The opposition between the natural and the unnatural is particularly important in Gothic literature and the transgression of the boundaries between the two is often condemned . In Shakespeare's play Macbeth (1606), Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein (1818), and Angela Carter's short story collection The Bloody Chamber (1979), the "natural order" is certainly disrupted. However, one may wonder to what extent the consequences of this disruption are necessarily harmful. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the "evil" acts committed by Macbeth are certainly seen as a transgression of the unnatural. His involvement with the supernatural forces of the witches at the beginning of the play allows the audience to form a connection between Macbeth and the supernatural to such an extent that a 17th century audience would certainly see them as the cause of Macbeth's change in character. Shakespeare uses the witches to foreshadow Macbeth's later suffering and fall from grace with the long metaphor of the "sailor" who "sleeps neither night nor day", suggesting that Macbeth's death was an inevitable consequence after he disrupted the natural order of things. Furthermore, when considering the context of the play, the reference to witches as the "devil" is significantly reflected in Macbeth's murder of Duncan as a violation of one of the most important natural boundaries of the 17th century century: the divine right of kings. This shows that Macbeth's actions are a direct attack on God and religion. The play's cyclical ending – opening and closing with a battle against a traitor to the crown – further depicts the destruction that disruption of the natural order can cause – commenting that "blood will have blood", Shakespeare uses this structural device to imply that a The consequence of the “disruption of the natural order of things” is an inevitable cycle of violence. It is the Doctor's quote in Act 5 that sums up Shakespeare's intentions; “Unnatural acts lead to unnatural problems.” Therefore, Macbeth can arguably be seen as a cautionary play, with death and violence being the consequences of disrupting the natural order. Additionally, the Gothic element of the ghost is used in Macbeth to highlight the consequences of touching on the unnatural with the dramatic device. of Banquo's ghost. The ghost encompasses the terror of unrelenting guilt - according to Lady Macbeth, he is "the very picture of fear" and unlike the witches, only Macbeth can see Banquo's ghost. It is therefore clear that the ghost is an externalization of Macbeth's mental state and a representation of what, on the one hand, could be seen as remorse and, on the other, as a fear that others will discover the bad deeds he committed. The terror described by Macbeth is a perfect plot device to arouse suspicion among the Scottish nobility and serves as a harsh reminder of Macbeth's wickedness to the audience, thus highlighting the consequences of evil and unnatural acts. From a feminist perspective, considering gender relations. in Macbeth, it seems that violence is seen as less natural when feminine, perhaps explaining Lady Macbeth's eventual "troubles" – deterioration to the point of mental breakdown. The dialogue in the opening scenes of the play is significant when considering what is "natural" in gender matters - Macbeth is presentedas "smoked by a bloody execution" and while violence is considered unnatural when it comes to the murder of a King, violence in the context of war is considered "brave" and a "servant courage” and led to good consequences – it allowed Macbeth and Banquo to gain their original honor. However, Lady Macbeth's potential for violence is depicted as having disastrous consequences. - again, unnaturally, the "spirits", are called upon to "de-sex" Lady Macbeth, showing that these are the characters males who have the true potential for evil. This taboo idea in the 17th century of transgressing the natural boundaries of gender in order to persuade Macbeth to commit his own unnatural acts has a consequence of his own downfall. By the end of the play, Lady Macbeth's guilt has caused her to lose her mind - her hallucinations of the "blood" on her hands again symbolize her guilt. This highlights that while consequences may be good on some unnatural occasions - murder in the context of war - feminine evil and the killing of an anointed king bring terrible consequences. Similarly, in Frankenstein it can be argued that the creature's actions - the murders of Victor's family - are an obvious consequence of the "disruption of the natural order of things". The quest for knowledge is at the heart of Frankenstein as Victor attempts to go beyond what is acceptable to humans and set out in search of the secret of life. Indeed, this pursuit is responsible for the main events of the text; in his quest for the secrets of creation, Victor Frankenstein designs and builds his “vile insect”. Frankenstein, being an epistolary novel told retrospectively, is therefore interpreted as a warning against the pursuit of knowledge that disrupts the natural order. Considering the context of the novel; After the Enlightenment which saw revolutions in science and knowledge, it certainly makes sense that Shelley would want to describe the consequences of a disruption of the natural order, in this case the creation of life. In chapter 2, Victor tells us "It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn", reminding us once again of the importance of religion and the caution of "playing God" - the fact that creature is then mentioned with harsh language as the "devil", emphasizing that the consequence of transgressing the boundary between God and humanity is horrible. There is no doubt that Frankenstein contributed to the modern perception that science and knowledge can be horrible and to the consequences of Shelley's death. and isolation certainly seem to be a warning against the disruption of the natural. However, although the novel uses biblical analogies with Genesis and an intertextual relationship with Paradise Lost, with the creature telling Frankenstein "I should be your Adam", this may suggest that Shelley's aim is not what what Frankenstein did, but what he fails to nourish his creation: chaos ensues only because he is unable to take responsibility for what he produces. Frankenstein's discussion of his childhood and the role of his own parents calls into question the extent to which readers can blame the "heinous" monster for his actions. The interpretation of the creature being inherently "evil" due to its unnatural creation comes from the narrative voice of Victor – a man tormented by terror and regret. The inclusion of much of the novel narrated by the creature himself would suggest an alternative interpretation, according to which he is "malicious" because he is "miserable" - remembering the abuse and neglect he..