Duncan the king of Scotland announces that he will be visiting the castle of Macbeth. He then names his oldest son Malcolm the successor to the throne. Macbeth writes a letter to his mistress lady Macbeth, he tells her the good news of how he has become the new thane of cawdor and the predictions that he received from the 3 witches.
Lady Macbeth looks up on this opportunity and rejoices that this could present the chance of the murder of Duncan. These thoughts are evil and suspicions are asking weather she is a 4th witch or not. Lady Macbeth then realises that Macbeth is”too full of the milk of a human kindness” meaning that Macbeth does not have the power to commit this terrible crime. This gives us the evidence that she does not want to commit the murder, she is just planning it, and she wants Macbeth to do the murder.
In the last scene from the first act Macbeth has returned to his castle to make the final preparations for the arrival of the king of Scotland. Macbeth contemplates the killing of one of his blood relatives. He gives this impression by saying”if it were done, when ‘tis done; then ‘there well/It were done quickly.” He is obviously upset and emotional about killing as he is not only blood relative but he is also the king of Scotland. Lady Macbeth continuously challenges Macbeth and finally he is persuaded and involved. He is enlightened by Lady Macbeth’s reaction and ambition.
At the beginning of act two it sets the scene for the killing of Duncan. It is at this point when Macbeth starts to get the first of the hallucinations. He sees a bloody dagger pointing in the direction of the king. He is suddenly snapped out of this hallucination and he summons that Duncan should die”to heaven to hell.”
In the next scene lady Macbeth has drugged the guards and Macbeth returns to the courtyard to say that he has ”done the foul deed“ Macbeth may have just committed a murder but he is now regretting every moment as he ”fears gods wrath“ and that he can no longer pray. He also hears a voice saying that”he will sleep no more. “Lady Macbeth continuously tells him to forget about it, telling him to stop thinking” such brain sickly “things.
In act 3 Macbeth finds that one of the witches’ fortunes was that banquo would some day become the king of Scotland. Macbeth can not stand for this so he orders that two assassins will kill banquo and his heir, fleance. He chooses the moment when the two plan to go horseback riding. Macbeth is now making sure that he stays king and that nobody will get in his way and that the witches prophesy shall not come true. This shows that the evil inside Macbeth has started again and that he has persuaded himself to do it and he has not needed the evil scheme from his evil discriminating wife lady Macbeth. Instead of Lady Macbeth planning the assassination, she doesn’t no until Macbeth hints that he has arranged for their elimination.
In the 4th scene from the 3rd act a banquet has been held by Macbeth. When one of the murderers enters to mention that the banquo and fleance have been killed. When Macbeth returns to his guests and he appears to see the ghost of banquo. He is physically and visibly, shaken and he immediately backs away. Lady Macbeth doesn’t want the guests to think different of their new king so she tells all the guests that he is currently suffering from a periodic illness. Macbeth recovers but then the ghost appears once again. The banquet ends abruptly and when the guests leave he tells Lady Macbeth of what he was seeing and the consequences he is facing for the death of banquo and fleance. He tells his wife that he is going to go see the witches and he is going to learn about the remaining threats which may in the future face him.
In the forth act Macbeth goes and sees the witches he is ready and prepared for the truth and the evil inside him is ready for anything that might get in his way in the future. He is warned about macduff, a no man born of women can harm him and a child wearing the crown of Scotland says to Macbeth that he will rule Scotland until the forest of birnam marches to the castle of Duns inane. Macbeth is slowly being hated by different people and that all the witches’ prophecies were to come true.
CONCLUSION
Macbeth at the beginning of the play did seam to be a hero but as the play continued the reader or audience seamed to realise that he was becoming part evil and by the end he died evil. Looking back at the scenes of which he has done bad in they all seam to be linked in with his wife lady Macbeth. Doesn’t this give the distinct impression that throughout the play she was a 3rd which and that she was playing wife Macbeths mind.
Throughout the play Macbeth was giving away evidence that he was turning evil and that the evil did back fire with some traumatic appearances of ghosts and hallucinations of the dagger. He in his mind tried to persuade and convince himself that he was doing right looking at what he may face and what would happen to him if he did not commit these terrible stunts. In the end Macbeth dies with his full armour on saying”before my body I throw my warlike shield “this is showing that his guilt has resigned and he no longer has any fears he is fearless.
