As seen in Act 1, Scene 3, Macbeth’s weakness was shown.
‘Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more’
Macbeth wants the witches to stay and tell him more about him becoming the King. His weakness is that he doesn’t believe in the prophecies, so he wants to hear more that maybe can convince him to believe what they say, if it is true or not.
Macbeth’s weakness after he heard the prophecies is that he can’t stop thinking about bad things that he has to do to be King.
‘If chance will have me King, why chance may crown me without my stir.’
He can’t stop thinking about the bad intentions to become King. He is wondering if he may become King by just doing nothing or by doing something evil about it.
Explaining how strong Lady Macbeth is as an influence to Macbeth.
The reaction of Lady Macbeth after she read the letter that Macbeth wrote.
‘Lay it to thy heart and farewell. Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be what thou art promised; yet do I fear thy nature”
This is when Shakespeare showed us how evil-minded Lady Macbeth is. She already has it set in her mind that her husband will be King the moment she finishes reading the letter. Then she immediately thought of a plan to kill Duncan. This shows how strong she made her mind from making a final decision and preventing herself from changing it.
Lady Macbeth wants to have the courage to do the things that only man should do. And that is to murder.
‘And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty; make thick my blood, Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse’
She doesn’t want to be weak and doesn’t want to change her mind in doing the bad deed. She’s thinking she must not feel pity at all to do this thing she has to do to get the crown for Macbeth. Compassion must not get in her way if she wants to murder the King. And showing her courage in front of Macbeth might stop him from feeling any sympathy to the King at all.
Lady Macbeth is telling Macbeth to have confidence and must not be weak in doing things that a man can do.
‘But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not fail. When Duncan is asleep—’
While Macbeth is uncertain in what he’s going to do, Lady Macbeth is forcing him to do this deed which she thinks it’s the easiest way for Macbeth to be King. Lady Macbeth is giving him the courage and helping him to think positively, that they will succeed. Lady Macbeth’s tone of voice is making Macbeth believes in her more.
It was the witches’ prophecies that started all the evil thoughts of Macbeth and that’s why he ended up with a horrifying death. The forcefulness of Lady Macbeth is also one of the reasons that led Macbeth in killing Duncan and it also led him to insanity. All her persuading to Macbeth to kill Duncan was really successful, because Macbeth was totally brainwashed by her. Lady Macbeth thinks that killing Duncan is the only chance to get the crown for Macbeth. She had a strong feeling that they will succeed this deed. I think Lady Macbeth is greedy for wealth and also to become Queen. And so was Macbeth, after he heard the prophecies, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the bad intentions and how it makes him feel nervous and excited at the same time.
