"This butcher and his fiend like queen"

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James Sturgess

"This butcher and his fiend like queen"

In this essay I an going to look at weather Macbeth is a "butcher" and Lady Macbeth is "his fiend like Queen". This comes from the quote "this dead butcher and his fiend like queen" made by Malcolm. A "butcher" is a vivid way of saying a mass-murderer, who has a conscience about what he does. A fiend is an evil demon or spirit which has a violent edge. It is a magical figure which can cast a spell directly over others. In this essay I will have to consider whether it is fair to think of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as evil from start to finish or whether they are changed by forces outside their control.                                                    


             Malcolm made the remark "This dead like butcher and his fiend like queen," when he was crowned as the king of Scotland, after Macbeth's reign of terror. It becomes questionable upon the fairness of this justification, whether or not Macbeth was really a "butcher" and whether or not Lady Macbeth was a "fiend."

In the beginning of the play, Macbeth can be described as being loyal, courageous and noble. He is liked, trusted and respected by everyone around him. However this soon changes after his first encounter with the three witches. This is because the witches inform Macbeth that his life could be far different, therefore changing Macbeth’s perception of his life. In doing this, they do not actually use true powers, they use the power of suggestion. This is where we begin to see a change in Macbeth’s outlook on life and his behaviour. Being the ambitious man that he is, Macbeth’s thoughts become dark, and he secretly thinks about what should be done about King Duncan to increase his own power. In spite of this fact, the play is equivocal as to whether or not Macbeth intended on killing Duncan before he met with the witches.

In some ways, Macbeth would have fit the description of being a "butcher," after all, he had taken the lives of many people, some of them were even close associates of Macbeth. He assassinated Duncan, the king, in order to gain the throne, as he says, "I have done the deed".

This quote means that Macbeth has killed Duncan but somewhat doesn't want to admit it or face up to what he has done, it seems like he is guilty.  

He also murdered Banquo, who was his best friend, due to two different reasons. The first is the witches' prophecies, which predicted that Banquo's son is to become king, and secondly, there is a sense that Banquo has his suspicions on the assassination of the king. Acting under the name of fear, he slaughtered Lady Macduff and her son, due to the prophecies made by the witches, "Beware the thane of Fife". This quote can from the witches. This has the affect on Macbeth that Macduff may be the only man that can kill him, but Macbeth is to hung up with the two previous apparitions which he interprets as things that will never come true, so thinks that he is invincible. To us this quote tells us who is going to kill Macbeth.  

             Macbeth only resolved himself into a far more stereotypical villain when he felt that he had gone to far, as he says, "I am in blood stepped I do far." His ambition of staying king now begins to spur him toward further horrifying deeds, and he starts to disregard and even challenge fate and fortune.

             Each successive murder reduces his human characteristics still further, until he appears to be the more dominant partner in the marriage. Nevertheless, the new-found resolve, which causes Macbeth to "wade" onward into his self-created river of blood, is persistently alarmed by supernatural events, the ghost of Banquo, an evidence suggesting Macbeth isn't at the right state of mind, that his guilt has affected him deeply.

             Macbeth was also seen as a ruthless tyrannical king, as he is referred to by Malcolm and Macduff, as "tyrant," and "a devil." In order to protect his title, Macbeth had to murder those who get in his way. Near to the end, Macbeth has even, "Forgot the taste of fears".
It's as if he had overcome fear, which had made him able to be ruthless, and murderous.

On the other hand the justification of Macbeth as a butcher could not be reasonable, after all, at the beginning of the play he was a warrior hero, whose fame o the battlefield wins him great honour from the king. He was a "Valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman," A remark made by the former king whom Macbeth assassinated. Macbeth is portrayed as a brave soldier. Phrases such as "Valour's minion," which means servant of courage and "Bellona's bridegroom," which means the husband of war gives out a sense of Macbeth's superheroism. Macbeth and Banquo are also described by the captain as "eagles" and "lions" unafraid of the opposing army, who were compared to " sparrows and hares."

The witches made a prophecy that Macbeth was to become Thane of Cawdor, and eventually king of Scotland. It was only after the first prophecy that he was to become Thane of Cawdor became the truth, did he have thoughts of regicide

Through his asides and soliloquies we, as the audience can see that Macbeth is only a human being whose private ambitions are made clear, as he says "Stars hide your fires let not light see my black and deep desires."

These dark thoughts often conflict with the opinion others have of him, which he describes as,
"Golden opinions from all sorts of people". Ironically, while hiding his "deep and dark desires"

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Macbeth's thoughts remained confused before, during and after the murder of Duncan. When he is about to commit murder, he undergoes a terrible pang of conscience, as he says "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent". And it was only due to the encouragement from Lady Macbeth, did Macbeth find the courage to commit the regicide.

Even at the peak time of his tyrannical reign on the country, he was still worried about the late prophecies of the witches, and, perhaps, to an extent he acted under the prophecies of the witches, the murder of Lady ...

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