The third soliloquy, and possibly the most important shows us that Macbeth knows, quite clearly what the consequences will be of murdering Duncan. He says ‘ We’d jump the life to come’ this shows quite clearly that Macbeth is willing to sacrifice the afterlife for greatness, now, in this life. He then says ‘But in these cases, we’d still have judgement here that we but teach bloody instructions, which being taught, return to plague th’inventor.’ Macbeth knows very well that there will be consequences in this life still to come, after the murder. He may be found guilty of killing Duncan, and he knows that a life of cold-blooded murder is a double-sided blade. Macbeth starts questioning his plan ‘If it were done ‘tis done, then ‘twere well It were done quickly’ At this point Macbeth is clearly giving the idea considerable serious thought. He goes on to list all the decisions why he shouldn’t kill Duncan. This shows he is still logical in his decisions and he is aware of how traitorous it is for a ‘host’ and ‘kinsman’ to kill the king. He should be the one person who should risk his own life to stop such a deed happening to the king whilst he is in his house ‘Not bear the knife myself’. Macbeth understands that there will be consequences, in this life or the next he will have to suffer. In opposition, the only reason he can think of for his motivation is his ambition. The way Macbeth finishes the soliloquy with this point, before he is interrupted creates a dramatic effect. After giving a very strong argument against killing the king where he compares Duncan to a new born babe ‘I have not spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’other-‘. By using imagery Macbeth shows he is aware of how much he wants this and that he is fearful of his own capability and that his ambition might make him go too far in getting what he wants. When Lady Macbeth finds Macbeth, he has persuaded himself not to go commit the murder and he says ‘we’ll talk no further of this business’. This soliloquy is very long and thought through, it shows Macbeth is thinking very logical and at the end of it, he has decided not to commit the murder. This soliloquy shows that Macbeth, when left on his own knows what the right thing to do is, and decides to do it.
In the next soliloquy, Macbeth is preparing himself to commit the murder of Duncan. He starts off by having a vision of a dagger in front of his face, it twists in his hand and turns to point towards Duncan’s camber. It then becomes bloody. ‘Thou Marshall’st me in the way I was going, and such an instrument I was to use’ Macbeth is talking here in the past tense, as though the plan no longer exists, this suggest he is unsure whether or not to do the deed. He then goes on to talk in the future tense ‘And on thy blade and dungeon gouts of blood which was not so before’. He knows that this is what will happen and yet it is though he is caught between the present and the future tense ‘I go and it is done’. Macbeth knows that commiting the murder is evil and Shakespeare chooses words such as ‘Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse the curtain’d slep. Witchcraft celebrates pale hecate’s off’rings and with’d murder’ These words all associate the murder with witchcraft and evilness. Macbeth is clearly ashamed of what he is going to do and he pities Duncan before he has killed him. Mentally, Macbeth is very unstable and it is almost as though even after making the decision he is unsure about killing Duncan.
In the next soliloquy, immediately after becoming king, one would think that Macbeth would be content with his new status, he is now, however, paranoid of Banquo’s children. Macbeth received two predictions by the witches, to be Thane of Cawdor and to become king, both of these became true. Because of the third prediction, that Banquo’s children would become kings, Macbeth thinks now that it was all in vain ‘To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus’ He also knows that because he had killed to become king, that someone, in turn will kill him too. ‘Upon my head they plac’d a fruitless crown and put a barren sceptre in my gripe, Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand, No son of mine succeeding.’ Macbeth knows from the predictions that his children will not become kings after him, he thinks that there is no point being kin and uses imagery to outline this point ‘fruitless crown’, ‘barren sceptre’. As soon as Macbeth has become king he wants more, he wants to be stable and have his children reign after him. Because he can do nothing else about it, Macbeth becomes angry with Banquo because his children will take over after all Macbeth has done to get where he is. Macbeth does not question his actions or thoughts like he used to. He talks about committing more murders to keep his title and he does so with ease, there is no confusion or pity, this is possibly because he is now king, Gods representative on earth and he wants complete and total control. Because of this idea, Macbeth believes he can reverse the third prediction and stop it form coming true ‘Rather so, come fate into the list, and champion me to th’utterence’
The next soliloquy is when Macbeth decides to kill Macduffs family ‘The very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand. And even now to crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done’ This is not the Macbeth that we knew at the beginning of the play, who thoroughly thought through each decision logically and even then, he struggled to make up his mind. This soliloquy is much shorter with no doubt or regret about his decisions. He decides instantly to have Macduffs family killed, as he cannot kill Macduff these are pointless deaths that are not necessary in achievement, Macbeth just wants to spite Macduff. Killing now comes easily to Macbeth as he decides to kill Macduff’s wife and babes; women and children being the most vulnerable people in society. This shows how evil Macbeth has now become ‘No boasting like a fool; This deed I’ll do before this purpose cool’ it is as though Macbeth has a need to kill, Shakespeare uses rhyming couplets to outline that he is hot headed and crude in his thoughts.
The final soliloquy is not a soliloquy by definition, he is talking out loud but it is clear that he is speaking his inner thoughts to the audience, regardless of the messenger. Macbeth is very depressed at this scene, he has just learned that his wife has died and yet he doesn’t show any grief for her ‘She should have died hereafter; there would have been time for such a word.’ He knew that she would die one day, so it doesn’t matter that it has happened. ‘Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow ‘ Macbeth uses repetition and alliteration to illustrate his tiredness with life, it is monotonous for him ‘Creeps this pretty pace from day to day’. Macbeth is bored with life, he has achieved what he had set out to do, and now there is nothing more for his huge ambition to want. The future has no real meaning for Macbeth; he already knows that his children will not be kings, his wife is now dead and he is bored with life, which seems futile and deceptive. He uses various imagery to outline life’s pointlessness ‘Out, out, brief candle, life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player…It is a tale told by an idiot…Signifying nothing’
Shakespeare uses soliloquies so effectively that it is possible to gain a great idea of what is happening. At the start of the play, we see a Macbeth who is honourable and great. He has potential and ambition. Though his wife persuades him to murder the king after hearing of the prediction, when he is left alone, he persuades himself out of it after a long and deep thought where he questions his own plans. This suggests that Macbeth himself could have become great and honourable if it had not been for his wife. His soliloquies at the beginning are long, poetic and logical, as the play unfolds and Macbeth becomes maddened by murdering Duncan, they become shorter, and crude. Macbeth acts on instinct instead of thinking through his decisions. This may be because he has become toughened by his killings or that he has become king and believes he should have unquestionable authority. Immediately after becoming king, Macbeth feels he is owed more, he wants his children to be kings and thinks that it is pointless unless he can guarantee his family’s future success. Later, he becomes exhausted with life, as though there is no point in life. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses lots of imagery to conduct the way Macbeth is feeling. These images show the furtiveness and tension of Macbeth.