Compare and Contrast Shakespeare's Presentation of The Character of Macbeth Through The Use of Soliloquy In Act 1 Scene 7 and Act 2 Scene 1.

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Compare and Contrast Shakespeare’s Presentation of The Character of Macbeth Through The Use of Soliloquy In Act 1 Scene 7 and Act 2 Scene 1

So far in Macbeth the Scots have defeated the Norwegians and Macbeth has his prophecy told by three witches. They said that he would become Thane of Cawdor and then king. The king then tells him that due to his bravery he will become Thane of Cawdor. The king also announces that his sons Malcolm and Donalbain will become his heir to the throne.

My first impressions of Macbeth were that he was a brave soldier fighting for his country but was twisted more and more as the scene went on by the words of both the three witches and lady Macbeth. When the king told him he would become Thane of Cawdor he seemed to get more excited and he began to think the prospect of becoming king was a reality. You could tell that he wanted to be king because he got very angry when the king announced that his heirs would be his children. I noticed that Macbeth was also quite easily influenced, as both his wife and the witches persuaded him to be more ruthless.

During this soliloquy Macbeth is weighing up the options of whether he should go through with the murder. He starts by saying what he hopes will happen when he goes through with the murder. He also then reflects upon what he risks and the consequences of the proposed murder before talking about what the king’s subjects would think.

In the soliloquy during act 1 scene 7 Macbeth begins with “If it were done when ‘t is done, then ‘t were well. It were done quickly.” This means that he wants the murder to go on sooner than later. This shows that he feels anxious about going through with the murder. He then says, “Could trammel up the consequence, and catch with his surcease success.” This means that Macbeth doesn’t want any further trouble, or get mixed up in something else. He also wants the murder to be a success first time. When Macbeth says, “that this blow might be the be all and end all here” he is referring to the fact that he doesn’t want to suffer any consequences on earth. Then when he says “we’d jump the life to come.” He is saying that he would rather be punished in an afterlife rather than here on earth. Macbeth then says, “that we but teach. Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return to plague th’inventor.” He is saying that the people that you kill will come back to haunt you. When he says this he is contemplating the consequences of murdering Duncan. “To our own lips. He’s here in double trust. First as his kinsman…then as his host who should against the murderer shut the door.” This means that Duncan has 2 reasons to trust him, firstly, as Macbeth is his subject and then as his host who will subsequently murder him.

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The next few lines are focused on Duncan as a king and how his subjects will miss him. “So clear in his great office, that his virtues will plead like angels.” When Macbeth says “and pity, like a naked new born babe.” He means that his subjects will think of him as an innocent baby who didn’t deserve to die. In the last few lines of his soliloquy he says, “That tears shall drown the wind. – I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself.” The first sentence shows ...

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