Published Paper Details:

Shakespeare's dramatic works are often criticized for their tragi-comic mingling. Considering the standardized dramatic norms (regarded sacrosanct especially by the Neoclassicists), the charge against Shakespeare seems quite serious. However Samuel Johnson in his Preface to Shakespeare takes great pain in defending the Bard against this serious complaint of tragi-comic mingling. Since investigating the vast arena of Shakespearean dramatic works is not feasible in the context of this paper, it focuses on the famous Banquet scene of Macbeth (Act iii, scene iv) and tries to list the deviations the Bard makes from standardized dramatic norms. Macbeth's clownish behaviour in such a dreary tragic scene, lays it bare under the scrutiny of the world. The paper parallelly lists Johnson's findings which can be probable reasons of Shakespeare's juxtaposing tragic and comic elements in a single scene. The paper mostly constructs its conflict by juxtaposing Neo-classical and Johnsonian point of views to interrogate Macbeth's huge behavioural change from an all powerful 'hero' to a frail human being (a clown).