Although Duncan’s murder is never shown on stage, his death is made known through the phenomenon of “the clock ‘tis day/ And yet dark night strangles the traveling lamp” the following morning (2.4.1-2). With darkness taking over the light of day, Macbeth realizes that even if he is not caught for his murderous deed, he will ultimately be punished for his injustices in eternal damnation . Knowing that he must “jump the life to come” and capitalize on his moment to gain power; Macbeth chooses to ignore time, and hide behind the future prophecy's that guided him to the present (1.7.7). Unable to escape the forces that remind him of “the untimely emptying of the happy throne”, Macbeth not only shies away from the present but also his duty to his country (4.3.9). Afraid of the consequences that await him, Macbeth only solidifies his looming destruction by isolating himself in his castle until “famine and augues” destroy anyone or anything that could hinder his time as King (5.5.4). By the end of Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth is so disconnected and frozen in time that when his future prophesies catch up with him, he is unable to react, resigning his reign. While time comes to a halt when Duncan is murdered, once Macduff slays Macbeth, “time is free”, and the rightful heir, Malcolm, restores the lineal succession broken by Macbeth. Macbeth’s inability to recognize the power of time, and therefore the consequences of his sins, help solidify his downfall as a tyrannical ruler.
While Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale is considered a comedy. Similar to his tragedy Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale features an intransigent ruler imprisoned by time as punishment for his disruption of lineal succession. Told over a sixteen year span, the tale of King Leontes, unlike Macbeth is one obsessed with the restorative power of time. However in the beginning of the play it appears as though though Leontes will meet a tragic end similar to Macbeth’s. Grief stricken over the destruction of his family, Leontes finds himself incapable of moving forward with his life until he is able to restore his broken linage. After jealously accusing his wife of “sully[ing] the purity and whiteness of his sheets”, not only does she die from misery, but his son, Mammilius, and only heir, dies as well (1.2.34). Mammilius, like the witches in Macbeth, represents a dichotomy in time by symbolizing the future and the past of his kingdom. The next lineal successor to the throne, Leontes views Mammilius as the future of Sicily. However, he also sees his son as having the power to “make old hearts fresh” again, by transporting the old to a time before they were “unbreech’d” (1.2.17). Because of these extraordinary powers, the death of Mammilius causes Leontes to be cut off from the future. Unable to move forward with his lifeuntil he can find someone to fill the void of Mammilius’ death, Leontes stays frozen in time.
Similar to Leontes, in The Winter’s Tale time moves ahead while the Kingdom of Sicily stays unchanged, and preserved in grief. Although Leontes accepts responsibility for his wrong doings, similar to his wife’s early prediction he “comes to clearer knowledge” realizing his mistakes too late and therefore is forced to wait for time to restore his infected kingdom. Time begins to encompasses the life of Leontes so much so that it manifests itself into an acting part of the chorus, narrating the quick passage of sixteen years. While these sixteen long years pass, it becomes evident immediately that the memory of his son and his own “blemishes” prohibit Leontes from moving forward. While Macbeth hides from the forces of time, Leontes looks to time as an answer to his long suffering,
Wifeless and more importantly heirless, time in The Winter’s Tale does not begin to move again until the arrival of Florizel and Peridita in Sicily. Pleading for his approval, Florizel consulates with Leontes asking the king to remember when he “owed no more to time than [Florizel] does now” (5.1.7). Parallel to his own son Mammilius, Florizel transports Leontes back to a time of innocence and happiness. Not only does Florizel soften Leontes’ feelings of the past, he also provides him with a hope for the future. A catalyst to the discovery that Perdita is in fact the rightful heir to the Kingdom of Sicily. Florizel fills the void left by Mammilius’ untimely death. Finally able to move into the future, Leontes is so overcome with happiness, he declares the kingdom is finally “purged of all infection”. With a rightful heir to carry on his legacy, Leontes patience in time’s long restorative process is rewarded with time moving into the future.
While on the surface Macbeth and The Winter’s Tale appear to have nothing in common, the theme of time exposes their surprising similarities. Both surrounding the lives of kings frozen in time. Macbeth and Leontes each interfere with the lineal succession of their kingdoms stopping the linear succession of time. However, not until the lineal succession is restored in both plays is time allowed to be free.
Although time connects Shakespeare’s two late plays, there is no denying the overwhelming differences between the two. While The Winter’s Tale features a tragic beginning, the final scenes stick to the classic comedic ending, with a final image of prosperity for the future. Macbeth, on the other hand is a model tragedy featuring a tragic hero racing against time and ultimately his death. Both Macbeth and Leontes in their plays lose their wives due to their intransigent behavior, but only Leontes who accepts his sins, is able to regain his wife in the end. Although time plays a major role throughout Macbeth and The Winter’s Tale, time actually takes the form of a character in The Winter’s Tale, while Macbeth is haunted by prophesies that catalyzes his actions throughout the play. The most striking difference concerning time in the two play is how each character reacts to the notion. While Macbeth comes to ignore time and its power all together. Leontes embraces his punishment for cutting of his lineage, and looks to time as having the ability to restore all of his misfortunes.
