‘Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more.
By Siniels death I know I am Thane of Glamis,
But how of Cawdor? The Than of Cawdor lives
A prosperous gentleman; and to be King
Stands not within the prospects of belief,
No more than to be Cawdor.’ (Macbeth Act 1, Scene 3, lines 70 -75)
This quote shows that he outwardly dismisses the prophecies at first apart from to become the Thane of Glamis, but I believe that this sparks an idea that he could be much bigger, much more powerful.
He tells us he thinks this later on in his letter to Lady Macbeth.
When Lady Macbeth reads his letter in Act 1 Scene 5 ideas about her becoming more powerful start to spring into her mind, so much so that she tries ask the spirits to become pure evil
‘… ,unsex me here
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, …’ (Lady Macbeth Act 1, Scene 5, lines 41-44)
The difference is Macbeth tries to dismiss them and thinks nothing of it whereas his wife starts to make plans as she has decided that she wants to be queen. So when Macbeth arrives back at his castle Lady Macbeth tries to make him kill his beloved king Duncan. At the start he doesn’t want to know and says he has never intended to kill Duncan but Lady Macbeth uses all sorts of tactics to try and persuade Macbeth to change his mind and Murder Duncan. However Macbeth doesn’t want anything to do with it as he believes Lady Macbeth has understood him.
All though He says he doesn’t want to kill Duncan he has obviously thought about becoming king because in Act 1 Scene 4 he says;
‘The Prince of Cumberland – that is a step,
On which I must fall down, …’ (Macbeth Act 1, Scene 4, lines 48-49)
Macbeth makes this remark just after Duncan’s son Malcolm is named Prince of Cumberland and next in line to the throne (ahead of Macbeth).
In Act 1, Scene 7 I think that Macbeth still doesn’t want to actually kill the king himself, but more that he is being forced into it by his wife through blackmail. I think this because it seems that he is trying to talk himself into doing it.
‘… , that we but teach
Bloody instructions, which being taught return
To plague th’ inventor.’ (Macbeth Act 1, Scene 7, lines 8-10)
In this quote Macbeth is basically telling himself I have been taught to kill – I am a killer, which I think is just hyping himself up as he doesn’t have a better reason to kill Duncan, Because of this I believe Macbeth is a Man and not a Monster at this point.
I think the dagger soliloquy In Act 2, Scene 1 could be telling us that Macbeth is getting nervous or he could be ill (physically or mentally) about killing Duncan which could be causing him to hallucinate,
‘A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-opressed brain?’ (Macbeth Act 2, Scene 1, lines 38-39)
But I think the most likely cause is that Shakespeare has put this in to show that Macbeths’ thoughts are wandering and not concentrated as he is still deciding (in his conscience) what to do, the dagger helps in this way as it actually points the way in which to go;
‘Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going, …’ (Macbeth Act 2, Scene1, line 42)
The dagger also guides him by showing he must kill Duncan;
‘And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, …’
After Macbeth has committed the murder he starts to get paranoid claiming that he has heard all kinds of voices, shouts and cries from other chambers.
‘There’s one did laugh in’s sleep, and one cried
“Murder!”’ (Macbeth Act 2, Scene 2, lines 19-20)
After this they realises that Macbeth hasn’t placed the daggers back on the guards but has kept them in his hands, so Lady Macbeth takes them off him and does what he failed to as he tries to wash his hands but as he is doing this we learn that he feels he can never wash the blood of Duncan off of his hands.
‘Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No, this myhand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.’ (Macbeth Act 2, Scene 2, lines 57-60)
I think in most of Act 2, Scenes 1 and 2 that Macbeth is a monster. But in this brief moment at the end I believe he has become a man again.
In the scenes that follow the murder of Duncan Macbeth suspects Banquo of suspecting that Macbeth killed the king. However unfaithful to his old friend this may sound Macbeth is right as Banquo does suspect Macbeth.
‘Thou hast it now, King, Cawdor, Glamis, all,
As the weird women promised, and I fear
Thou play’dst most foully for’t; …’ (Banquo Act 3, Scene 1, lines 1-3)
And so because of what Macbeth thinks he plans to have Banquo killed.
Since the murder of Duncan the relationship between Macbeth and his wife has changed dramatically; she is no longer the influential, controlling figure she was but now Macbeth has taken charge, and I think this was a big mistake as all the problems in the plans so far have come about because of Macbeth, either in what he did (or didn’t) do or because of how he reacted, or what he said etc.
Macbeths new plan includes a visit to the witches so they can tell him what’s going to happen in the future. When he arrives however their prophecies don’t seem to be as clear-cut as the first ones although Macbeth interprets them word for word as that is what happened with the first prophecies.
‘Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, beware Macduff;
Beware the Thane of Fife.’ (1st Apparition Act 4, Scene 1, lines 71-72)
‘Be bloody, bold and resolute; laugh to scorn
The power of man, for none of woman born
Shall harm Macbeth.’ (2nd Apparition Act 4, Scene 1, lines 79-81)
‘Be lion-mettled, proud and take no care
Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are.
Macbeth shall never vanquished be, until
Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill
Shall come against him’(3rd Apparition Act 4, Scene 1, lines 90-95)
Macbeth takes this first Apparition very seriously and so he decides to go and kill Macduff, even though he thinks he is invincible and can’t be killed, as he believes it impossible for someone to not be born of woman. But when his men reach Macduff’s castle at Fife, Macduff isn’t their but they kill everyone inside it anyway, including his wife and children.
The 2nd Apparition Macbeth also takes very seriously, word for word thinking he is invincible as everyone is woman born so he can never be killed.
Macbeth also takes the 3rd Apparition word for word and as he believes the wood outside his castle (Great Birnam Wood) can never move he thinks he can never be defeated.
I think at this stage in the play Macbeth is becoming more and more of monster as he has now resorted to killing innocent women and children.
In the final scenes of the play Macbeth puts all of his trust and faith into the witches prophecies so they might save him from the imposing English army;
‘Bring me no more reports, let them fly all.
Till Birnam wood remove to Dunsinane, …’ (Macbeth Act 5, Scene 3, lines 1-2)
‘I cannot taint with fear. What’s the boy Malcolm?
Was he not born of woman? The spirits that know
All mortal consequences have pronounced me thus:
“Fear not Macbeth, no man that’s born of woman
shall e’er have power upon thee.”’ (Macbeth Act 5, Scene 3, lines 3-7)
However when one of the witches prophecies – that Great Birnam wood Macbeth is shocked and lashes out at the messenger who tells him by brandishing him a;
‘Liar and a slave!’ (Macbeth Act 5, Scene 5, line 37)
And;
‘If thou speak’st false,
Upon the next tree shalt thou hang alive…’ (Macbeth Act 5, Scene 5, lines 38-39)
During the last few scene in the play Macbeth has moments of his real, original character of a loyal, brave soldier come out.
‘I’ll fight, till from my bones my flesh be hacked,
Give me my armour.’ (Macbeth Act 5, Scene 3, lines 32-33)
This is an extremely brave side of Macbeth coming out.
In the final fight with Macduff the Macbeth we see is a defiant and desperate one clinging onto his one last hope – the last prophecy;
‘Let fall thy blade on vulnerable crests;
I bear a charmed life, which must not yield
To one of woman born.’ (Macbeth Act 5, Scene 8, lines 11-13)
Macduff then answers to this with;
‘Despair thy charm
And let the angel whom thou still hast served
Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb
Untimely ripped.’ (Macduff Act 5, Scene 8, lines 14-17)
What Macduff is saying here is that he was born by a caesarean section and not naturally born. Macduff and Macbeth carry on fighting until Macbeth is slain.
In conclusion I believe that Macbeth was a noble soldier who was almost considered a hero amongst his fellow men who was pushed by his evil, controlling, influential wife to commit a murder he did not want to commit however after this turning point Macbeth became a bloodthirsty, evil monster completely by his own doing, until at the end were we start to see him in his original state again. Others may consider him a complete and utter monster, whereas some will defend his actions saying it was the right thing, or he was forced to do it, but I suppose one way to sum it all up would be to say;
‘One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter’
or more simply; It’s a matter of perspective.
By Peter Liddle
