During scene 1 we don’t see Macbeth but we do hear about him from the mysterious witches. These supernatural beings are quite interested about Macbeth but why Macbeth. They talk about how they shall manipulate Macbeth for there evil ways ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’ using Macbeth to cause the country and its stability to be turned upside down. These witches seem to know the battle he has just won and how he has eliminated his opponents with such grace, also they know his ambition to become ruler of Scotland, to become the king.
Throughout scene 2 we still don’t see Macbeth but we learn just how valiant and brave Macbeth is, the captain says ‘how he brandished his steel and it smoked with bloody execution’ showing just how much he seem to look up to Macbeth and creating an image of this courageous gallant person just to create a contrast later on in the play of just how corrupt Macbeth really is. The captain also talks about how he killed these men with ease say ‘till he unseamed him from the nave to th’chaps’ this is like the icing on the cake making Macbeth sound so heroic. Macbeth is clearly a fearless warrior and a very powerful to be able to use a heavy broad sword. Last of all in this scene Macbeth is called ‘noble’ by Duncan with is quite an honour and on top of this given another title Thane of Cawdor, this is quite ironic though seeing that Macbeth has been given the traitors title.
Scene 3 this is the first time we see Macbeth, in this scene he meets the witches with Banquo. The first thing we see Macbeth say is ‘so foul is fair’ repeating what the witches had said in the beginning of the play this could links him to the witches in a sense. Then once Macbeth meets the witches they greet him like a king say ‘all hail’ then giving him the prophesies. Banquo asks Macbeth ‘seem to fear things that do sound fair’ asking him why he seems so terrified by what the witches say. This also portrays Macbeth in a different way to what he is described he seems scared and doesn’t speak instead of being brave as said by the captain in the previous scene. When they speak to Banquo they talk in riddles with Macbeth they talked directly to him, but in these riddles it seems they are telling Banquo he is the better person than Macbeth, Shakespeare most probably added this to make Banquo look good pleasing king James. Then straight after the witches vanish, Macbeth is greeted with his new title Thane of Cawdor now making the witches prophesies seem quite genuine plus help feed his ambitions to become king. After Macbeth claims his new title he gives us a soliloquy in this Macbeth displays his certainty that he will become king when he says, ‘Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor. The greatest is behind.’ Macbeth is unsure to trust the witches saying in his next soliloquy ‘cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill’ he’s think about if the witches mean him evil. Macbeth then shows he thinks about murdering the king to become king himself saying ‘my thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical’ but then feels he may become king if he just wait patiently but is unsure saying ‘if chance will have me king why chance may crown me without my stir’ so Macbeth is pondering on just leave everything the way it is and hope he becomes king by chance.
Next is scene 4, when Macbeth first enters Duncan greets him as ‘o worthiest cousin’ Duncan’s trust in Macbeth is deeply ironic. Then Duncan promises Macbeth more honours and rewards this delights Macbeth saying ‘in doing it, pays itself’. But once Macbeth hears that Malcolm shall succeed the throne he gets very enraged and starts think about some very dark imagery and really starts to think about killing the king and Malcolm
Scene 5, in this scene we first see Lady Macbeth. Now we see another side of Macbeth, she say that Macbeth ‘is too full o’th’milk if human kindness’ saying he is to soft to kill Duncan but being evil is the best way and that he should murder him, but it seems she is the strong one she’s evil enough to kill the king. This shows that Macbeth is ambitious about becoming king but will not do evil to obtain his goal on the other hand his wife is more than willing forcing his hand to try and get him to murder the king. They are very close and are equal in there marriage not like marriages in that era. She try to feed her darkness and crawl intension of murder to him and it seems she does this by ‘sweet talking’ him into doing this saying ‘great Gamis’ and ‘my dearest love’
In scene 6 we do not see Macbeth, maybe he is plotting how to kill Duncan or thinking through what if he really wants to kill Duncan.
Lastly scene 7, at the beginning he debates with himself does he really want to kill Duncan showing he has a conscience. It seems like he weights up all the pros and cons and then feels hes going to get caught because fate will catch him as Duncan is a good king. Also Duncan is Macbeth’s cousin and king it would be such a bitter evil betrayal, plus he thinks god shall judge him for it and he shall be condemned to hell. So at this point I feel he his starting to convince himself that this deed is just to immoral and he is loyal to his king but Lady Macbeth in the end succeeds to manipulate Macbeth into killing Duncan.
To conclude after act 1 Macbeth goes on to kill Duncan and becomes the new king of Scotland, after the killing of Duncan it seems he becomes cold blooded murderer, yet he doesn’t even kill people himself he get others people to do his dirty work for him. Then lady Macbeth has a break down and commits’ suicide leave Macbeth all alone. And then is finally brutally murdered by Macduff foretold by the witches. I feel Macbeth has good expectations but too many factors in his life fuelled his ambition to become king and the measures at what he needed to do to get there. Macbeth did have a conscience but it seems this was all but ripped about from him by Lady Macbeth for her desire for power.
