How Macbeth's State of Mind Changes Considering the Influences That Affect Him and How Shakespears Language Helps the Audience Understand the Dilemma he is Facing.

By the end of the play Macbeth has already decided on his course of action. He is going to kill Duncan, the king. But he has not always thought this way and it has not always been this simple.

For the beginning of the play Macbeth is noticeably absent. Although it is important that the opening scenes are not ignored in my work as they help to establish some of the background before we first encounter Macbeth. In the beginning we encounter the witches. At the time this play was written people widely believed in witchcraft and were seen as evil by the population. This immediately establishes one of the main focuses in the play as corruption and wrong doing. In addition to this striking point of interest to draw the audience in there is also the fact that this Scottish focused play was partially written to welcome the Scottish king to England. The king had an interest in witches and wrote a book on the topic called Demonology. The witches speak of evil doings straight away and in a strange paradoxical way, for example “fair is foul and foul is fair.” This points out the fact that nothing good could come of this.

Subsequently we are taken to a camp near the battlefield at which Macbeth fought. Here Duncan speaks of Macbeth’s ferocity on the battlefield as he killed his enemies very brutally. This displays to the audience that Macbeth is already quite a sinister character and therefore he may be lead into evil doings easier. Macbeth’s strength of character is also put forward as it reads “As sparrows eagles, or the hare the Lion.” Which means that he is as scared as an eagle is of a sparrow and a lion is of a hare. In this scene we also hear of the treachery of the Thane of Cawdor and that Macbeth will receive his honours.

Macbeth is finally introduced in the third scene, which in itself is an indication of the fact that Macbeth may not be the most influential character as we have seen the witches and the battle field before him. We enter this scene with a little bit of dramatic irony as we already know that he will become Thane of Cawdor, but he does not. As soon as the audience hear his first words we realise that his mind is already being influenced by the witches as he repeats the words “foul” and “fair” which the witches spoke earlier. He then meets the witches who tell him of his future. They say he is already Thane of Glamis that he will be thane of Cawdor and he will be King. This obviously disturbs him as he has in addition to this startling prediction, been given very confusing information. The witches leave in a hurry and are soon replaced by two of the king’s men who announce Macbeth’s new title of Thane of Cawdor. This comes as a shock to Macbeth as this raises so many prospects, that the witches are true, therefore will Banquo be king? And will he be happier and yet sad?