In committing Duncan's murder and organising the murder of other influential characters, Macbeth's character changes from good to evil.
In committing Duncan's murder and organising the murder of other influential characters, Macbeth's character changes from good to evil. What factors contribute to his change in character and which dramatic devices help the audience become aware of this descent into evil?
Throughout the course of the play, Macbeths character changes from good to evil. As the audience we are given plenty of opportunities to look at the way in which he changes and the influences that help bring about the alteration in character. Shakespeare also uses dramatic devises to highlight Macbeths change. In this essay I am going to explore the influences that Macbeth was exposed to and the effect that Shakespeare use of dramatic devices has on the audience's awareness.
It is clear from the beginning of the play that Macbeth is a brave war hero. He is also the king's cousin. He may have been simply fed up if being just a war hero and may be tempted by the thought of being more, Thane or even King. Ambition may have driven him. In Act 1 Scene 3 the three witches greet Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor, Glamis and finally King. When Macbeth hears the witch's prophecy we see how willing he is to believe it. Later in the scene Macbeth is actually announced Thane of Cawdor. In a soliloquy Macbeth ponders upon what the witches have predicted:
'This supernatural soliciting
cannot be ill cannot be good.
If ill why hath it given me earnest
of success commencing in a truth?'
At this point Macbeth is trying to convince himself that there is nothing wrong with what has happened that if it were evil then something good would not have come from it. He then says;
'If chance will have me king then
chance will crown me without my stir'
From this quote we can see that Macbeth is willing to let fate take its course, and accepts that what will be will be.
Shakespeare uses soliloquies in Macbeth so we can see what characters are really thinking, without influence from those around. It is a chance to get a good insight into their opinions and outlooks. We can see what they are really thinking.
Macbeth clearly realises that killing Duncan is an option. In Act 1 Scene 4 Macbeth's two-faced quality shows through, he is able to be polite and friendly to the king.
Macbeth's ambition is one of the driving forces which has lingered in the background of the play and has driven Macbeth due to his own fault in character to become a man able to kill without good reason or conscience.
As the audience we automatically take a liking to Macbeth's character, he comes across as a very loyal and trustworthy warrior, true to his country. Shakespeare's inclusion of these traits helps to emphasise the great change in Macbeth's character from good to evil.
At the beginning of the play Shakespeare touches on a fight scene, and we hear of Macbeth's bravery:
'O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman.'
Clearly Macbeth has moved from a heroic warrior to the need to kill a man whilst he is asleep. Macbeth also becomes deceitful and was obviously not truly wholesome ...
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As the audience we automatically take a liking to Macbeth's character, he comes across as a very loyal and trustworthy warrior, true to his country. Shakespeare's inclusion of these traits helps to emphasise the great change in Macbeth's character from good to evil.
At the beginning of the play Shakespeare touches on a fight scene, and we hear of Macbeth's bravery:
'O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman.'
Clearly Macbeth has moved from a heroic warrior to the need to kill a man whilst he is asleep. Macbeth also becomes deceitful and was obviously not truly wholesome to begin with as his change would not have come about with such ease and on such swift wings.
One of the most important soliloquies with regards to Macbeth's ambition is at the beginning of Act 1 Scene 7. We see Macbeth entertain fellow noblemen and whilst doing so planning Duncan's murder. He himself realises it is ambition spurring him on:
'I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself'
And falls on th' other-'
Once he realises this he takes a step back and decides not to kill Duncan and tells Lady Macbeth of this. Although he has the ability to consider murder we can see that Macbeth still has some conscience and an understanding of right and wrong, his character is still strong, his life and dignity still salvageable.
Conclusively in Macbeth's case ambition is a fatal flaw, lurking in the back of his mind, pushing him further into evil, into the downward spiral He had become so blinded by the prospect of royalty that he was not bothered about what he would have to do to get there.
Macbeth admits that he needs someone to encourage him and to lead him on; this person would have to be Lady Macbeth. She is a very strong minded controlling woman during the core of the play, although we cannot entirely see her character traits before she called upon evil spirits to 'unsex me here'. When Macbeth is indecisive about the terms of murdering Duncan she urges him to see beyond his fears and anxiety.
"Though wouldst be great,
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend it."
Lady Macbeth has the advantage of knowing her husband exceptionally well and can use this to manipulate Macbeth, encouraging him to do what she wants. Lady Macbeth realises his fatal flaw - ambition - and takes advantage of it:
"This I have thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of
greatness."
This shows that Macbeth sees Lady Macbeth as a lifeline, depending on her strength. He sees her as a lifeline. We see Lady Macbeth tell Macbeth how to behave and act, teaching him deviancy. She tells Macbeth to:
"look like th'innocent flower,
But be the serpent under't."
We can see in this quote Lady Macbeth telling Macbeth to be two-faced and malevolent like a snake- hiding under an innocent and pure skin. She clearly brings out the worst in Macbeth, teaching him to be devious and sly. Macbeth is not an evil character at the beginning of Shakespeare's story, but his wife's involvement affects the choices he makes.
As I mentioned when I discussed Macbeth's ambition, when he realised what was affecting him he changes his mind and decides not to kill Duncan, it is only when he tells Lady Macbeth of this that she reverts him back to his original plans. So In contrast, we can see that although Macbeth's ambition had a significant effect on Macbeth, he was able to realise it and stop himself, it was only when Lady Macbeth became involved that he regressed to his sinister thoughts
At the beginning of Macbeth's descent into evil, Lady Macbeth is the stronger of the partnership but as the end of the play approaches, their roles are clearly reversed as we see Lady Macbeth turn into a mere shadow of her former self eventually taking her own life after she reaches insanity. Although she had the strength to ease Macbeth's fears, she was unable to suppress her own..
Lady Macbeth also turns into an evil and sinister person like her husband but unlike Macbeth she is a willing candidate. She asks evil spirits to take away her feminine qualities and replace them with traits that will allow her to aid Macbeth in his accession to the throne.
The three witches are introduced right at the beginning of the play so wee can already tell that they will have a great significance and have a large impact on the audience. Shakespeare uses a ;lot of dramatic devices in the witches scenes such as repetition. In Act 1 Scene 3 when we are first introduced to Macbeth, his first words are:
'So foul and fair a day I have not seen'
We automatically connect Macbeth with the witches, he echo's their words from their first scene:
'Fair is foul, and foul is fair'
This line suggests everything changing- turning on its head. Good becoming bad and bad becoming good. They recount to Macbeth three prophesies. That Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis and King. These prophesy introduce Macbeth to ideas of greatness. Macbeth will eventually follow through on killing King Duncan, a destruction of the natural order; it was sometimes thought that the witches had the ability to reverse the natural order of things. This brings into the play idea of fate and the role with which it has in the play. One can wonder if Macbeth ever had a chance of doing what was right after he met with the witches. After analysing the play, the witches never actually told Macbeth to commit any crimes or do wrong, they simply foretold his future. It was Macbeth and his wife that believed they hate to tamper and speed up his decided fate.
The witches could foretell the future, they can add temptation, and influence Macbeth, because they had told Macbeth that he would be King he became impatient and tried to hurry it as quickly as he could. but they can not control his destiny. Macbeth creates his own misery when he is driven by his own sense of guilt. This causes him to become insecure as to the reasons for his actions which in turn cause him to commit more murders. The witches offer great enticement, but it is in the end, each individual's decision to fall for the temptation, or to be strong enough to resist their captivation. The three Witches are only responsible for the introduction of these ideas and for further forming ideas in Macbeth head, but they are not responsible for his actions throughout the play.
On the whole after looking at the witch's involvement in Macbeth's descent into evil, it appears that the witches did not have the greatest affect on Macbeth. The most significant factor that they brought about was their prediction of the events. They never told Macbeth to do any harm or tat he would have to murder to fulfil the foretold prophecy. But because of his impatience, the witches trigger his realisation of his ambition and therefore begin the whole process.
When a person becomes fearful, insecurity normally follows. Macbeth experiences both of these troubles. He realises that he is in such deep trouble that he cannot go back on what he has done:
"I am in blood
Stepped in so far that should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go'er."
Soliloquies show us a lot about this influence as people - especially - rarely talk about their fears so we can see characters being open and honest. From Macbeth's ramblings, we can see he knows he has sinned but he is too far into the downward s[spiral to change his ways. Shakespeare shows Macbeth talking about his lack of sleep and we can see from this that Macbeth has serious problems, sleep is vital to life and therefore Macbeth becomes a shell of a man due to this.
"Wicked dreams abuse
The curtained sleep."
Shakespeare obviously wants the audience to notice the change that Macbeth is being subject to, everything turning on hits talk about ominous events that have occurred including night at day and horses eating themselves. This links in with the line, "Foul is fair and fair is foul." Said by the witches and Macbeth himself.
Macbeth sees a vision of a floating dagger. He thinks that the vision is just in his mind, but starts to analyse why his mind is playing tricks on him. Fear drives him to see things:
" There's no such thing:
It is the bloody business which informs
Thus to mine eyes."
Macbeth becomes obsessed with keeping the crown and it takes over his life and solves most of his problems with murder. He has taken the sinister road and he must stay on it.
When Macbeth meets with the witches nearer the end of the play, his insecurity is replaced with arrogance as he believes himself to be indestructible.
"I have almost forgot the taste of fears;"
He does in fact comment that in the past he would have reacted to every strange sound but has now changed. However, when the guard informs him that Great Birnam Woods appears to be marching towards the castle, he resorts back to the fearful character that the audience had witnessed before.
" I pull in resolution and begin
To doubt th' equivocation of the fiend"
In conclusion to looking at all the elements that have had effect on Macbeth's alteration in disposition I believe that his wife, Lady Macbeth had the greatest effect on Macbeth and his actions. Although Macbeth's ambition brought him problems, he realised his flaw and was able to control it until Lady Macbeth intervened. Although I would probably be right in saying that the witches brought about all the events that occurred in the play and told Macbeth of his future, it was only when he spoke to Lady Macbeth that she told him to act upon it, had he not, he would have almost certainly left it down to fate. Fear and insecurity doubtlessly played the smallest part in Macbeth's fall into iniquity, although they were present for the majority of the play. Lady Macbeth herself was truly evil due to her own request for malevolence and hunger for royalty. She had the most immense effect on Macbeth.
Samantha Long 11V2
