Feb 21 2010
Starbuck and Lady Macbeth
In the chapter The Musket, Starbuck’s soliloquy as he ponders his fate on the Pequod, reminds me of Lady Macbeth’s similar monologue when she resolves to do anything in her power to help Macbeth ascend to the throne. Both characters contemplate committing murderous deeds to meet their desires. Lady Macbeth summons her resolve and courage, declaring, “Stop up the access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visitings of nature/ Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between/ The effect and it!” (Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 1, scene 5). She is unconcerned about the consequences of her actions, instead seeking to push away any thoughts of guilt. Starbuck, while holding a loaded musket, expresses the inner turmoil he feels towards his actions of obeying Ahab and the misgivings he has knowing that Ahab’s mission of killing Moby Dick may take the lives of the entire crew. He says,
“But shall this crazed old man be tamely suffered to drag a whole ships company down to doom with him?—Yes, it would make him the willful murderer of thirty men and more if this ship come to any deadly harm; and come to deadly harm, my soul swears this ship will, if Ahab have his way. If, then, he were this instant—put aside, that crime would not be his.” (493)
Ultimately, Starbuck is unable to use the weapon in his hands to commit a murder. In contrast, Lady Macbeth is determined to act within her power and resources to achieve her goals. Aware of the fact that this may require immoral actions, she seeks to keep those thoughts from her mind and not concern herself with the consequences. Unlike Lady Macbeth, Starbuck’s conscience is too strong to be overcome, even as he thinks of his wife and child. Although Starbuck is tempted to use the musket in his hands, he is unable to complete the murderous act and kill Ahab. This monologue reveals the debate in his mind over whether killing one man to save the lives of thirty men would absolve the act of murder. Starbuck’s decision to spare Ahab shows the strength of his inner character and belief in acting in a morally conscious way, even while realizing that he may die by following his stubborn captain’s mission.
One Response to “Starbuck and Lady Macbeth”
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I find this comparison very interesting. I’ve been thinking over what it means that these two characters show similarities up to the point where Lady Macbeth is able to “pull the trigger” while Starbuck cannot. Lady Macbeth calls evil onto herself and rids her mind of the burden of being female in a way that lets her turn against traditional female roles. Starbuck, perhaps in a show of Melville’s inclusion of femininity in the text despite the lack of women, is unable to think of committing an action outside of how it could affect him and those he holds dear, as a result he cannot act.