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Macbeth hopes that his one act of regicide will stop the flow of time - "if 'twere done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly." But it can't be done when it's done; actions provoke reactions. He ends tragically because he cannot trammel up the consequence. Time is the avenger, simply by (indifferently) moving on.
The same goes for Coriolanus, though in a different way. He wants his deeds to be their own reward, and thereby avoid dependence on the praise and rewards offered by Rome. He wants deeds to be without consequence, even if the consequences are beneficial to him. He wants to arrest time, and is offended when time moves ahead and the Romans respond with praise or resentment at his deeds.
Time itself is not tragic; rather, the attempt to stop the clock is tragic. Which perhaps means that time itself pushes toward comedy, if we will only let it.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Saturday, August 27, 2005 at 10:53 AM
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