During the whole of this speech Macbeth only says Duncan’s name once and even then it is only to say good things about him and not in the same sentence as anything about death. “Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek,” This shows the audience that he likes Duncan and in reality does not really wish to even harm him, yet because his ambition, the ambition of his wife and her persuasion skills he now feels that it is the best thing to do.
It seems that Macbeth is shocked by Lady Macbeth’s entrance, as he did not expect her. He immediately stops his soliloquy as if he does not wish for her to see that he is even thinking this possibility over. Due to being startled by her his sentences become short “How now? What news?” It is simple and he does not say anything that is not necessary. This could either be because he is scared of her or because he does not want to show to her his weak side.
Her response is stern towards him; she questions his actions whilst answering his questions in a simple manner. It is noticeable here that she has only one thing on her mind, the same as Macbeth and she is very aware of the fact that this the only thing Macbeth can think about. Macbeth then tries to fight being overpowered by his wife here by pretending perhaps, that he was wondering if Duncan had asked for his company. “Hath he asked for me?”
Even this simple question can be twisted by lady Macbeth back to the issue that she wishes to talk with him about. “ Know you not he has?” This question can be taken by the audience in many ways, such as that he had and Lady Macbeth wonders why he has not been told, yet Macbeth interprets it as talking about the murder of Duncan again. So he becomes defensive and soon tells her to stop talking about it. He tells her that he feels he should be thankful to Duncan for all that he has given him lately, not to take away his life. The only other reason he gives her is that he is well respected by the people of Scotland and he does not wish to throw this away. It is interesting that he does not tell her the many reasons that he has previously thought about because he is scared she may think less of him for it.
Lady Macbeth here comes into her element; she shows the audience her true power in manipulating Macbeth until his mind is changed. “ Was the hope drunk
Wherein you dressed yourself?” She uses a metaphorical image of drunk as a person that has been intoxicated by alcohol. She continues to question him, she asks if he is afraid to do as he says. Is he now afraid to go get the crown? . She asks him whether he has become a coward and is losing what makes him a man.
Macbeth notices soon what his wife is trying to do and soon tells her to be quiet, this maybe to tell her that she is wrong or just because he fears that they may at anytime be walked in on or overheard. “I dare do all that may become a man;
Who dares do more is none.” Macbeth can answer her with, is that yes he is a still a man and there is no-one more a man than he. He does not need to kill to prove to her that he is a man.
“What beast was’t then
That made you break this enterprise to me?” Lady Macbeth is now wondering why it was that he ever came up with this idea if he had no intention of ever going through with it. The only way that he will become a real man is when he kills Duncan. “Be so much more the man”. She says that before now the time and place had always been wrong, but now it is perfect. If it is to be done now is the only time it can be. Now that everything is ready Macbeth no longer wants to go ahead.
After this Lady Macbeth uses one of the most persuasive speeches in the whole play, she talks of how if she had promised to kill her own child she would have killed it whilst it was breast-feeding off her. “I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums
And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn”. This is a very powerful speech as it connects with what the audience feel as evil. To kill ones own child is what the audience would see as the most evil act possible and to promise that you would do this if you said puts to shame Macbeth not killing Duncan. It also connects in Macbeth’s head, as this is a weak point because we know that he does not have a child of his own and he may be unable to have children. It may be an issue that he is very sensitive about and bringing up would just weaken his defences.
Now Macbeth has been persuaded that because he has previously said that he would carry out the murder he must now do it. He has given in to her. She now has total power for a while. She will now feel that he will do anything she tells him. However he is still very scared and wants to ensure that nothing goes wrong. “If we should fail?” All he can ask is what if it should go wrong? He has given up trying to fight her.
The next line said is by Lady Macbeth and is a simple two words “We fail?” This can be taken in many ways depending on how it is spoken by the actors. It can be interpreted as saying, well if we fail than that’s it, it can’t be helped or We will never fail or even if it is said in a half laugh it can be taken as though she thinks he is joking. The next section of her speech contains alliteration “Will I with wine and wassail so convince” She plans to get the guards of Duncan drunk and after than she will overpower them. Then this will leave Duncan unguarded and free to their attacks. “His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt” They then plan to blame the murder on the guards due to the fact that they will be unable to remember their actions from this time. Here for the first time the action they are about to commit is referred to at last as murder “quell”. This shows that she is not in fear of this act, or at least that she will not show this fear to Macbeth.
After his wife’s great speech Macbeth has no choice but to agree to carry out the murder. He will be a man and he will show her that he can carry out any thing she wants him to. “For thy undaunted mettle should compose
Nothing but males. Will it not be received,
When we have marked the blood those sleepy two
Of his own chamber and used their very daggers,
That they have done’t?” Here he adds to the plan; he will use the guards’ daggers and smear them with Duncan’s blood. This way no one can blame anyone but the drunken guards. He no longer now needs to worry about being caught doing this, he feels the plan is safe.
At this point the audience are unsure whether Lady Macbeth had already come up with this part of the plan and just does not tell him. If this were true it would be used so that Macbeth feels it is partly his own work. Albeit she still says nothing but agrees with him and adds that they must seem sad upon his death. Macbeth understands this and says that he shall act sad after the death. Yet they must get on and deceive the world, no one must know what is in their hearts.
The last two lines form a rhyming couplet. These are only used around five times in the play, when an important event is about to occur. “Away, and mock the time with fairest show
False face must hide what the false heart doth know” This emphasises these words to the audience and signifies just how important it is.
In comparison in my second chosen scene, act 3 scene 1, a lot has changed and the overall power of the relationship has now switched to Macbeth, as has power of Scotland. During this scene there are many other characters other than just Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, here they are only both on stage for a short part of the scene as he sends her off. During this scene Macbeth talks to two people about carrying out the murder of Banquo.
The scene begins with Banquo alone on stage dressed in riding wear. It seems that he is talking to Macbeth yet Macbeth is not on stage at the time. He talks about how Macbeth has now gained all of the things that the three weird sisters had promised. Yet he has a feeling in the back of his mind that Macbeth may have done something wrong to gain all of this. On the other hand if Macbeth has all that he was promised then Banquo will get what he was promised, to have his children be kings. Despite his mind being plagued with these thoughts Banquo knows that he must not speak of this to anyone and, as people are coming, he stops.
Here enters Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and many others. They talk for a small time about how much they wish for Banquo to be at the feast which they are hosting that night. Banquo agrees that he will be there and that he will do anything that Macbeth commands him to. “Forever knit”.
It is after this moment where Macbeth starts to ask Banquo about his afternoon actions. “Ride you this afternoon?” This question is perfectly normal yet Macbeth continues to question Banquo about his afternoon horse ride. He asks how far he is going. He also at this point tells Banquo that he was missed at the day’s meeting because he always brings good ideas yet at least he will be there tomorrow.
Banquo answers that question about how far he shall ride by telling Macbeth that his horse is slow yet he will ride till suppertime. This conversation about the ride is finished when Banquo assures Macbeth that he will attend the Feast. By this Macbeth has gained the information he needs in order to know Banquo’s whereabouts when he wishes to kill him.
Here the conversation changes direction. Macbeth begins to talk about what Malcolm and Donaldbain are doing and where they are. He says they are lying about how they killed their father. “In England and in Ireland, not confessing
Their cruel parricide, filling the hearers
With strange invention.” Although the audience do not know it yet Macbeth plans to murder Banquo, it is only because there are others in the room that Macbeth continues to say that he believes that Malcolm and Donaldbain had killed their father.
It is here that Macbeth realises he has not asked whether Banquo’s son Fleance is going riding with Banquo. So he begins back on the conversation. To the question Banquo answers that yes Fleance will ride with him and Macbeth wishes him a good rides and Banquo leaves “Farewell”.
Now Macbeth shows his full power over the relationship when he not only asks the court to leave him and not disturb him until dinner at seven, but he also just includes his wife in this. Whereas before, when Lady Macbeth was in power he would never have told her to ‘go away’ let alone just included her in the main court and not spoke to her alone. He no longer has to ask her permission for anything now and just does things without including her in his actions.
At this point I feel that his servant would have walked away with the court and would have been called back by Macbeth especially. “Sirrah, a word with you: attend those men
Our pleasure?” He asks if there are some men are here to see him. “There are, my lord”. This statement would confuse the servant, as he would not know how Macbeth knew there were men waiting to see him outside. “Bring them before us”.
This now is when the audience learn of Macbeth’s cruel intentions to kill Banquo. He says that for him to be king is worthless if Banquo’s children will then carry on the crown. It was all worth nothing, he did not kill Duncan for Banquo’s children to become kings but so that he and his children could be. “Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown”. The witches gave him the crown but it means nothing to him if it will not stay in his blood. He will fight fate, he challenge it to the death if it stops them becoming kings. “Rather than so, come fate into the list
And champion me to th’utterance”.
He speech is stopped at this point when his servant brings into the room two men. Macbeth then send his servant away to guard the door to stop anyone else entering the room and so that he is so far away he will not here what Macbeth is about to talk about.
He begins to the men asking them if they had considered what he had told them the day before. He said that earlier in their lives when everything was going badly and they thought that he was to blame that it was Banquo. Yet now he wishes to talk further about this matter. He asks them if they believe that they must forgive Banquo for making their lives miseries. Are they the sort of men that can just forget that type of thing? “We are men, my liege” By this they mean by this that they are true strong men that can fight Banquo ourselves. Macbeth just throws this back into their face stating that yes they may be men but what type of man are they. They may be called men but as with dogs there are many different types. “Distinguishes the swift, the slow, the subtle
The housekeeper, the hunter, every one” If they are in the list of the valued people and not of the worst men alive then Macbeth says he is able to entrust with them the important business of killing their enemy. This is similar to the persuasion technique that Lady Macbeth used on Macbeth earlier in the play when she said he was not longer a man. Both men then agree with him saying that they are of the valued type and that he can so trust them to do, as he wants. “Both of you know
Banquo was your enemy.”
“True, my lord”. This shows that Macbeth has managed to persuade them that he is not the one that they hate and that it is Banquo. Macbeth now tells the men that Banquo is his enemy. He says that every minute that Banquo is alive it eats him up inside and he could just kill him yet he knows he must not. For he and Macbeth share many of their friends and many of these may suspect him of the killing. He does not wish to lose these friends and so requires some assistance in the matter.
“We shall, my lord,
Perform what you command us.” These men have been won around by Macbeth’s persuasions and will now kill Banquo at his command. However, the second man starts to say something to Macbeth but Macbeth cuts him off before he has finished. This could either be because Macbeth wants to show his power or because he does not want the man to speak his concerns.
During this short speech Macbeth finalises to the men what he wishes them to do. Firstly he compliments them, telling them “Your spirits shine through”. He then tells them that he will tell them where to go and all the exact information but it must be don’t that night. It must also be done a while away from the palace to ensure no one can see. He then says that they must not make any mistakes and that they must also kill Banquo’s son Fleance. He says that the death is in fact no less important to him than that of his father; he too must embrace the same fate as his father. “Fleance, his son that keeps him company,
Whose absence is no less material to me
Than his father’s, must embrace the fate
Of that dark hour” By this point the minds of the two men are made up, they now know what they must do and will do it. Macbeth has only to tell the men that he will soon call for them and to wait close before he is left alone on the stage. Here he says out loud a small speech, which is aimed at Banquo although he knows that he cannot hear him. “Banquo, thy soul’s flight,
If in heaven, must find out tonight.” Here the audience are again shown the importance of this moment by the way that Shakespeare has placed a rhyming couplet at the end of the last two lines of this scene.
By the end of this scene it is now clear to the audience that Macbeth is not only successfully overpowering his wife in many ways but is also overpowering much of Scotland. This is a large comparison to the first scene I compared where it was made clear to the audience that Lady Macbeth was mainly in power of their relationship yet now Macbeth has gained the power of this and much other things.
Despite the main obvious theme in this play being Power there are also many other different themes. Some of which are obvious in the scenes that I have analysed and others that are only shown in other parts of the play. There is the deception of people by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. This is shown here in the second scene when Macbeth tells the men that it was Banquo to blame for their lives going wrong when in fact it was himself. Also shown when Macbeth tells Banquo and everyone else that it was Malcolm and Donaldbain that killed their father.
There is also the theme of guilt as shown by blood, none of this is shown in my chosen scenes by much of it is shown by Lady Macbeth later in the play in the scene where she has her nightmare. Here she is seen by the audience to be seemingly trying to wash immovable blood from her hands.
Another main theme in this play is the workings of the supernatural and their influences into Macbeth’s life. Again none of this is shown in the two chosen scenes but it very prominent in Macbeth’s choices about his actions. By part way into the play Macbeth believes all of what the Witches say and so as they say “for none of woman born
Shall harm Macbeth” Macbeth is lead to believe that no one can harm him so he feels he has no need to protect himself. This later gets him into great danger.
In conclusion despite there being many other themes in this play in my chosen scenes the one of power stands out a great deal. They show well how Lady Macbeth has the majority of power during the beginning of the play but as it continues she loses it quickly to Macbeth. He seems to gain the power of the country around the same time that he gains it over the relationship, however because the switch in power of the relationship is not as obvious as the switch in power of the country we are unable to determine which followed which.
Laura Mann
10E