing.” This was the beginning of Macbeth’s decline because during that time period a king was believed to be God’s representative on earth, and Macbeth had severed that connection. Macbeth’s mental state continues to decline until it hits its worst during his public hallucination of Banquo’s ghost. For Macbeth, preserving his regency is a source of great paranoia as his position was illegitimately obtained and against the natural order. This is most evident in how Macbeth wishes that the ghost “Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear /The arm’d rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger” (Shakespeare X). Macbeth is not afraid of a physical fight, but he is very afraid of the judgment and punishment that he believes would come from the ghost of Banquo.
Slaughterhouse-Five is an anti-war novel that shows the effect of wartime trauma on civilian life. Billy, although only playing a minor role in WWII, is not spared from the symptoms of PTSD, and his hallucinations of the Tralfamadorians feature prominently as a symptom. For Billy, the Tralfamadorians serve as a justification for his continued flashbacks to past events. Occurrences in daily life remind Billy of his time in Dresden and his “unstuck in time” status is a coping mechanism. Billy’s flashbacks and time spent on Tralfamadore is a way for him to escape from a painful reality because the effects of his wartime experiences are so significant that he has to leave the real world to finally be at peace. Not only do the Tralfamadorians serve as internal justification for his flashbacks, but they also help Billy justify his apathy and distant nature. At the core of the Tralfamadorian’s ideology is the idea that because time is unchanging and static, all people simultaneously in different time frames, so no one is truly dead. Billy uses that belief to justify his distant and withdrawn response to the deaths of others. In fact, the phrase “so it goes” is repeated a hundred and six times, usually after a particularly dreadful or awful event, showing Billy’s emotionally empty response. However, even though the deaths are no longer significant to Billy, the phrase itself contrasts with the rest of the text as an abrupt interjection, showing how the deaths should be significant. The continued exposure to death and destruction has developed an “immunity” in Billy—following the Tralfamadorian belief that life “[has] no beginning, no middle, no end, no suspense, no moral, no causes, no effects” (Vonnegut X) and that the value of life lies in “the depths of many marvelous moments seen all at one time” (Vonnegut X). Billy’s mental health experiences are comparable in the sense that they both suffer from hallucinations, but they are very different in nature. Billy, who is naturally a meek and submissive character, responds to the shocking and distressing world by running away from it—his hallucinations are those that help him escape from the world. Macbeth is a naturally combative character who always needs an enemy to fight—whether it be foreign countries, traitorous thanes, or threats to his crown—and his hallucinations reflect that: he hears voices that mock him, sees ghosts that haunt him, and his only wish is for those hallucinations to be real, so that he can fight them. In essence, while Billy is interested in an escape from the horrors of the world, Macbeth only wants to transform the horrors into physical enemies to fight and conquer.
Although initially succumbing to past trauma, the main character in both Macbeth and Slaughterhouse-Five attempts to fight against the temptations of nihilism in the end. Macbeth initially gives in to a bleak worldview after the death of his wife. Macbeth believes that “life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage / And then is heard no more: it is a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury / Signifying nothing.” (Shakespeare X). Macbeth’s journey from the beginning of the play to that point was filled with misfortune and poor decision making. Furthermore he reacts to the death of his wife with indifference, saying that “She should have died hereafter / There would have been a time for such a word / Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow” (Mac 5.5.17–19), another sign that the continued trauma makes him feel that life is pointless. Having just lost his wife and with Macduff’s army at the gates of his castle, it is easy for him to blame his circumstance on the unfairness and insignificance of life. When Macduff reveals that he is not technically born of a woman, Macbeth refuses to “To kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet / And to be baited with the rabble’s curse” (Mac 1.1.1.1), but instead fights to the death, contrasting his earlier self where he believes that life is meaningless. Macbeth thrives on conflict and fighting and he resumes his old self in his last moments as he finally got his wish—having a physical enemy to fight instead of haunting visions and ghosts.
In Slaughterhouse-Five, Billy is also initially pessimistic about the nature of life. In his optometry office, he hangs a prayer that says “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom always to tell the difference” (Vonnegut 60), and Vonnegut narrates that Billy believes that “among the things [he] could not change were the past, the present and the future” (Vonnegut 60). Billy has always been a pathetic and helpless character, and he comes to the wrongful conclusion that life is immutable and he must come to terms with that realization. Billy eventually decides to spread his message on a radio talk show and through letters. However, in a bid to spread his realization about the nature of time and life, Billy actually goes against his beliefs. If he truly believed that the world had a set path, he would not bother with spreading his message. Billy at that point finally tries to exert some change on the world, breaking his cycle of submissiveness. Although both Billy and Macbeth have an initially pessimistic view of the world, they both eventually realize the need to take ownership of their lives. For Billy, the realization was more significant because he had always been a passive and submissive character, while Macbeth has always been combative and aggressive. Another key difference is that Billy’s action is intended to benefit society—he sees value in the Tralfamadorian philosophy and wants to spread it as a positive message. Macbeth’s final decision to fight Macduff instead of submitting is more a result of his pride because he did not want to have to “…kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet / And to be baited with the rabble’s curse” (Mac 1.1.1.1). Even though Macbeth and Billy both through a similar path in terms of their journey through the effects of trauma, they differ in their actions as a result of an innate difference in character.