Lady Macbeth is the driving force behind the murder of Duncan!

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Louise Downie                                                              

73243                              

Macbeth Essay

‘Lady Macbeth is the real driving force behind the murder of Duncan’. Discuss this statement and decide whether or not you agree.

Throughout this essay I am going to argue that although it was Macbeth that killed King Duncan I feel that Lady Macbeth, King Duncan, The three witches and Macbeth played a part, Lady Macbeth perhaps contributing more than others.

In Act 1 Scene 1 we are introduced to the 3 witches and the first link with Macbeth appears here, which links Macbeth to evil already. The witches meet up and agree to go and meet Macbeth, there’s a sense of mystery here, they seem to know where Macbeth will be, like they can see the future.

The first thing we hear about Macbeth is what a brave warrior he is (Act 1 scene 2). In this scene Macbeth was fighting the Rebel Army led by Macdonwald who had The Thane of Cawdor on his side. Macbeth and Banquo were on King Duncan’s side for the Scottish Army, defending his king against treachery. A sergeant from the army had branded Macbeth ‘brave’, in the line ‘For brave Macbeth, well he deserves that name’. This scene shows Macbeth as a courageous character and there is remarkable respect here between the sergeant and Macbeth. The same sergeant towards the end of the scene is quoted to be calling Macbeth brave, in the line ‘so they doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe’. So far from the play we have seen Macbeth being linked to evil, but also being a courageous and brave character.

It is in scene 2 that we are first introduced to King Duncan. When he hears of Macbeths bravery and courageousness, and how the Thane of Cawdor has deceived him, he decides that he must be executed and Macbeth to replace him. Duncan says ‘what he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won’, King Duncan is showing huge respect here for Macbeth.

In scene 3 the witches appear again, and this time to speak strange prophecies to Macbeth and Banquo. Here Macbeth has another link to the witches when he arrives at the battlefield with Banquo, he is quoted as saying ‘I’ve never seen a day so foul and fair’ which is what the witches said in Act 1 scene 1. The theme of deceptive appearances runs throughout the play and in scene 3 it appears again when Banquo first spots the witches, he asks ‘what are these, so withered and so wild in their attire, that look not like th’inhabitants o’th earth, and yet are on’t?, live you? Or are you ought that man may question?’. Here Banquo is not sure if the witches are humans or creatures. Following that Macbeth calls upon the witches to speak if they can. This is where the strange prophecies are told to Macbeth and Banquo. They are ‘ All hail Macbeth. Hail to you Thane of Glamls, All hail Macbeth. Hail to you, Thane of Cawdor, All hail Macbeth. You’ll be king one day’. Macbeth is already Thane of Glamls since his father died but Macbeth asks how can he be Thane of Cawdor when Cawdor is alive, but what he doesn’t know yet is that Cawdor has been executed and Duncan has replaced him with Macbeth. He believes being or being Thane of Cawdor is impossible. He questions the witches as to where they got these prophecies from and demands an explanation but the witches disappear.

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When Macbeth hears he has become the new Thane of Cawdor Banquo suggests to him that the witches are trying to trick him, in the line ‘the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray’s in deepest consequence’. Macbeth starts thinking to himself now that two of the prophecies are true, he is waiting for the third one to come true, that he will become King, he is now portrayed as ambitious when he’s quoted saying to himself ‘Commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor, if good why do I yield to that ...

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