In act one scene five, when the messenger brings to Lady Macbeth the news that the King will come she is already planning in her mind what needs to be done. With the exit of the messenger, Lady Macbeth beckons the evil spirits to help her, “come you spirits that tend on mortal, unsex me here, and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top full of direst cruelty!” Here Lady Macbeth expresses her desire to be rid of her femininity, love, feeling’s and to become more evil. Within the same speech Lady Macbeth expresses the desire that the evil within her crows deeper and pleads, “come, thick night, and pull the in the dunnest smoke of hell, that my keen knife see not the wound it makes nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, to cry, ‘Hold, hold!” At this point Lady Macbeth is even prepared to do the murder herself, and even pleads that heaven will not prevent her by quickening her conscience. Whilst caught up in these thoughts Macbeth enters and Lady Macbeth’s words turn to him, “Great Glamis! Worthy Cawdor! Greater by the both, by the all-hail hereafter!
Lady Macbeth enquires of Macbeth when King Duncan would come and when he would leave, reply is given that the King would come that night and leave the following day. With these thoughts in mind Lady Macbeth utters, “O never, shall sun that morrow see! He that’s coming must be provided for; and you shall put this nights great business into my dispatch”. Whether Lady Macbeth or someone else will do the evil deed is not clear within this paragraph, but the evil deed intent already fermenting in her mind and soul. The witches prophecy seems to be coming to fruition. Macbeth himself is not yet utterly convinced of the way forward and replies “we will speak further,” to which Lady Macbeth demands that he keeps an honest countenance. She will do the scheming behind the scenes and he, Macbeth will do the welcoming of the king. Lady Macbeth fears her husbands nature because she sees him as “too full of the milk of human kindness”.
The next scene introduces King Duncan and Banquo approaching the home Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Duncan states, “This castle has a pleasant seat; the air nimbly and sweetly recommends itself into our gentle senses,” knowing how the play will develop these words underlined irony. Banquo also states, that “the air is delicate,” which underlines the irony of Duncan’s speech. With the entrance of Lady Macbeth the dialogue continues in a sarcastic vein between Duncan exchanging a pleasant conversation with Lady Macbeth, but her conversation with him has words of dual meaning. Lady Macbeth assures Duncan of her prayers when she says “we rest your hermits”. The next scene, which is the final scene in act one introduces us to the mutual support between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Initially Macbeth seems to be having second thoughts of the planned murder, “premeditated” and expresses “If it were done, when tis done, then twere well it were done quickly,” Macbeth’s conscience is beginning to worry him. Macbeth states “He’s (Duncan) is here in double trust: first, as I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed; then, as his host, who should against his murderer shut the door”. Macbeth in this statement is respecting himself as Duncan’s servant and as his host who should protect him.
With the entry of Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s conscience and speech indicates he wishes to proceed no further with the planned murder, “we will proceed no further in this business: he has honored me of Late”. Shakespeare builds up a theme of horror in his tone of language, murdering a King was considered a very unforgiving sin because the King was thought of as being appointed by God in the period which Macbeth was written. Lady Macbeth retorts “was the hope drunk, wherein you dress’d yourself? Hath it slept since?” Lady Macbeth here is urging her husband to think again about their earlier aspirations Lady Macbeth taunts him with being a coward, “And live like a coward…..” Whilst taunting her husband Lady Macbeth is also encouraging him to go forward with their planned states (agenda) “You would be so much more the man”. This is in direct response to Macbeth’s statement, “pr’y thee, peace. I done do all that become a man”.
Macbeth is the main character in the play. In the beginning of the play he is a
nobleman and Scottish general in King Duncan's army. Macbeth later becomes the Thane of Glamis and Cawdor and King of Scotland. Macbeth is a man who is easily persuaded, brave, good-hearted, and overly-ambitious. In the beginning of the play Macbeth is a man with a good heart and good intentions, but he is too easily persuaded by his wife into killing Duncan. Macbeth also has several other people killed. Macbeth is a very brave man who shows his bravery throughout the play. Macbeth's tragic flaw is his vaulting ambition. In the end it Macbeth's ambition and bravery which get him killed.
Lady Macbeth takes advantage of her husbands love and devotion to her to goad him into killing Duncan and starting down the immoral road of choices and decisions which ultimately lead to Lady Macbeth's suicide and Macbeth's death. Her ambition, unlike her husband's, is unbridled by morals. She even requests the heavens to "unsex" her of any feelings that might inhibit her ability to become queen. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, although they love each other, grow further apart throughout the play.
