However earlier In Act 1 Scene 4 Macbeth discovers that Malcolm has been made The Prince of Cumberland which means he is heir to the thrown. Macbeth shows his bad side by stepping {Aside} and saying The prince of Cumberland that is a step on which I must fall down, or else o'erleap here Macbeth reveals his inner anguish towards the prince of Cumberland. Macbeth states that he must fall down and give in to the fact that Malcolm has been made heir to the throne or he must over leap him which means he will destroy him. This shows Macbeth's bad side because he is prepared to kill somebody who has achieved a high position than him for his own desires. This shows that Macbeth is jealous could be considered as a technique in which Shakespeare uses to reveal Macbeth's bad side to the audience. Another quote which reveals Macbeth's bad side is Let not light see my black and dark desires here Shakespeare a oxymoron to create a contrast between good and evil. Light is represented as good and the dark as bad. Macbeth does not want the people who have a high opinion of him hence the light to see his dark and bad desires which is to become king by any means possible. This contrast is a device used throughout the play to reveal the duality of Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth explains Macbeth's good side and In Act 1 Scene 5 she exaggerates Macbeth's good and kind character. This then makes the audience feel in two minds is Macbeth evil or good? This is both a subtle hook and a puzzling hook because the audience is now curios to find out what the real Macbeth is like. For example Lady Macbeth says “yet I do fear thy nature it is too full of the milk of human kindness” From this quotation we can see that from Lady Macbeth's point of view Macbeth is not just full he is overflowing with kindness. Milk builds bones and Shakespeare deliberately uses this to suggest that Macbeth's body is made from kindness. Other quotations where Lady Macbeth uses hyperbole towards Macbeth' good side are “That wouldst thou holily” Macbeth is a good person not evil. “Wouldst wrongly win” Macbeth would not cheat to during battle; he plays fairly and by the rules. Shakespeare uses Lady Macbeth to create a good image of Macbeth but also to show a stark contrast between his duality.
On the other hand Lady Macbeth brings out the bad side to Macbeth she is his alter-ego. In lines 37-52 we see Lady Macbeth at her worst unwomanly and evil. Evidence for this is “come you evil spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here” Lady Macbeth is calling on evil spirits for assistance and she is praying on the devil for help. Lady Macbeth is doing this because she is going to do bad things because if she is going to be “unsexed” her gender taken away then she is not going to be human anymore. Therefore she would be able to do non- human things such as witchcraft. Also you wait on nature’s mischief this also suggests that Lady Macbeth is meddling about with witchcraft. In the 1600's any form of spells or witchcraft would result in your death. So this is very uncharacteristic of anybody living in these times so Lady Macbeth must be planning something very evil for her to risk being accused of witchcraft. This would make the contemporary audience feel scared of Lady Macbeth because which craft was seen to be work of the devil. And almost everyone in the 1600's was religious and everybody feared the devil and they would kill anybody who had any association with it.
At the time the play was written Scotland were at war with Norway. In Act 1 Scene 2 the captain and Duncan praise Macbeth and Banquo for their brave and valiant fighting against fresh Norwegian soldiers. For example “like valour's minion carved out his passage till he face the slave” Valour's minion means bravery's favorite therefore Macbeth is the bravest soldier out there. The word “carved” suggests that Macbeth chopped and sliced his enemies without letting any get away. This shows that Macbeth is a brave and noble fighter, because he is protecting his country from attackers and he is prepared to risk his life to serve his king. The captain also emphasizes Macbeth's character on the battle field by saying “brave Macbeth” - “well he deserves that name” - “disdaining fortune with his brandished steel” These quotations show that Macbeth is very enthusiastic and confident in battle because he wavers his sword into the air in triumph over the defeat of his enemies. This shows that Macbeth is a confident and strong character during war surroundings but later shows his weaknesses in different circumstances with Lady Macbeth. The example of “disdaining fortune” also shows that Macbeth is a skillful fighter this means that Macbeth did not need luck to defeat his foe's he is a great fighter. Although at this point in the story we have not yet seen Macbeth we get a very positive image of a brave and valiant soldier ready to do battle to protect his country and to serve his king. Shakespeare deliberately uses the Captain and Duncan to reveal Macbeth's brave and bold character to show the duality of Macbeth more clearly to the audience.
Nevertheless Macbeth's bad side is also shown again at the heath. In this scene the witches are used again as a dramatic device to create a spooky and mysterious atmosphere. To the contemporary audience this would have been terrifying because witches were seen to have a pact with the devil. These witches were believed use their supernatural powers for evil purposes such as casting spells, enchantments and even human sacrifice. Shakespeare also uses the weather as a dramatical device to create a spooky and eerie atmosphere because legend has it that witches were able to control the weather. Just before Macbeth and Banquo enter the witches cast a spell on Macbeth and this proves a pivotal point in the play and reveals more about what Macbeth is really like or is he under the spell. In fact the first line gives the audience a hint that Macbeth is linked to the witches. Evidence for this “so foul and fair a day” In the first scene the witches say “fair is foul and foul is fair” so this takes little imagination to associate Macbeth with the witches. This line also contains oxymoron's “fair is foul and foul is fair” this has connotations of Good vs Evil and also a juxtaposition two contrasting ideas illusion vs reality. This quote supports the idea that Macbeth cannot see what illusion is and what is reality, because when he is confronted by the witches, Macbeth cannot tell what they are. “speak if you van what are you” Here Macbeth cannot tell what the witches are but it is quite apparent. whereas Banquo can see that they are “not of this earth”. A quote to support this is “Are are ye fantastical, or that indeed what you outwardly show?” this shows that Banquo can see that there is something strange about the witches because he questions if they are real or not whereas Macbeth just accepts them. So from the offset the audience has a bad opinion of Macbeth because he is seen to be associated with the witches. Another quotation to support Macbeth's association with the witches is “stay imperfect speakers, tell me more” This shows that Macbeth is interested by what the witches have to say which is very strange because people in the 1600's would have nothing to do with witches in fear they might have a spell cast upon them or even be killed because people thought they involved with witches. And especially for Macbeth who has just returned from a victorious and noble battle which he has been greatly praised for to do this would blacken his sterling reputation because witchcraft went against every religious and political rule at that time. And for someone to violate that they would be severely punished.
So, now the question must be asked has Macbeth been affected by the witches and I believe this to be true. Even Banquo notices the change in Macbeth. For example “that takes the reason prisoner?” This quote shows that Banquo has noticed a mental change in Macbeth; his normal reasoning has been taken away. So in turn this provides an answer for Macbeth's uncharacteristic actions throughout the play.
Although Macbeth may have been influenced by the witches he still shows his mental weakness again in Act 1 scene 7. This influenced though is partly exerted by Lady Macbeth. Here we see how manipulative she can be or is it how weak Macbeth is mentally. At the beginning of the scene Macbeth agonizes over the pros and cons of killing Duncan at line 31 he decides that he will not kill Duncan “we will proceed no further in this business” But over the next 51 lines we see how Lady Macbeth persuades he husband to carry out the awful deed of killing King Duncan. For example “such I account thy love Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valour” Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth's masculinity which provokes a very strong reaction inside Macbeth to prove to his wife that he is a man and therefore to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth also blackmails her husband into killing Duncan. Evidence for this “That made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you are a man” Lady Macbeth blackmails her husband into killing Duncan taunting him saying you will only be a man when you have done this. This persuades Macbeth into killing Duncan because men are always trying to prove that they are real men to women. Lady Macbeth also uses violent imagery to emphasize her point. From lines 54 to 59 Lady Macbeth says that she would “tear a child from her own breasts” and “smash its brains out” if she had promised to her husband that she would do something for her. This dramatical device shows how cruel and manipulative Lady Macbeth can be to get what she wants. This violent image is the final twist which makes Macbeth surcome to his wife’s brutal demands. And in line the 79 Macbeth confirms that he will kill Duncan making a voe to hid wife Tis settled. The final line of Act 1 sums up Macbeth's character “False face must hide what the false heart doth know” This quote links back to what Lady Macbeth has already said. So, this could show that Macbeth is becoming like her because he begins to repeat what she has already said in the previous scene. From this point on Macbeth begins to carry out his evil plot to kill Duncan so one could argue that Macbeth has started to become like Lady Macbeth by acting in his sinister ways like her.
So in conclusion a believe Macbeth is a victim of the torment of his wife’s demands and of the possibility that he may have been under a spell. However Macbeth should have stood up to his wife and told her that killing the king is wrong but he does not he is too weak so this is the reason for his downfall later on in the play.