At the end of the play Malcolm refers to Macbeth "this dead butcher". How for do you agree with this description? As we know Malcolm refers to Macbeth as a dead butcher. This could be defined as a butcher feels no emotion when hacking, or chopping meat; a butcher may hold a bloody knife bloody, he may relish what he does and has no emotion or regrets, because this is his job. This implies that the manner in which Macbeth has killed is thoughtless, and shows no emotion when killing. When referring back to the quotation, Malcolm says this at the end of the play when Macbeth has been killed, makes this statement because Macbeth had killed his father. Malcolm has used a metaphor here when describing Macbeth as "this dead butcher". Although we can hold Macbeth responsible for all the physical murders he has done, we can also hold him responsible for the entire mental killing he has done, because he has planned to kill. At the beginning of the play we hear about Macbeth before we see him, he is referred to as a brave, bloody, valiant fighter. He is deemed as a hero by his king and soldiers, "for brave Macbeth well he deserves that name", this tells us audience that Macbeth is a good and loyal warrior. We also read about Macbeth as a bloody killer on the battle field, whist they were fighting against the Norwegian and how savagely and brutally
he killed the traitor Macdonald, "till he unseemed him from the nave to th'chaps, and fixed his head upon our battlements", this was a killing that was justified because Macdonald was a traitor, here Macbeth is almost butcher like. After the battle Macbeth and Banquo come across three witches, they greet Macbeth with the following words, “All hail Macbeth hail to thee, thane of glamis... thane of cawdor... that shalt be king here after", this quote is claiming that Macbeth will rise from thane of glamis to cawdor and then soon become king. Macbeth is intrigued and wants to know ...
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he killed the traitor Macdonald, "till he unseemed him from the nave to th'chaps, and fixed his head upon our battlements", this was a killing that was justified because Macdonald was a traitor, here Macbeth is almost butcher like. After the battle Macbeth and Banquo come across three witches, they greet Macbeth with the following words, “All hail Macbeth hail to thee, thane of glamis... thane of cawdor... that shalt be king here after", this quote is claiming that Macbeth will rise from thane of glamis to cawdor and then soon become king. Macbeth is intrigued and wants to know more, "stay you imperfect speakers tell me more”, contrastingly Banquo on the other hand is not consented or intrigued by there prophecy. He does not think about their prophecy until a messenger comes from the king making Macbeth thane of cawdor. A seed of ambition has been planted into Macbeths mind when they arrive, and Duncan makes Malcolm, his son, prince of Cumberland, Macbeth starts to think that this is an obstacle in his way, "on which I must fall down or else … for in my way it lies... stars hide your fires, let not light see my block and deep", he starts to think of murder "my thought, whose murder is yet but fantastical he implies that murdering Duncan would be like a dream or a fantasy, and is shocked with what he is thinking and decides to leave it to fate. Lady Macbeth has told Macbeth to “look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it” lady Macbeth has helped the seed of ambition in Macbeth to take over all his thoughts to not kill king Duncan. Before the killing of Duncan Macbeth weighs up the reasons for and against "if I’m going to do it I’d better do it quickly... if my plan goes wrong what ever happens afterward is worth it”, here Macbeth is weighing the reason to kill the king. “Hosts don’t kill their guest, they should protect them... Duncan is a good king it seams unfair to kill him... it all could go wrong and comeback to haunt me,'' these are reasons he has weighed up the reasons not to kill him. Macbeth is having a fight within' himself whether to kill Duncan or not but has more reasons not to contribute to the killing of Duncan, because he is a good king. At the end of his monolog he has decided that this is only his ambition motivating him and decides to proceed no further in the business, but Lady Macbeth holds him to his vow to kill Duncan, telling him that “I have given suck, and know ...How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me...I would, while it was smiling in my face…And dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this.”, and refers to him as a coward. Macbeth, swayed, asks her: “If we should fail” She answers, “But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not fail”, this tells us that Macbeth is very weak against his wife, and that her soul purpose is to change his mind. At the end of Act1 sc 7 Macbeth has decided that he is going to go through with the murder "I am settled and bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat”. At the beginning of act 2 Banquo is a little weary and does not want to sleep, he feels uncomfortable and is laid with a burden. “A heavy summons lies like lead upon me”, Macbeth however whilst talking to Banquo is acting like how Macbeth told him to, "look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it". This is very ironic because he is planning traitorous thoughts of murder. Now that Macbeth has committed the murder he feels sorry and regret "this is a sorry sight... I'm afraid to think of what I have done” and metaphorically thinks that he has murdered sleep, here he is not butcher like because he knows what he has done wrong, and feel regret after the murder. Straight after this murder the next morning when Macduff sees the king dead he is afraid to speak of it, "Do not bid me speak, see and then speak your selves". When Macbeth enters along with Lady Macbeth, Banquo, Donaldbain and Malcolm, Macbeth instantly butcher like kills the two guards who were drugged by Lady Macbeth; he does this so that the guards looked like the ones who killed King Duncan. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have made the witches prophecy came true. However Banquo is suspicious of Macbeth "thou hast it now, King, cawdor, glamis all as the weird women promised and fear thou played'st most fowly fort", hear Banquo is everything Macbeth used to be. Macbeth knows that Banquo is suspicious and knows that he has to kill him, but when the two having there conversation, Macbeth is acting like the innocent flower but the serpent underneath it. "Ride you this afternoon?... is't for you ride?... fail not our feast". Whilst in this dialogue Macbeth is very deceitful, the fears Banquo because he was also there when the prophecy was said that Macbeth shall be King and Banquo has all the good qualities Macbeth had at the beginning of the play but since has lost, Banquo reminds Macbeth of who he was nobility and loyalty. This time Macbeth does not need to be cohurst by lady Macbeth instead he tells her to be ”innocent of the knowledge, derest chuck, till thou applaud the deed”, this shows that this time he has totally acted on his own King of Scotland is nothing if people one suspicious of him even though he his King now he stated to himself “to be thus is nothing but to be safely thus, our fears in Banquo stick deep and in his royalty in nature in his signs that which would feard”, he explains in this soliloquy that being king of Scotland is nothing if people are suspicious of him. However this time Macbeth is not going to commit the murder himself he is going to his murderers to do it, he makes them believe that Banquo held them back "both you know Banquo was your enemy... so is he mine
