Was Lady Macbeth Mainly To Blame For The Death Of Duncan?
Macbeth - Was Lady Macbeth Mainly To Blame
For The Death Of Duncan?
Macbeth is the story of a tragic hero. Shakespeare had four tragic heroes, each with their own unique character flaw, which in the end brings down their power and causes eventual death. Macbeth's character flaw is his ambition, but it can also be said that the external forces, the witches could have been the cause of his rise and fall from power.
The first time that we see the witches is in an open place in the middle of a storm, a time when most people would not leave their houses. This gives them a strangeness about them, which cannot be put into words, but whatever this is it makes you fear them. It seems as if they do not fear the elements, maybe as if they control the elements. This fact would scare even a modern day audience who believe that witches don't exist, but in Shakespeare's time when people were still being burnt at the stake this would have petrified them.
Then when the witches speak they seem to talk in riddle, which each of them understands, like a code they use when speaking to each other. Through their riddling we hear that they are going to meet Macbeth in the heath: 'when the hurlyburly's done, when the battle's lost and won.' The witches seem to know before they actually meet Macbeth; that they will meet him on the heath, after the battles done. The foretelling of the future doesn't mean these witches are evil, but saying 'Fair is foul and foul is fair' in other words they like bad things and dislike good things. Liking the bad or evil things suggests that they themselves are evil instead of good. They then disappear into the foggy air surrounding them.
Before meeting Macbeth the witches perform their first piece of magic in front of the audience, they prepare a charm that is intended for Macbeth. This charm maybe to control him or just to make sure that he turns up, because if he does not turn up they can not tell him about their prophecies about his future.
When Macbeth arrives the witches waste no time in idle chitchat and do not even bother to say hello. The witches straight away tell Macbeth he will be Thane Of Cawdor and that not too far into the future that he will be king. The witches ignore Banquo until he speaks to them. Banquo does not believe that these people stood before him have any more power to see into the future than he does. He asks them what his future holds for him. Banquo is surprised when they reply to his question telling him that he will not be king, but that his children will.
Banquo is cautious of what the witches have predicted. He is still unsure whether the witches speak the truth, and even if they do he is unsure if these people are good or evil. Banquo warns Macbeth:
'The instruments of darkness tell us truths,
Win us with honest trifles, to betray's
In deepest consequence.'
He is saying that the witches are evil and that they may speak the truth about the future, which is trivial and brings about our own destruction. Macbeth ignores this warning and will soon live to regret this.
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Banquo is cautious of what the witches have predicted. He is still unsure whether the witches speak the truth, and even if they do he is unsure if these people are good or evil. Banquo warns Macbeth:
'The instruments of darkness tell us truths,
Win us with honest trifles, to betray's
In deepest consequence.'
He is saying that the witches are evil and that they may speak the truth about the future, which is trivial and brings about our own destruction. Macbeth ignores this warning and will soon live to regret this.
The witches' predictions have a huge impact on Macbeth his first reaction is to shout at the witches as they leave to tell him more. He soon realises that there is no point in following the witches and becomes wrapt with his thoughts. Macbeth realises that what the witches have told him cannot be good, but why does it sound so good if in fact it is bad? Macbeth seems to completely believe in what the witches have told him and becomes very determined to make their predictions come true. Macbeth writes to his wife telling her of the predictions, which seems pointless as he is going to see her the next day. Why could he not wait to tell her in person? It could be because he himself knows that by telling her he will become king because she will not let him just forget about the predictions. Maybe he already knows that he will not be able to perform the tasks that lie ahead without someone spurring him on. He must have already thought about becoming king and with the prediction of him becoming king has given him the reason to go ahead with the murder of king Duncan, if it is to happen, why not sooner than later.
Lady Macbeth's reaction to Macbeth's letter is very powerful and most people's first thoughts of Lady Macbeth are that she is evil. She knows that Macbeth is too good hearted and will not go through with the murder, Lady Macbeth cannot wait for Macbeth to arrive home so she can tell him what she thinks about the witches prediction. The messenger then tells her that king Duncan will be coming to the castle that night. Lady Macbeth's speech following this news is eerie and frightening. She asks the creatures of the night to stop her feeling regret and to make sure night stays so nothing can stop the murder. The witches chose the right person if they wanted Duncan killed. Everything that has happened so far has revolved around them and their predictions.
Even when Macbeth is faced with certain death at the end of the play he still believes that what the witches said was true. Macbeth is still clinging to what the witches told him:
'Fear not, till Birnam wood
Do come to Dunsinane.'
But now Macbeth begins to think that what they said could have meant something else and he even calls the witches his fiend now. When earlier he had to fulfil the witches' predictions of becoming king. The witches have a very large role in the murder of Duncan, but cannot really take any blame.
Macbeth's role throughout the play changes and it is uncertain even at the end if Macbeth was ever in any control of what he did. Right from the start his reaction to the predictions was not really one of shock or horror at the thought of what he had to do to become king.
Macbeth and Banquo in act 1 had led the Scottish army to victory and even had to save one of the kings sons Malcolm from capture. So when Duncan is making his speech to announce the future king, Macbeth is expecting his name to be announced, but when Malcolm's name is said Macbeth is disgusted and quickly makes an excuse to leave. Macbeth is angry and jealous at the fact that Malcolm was being named 'Prince Of Cumberland' when he had to save Malcolm from capture. Macbeth knows that he will now have to do something to get Malcolm as well as Duncan out of his way. This may be one of the reasons that he later begins to doubt killing Duncan.
The letter to Lady Macbeth seems pointless in everyway. Macbeth is on his way home and yet still writes a letter telling Lady Macbeth everything. The letter reveals more about Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's relationship calling her his partner in greatest. Which may not mean anything now a day, but in Shakespeare's time women were not seen as equals and had to do whatever their husbands told them to; here though Macbeth seems to see his wife as an equal.
Macbeth arrives home to tell Lady Macbeth that Duncan will be coming to the castle that evening. Macbeth contributes very little to the conversation that follows about what will happen when Duncan comes to the castle, instead he lets Lady Macbeth do the talking. In the space of a few minutes Lady Macbeth has planned Duncan's murder and is telling Macbeth how Duncan is to be killed and what she will do to the guards to make sure nothing can stop them. Macbeth agrees with what she is saying and does not voice any doubts or objections he may have at this time.
When Duncan arrives a banquet is held, Macbeth leaves half way through, we now hear Macbeth's doubts and he decide that he will no longer go through with killing of Duncan. He feels if he murder's Duncan all the good that he has done recently will be worth nothing (leading the battle). He also thinks that Duncan trusts him too much for him to perform such an evil task. Macbeth can think of many reasons for not murdering Duncan and only one for killing him, this being that he will be king. Lady Macbeth finds Macbeth and he tells her of his change of heart. She is very angry with him and bombards him with questions and states, anything she said she would do she will do, unlike Macbeth who told her he would murder Duncan but will now no longer perform the task. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that he is not a man and until he does this deed he will not be a man. Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill Duncan and he agrees that he will.
Macbeth is no longer sane. His state of mind when he murders the king is so far from normal that he is unlikely to know what he was doing, it as if he is on autopilot and just does what his head tells him, without taking anything in. On his way to the kings' room he meets up with Banquo who reminds Macbeth of the witches. Macbeth lies and says he has thought nothing of what they have said when that has been on his mind constantly. After leaving Banquo he sees a 'floating' dagger. The dagger is all in his mind, but the dagger leads him to the kings' door.
Macbeth returns to Lady Macbeth with the news that he has killed Duncan, but Macbeth forgot to leave the daggers by the guards and so is still holding them. So Lady Macbeth returns the daggers and lays them next to the guards so everyone can see them. It is only moments later that Macbeth realises what he has and begins to regret it. He feels guilty and believes that he is going to hell when he dies. He says he thought he heard someone say 'Sleep no more'. From now on sleep plays an important part in this play and neither Macbeth nor Lady Macbeth sleep again.
Lady Macbeth's was always the one in control. Her reaction to the witches' predictions was strange. Lady Macbeth seems very evil with what she says about the murder of Duncan, she does not want to feel any remorse, but very clearly does. Why was it that as soon as Duncan entered the castle they had to kill him? Would this not have been suspicious to Banquo knowing about the predictions? Lady Macbeth is powerful throughout the play; she is the driving force behind Macbeth. The one who persuades him to kill Duncan, Lady Macbeth is very angry with Macbeth for changing his mind, as if becoming queen meant everything to her. She calls Macbeth a coward, tells him that he is not a man, but yet she will not murder Duncan.
Lady Macbeth is the one who does all the planning and makes the preparations. It is her that drugs the guards' wine, her that tells Macbeth what to do and her who takes the daggers back after Macbeth forgets to leave them by the guards. She tells Macbeth:
'Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done't'.
The blame for Duncan's murder could be laid on Macbeth, The Witches or Lady Macbeth. Everyone has a different view, but I think that Lady Macbeth was mainly to blame for Duncan's murder. This is because although she does not commit the murder herself, once the idea was there of her becoming queen and Macbeth king that is all she wants, all she thinks about and all that she talks about. After reading the letter at the start she herself says:
'Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it.'
Lady Macbeth knows that Macbeth will not go through with the murder without someone telling him what and how to do it. Although Macbeth could not wait to tell Lady Macbeth about the witches' predictions it is likely that he would have soon forgotten about the predictions.
After agreeing to murder Duncan Macbeth quickly changes his mind, but Lady Macbeth does not like this and repeatedly tells him he is a coward, that he is not a man and that he has gone against his word, who would not agree to do whatever this lady told them to do. It is likely that Macbeth is frightened of her.
It mentions that they had a child that died; Macbeth may feel that the child's death was his own fault and he may see this as a way to make up for what happened. Macbeth can see that this is what Lady Macbeth wants and as he loves her he would do anything for her even kill.
Lady Macbeth is the one who plans the murder; she is the one who prepares for the murder and also the one who persuades Macbeth to kill Duncan something he probably never would have done had it not been for her.
By,
Ashley Cairns.
