During the Elizabethan Era, many believed that murder
caused a disruption in natural law. The Old Man and Ross are discussing the crazy
occurrences during the night and the day following Duncan's murder. When they speak it
is daytime, but it appears dark like night. The Old Man tells of an owl that "hawked at
and killed" a falcon. Then the men talk of how the horses went crazy and ate each
other. Ross begins with how the horses
"Turn'd wild in nature,
broke their stalls, flung out,
Contending 'gainst
obedience, as they would make
War with
mankind."
These
strange happenings directly influence the atmosphere during this scene. The men see how
nature has gone wild and has become destructive, just as someone (Macbeth) has also
become wild and has savagely killed their king. The dark atmosphere and unnatural
occurrences in nature directly relate to the evil that is going on around them. Because
these things are happening in nature, the men know that they are results of something
sinister going on with the king's death and Macbeth's appointment to become
king.
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