Is there anything to admire in the character of Macbeth? And how does Shakespeare influence our thoughts and feelings towards him as the audience?

As the audience, our opinions of Macbeth change throughout the play, from a perception of a character who is heroic and a loyal servant, to a cruel and evil “butcher”. Shakespeare uses many varied methods to portray the character of Macbeth to the audience, and influence their thoughts and feelings.

The opening scene is of three witches who feature throughout the play. They would have terrified an audience of the time as it was written and performed around the time of the ‘Gunpowder Plot’ and when the threat of being bewitched by a witch was very real to them. When supernatural and inexplicable things happened, women were often persecuted as witches and executed. This unfounded fear is what Shakespeare uses to get his audience hooked, and from there he is able to reel them in.

The weïrd sisters introduce Macbeth to us, ‘there to meet with Macbeth.’ As they say this they are predicting the future, a skill that witches were believed to have. At this point the audience are surprised to see that the main character is being linked to witches and therefore evil. The last line of their scene, ‘fair I foul and foul is fair,’ this line has alliteration, which enforces the line, making it stick in the memory. Also it is juxtaposition of foul and fair, they are opposites of each other, and yet they are being used together to describe the weather. This is also the first line of Macbeth, this strengthens the link between him and the witches, so before the plot has begun, this gives the audience preconceptions of him being sinful and malicious. The line also conveys an element of pathetic fallacy as it describes the strange weather, and also reflects the ‘strange’ and ‘confusing’ rhymes of the weïrd sisters. Shakespeare keeps referring to them to show the overall mood and directions of Macbeth during the play.

After Macbeth’s meeting with the weïrd sisters, he writes to lady Macbeth, this is when the audience first meet her, and so the way Shakespeare conveys her character in this scene is important as it is how the audience will view her for most of the play. The letter tells both lady Macbeth and the audience how the weïrd sisters prophesised his future as thane of both Cawdor and Glamis, and also that he will be king, ‘hail king that shalt be.’ Contrary to the ethics of the time Macbeth seems to treat his wife with the kind of equality he would only show other thanes. However, it begins to become apparent that Lady Macbeth has a great deal of control over him. He calls her his, ‘dearest partner in greatness.’ This shows the audience that Macbeth would be willing to do a great deal for her.

We see them contrast each other again when they meet to discuss the murder of king Duncan. It is lady Macbeth who initiates the plan, ‘O never shall sun that morrow see.’ Again showing her dominance over Macbeth, but also a very ambitious, evil side. Macbeth shows doubts and loyalty to his king, ‘we will speak further-‘ this restores some feelings of respect for Macbeth in the audience, as he is defying his wife, and showing his loyal side. But Shakespeare also uses it to make the audience wonder whom Macbeth values and loves more, his wife, or his king and country. “I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed.” When he says this, it shows that he seems to be more loyal to his king, but he is won over by his wife. At this point we as the audience admire him for his devotion to his king, and to his wife, it shows him to be a human and have human feelings,

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Lady Macbeth reveals her true self to the audience in a soliloquy. She links herself to ‘spirits who tend on mortal thoughts.’ And she asks that they ‘unsex’ her, to make her more masculine and therefore able to carry out the tasks that Macbeth is too weak to do. ‘Take my milk for gall.’ This symbolises a theme of black versus white, darkness and light and good and evil that runs through the play. It shows how Lady Macbeth could be seen as a fourth witch in the play, and is helping the weïrd sisters cast their spell on Macbeth. She also feels as though it is her committing the murder, and controlling Macbeth, ‘My keen knife.’ This shows how she wants to more masculine, and feels that if she weren’t a woman she would be stronger than Macbeth. Perhaps she feels that he is an extension of herself, at this point the audience would begin to pity Macbeth as they feel he is being submissive to his wife, who is using her persuasive techniques to overpower him in order to make Macbeth carry out her plans, because she feels too female and weak to do them, she is using Macbeth, simply as a body to perform her evil deeds. Shakespeare shows this by using “we” when Lady Macbeth talks about the crime Macbeth is about to commit, “We’ll not fail.” His use of the word “we” makes Lady Macbeth appear to the audience as though she feels that it is her who is committing the murder and that she is controlling Macbeth.

Macbeth realises that Lady Macbeth is taking advantage of his love for her and tries to take control of the situation. He shows his loyalty to his king and country as he tries to stop the deed, ‘We will proceed no further in this business.’ But again lady Macbeth shows her dominance and cunning, calculated plans, she throws his better judgement right back at his face and taunts him into submission. ‘Live a coward in thine own esteem.’ She questions his masculinity, ‘then you were a man.’ She uses words such as “coward” to describe Macbeth to make him feel guilty that he is letting her down, that he is not being the man she wants him to be. She is manipulating him by using his love for her to her own advantage. She even uses her femininity to her advantage and to further taunt his manhood when she says she would have, ‘dashed the brains out’ of her own child, rather than break a promise as he is doing.

This is another point at which the audience feels a great sympathy towards Macbeth as a “woman” is bullying him to murder against his own will. In a 1600s society, when the play was first written and performed, women were considered as second class, weaker both mentally and physically, therefore if a man were seen to being weaker than his wife, the audience would pity him. Shakespeare is using Lady Macbeth’s difference to other women, as a tool to show Macbeth’s vulnerability, a quality that requires sympathy and pity from an audience, and so they would place the blame on Lady Macbeth instead of Macbeth, as it seems as if he isn’t responsible for his own actions.

Macbeth buckled to is wife’s pressure and began to plan Duncan’s murder, he begins to hallucinate about a dagger, ‘A dagger of the mind, a false creation.’ Even in his ‘heat oppressed’ vision Macbeth appears to be aware that it isn’t real and that it has something to do with witches, ‘Pale Hecate’s off’ rings, and withered murder.’ Here Shakespeare is using the theme of good and evil as Macbeth battles evil in his mind. It must have been confusing for him as he is fighting against himself, and so either way, he cannot win. We as the audience pity Macbeth here because he has been won over by his wife's evil ways, we see that he has a weak mind, but we still admire his self knowledge that it is only a hallucination, it is as though he knows he is being taken advantage of, but cant do any thing to prevent it. Evil presides and he goes on to murder King Duncan, perhaps with some regret that he gave way to his wife’s assertiveness. ‘I go and it is done…that summons thee to heaven or hell.’ Heaven juxtaposes hell; they are two opposites that are used by Shakespeare to show the underlying theme of good and evil in the play. The way Macbeth questions where Duncan will go after his death, suggests that he knows that Duncan is a good person. Perhaps he is beginning to realise that he is quite the opposite, that he juxtaposes Duncan. This shows that he knows Duncan’s death to be untimely, as he suggests that it might go to heaven for he did not deserve to die.

Shakespeare again uses confrontations between the Macbeths to make the audience feel empathy towards Macbeth, as he seems confused and bewildered by what he has done, and Lady Macbeth still berates him. ‘Infirm of purpose.’ She still feels that she is the stronger one in their relationship and feels more worthy of the royalty promised to Macbeth. She believes that Macbeth feels remorse for his actions because he is not evil as she is. He shows his remorse in the form of delusions, ‘Me thought I heard a voice cry, ‘sleep no more: Macbeth does murder sleep.’ At this point we feel for Macbeth as he is clearly distressed, we feel that his suffering is as a result of the bullying prevailed on him by Lady Macbeth, therefore we feel sympathetic towards him.

Again, Shakespeare uses the theme of good and evil, this time represented by blood and water. Macbeth asks, ‘will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?’ this shows that he feels as though his bloodstained hands will give him away, he wants to hide the fact that he is a murderer, although this is what he does in battles. At this point we might feel that he is only doing what comes naturally to him, he kills in battle all the time, “his brandished steel which smoked with bloody execution.” but when it was someone that he knew and respected, and it was off the battle field, he felt distraught and remorseful. This makes the audience respect his morals, but dislike him slightly because he didn’t heed to them.

After Lady Macbeth has taken back the daggers, she uses the blood now on her hands to goad Macbeth, ‘my hands are the colour of yours, but I shame to wear a heart so white.’ Lady Macbeth knows that she is more evil and capable of murder than Macbeth was. It is the fact that Shakespeare constantly compares Macbeth to Lady Macbeth. This makes the audience like Macbeth more than his wife. When the two are compared it is always when she is being portrayed as an evil woman, like the witches, he seems to be much more naïve and innocent. It is through such comparisons that Shakespeare is able to make his audience feel that Lady Macbeth takes advantage of her husband’s weaker points, and that he is blind to this. We feel sympathetic towards him because he doesn’t know what is happening to him.

The power that Macbeth receives when he is crowned seems to unleash him from Lady Macbeth’s powers. He plans the murders of Banquo and his son Fleance without Lady Macbeth’s knowledge or consent. He pretends that all is normal and hides behind a mask of normality. He ironically tells Banquo, ‘fail not our feast’ even though he knows that he will be dead before it. He tells Lady Macbeth to ‘be innocent of the knowledge.’ He is trying to protect her and also show her that he can be evil with out her help. It seems like some of Lady Macbeth’s devious, calculating side is coming out in Macbeth. Shakespeare is using Macbeth’s role reversal here to make the audience start to respect him as he is taking his rightful place as the more dominant partner in their relationship. It is now him who is giving the orders to her, and not the other way round as we have previously seen, “And so I pray be you.” And “So prithee go with me.” Although these are orders and directions, he gives them in such a way that the audience see that he is kinder and more caring than his wife.

This dominance seems short-lived, in what has become known as the water shed or turning point at the play. After Banquo has been killed Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo at his banquet Shakespeare uses the fact that only Macbeth can see Banquo to heighten tension and suspense in the scene. ‘Never shake thy gory locks at me!’ the rest of the banqueters are worried about Macbeth, ‘Gentlemen, rise, his highness is not well.’ And do not wish to see him in a weakened state. Lady Macbeth however, tries to cover up for him, ‘sit worthy friends. My lord is often thus,’ So again, Lady Macbeth is more dominant and has to take control of the situation Macbeth has created in his fits. The ghost leaves, but then enters again to the horror of Macbeth. This re-entrance of Banquo creates tension in this scene as he instils yet more fear and anger in Macbeth. ‘Avaunt and quit my sight!’ Macbeth remains angry and confused after the ghost leaves. ‘Blood will have blood.’ Lady Macbeth shows a more caring motherly side as she tries to calm him, ‘You lack the season of all natures, sleep.’ However, by saying this, she is ironically reminding him that believes that he has “murdered sleep.”

Macbeth goes to see the witches again, this shows that he is a slave to them, and craves their input. They take control from Lady Macbeth and she becomes the delusional one. The witches play a trick on him and predict his future, saying that ‘none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.’ They also say, ‘Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to Dunsinain hill shall come against him.’ This makes Macbeth feel immortal and he becomes more willing to obey the weïrd sisters. The new confidence they have given him when they told him his future has given him the self-belief that he is invincible.

There has been building hatred towards Macbeth among the Thanes and lords; Lennox and an unnamed lord talk about the tyranny of Macbeth and his murderous ways. ‘That had he Duncan’s sons under his key- As, an’t please heaven, he shall not.’ They both refer to him as, ‘tyrant’ this shows how they no longer hold respect for him as bold warrior and king. ‘Macduff is gone to pray the holy king upon his aid.’ Macduff is the first of many Thanes to escape to England to help them overthrow Macbeth. We have a sense here that Shakespeare is using Macduff to contrast with Macbeth it is like he is the good where Macbeth is the evil. Macduff says, “Not in the legions of horrid hell can come a devil more damned in evils to top Macbeth.” This shows how the rest of Scotland may be feeling about Macbeth’s tyranny.

When Lennox tells Macbeth this news, he greets it with anger and disgust, he reacts by sending murderers to Macduff’s castle to ‘give to th’ edge o’th’sword his wife, his babes and all unfortunate souls.’ At this point the audience may still feel sympathy for Macbeth even though he is acting like a ‘butcher’ it would seem easy to place the blame on the witches, as it is them who are ultimately controlling him, giving the self-assurance that makes him feel like he can do as he pleases without consequence. When news of the ‘slaughter’ reaches England the rebels feel even more hatred to Macbeth.

As Macbeth has grown stronger, Lady Macbeth has weakened and becomes ill. It is as though he draws his new strength from her, as though they are one person. Lady Macbeth is now more delusional than Macbeth ever was, ‘All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.’ This relates to an earlier scene in the play where Lady Macbeth used the blood on her hand to taunt Macbeth, but now it is he who is coping better with the guilt of murder. The Macbeths have grown apart, and so when, in her madness she kills herself, all Macbeth can say is, ‘she should have died hereafter.’ Here the audience would think that Macbeth was becoming heartless and uncompassionate. But subsequently he shows that he knows that he has lost all that he had.

He prepares to go out to fight Macduff, and admits his deepest thoughts to his servant, ‘Seyton I am sick at heart.’ This line shows an underlying theme of sickness in the play, for Lady Macbeth has died of a sickness of the mind, and it seems now that Macbeth will die of a sickness of the heart, he has given up hope on life and is willing to enter into his consequences, be it heaven or hell. Also, ‘As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends, I must not look to have, but in their stead, curses.’ These lines evoke a great sorrow in the hearts of the audience, as they see how underneath it all he is as human as us all and he is hurt that he has lost everything. This shows the audience how he is reformed, but it is all too late, they would feel really very sorry for him at this point, and admire his bravery to stand up and stare imminent death in the face, ‘cheer me ever or disseat me now.’

Shakespeare uses a soliloquy of Macbeth’s to voice the morals of the play in just one simple sentence. ‘Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.’ This is Shakespeare’s view on life, that it is meaningless, especially when you let others control you, and don’t live for you. Shakespeare is perhaps showing how he doesn’t respect or admire the character of Macbeth but that he sympathises and pities him. When Macbeth realises there is nothing left for him, and he only has himself to blame there is something to admire in his character. The fact that he acknowledges his inevitable death, but doesn’t try to justify his actions shows the audience that underneath it all there always was an admirable person, it wasn’t until his wife died that this side of him came out. Maybe this is because Lady Macbeth had a strong hold over him and he could only break free and show his true self when she had gone for good.

Overall the audience only really admire him at the end of the play when his last soliloquy shows that he is a truly brave individual, “cheer me ever or disseat me now.” This shows that in his impending death he still wanted to go out fighting like the man he used to be, rather than take his own life, as his wife does. It is this final comparison between the two that we can finally see his brave side.

Laura Barnes

MACBETH ESSAY: Is there anything to admire in the character of Macbeth? And how does Shakespeare influence our thoughts and feelings towards him as the audience?

Laura Barnes