Powe
Thomas Powe
Mr. Huh
ENG4U1
April 14, 2010
The Will of Macbeth
Persuasion is a powerful and threatening tool against those who are weak. It can sway one’s decision to choose between good and evil, concealing judgment and jading the conscience. Persuasion plays the critical role of a spectral villain, an invisible danger to the protagonist in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Macbeth is a victim of the persuasion of others, making him ultimately not responsible for his actions. Except for the 5th act, in which Macbeth shows his own form of free will. After the death of his beloved wife, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth becomes fully conscious of his inevitable death. He reflects to himself that “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon stage And then is heard no more” (5.5.24-26). He begins to realize that death is inevitable for all, and he may be on the way to his death before long. Up until this point in the play, Macbeth has an opinion or thought always influencing him from a separate party, such as the witches or Lady Macbeth. However, Lady Macbeth, one of the central persuasive characters in the play, is dead; it is as if he is free from some sort of spell. He is able to formulate his own thoughts, with no background influence. He has free will at last. Earlier in the play, Macbeth’s partner Lady Macbeth persuades her husband to commit murder and fulfill his ambition. The three witches and their Queen influence Macbeth’s decisions through the use of predictions as well as the supernatural. Lastly, the three apparitions conjured by the witches play a very crucial role in establishing Macbeth’s fate through their deceptively uplifting prophecies. Due to these negative and overwhelming influences, Macbeth essentially holds no sense of free will.
Lady Macbeth is arguably the most persuasive character in the play. She is a perfect example of using the tool of manipulation to one’s advantage to achieve personal benefit. Upon opening her husband’s letter explaining his meeting with the witches, Lady Macbeth is immediately determined to usurp the throne with her husband and become Queen of Scotland. Although she has faith that the task can be completed, she considers Macbeth for a moment, by contemplating his innate nature, and coming to the realization that she fears it. She believes “It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness...Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it” (1.5.16-20). From this scene we determine that Lady Macbeth is a dark hearted person with strong determination. She has already concluded that her husband will kill King Duncan and become the ruler of Scotland. Yet at this time, Macbeth is currently a good-hearted, loyal human being. Because of these fine qualities, she fears that Macbeth will not have what it takes to end the life of an innocent and honourable man, even though he has great ambition. It is now evident that she is the one who will be responsible for the corruption of Macbeth and the death of the King. Lady Macbeth encourages her husband to commit treason and murder by questioning his manhood and challenging his courage. She says “When you durst do it, then you were a man; And, to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man” (1.7.50-52). She persuades him to believe that if he is a man, he would be able to murder King Duncan. Macbeth, who values courage and manhood, is easily swayed into doing as she asked.
