Madness and mayhem are two of the most commonly explored topics in literature.

They provide an opportunity for the author to be creative and engage the audience. They also create social challenge and allow the audience to glimpse the type of society that existed at the time the piece of text was written. Literature on these subjects is often influenced by the society, surroundings, and experiences of the writer and expectations of the audience. Consequently madness and mayhem are represented differently in most texts. This essay aims to evaluate and compare how effectively madness and mayhem is depicted in two different texts i.e. Macbeth by William Shakespeare and stone cold by Robert Swindells. The first part of this essay focuses on madness. Madness is commonly described as a state of mind characterized by strange and unusual behavior that is not accepted or tolerated by a society. It can also refer to a person who is defiant of the social customs or norms that exist amongst the general public. Shakespeare one of the most celebrated playwrights of the 16th century made madness a major subject for many of his plays including Macbeth. Macbeth is regarded as one of the greatest literary tragedies in history. It is a story about ambition, jealousy, greed and courage. Macbeth is the main protagonist of the story who serves the role of a hero, villain and victim. The story revolves around his extreme ambition for power. He is introduced as a very loyal and brave general .However while returning from a battle he meets three witches who prophesize that he will become king one day. Macbeth and his wife are overcome with ambition and conspire to kill the king. Eventually he becomes king but with a guilty conscience. Nevertheless his addiction to power forces him to commit further murders. Lady Macbeth overcome with guilt begins to sleepwalk and see imaginary blood on her hands and ultimately commits suicide. Finally Macbeth is deserted and killed so he gets what he deserves. The madness in Macbeth begins at the start of the play as Macbeth a brave and gallant solider goes to meet the witches who were the instruments of evil. In Shakespeares times people were extremely superstitious and held strong beliefs in the supernatural. Witchcraft was considered a great sin and hundreds of women were tortured or killed for practicing it. Witches were seen as mysterious, sordid beings that good men were to stay away from. Banquos speech reflects that view ..By each one her choppy finger laying upon her skinny lips you should be women. Yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so (Act 2 scene 3). Macbeth is presented as a very loyal, courageous solider and yet he goes to see the witches listens to their speeches and seeks assistance from them. This can be considered an act of madness The biggest form of madness in the play is the ambition of Macbeth. Although all characters in the play are ambitious. Macbeths ambition is overpowering and leads him to moral weakness. In his case it is not he who controls his ambition but rather his ambition controls him. As Macbeth say I have no spur. To prick the sides of my intent but only vaulting ambition which

oerleaps itself and falls on th other.(Act 1 scene 7). His ambition makes him kill Duncan and many others of his friends. This overpowering ambition which makes Macbeth forget all social and moral codes, lead him to kill the king which was an enormous sin for the Elizabethans and break all boundaries is another type of madness. Finally when Macbeth is left lonely and deserted in the last battle of his life, he is delivered the news of Lady Macbeths death. His ambition has not left him at this stage. He is too occupied with power struggles and has become foolishly arrogant to care about her anymore. He delivers his famous soliloquy she should have died hereafter. There would have been time for such a word. Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, creeps in this petty face from day to day to the last syllable of recorded time and all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death. This reflects madness as a person has become so conceited and ambitious that the death of a loved one is devoid of any meaning for them and holds no emotional significance. Macbeth who was very much in love with Lady Macbeth at the start has now had enough of her and is not bothered about her anymore. Furthermore he also exhibits some signs of mental illness. In the first half of the play he sees an imaginary dagger while he is going to kill King Duncan. Is this a dagger in front of me with its handle pointing towards my hand come let me hold you. The dagger leads him to Duncans chamber. It represents the beginning of his bloody journey. Furthermore he sees Banquos ghost at the banquet. These images are just hallucinations caused by Macbeths guilty conscience. They show that his conscience is at war with his ambition and thirst for power. Lady Macbeth is perhaps the most frightening but pathetic character in the play. Her whole character is built upon the theme of madness which she shows through her actions then through her mental illness. She is introduced to the audience while reading Macbeths letter and then upon learning what Macbeth has been promised by the witches she makes her famous speech Come you spirits. That tends on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty.(Act 1 scene 5). She is asking evil spirits to come to her aid and to change her gender so she can be powerful like a man. This is an example of madness as a noble woman is seeking help from the dark side. It would be very horrifying to the Elizabethans as the mere thought of this is unacceptable. Lady Macbeth dislikes her feminine qualities and wants to be more masculine. She asks to be unsexed. She believes that it is necessary to suppress her feelings of kindness and remorse as they are female characteristics. Furthermore Lady Macbeth also shows hatred towards her feelings of motherhood. She constantly tells Macbeth that she would kill her own baby if she promised to do so I have given suck and know how tender tis to love the babe that milks me. I would, while it was smiling in my face have plucked my nipple from his boneless gum and dashed the brains out had I so sworn as you (Act 1 scene 7). Lady Macbeths misogynistic ideas towards her own gender and her own self can be seen as a form of madness. Additionally her hatred towards her motherly feelings and babies can also be seen as madness. It

is very strange for a woman to say that she would kill her own child to fulfill a promise. It is in contrast to what is expected of a mother and the role of mothers. Ultimately Lady Macbeth pays the price for suppressing her natural feminine traits and conspiring to kill the king when she becomes mentally ill. This can be observed in the sleepwalking scene. Lady Macbeth starts to see blood on her hands which cannot be washed away. Her conscience cannot take the burden anymore. She admits to all of her crimes while in her sleep out damned spot out I say_ one two why then tis time to do t. Hell is murky- fie my lord fie! A solider and afeard? What need we fear who knows I, when none can call power to account?- Yet who would have thought the old man would have had so much blood in him.( Act 5 scene 1). Finally the minor characters also exhibit some signs of madness primarily the lords and thanes. It is apparent from their actions and speeches that they suspect foul play by Macbeth in Duncans death yet they still make him king and refuse to do anything about it. Donalbain says where we are theres dagger in mens smiles. The near in blood the nearer bloody. (Act 2 scene 3). Furthermore Lennox also says all I am saying is that strange things have been going onAnd who can help thinking how monstrous it was for Malcolm and donalbain to kill their gracious father? Such a heinous crime-how it saddened Macbeth!(Act 3 scene 6). This shows that they were aware of the reality however they chose to stay quiet for their own benefit. This could be an example of madness as they did have enough moral courage to stand up for what is right especially since it was the king who was murdered. Madness has also interested writers in the 21st century and stone cold by Robert swindles is an example of that. It focuses on the plight of misfortunate in our society and how the society treats them. It centers around two main characters shelter and link. Link is a homeless young man who is learning the secrets of street life while trying to find employment to improve his conditions. He makes many friends and learns many new things in the process. Shelter on the other hand is a retired solider who believes homeless people are criminals and drug addicts who need to be eliminated. He sets out on a mission to purify the world of homeless people through murder. Eventually through links intervention and bravery shelter is caught. The audience witnesses several examples of madness throughout the novel. Link the primary character leaves his home as he feels that his mothers boyfriend bullies him. He also feels lonely and helpless. Link is well educated and intelligent but instead of looking for a job or any other option surprisingly he chooses to become homeless, something which very few people chose even in the harshest circumstances. As he says youd have left too if in my place. Anybody would. Its called making yourself homeless (p.6). This might seem madness to some audience members as it is very hard for anyone to choose the lifestyle link did. Another example of madness in links behavior is in regards to Ginger. Ginger taught link how to deal with homelessness. He helped him at every stage and was not only a friend but a mentor.

Link became quite possessive of him. When ginger meets some of his old friends link becomes jealous and as he says these are gingers friends. They have shared experiences with him.. What if he ditches me goes off with them? If I was alone again could I stand it? (p.72). However when ginger vanishes and link meets Gail he soon forgets about him. As he says I dont believe I thought of ginger once except when I was telling her about him which is rotten but shows what love will do.(p.96). This is madness as link forgets about his friend and the person who did many favors for him just because he found someone else aka Gail. Shelters character is based around madness. He suffers from a mental illness. He was an army officer who worked in the army for 29 years however he was discharged on medical grounds. The novel does not mention whether shelter suffers from the illness after his retirement or before it. Shelter exhibits madness through his attitude towards the homeless. He considers them as rubbish that lines the street and creates problems for law-abiding citizens like him. He says theres a plot its been hatching a long time now to undermine the country by clogging it with dossers and junkies. Some of the top politicians are in it, and civil-servants and social workers and even the church. (p.12). His hatred is further ignited by the belief that as an ex-army man he made many sacrifices to protect his country however the homeless are a threat to that safety. Shelters opinion of the homeless can be considered madness as he does not see their miserable conditions. He does not seem to realize how misfortunate and unhappy they are. Instead he considers them a danger to society, a danger to his country and a source of deep humiliation. He does not have any sympathetic feelings for their misery. Another point about shelters madness is his belief that his actions can be justified. As he says so why if I am disposing of these druggy dossers whose activities are dragging the country down, am I a murderer? Its all nonsense Im not a murderer at all I am a solider out of uniform killing for his country. (p.28). Shelter believes that he is doing the homeless a great favor by killing them or ending their misery. He also believes that the society should thank him for his actions as he is serving his country by committing these crimes. He shows absolutely no remorse at all and he does not suffer from a guilty conscience either. Another point about shelter is his ambition. Shelter wants to serve his country and make it a better place. He believes that the homeless are the biggest threat to that and so he starts murdering them all the while believing that he is actually doing his job. His other ambition is to take revenge. He wants to create an army of homeless people so he can take revenge from those who discharged him from the army and the politicians who are destroying his country. Apart from that Links mother also shows some signs of madness. She is too scared of Vincent to protect her son and daughter. She is afraid of losing her boyfriend but in the process loses her children as Carole move out of home and Link becomes homeless. This can be seen as madness as it is very unnatural and unusual for a mother to do this.

Another type of madness that exists in stone cold is the madness of society. In modern world people are led to believe that no one can harm them. They are also led to believe that their society is more humane and civilized compared to the past. However the events in stone cold are an exact opposite to that view. Stone cold tells the audience that the society is as ruthless as ever and completely oblivious to the problems of those less fortunate. Link says I asked myself how it was possible for a person to be sensitive to the beauty of fine art and at the same time insensitive to the feelings of a fellow human being.(p.53) and if you ever think its bound to make the punters more generous with their change, seeing kids wet and shivering forget it. It had the opposite effect..their hands never left their pockets.(p.76). The public is unable to see the homeless; they are outcasts who are shunned from society for the crime of being homeless. People rarely sympathize with them and blame them for their troubles. The government also sees them as a problem and source of shame. They are not lent a helping hand but rather left at the mercy of lunatics such as shelter. Shelters character is the synopsis of what the society thinks about the homeless. This is strange for the audience as Swindells tells them that despite small changes people today are still very materialistic and selfish. This reality can be taken as madness by some. Stone cold and Macbeth present a very realistic picture of madness. There are quite a few similarities in their plots. The biggest similarity is the ambition of shelter and Macbeth. Macbeth wants to become king and shelter wants to purify his country of homeless people and create his own army. Their ambitions manipulate and control them. It also leads them to commit heinous crimes. Their ambition can be termed as madness as it is extremely overpowering. Another important factor is the intelligence of Macbeth and shelter. They both are excellent at scheming and plan their murders very carefully. Perhaps that can be the reason of their military backgrounds. Link and Macduff also share some common traits. They are both instrumental in ending the madness that takes place. They are both very brave and bold and defy authority. Link deifies his stepfather and Macduff stands up to Macbeth which can be considered a form of madness. They both also escape from their homes which can be seen as another form of madness. Another form of madness is the insanity of society. The thanes and lords in Macbeth know that he is guilty however they choose to stay quiet about it. Everyone realizes that Macbeth is a tyrant however no one is brave enough to stand up to him. In stone cold the government ignores the homeless and their problems. They are just seen as a problem and a disgrace. This can also be seen as madness. On the other hand there are many differences between their plots. Macbeth is set in the 16th century while stone cold is set in the 21st century. Both texts are written by different authors in a different society and for a different audience. .

Macbeth is a brave and gallant solider who is provoked by the supernatural and his wife to commit heinous crimes. He is not the only cause for the madness that occurs in the novel. He has many accomplices. In stone cold Shelter is provoked by his madness and state of mind. However he does not have an accomplice. He acts alone. He makes and executes his own schemes. In Macbeth both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth suffer from a guilty conscience after their crimes. They both become mentally ill and dissatisfied with their lives. Their actions do not make them happy but miserable. In stone cold shelter thinks that his actions are justified. He also thinks that he is doing everyone else a favor. Shelter does not suffer from a guilty conscience but he seems to become happier with every murder he commits Furthermore in Macbeth his ambition to become king is a selfish desire for his own self. The ambition of Lady Macbeth and Banquo are also for their own selves. However in stone cold shelter wants to help his country and serve it just like he did before. Although he commits a crime by murdering people his ambition is not for himself but for his fellow countrymen. In Macbeth both he and his wife are able to draw the line between good and bad. They know what they are doing is wrong and they will most probably get punished for it. However shelter is unable to distinguish between right and wrong. He suffers from a mental illness therefore he has poor judgment abilities. In Macbeth supernatural plays a very important role. The witches, Banquos ghost and prophecies are an essential part of the play. They represent madness. Furthermore the hallucinations and voices the Macbeths hear are also representations of madness. However in stone cold there is no such thing. Stone cold is more realistic and contains more rational depictions of madness. The second part of this essay focuses on mayhem. Mayhem means disorder and chaos which are mostly the result of violence or bloodshed. It can be observed from both texts that mayhem is strongly related to madness. Madness leads to mayhem and vice versa. Madness is a state of mind and a wrong state of mind leads to wrong actions which leads to mayhem. Macbeth is a play full of mayhem and chaos. One of the biggest themes of Macbeth is order vs. disorder. In Macbeth mayhem begins from the first scene when the witches are introduced to the audience. It should be known that witchcraft was considered a very serious crime amongst the Elizabethans. The presence of witches in the first scene establishes an atmosphere of mayhem and chaos that remains there till the end. Their dialogues, appearances and actions further add to that atmosphere of mayhem and chaos. For example in the first scene the witches are heard saying fair is foul and foul is fair (Act 1 scene 1). Furthermore when the witches are seen the second time they are discussing on how to punish a sailor and his wife. They will destroy the sailor and sink his ship. It is apparent at this time that they are up to no good and want to stir trouble. The fact that a nobleman is coming to meet these evil beings would have been quite horrifying for the Elizabethans. In Macbeth witches are considered the instruments of evil. They

sow the seeds of madness in Macbeths mind who then commits crimes which then lead to his downfall. The witches are aware of Macbeths ambition and cleverly ignite it to create mayhem. In the first part of the play the witches predict all hail Macbeth the future king.(Act 1 scene 3). Macbeth is overcome with desire and thirst for power so he and his wife kill Duncan. In Shakespearean era the king was considered a representative of god who ruled by a divine right. Murdering the king was worse than killing an ordinary man. It was the gravest sin which would unleash gods wrath upon the whole nation. So the witches cunningly influenced Macbeth and used him as a tool to create disorder. Before Macbeths last encounter with the witches the audience is introduced to Hecate the witch goddess. Who says that she is planning something horrible that will put everyone in jeopardy. I am for air this night Ill spend unto a dismal and a fatal end. (Act 3 scenes 5). The audience is left to wonder what terrible atrocities are going to occur. Consequently in the next scene Macbeth is seen walking in to the witches trap unknowingly. The witches make ambiguous prophecies about the future making Macbeth over confident. This overconfidence leads to his demise. So the witches have a direct role in all the havoc and anarchy that occurs in the novel as it is a result of their planning. Macbeth also causes a lot of mayhem in the play. He is an over ambitious, jealous and power hungry man as Hecate describes him wayward son spiteful and wrathful. (Act 3 scene 5). He becomes a pawn of evil and kills the king. Thus creating everlasting chaos and misery for Scotland. After Duncans death Ross and the old man talk of the various unnatural things that have happened. Ross Thou seest heaven as troubled with mans act. Threatens his bloody stage. By th clock tis day and yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp. (Act 2 scene4) and And Duncans horses..turned wild in nature broke their stalls and flung out.(Act 2 scene4).These unnatural events are the result of Gods wrath upon Scotland for killing his representative. Furthermore Macbeth becomes very ruthless and envious as times passes. He kills Banquo out of rage when he realizes that his own children cannot become king as that was promised to Banquo. Macbeth also kills macduffs family as he sees Macduff as a danger to his throne. Macbeth does not know how to stop. In an effort to control his guilt he commits further murders. As he says ... I am in blood steeped in so far should I wade no more (Act 3 scene 4). This is an example of mayhem as it creates chaos and disorder. Scotland suffers under Macbeth as he is a man of low moral character. He does not care about anyone but himself. As Ross says Alas our poor countryit cannot be called our mother but our grave where nothing but who knows nothing is once seen to smile. Where sighs and groans and shrieks that rend the air are made not marked (Act 4 scene3). Macbeth is a tyrant who is creating disorder and making people unhappy. Furthermore Lady Macbeth role also creates mayhem. She is a very strong woman. In Shakespearean era men were the head of the household. However in Macbeth it seems that lady Macbeth holds the balance of power. This is considered as disorder. Furthermore Lady Macbeth controls and manipulates her husband. She plays with his ambition to get him something he wants. She conspires to kill the king and afterwards rubs his blood on the guards. She therefore

creates mayhem by igniting her husbands ambition and doing things which are considered as unnatural for women to do. Macbeth starts with mayhem and ends with mayhem. In the end of the play Macbeth is left deserted by most noblemen. His castle is besieged and his soldiers change loyalty. The peasants revolt against his tyranny. Macbeth is extremely overconfident however he is killed by Macduff on the battlefield. Macduff raises Macbeths severed head and shows it to everyone. In this way the atmosphere of mayhem remains there till the ending of the play and leaves a long-lasting impression on the audience. Mayhem is also among the many themes of stone cold. In stone cold the biggest example of mayhem is homelessness itself. The lifestyle of homeless people is extremely chaotic. The problems they face are very different to the problem of ordinary people. They need to find a clean doorway, beg constantly to eat and make futile attempts keep themselves safe. As link says you might be spotted by a gang of lager louts on the lookout for someone to maim. That happens all the time too and if they get carried away you can end up dead. There are the guys who like young boys who think because you are a dosser youll do anything for a dosh and theres the psycho wholl knife you for your pack..There is no order in their life. They are at the mercy of others and are extremely helpless. This presents a situation of utter confusion and havoc. At the start of the novel when the two main characters are introduced the audience is not told which one is the hero and which one is the villain. Shelter was presented as a mature sober man who has served for his country. Link is presented as a nave pathetic young man who has chosen to become homeless to escape from his step father. We see shelter as smart and careful. Link on the other hand is very confused and stupid. However this soon changes as the audience begins to realize that shelter is actually a murderer and a lunatic who is out to eliminate the homeless. This sudden revelation creates mayhem as the true face of shelter is revealed. Furthermore shelter is a mass murderer. He wants to get rid of homeless people. Shelter is also a very good actor, his careful planning and the way he executes his schemes is also very frightening. The way he lures people into his trap and then kills them is described in a very detailed manner thus increasing the sense of mayhem. Later on he organizes the dead bodies into different positions throughout the novel. He dresses them in army uniforms, cuts their hair in the crew-cut style and makes them wear army boots. The way he treats the dead bodies also creates mayhem as it frightens the audience. Shelters ambition and his state of mind lead him to kill many homeless. This creates mayhem amongst the homeless as they realize that someone is targeting them. The fear on the streets increases even more when they realize that they are alone, they do not any friends or family to care for them and everyone is oblivious to them. They are alarmed and their sense of vulnerability increases. The anonymous nature of the killer creates further mayhem.

Furthermore the homeless are ill-treated by others. When link goes to see the police and report against shelter he is mistreated and ignored. No one takes him seriously. However when the police goes to inspect shelter after someone has complained about him they do not bother checking his house and treat him very respectfully. This creates a sense of mayhem as it proves that the authorities discriminate against people on the basis of their socio-economic status. Link is given little notice as he is a homeless boy. Although he is educated and well-mannered he has little importance. Shelter is respected as he belongs to a higher class looks reasonable and has served in the army. It tells that the society does not treat everyone fairly and equally as we are lead to believe and creates a sense of mayhem. There are many similarities in the way mayhem is represented in both texts. The biggest similarity is the cause of mayhem which is the same in both novels. The murders cause the mayhem in Macbeth and stone cold. They disrupt social order and destroy the fabric of the society. The language used to describe these murders is also very graphic. In both texts the murders create fear and panic. The characters in both texts find themselves vulnerable and unable to stand up to the ruthlessness of the characters committing the murders. No one knows who will be the next target of Macbeth or shelter. They are both also very clever at planning and scheming and hide their crimes very well. This further increases the sense of mayhem. In both texts the characters do not do what is expected of them. Macbeth is a loyal and brave general who is mislead by his ambition and overconfidence to commit heinous crimes. Lady Macbeth ignores her womanly duties and becomes the head of the house. Macduff leaves his family members behind on the mercy of a tyrant. In stone cold shelter who should have upheld the law and respected it as he was an ex-soldier does the exact opposite. Link who was a well educated and well mannered boy became homeless and was left on the mercy of others. All this indicates disorder as people step out of the roles that they are given in a society. On the other hand there are many differences. Macbeth focuses on nobility while stone cold focuses on ordinary people. This is as in Shakespearean era people were very fascinated with the lives of the royals and his plays were mostly written for kings. However in todays era authors mostly focus on ordinary people as today everyone is considered equal and everyone matters. The stories about ordinary people appeal to a much wider audience In Macbeth the supernatural plays a very important role in creating the mayhem. Starting the play with the witches establishes an atmosphere of fear and bad omen over the play. However in stone cold there is no supernatural and the novel does not begin with mayhem. Macbeth is a tragic hero who was a good person but was deluded by the witches and his wife to become a villain. However shelter is not a hero he establishes himself as a villain from the beginning. He does not have any good qualities and takes pleasure in creating mayhem. In Macbeth the king and the noblemen were the targets. However in stone cold shelter targets the homeless who belong to a very low socio-economic class. In Shakespearean era killing someone

from the noble family was intolerable. It angered God and resulted in ultimate destruction and mayhem. Thus this would have horrified the Elizabethans. In stone cold the targets are homeless who are extremely vulnerable and live a very hard life. The fact that someone would kill them without a reason would be seen as mayhem in todays society. Therefore both Shakespeare and swindles chose their victims very carefully to suit the needs of people in their era and create a sense of complete destruction. Macbeth is not the only cause behind the mayhem that occurs in the novel he is helped by his wife and the witches. However shelter does not have any accomplices he acts alone without anyones help. Shelter does not depend on anyone unlike Macbeth who draws a lot of courage from his wife lady Macbeth to cause the mayhem that occurs. After Macbeth has murdered Duncan and Banquo he begins to be realized as a tyrant and a killer. However in stone cold shelter remains anonymous until the very end. This creates further confusion as the homeless realize that someone is after them but they do not know that persons identity. Thus showing how discreet and smart shelter is to keep his crime well-hidden until the last minute unlike Macbeth who gives himself away. As the king is murdered in Macbeth God has unleashed his wrath upon Scotland. Throughout the novel the audience is provided with the accounts of some unnatural things that have been occurring after Duncans death e.g. the constant darkness that grips the country, the behavior of horses. However such things do not happen in stone cold everything goes on normally until shelters secret is discovered. Therefore stone cold is much more realistic. At the end of the play Macbeth is brutally murdered by Macduff. This creates mayhem and pathos as it shows the downfall of a gallant warrior who was killed because of certain flaws in his character. However in stone cold there is no mayhem at the end. Shelter is caught and sent to jail. Thus the novel ends at a positive note. In Macbeth the king is the absolute authority. There is no one to distinguish between rights and wrong no one to protect the ordinary men and punish the culprits. Therefore everyone takes matters into their own hands e.g. Macduff waging war. The whole society is disordered and chaotic. However in stone cold shelter is caught by the authorities in the end implying that some sort of order and accountability exists.