‘By the time Macbeth murders Duncan, he has already lost the battle for his soul’. Discuss this statement and examine the factors which lead to his decision to kill the king.

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'By the time Macbeth murders Duncan, he has already lost the battle for his soul'. Discuss this statement and examine the factors which lead to his decision to kill the king.

It is the aim of this essay to evaluate and determine the validity of the above statement. I will examine the factors which lead to Macbeth's decision to kill the king. The definition for a person's soul is the spiritual part of them that is supposed to continue after their body is dead. People also use 'soul' to refer to a person's mind, character, thoughts and feelings. 'The battle for his soul' represents whether this person submits to good or evil. The factors that I will look at in particular when considering what drove Macbeth to commit the murder, are the witches and Lady Macbeth.

The play begins with the witches who introduce Macbeth by saying they will meet him. 'There to meet with Macbeth'. This is an effective way to start the play, as people were very superstitious at the time. They believed in witches and they believed they were evil. One person who was very wary and curious about such matters was James I and Shakespeare had written this play for him. The gunpowder plot took place the previous year and James I was, consequently, very sensitive and concerned about future assassination attempts. Shakespeare was writing for an audience who were predominantly Christian and who believed in heaven and hell; the way some one behaved on earth would decide what happened to them when they died. The soul is very important in this play and this is why 'Macbeth' may have been popular as people were interested in these things. If someone lost their soul, they would be lost to God and would be condemned to hell for eternity. Macbeth talks a lot about this in his dramatic monologues.

Duncan was a good honest king who had done nothing but treat Macbeth as a good friend. Duncan calls him 'worthiest cousin', which suggests the closeness of their relationship. Duncan is grateful for Macbeth's bravery in battle. He says, 'I have begun to plant thee and will labour, to make thee full of growing". Duncan is saying he will do anything to repay him for being so brave. Duncan is a very good person, Macbeth says,

"Duncan hath borne his faculties so meek hath been so clear in his great office that his virtues will plead like angel".

Macbeth knows that he was good and he still murdered him. Therefore is no excuse for what he has done. The King is Macbeth's guest so he should protect him, not attack him.

There are different reactions from Macbeth and Banquo to the witches' predictions. Banquo believes that Macbeth will become king because he has already become Thane of Cawdor, just as the witches had predicted. He thinks that it is very strange how the witches are helping them. Furthermore, he believes the witches will be kind to them and have their trust only to betray them later. He is clearly surprised and remains sceptical as to their intentions. The different reaction by Macbeth is apparent when he is shocked at first after hearing what the witches have to say. He truly believes that he will become king as two of the predictions have proved accurate. Things can only get better for Macbeth, or so he believes. Macbeth's opinion of the witches remains undecided and he does not really know what to think about the 'weird sisters'. There are conflicting beliefs that he has. Firstly, he believes they are not good, but if they were bad why did they give him such success? It seems that he is beginning to trust the witches when he considers the success that they have given to him. Banquo, on the other hand, instantly distrusts them and believes '...to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths'.
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As soon as Lady Macbeth receives Macbeth's letter about the witch's predictions she begins to plan the murder:

'Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crow to the toe top full of direst cruelty.' She wants to be filled with cruelty and wants evil spirits to posses her. She wants to lose her femininity and become manly so she is capable of the greatest cruelty. She hopes to lose her soul so she does not feel guilty.

The factors that lead Macbeth to kill the king ...

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