How does Shakespeare present the contrasting characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in Act 2 Scenes 1 and 2

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How does Shakespeare present the contrasting characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in Act 2 Scenes 1 and 2?

Introduction

The Macbeth play was written around 1603 by William Shakespeare. During this play, Macbeth and Banquo started off as best friends, after they met the three witches, they gave Macbeth some predictions about his future. Macbeth was delighted whereas his wife, Lady Macbeth becomes power crazed about this. She persuaded him to kill the king, Duncan (in Elizabethan times, it was the biggest crime that can be committed). Afterwards his mind started to play tricks on himself, so he decided to go back and revisit the three witches; they then told him three new prophecies. Others now have suspected that Macbeth killed Duncan, so when Macduff went to England, he decided to kill Lady Macduff and her children. When Macduff came back and heard that his family is all killed he was furious and decided to have his revenge. When he arrived, to kill Macbeth, Macbeth on the other hand thought he cannot be harmed due to one of the prophecy that the witches told him but all at the end Macduff won. During the Elizabethan, all of audience believed in many supernatural things such as, witchcraft, religion, owls etc. In this play, the witches show us that they are creepy and unreliable due to all those set ups for Macbeth. This constructs a feeling for the Elizabethan audience that they are horrifying things. Shakespeare presented Macbeth as a brave and loyal person towards the King, he respected the King and is a really good fighter, but later on the play, he started to be controlled and changed into a horrific person. Lady Macbeth made Macbeth kill many innocent people; she is power crazed and evil and would do anything to be the queen. Start of this play, the themes mainly about murders and how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth changed.

Section 1

Throughout Act 1 Scene 3, Macbeth was delighted when he heard the three witch’s prediction of his future, ‘Stay, you imperfect speakers. Tell me more’, this quote demonstrates that he wants to know more about his future and he is keen to find out what great things will lie ahead of him. Furthermore, he called the three witches ‘imperfect speakers’, this might due to the fact that he does not really know what they are as he might not seen them before. In addition, the word ‘imperfect’ lets me think of that the three witches are not telling the truth and are hiding some secrets. Macbeth uses a high tone of voice when talking to the three witches, ‘Speak if you can’, from this quote it creates a feeling that Macbeth is from a higher social class who is looking down onto the three witches, perhaps he is trying to give the impression that he is the Thane of Glamis.

Macbeth also seemed to be confused that the witches told him, he will become the Thane of Cawdor, ‘But how of Cawdor?’, from this quote it portrays that Macbeth do not really know how he will become the Thane of Cawdor, he currently is quite happy that he is Thane of Glamis. Shakespeare put in this historical question to make people hooked in, as the audience will ask themselves lots of questions such as, how is he going to become the Thane of Cawdor?, how do those witches know? Etc. When the witches finished talking to Banquo and Macbeth, the three witches vanished into the air, ‘Melted, as breath into the wind. Would they have stayed’, this quote shows us that Banquo and Macbeth wondered what happened to them, Shakespeare uses this is due to that during the Elizabethan audience would really believed in witchcraft, this makes people wonder more and ask themselves further questions.

Macbeth started off in a really good relationship with his friends and the king. King Duncan really respects Macbeth also Macbeth was a fine fighter for him. ‘O worthiest cousin’, this quote demonstrates that Duncan trusts him a lot and that he is really loyal towards the king. Duncan likes Macbeth, he even call him ‘cousin’ which in my point of view is that Macbeth is like one of Duncan’s cousin and is really kind towards him. The king called him by the title ‘My worthy Cawdor’; this quote suggests that Duncan knows that he is a brave, loyal person. The word ‘Cawdor’ which indicates that he actually is really pleased that Macbeth is the Thane of Cawdor. Near the start of the play, after Lady Macbeth read the letter, she thought that he would not make it to become the king as he is very weak and too kind, this shows us that the relationships between these two are weak, ‘It is too full o’th’milk of human kindness’, this quote indicates that she thinks Macbeth is too kind and would not have the strength to become the King, from this we could really tell that their relationship is very awful. On the other hand, Macbeth and Banquo was best friends near the start of the play, they were two friends that would never break up, ‘Worthy Macbeth’, this quote gives the impression that he really trust in Macbeth and that he is also confident in him, he knows that they would always be friends.

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Lady Macbeth started off in Act 1 Scene 5 where after she read the letter, she did not have any hope in Macbeth at all, ‘That I may pour my spirits in thine ear’, this quote signifies that she want to tell him what to do so he will not ruin this up as she does not have any trust in him. She described him as being weak and cannot do anything right, ‘It is too full o’th’milk of human kindness’, from this it portrays that she think he is like milk which is pure and white and he ...

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