Macbeth and Modern Meritocracy: Notes on Ambition, Morality, and Societal Change

Key Concepts and Context

• The speech argues that Macbeth speaks to universal human concerns that remain relevant across eras, such as ambition, power, greed, guilt, and paranoia. While the outward specifics look different today, the underlying vulnerabilities persist.

• Comparative study of two texts (Text A: Shakespeare’s Macbeth; Text B: a modern retelling) reveals how ideas’ relevance shifts with social beliefs and context. As contexts change, what is deemed relevant also changes.

• Reading Text A and Text B together provides two perspectives on ambition: Shakespeare’s Renaissance viewpoint and a contemporary, meritocratic perspective.

• Gender norms are a point of comparison: What were gender expectations in Shakespeare’s time vs today? How were women restricted or empowered then and now?

• The purpose of comparing texts is to reenliven Shakespeare’s work rather than merely clarify it; Text B reworks the presentation and realigns the original story to a modern didactic purpose, while retaining the core structure.

• The pairing of texts creates a dialogue across time about timeless teachings and the evolution of governance, authority, and morality.

From Providentialism to Humanism; Autocratic to Meritocratic Societies

• Providentialism: belief that rulers are ordained by God and that political order is aligned with divine will. Associated terms include the divine right of kings and a religiously determined social order.

• The Great Chain of Being: a hierarchical structure of all matter and life, believed to reflect God’s order. Disrupting this order (e.g., regicide) risks divine retribution and cosmic disorder.

• The transition to humanism in the Renaissance: emphasis on humanity’s intellectual and creative potential, shifting center from divine decree to human agency and capability.

• The shift from divine sanction (autocratic) to human-centered legitimacy (meritocratic): governance rooted in human achievement rather than sacred ordination.

• Primogeniture: the right of the firstborn son to inherit the throne, a feature of hereditary, autocratic systems.

• Neoliberalism and meritocracy: contemporary belief that social worth is primarily determined by career achievement and market-driven success; this worldview shapes ambition, competition, and moral choices in modern contexts.

• Macbeth in a modern, capitalist frame is read through the lens of this shift: ambition in a neoliberal, meritocratic world can mirror, yet differ from, classic regicide-driven ambition by focusing on corporate and professional power rather than royal succession.

Core Terms and Their Significance

• Providentialism: divine ordination as basis of political authority.

• Divine right of kings: the belief that kings receive their authority from God and are accountable to God alone.

• Great Chain of Being: a metaphysical hierarchy linking heaven and earth; disruption is seen as cosmic disorder.

• Humanism: a Renaissance movement emphasizing human potential and agency; shifted focus from God-centered to human-centered explanations of and for the world.

• Autocratic society: governance by a single ruler with authority derived from divine or traditional sanction.

• Meritocratic society: governance and social status derived from individual achievement and merit, often in a competitive, market-driven context.

• Neoliberalism: ideology prioritizing free markets, individual responsibility, and career-based social value; tied to how success and virtue are judged in modern life.

• Primogeniture: inheritance by the firstborn son; a mechanism reinforcing dynastic (autocratic) rule.

• Machiavelli: philosopher whose political writings inform how rulers navigate power, ambition, and virtue in realpolitik terms.

Text A vs Text B: Frames for Ambition and Morality

• Text A (Macbeth): ambition fuels a tragic trajectory; moral degradation follows unchecked desire and a break with virtuous action.

• Text B (modern retelling): envisions ambition within a meritocratic, capitalist frame; competition and professional advancement can erode ethics, but the focus shifts to societal structures (e.g., corporate power) rather than regicide alone.

• The two texts together highlight a shared argument: living virtuously and aligning actions with the common good remains essential, but the means and contexts differ across eras.

Gender Norms Across Contexts

• Shakespeare’s era: gender roles were constrained by patriarchal norms; women’s political and social agency was limited.

• Modern retelling: explores how gender norms have evolved, with different expectations for male and female characters; the comparison invites discussion of empowerment, representation, and the persistence of gendered power dynamics.

• Studying both texts together heightens understanding of how gender values are embedded in different social orders and how these values influence ambition and morality.

Narrative Purpose and Thematic Consequences

• Macbeth and Text B engage in a didactic project: to teach or warn about ambition and its consequences, but through different moral grammars (religious/teleological in Shakespeare; secular, market-oriented in the modern text).

• Text B’s didacticism is described as transcending time and placing Shakespeare’s timeless teachings in a new, modern moral and social frame.

• The modern retelling reenlivens Shakespeare by reworking the story’s presentation while preserving its essential questions about power, virtue, and the social contract.

Duncan as Modern Royalty; The Castle/Restaurant Metaphor

• Duncan, though not a king, embodies contemporary royalty through celebrity status and media visibility (e.g., presenting a dish on TV, global recognition).

• Duncan’s restaurant is a metaphorical castle; three Michelin stars become the modern equivalent of royal status and prestige.

• The car journey to the restaurant is a filmic device tracking Duncan’s ascent; cross-cutting with Joe emphasizes parallel trajectories toward power in a competitive world.

• The narrative contrasts two paths: Duncan’s legitimate, public ascent via culinary excellence and Joe’s rival path, which questions whether success justifies ethical compromise.

Character Arcs and Symbolism

• Joe: parallels Macbeth’s initial virtue; meticulous, disciplined, and respectful (even in killing an animal in his kitchen), but ultimately risks dehumanization as ambition leads to morally compromised actions.

• Ella: co-actor in the unfolding power dynamics (as referenced in the transcript), representing collaboration or complicity in the ascent to power.

• The pig imagery: severing the pig’s head on the farm scene; later, Joe has a pig head tattoo on his arm, symbolizing the mind-body split and the dehumanization that can accompany ruthless ambition.

• The “three Michelin stars” scene: a marker of elite status in the modern world, substituting for royal legitimacy in Shakespeare’s world.

• Family and memory vignettes: childhood stories (e.g., the pig slaughter memory) reveal how formative experiences shape one’s sense of self, ambition, and ethical boundaries.

• The line about not knowing the names of the narrator’s children juxtaposes private life with public achievement, hinting at the emotional cost of success and the erosion of personal relationships in a meritocratic race.

Scenes, Techniques, and Visual Symbolism

• Tracking shot follows Duncan’s ascent in the car, culminating at the restaurant; emphasizes the glamour and power of the modern elite.

• Cross-cutting between Duncan and Joe to juxtapose two figures pursuing greatness within a modern system that rewards merit and success.

• The restaurant as “modern castle” consolidates the shift from divine right to professional prestige.

• The memory scene about the pig and the three Michelin stars anchors the motif of ritualized power, violence, and the normalization of morally questionable acts in pursuit of success.

Research Questions and Analytical Lenses

• How do cynicism and “streetwise truths” from the modern world function as a new form of knowing, distinct from magical or religious certainty?

• How does the modern text redefine downfall as arising from ordinary, non-supernatural circumstances (circumstantial faith) rather than supernatural forces?

• What is the role of class and “outsider” perspectives in understanding ambition and morality in Text B?

• How does the modern retelling reinterpret the concept of the common good in a neoliberal, meritocratic society?

• In what ways do Text A and Text B alike insist that virtue and reason must guide ambition, and where do they diverge in their prescriptions for ethical behavior?

Philosophical and Practical Implications

• The shift from providentialism to humanism reframes moral responsibility: individuals are accountable within a human-centered system, but institutions (corporations, media, hierarchy) structure moral choices.

• The move from autocratic to meritocratic values highlights potential benefits (opportunity, innovation) and risks (moral erosion, ruthless competition) of modern capitalism.

• The analysis emphasizes the importance of aligning ambition with the common good and cautions against letting professional ascent justify unethical actions.

• The concept of the “common good” remains a throughline—ambition should be tempered by virtue and social responsibility, regardless of era.

Key References to Remember

• Providentialism; Divine right of kings; Great Chain of Being

• Humanism; Renaissance shift toward human potential and secular agency

• Autocratic vs Meritocratic governance; primogeniture

• Neoliberalism and career-based social valuation; Machiavelli’s political thought

• Macbeth’s core motifs: ambition, moral cost, guilt, and the consequences of usurping rightful order

Equations and Symbolic Formulas (LaTeX)

• Autocratic-to-Meritocratic framing:
  ext{Autocratic}
  ightarrow ext{Meritocratic}

• Divine sanction and cosmic order:
  ext{DivineRight}
  ightleftharpoons ext{GreatChainBeing}

• Primogeniture inheritance rule:
  ext{Primogeniture}
  ightarrow ext{FirstbornInheritsThrone}

• Neoliberalism and social worth:
  ext{SocialWorth} riangleq ext{CareerAchievement}
  

• Ambition and virtue (conceptual model):
  ext{Ambition} = fig( ext{Virtue}, ext{Reason}, ext{CommonGood}ig)

Quick Study Prompts

• Explain how the modern retelling reenlivens Shakespeare’s themes and what changes in didactic purpose imply about audience reception.

• Compare the symbolic roles of Duncan’s castle/restaurant and Macbeth’s castle in terms of power, legitimacy, and moral risk.

• Discuss how the pig imagery functions as a symbol of dehumanization across both texts.

• Analyze how the shift from providentialism to humanism affects the treatment of moral responsibility in leadership.

• Reflect on the implications of primogeniture in an autocratic system versus merit-based advancement in a modern economy.

Connections to Previous Lectures (Foundational Principles)

• The divine order vs human agency debate connects to earlier discussions of the Great Chain of Being and the limits of human hubris.

• The transition from religious sanction to secular, human-centered legitimacy mirrors ongoing debates about the sources and limits of political authority.

• Machiavellian tact in leadership is revisited here in a modern context, emphasizing pragmatic power dynamics alongside ethical considerations.

Summary Takeaways

• Macbeth’s themes of ambition, power, and moral compromise are timeless, but their expressions shift with social context.

• Reading Shakespeare alongside a modern retelling reveals how societal structures—autocratic vs meritocratic, religious vs secular—shape what ambition can become and how it must be governed by virtue and the common good.

• Visual and narrative strategies (such as the castle-to-restaurant metaphor and cross-cutting) serve to translate timeless concerns into contemporary resonance while inviting reflection on ethical implications in today’s world.