A pathetic fallacy is a literary device that attributes human emotions to inanimate objects of nature in order to reflect the mood of a certain scene. In act 2, scene 2, Macbeth is assassinating the king inside King Duncan's chamber as his wife waits for him to finish the bloody deed. As Macbeth is murdering the king, Lady Macbeth remarks:
It was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman, Which gives the stern'st good-night. (2.2.3–4)
The shrieking owl can be perceived as an element of nature that reflects the horrifying murder taking place in Macbeth's castle. The shrieking sound is unnatural and jarring, which corresponds to the bloody assassination. By comparing the sound to a "fatal bellman," Lady Macbeth reveals her resolute nature and satisfaction. She is pleased with the assassination and shows absolutely no remorse.
When Macbeth comes out of Duncan's chamber, he asks Lady Macbeth if she heard a noise. Lady Macbeth responds by saying:
I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry. (2.2.16)
Once again, Shakespeare utilizes a pathetic fallacy to reflect the horrifying murder and ominous mood. The owl screaming and crickets crying corresponds to Duncan's assassination and contributes to the frightening, threatening atmosphere of the scene. Macbeth proceeds to mention that he heard Duncan's servants saying:
Sleep no more; Macbeth does murder sleep. (2.2.34)
Macbeth's hallucinations highlight his guilt and anxiety regarding his crime. Unlike his wife, Macbeth is not at ease, and the pathetic fallacy reveals that he is experiencing deep remorse and regret.
https://literarydevices.net/pathetic-fallacy/
A pathetic fallacy is an attempt by a character to relate the outside world to their internal thoughts and emotions. When someone feels like the outside world is a pure reflection of their inner life, it is very egocentric and drawn in on themselves.
In the play Macbeth, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth hear sounds outside that they believe are indicative of the events they have set in motion—Lady Macbeth states that the owl is ringing the bell to signal Duncan's murder, while Macbeth believes he hears a voice outside of his head telling him he will never sleep again because he will be tormented by the events that have transpired.
Lady Macbeth presents an attitude of satisfaction and completion when she reflects on the sound, showing her callous and calculating nature. Macbeth, however, is tormented by what he experiences, showing that he is more withdrawn. However, by the end of the play, Lady Macbeth will be the one to crumble and descend into madness because of the events she has woven, not Macbeth.
In the pathetic fallacy, characters perceive nature or the world outside of themselves to be reflecting or expressing their own thoughts or emotions. A classic example would be a rainy night reflecting the downcast mood of a character.
In act 2, scene 2, both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth use the pathetic fallacy. Lady Macbeth perceives the owl's shriek as the sign reflecting that Macbeth has murdered Duncan. She likens the owl to the "fatal bellman," the person who rings the bells to signal an execution. She says,
Hark! Peace! It was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman . . .
Macbeth comes back from the murder believing he has heard a "voice," something outside of himself, that reflects his own emotion of horror and tells him he will no longer sleep peacefully. He tells Lady Macbeth,
Methought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more!
Macbeth does murder sleep”—the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care . . .
Lady Macbeth at this point comes across as the stronger, harder character. She advises Macbeth not to think about voices or dwell on the horror of what he has done, because that is the way of madness. He is shattered at this point, but later, their roles will reverse: Lady Macbeth will crack under the strain and go mad while Macbeth becomes hardened.
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