Lady Macbeth is portrayed as a very well mannered and well-groomed housewife when in reality, she is an evil witch. When King Duncan comes to the Macbeth residence, she seems as though she is happy and delighted to see the king saying, “All our service/ in every point twice done and then done double/”. Lady Macbeth demonstrates hypocritical traits through her behaviour, actions and speech. The audience is introduced to the interesting idea that a housewife could force her will upon a supposedly strong-minded husband. In Elizabethan times, women were portrayed to be weaker than men as the men were the workers who provided for their family. Act 1 of Macbeth presents and demonstrates a world full of deception. Lady Macbeth hears of Macbeth’s prophecy and begins to play mind games with him. She tries to convince him to murder King Duncan. She tells him if he was a real man he’d do it. Lady Macbeth has a big influence on why Macbeth becomes a traitor determined to murder King Duncan, she believes that it is perfectly moral to do the dead of murder. Lady Macbeth is a very interesting character as she is a character with both good and evil components. When Lady Macbeth greets the king in scene 6, she seems to be a good hostess and housewife. Soon after, Lady Macbeth' asks evil spirits to “tend on moral thoughts, and unsex,” her. Lady Macbeth’s manipulative and constantly changing character is highlighted in act one, because she appears to be the central figure in determining the fate of King Duncan
Macbeth, the major character of this play is clearly described as a man with conflicting sides to his personality. Macbeth seems to be a loyal and gallant hero as he is described by the king as the “worthiest cousin”. However, Macbeth’s loyalty is obviously not true when he, talking to himself, says, “Prince of Cumberland! That is a step/ on which I must fall down or else o’erleap, /…Let not light see my black and deep desires.” Macbeth’s deceiving thoughts make his character interesting and appealing as his ambition to become king is, no doubt, similar to the ambitions of most people to become powerful, rich and respected. Duncan, the king throughout act 1, is one of the only characters who doesn’t change. He is not deceiving but he compromises Macbeth’s fate and future, adding major complications. When Duncan appoints his son as “The Prince of Cumberland” he creates difficulty for Macbeth in his ambition to become king. These problems make the plot more interesting Duncan stands in the way of Macbeth’s happiness. Macbeth now faces the decision of killing the king and controlling his own destiny or to let fate, the witches prophesy, crown Macbeth as king. King Duncan was a weak King who was pious, and unassuming, overly trusting and old. MacDonald and the Thane of Cawdor were both unhappy with the regime, which makes him an easy target for Macbeth.
The constant struggling forces of good and evil play a significant role in Act 1 of Macbeth adding interest to the plot and characters. The battles, both mental and physical, involve good and evil forces, which are constantly fighting throughout this act. Macbeth’s inner conflict, between his good and evil emotions, is very deceptive and unpredictable. Macbeth has proven that he can fight with loyalty and pride for his king, but also he is seen to have wicked thoughts of killing the king. During act one, Macbeth says the be-all and the end-all--here / But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, / We'ld jump the life to come, which means that Macbeth knows that if he gets away with the murder here, he would not get away with it in the afterlife. Macbeth shows that even in his evil planning, there still lies a noble and loyal person. The good side of Macbeth tries desperately to convince him that killing Duncan would be wrong. The evil side however still leads him as he does not consider any future consequences except for his kingship. This continuing battle within Macbeth is interesting as his future fate and actions depend on which side of his personality good or evil is victorious. The act starts off with a battle between the Scots and the Norwegians, where the first encounter of good and evil is already in progress. The symbolization of the war can be interpreted to present the forces of good and evil in this play. The classic war between good and evil usually has the forces of good win, but as “fair is foul and foul is fair”; the outcome of the war is now questioned. Personal ambition is important and leads to both good and evil results. Banquo’s ambition is to simply please King Duncan through loyalty, without the need for great reward. As reward for good service, the king promises Banquo to, “enfold thee/and hold thee to my heart”. In response Banquo answers, “There if I grow/ the harvest is your own”. On the other hand, Macbeth’s ambition is to become king through deceiving and murdering Duncan.
In conclusion, act one of Macbeth is important for a number of reasons. First, the playwright displays the deceptive environment, in which Macbeth lives. Secondly, the characters’ personalities, motives and ambitions are depicted, and finally, the constant struggle between good and evil is defined. I think Macbeth’s change from soldier to traitor is his own doing. He allowed the evil that is within everyone around him influence and overwhelms him. His ambition and need for power also influenced him turning into a traitor determined to murder Duncan. Also the witches prophecy and predictions tap into Macbeths own desire and ambition. Lady Macbeth manipulates, argues and thinks out Macbeth and persuades him. Over all, Macbeth was a man of action not politics, and ambition and greed overwhelmed him, which led to the tragedy of Macbeth.
Elinor Thomas