Macbeth already has ambition inside him and before he meets the “weird sisters” or “witches,” he was a loyal Thane and a brave warrior but when the “weird sisters” picked up on his ambitions to become king, they sparked off a whole chain of evil events, which Lady Macbeth instigated which became a treacherous series of killings “Great Glamis, worthy Cawdor, greater than both by the all-hail thereafter.” Her greeting implies that he deserves more than being the thane of Glamis and Cawdor and could do better. When Macbeth debates whether to kill Duncan, he wonders why Duncan should be killed; he has the ambition but not the heart/intent “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent but only vaulting ambition which overleaps intent.” Macbeth decides not to kill king Duncan, but when Lady Macbeth hears this she calls him a coward “live a coward in thine own esteem,” she taunts him, wonders how he can have these ambitions and still be a coward. She says if she had made a promise to kill her baby she would. “How tender t’ is to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn, as you have done to this” Lady Macbeth makes a plan for Macbeth to kill Duncan. She urges Macbeth to hide his deadly intentions behind welcoming looks “ look like the time, bear welcome in your eye.” She tells him to look innocent and leave it to her, “only look up, clear to alter favour ever is to fear. Leave all the rest to me”. Macbeth struggles with his conscience. He has no reason to kill Duncan, and can’t do it by him self “ this Duncan hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been so clear in his great office, that his virtues, will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued against the deep damnation of his taking off.” Macbeth then decided not to kill King Duncan “ we will proceed no further in this business”-but Lady Macbeth taunts him and accuses him of cowardice and lack of manliness; “live a coward in thine own esteem” She tells him persuades Macbeth to murder Duncan, and gets the body guards drunk. She then takes charge of the situation and ordering Macbeth to give her the daggers. It is she who then incriminates the servants.
At the beginning Macbeth needed Lady Macbeth to spur him on and plan every-thing. But when Macbeth kills Banquo, he plans it all himself and has no regrets, because he kills Banquo to keep his secret safe. He cannot be seen killing Banquo. At the Banquet in Macbeth’s palace, after Banquo has been murdered, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost and starts talking what seems nonsense to the other guests and making a great scene and nearly letting his guilty feelings be known, but lady Macbeth diverts attention. She covers for him by telling his noble friends he does this from time to time “ I pray you to speak not he grows worse and worse. Questions enrage him. At once good night stand not upon your going”
Macbeth can see the ghost that nobody else can see it because it is his conscience showing. Only the three murderers know that Banquo is dead. Macbeth who paid the murders is not sure that Banquo is actually dead yet, so he believes that Banquo has been killed and his ghost has come back to haunt him. Showing his feelings of guilt but he still went on to kill Macduffs Family and without any lengthy planning and conscience crises, “things bad begun, make strong themselves by ill.” As an act of revenge on Macduff for his treachery he kills his family, “And even now to crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done.” Macbeth, unstable, proceeds to place spies in every nobleman’s house in Scotland, to keep his mind at ease. Scotland has been turned upside down, his own soldiers have left him and are fighting on the other side and those that do fight for him do so out of fear. Macbeth knows the battle will make or brake him, if he wins Scotland will stay a shambles if not Malcolm will rule Scotland. Macduff and Malcolm do not trust anyone not even each other, “I speak in absolute fear of you” Malcolm and Macduff test each other to see if they are spies, they then join forces “now we’ll together.” After the battle in which Macbeth died a fighting man Macduff displayed Macbeth’s severed head. He has been disposed of like the traitor MacDonald at the beginning and now to Malcolm is no more a “dead butcher.”
