All hail MacBeth, that shalt be king here after”
This stuns MacBeth and Banquo, but more Banquo he then says to MacBeth
“Seem to fear things that do sound so fair”
This gives me a feeling that Banquo is suspicious of MacBeth even though nothing has happened MacBeth asks them why they say this. MacBeth says he knows he is the thane of glamis but how is he the thane of Cawdor if the thane lives no sooner this is said the witches vanish. Ross and Angus enter telling MacBeth on the King being happy on the victory of MacBeth he is then told that he was named the Thane of cawdor. Banquo is stunned as well as MacBeth I know this because Banquo says to MacBeth:
“What can the devil speak true”
This again gives me the idea that superstitious played a big part in the play to give me an idea that things are not always what they seem. Banquo try’s to warn MacBeth that evil is at work MacBeth does not want to listen.
I think so far that MacBeth wants the third prophecy to come true this is showing me a small part of his ambition I can first tell this by he already harbours the thoughts of kingship he also willingly listens to the witches. Banquo is angry at the fact that the Thane of Cawdor was executed and that MacBeth was then crowned The Thane of Cawdor. In the next scene King Duncan Names his successor as Malcolm he invites himself to stay at MacBeth's castle not before MacBeth sends a letter to his wife Lady MacBeth telling her what the witches have said its is again is a strong thing against MacBeth implying that he is to blame for his downfall. Lady MacBeth knows that MacBeth has ambition but she also knows he is too loyal to fulfil this prediction. This I think gives me a small taste of the ambitious Lady MacBeth. In scene five Lady MacBeth calls upon the evil spirits to help her A. persuade MacBeth to kill Duncan and B. help him do the deed. Lay MacBeth uses language, which is portrayed to me as the evil taking over Lady MacBeth but I also question this I think that Lady MacBeth already has some part of evil in her she says:
“Unsex me here, and fill me from crown to the toe top full
Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood”
When she says “unsex me” Lady MacBeth is telling these spirits to take her femininity away from her to make herself more evil, she says to make her blood thick to prevent any pity or remorse in her for her not to regret anything she has done. She then goes on to say:
“And take my milk for your gall, you murd’ring ministers”
This is meant that the milk from her breast to give a child should be turned into bitter milk again this is referring to her femininity. When she says “Murd’ring ministers” which mean spirits of murder. Just from this part of the book we can tell how evil Lady MacBeth can really be and how she can change so fast.
When MacBeth returns Lady MacBeth wants him to leave the murder to her.
After the night proceeds MacBeth changes his mind and he does not want to kill Duncan Lady MacBeth is not amused and starts to insult him by calling him a coward and insulting his manhood. When Macbeths starts to think Lady MacBeth wastes no time in telling him her plan Macbeth is amazed at his wife’s plan and attitude to the situation.
Lady MacBeth tells her husband if he were to break the promise to her he is not worthy and if she made a promise of this stature she would not break it if she did she would kill her own child to make it up to him. This gives me an idea of how ambitious Lady MacBeth is for her husband and I do think this is a big part in Macbeth’s downfall.
After this conversation with Lady MacBeth, MacBeth decides to go through with the murder. Banquo meets MacBeth when they are going to bed banquo asks MacBeth about the witches he is also very suspicious of MacBeth.
At this point MacBeth looks for Banquo’s help when the time comes. Banquo insists he will only do it honourably.
MacBeth is left alone to do the deed he starts to hallucinate a dagger showing him to Duncan's room. He hears the signal from Lady MacBeth; he goes to kill Duncan. Lady MacBeth is prepared for the murder she has drunken the guards it was Lady MacBeth's choice to plant the daggers on them to take suspicion of them. MacBeth returns from the murder distracted but also quite dazed the murder was committed but Macbeth forgot to place the daggers next to the guards.
Lady MacBeth try’s to convince Macbeth to return the daggers to the scene he refuses Lady MacBeth takes them back herself she is covered in blood she says a bit of water can clean them from this deed.
MacDuff arrives at the castle; Macduff goes to wake Duncan as arranged he then reports the murder of Duncan. Everyone assumes that it was the king’s guards who had murdered him. MacBeth then announces that he has killed the guards out of the love for Duncan. Lady MacBeth faints at the news.
I think that MacBeth has lost control of the situation but I think Lady Macbeth has lost out more than her husband she has lost total control of the situation.
The king’s sons flee till the murder is caught. MacDuff tells MacBeth that he is to succeed the throne. MacDuff will not go to the coronation as he think MacBeth has got something to do with the murder.
When MacBeth is crowned Banquo suspects him of foul play they try to disguise this by inviting him to the formal banquet. MacBeth is worried he is scared that the fact he killed Duncan for Banquo's descendants. MacBeth orders two murders to kill Banquo and his son. Lady MacBeth agrees with MacBeth but is uneasy about their position. Banquo is murdered but his son escaped.
I feel that MacBeth is going to far he is starting to go a bit weird he starts to ignore Lady MacBeth at this point I do think That MacBeth’s downfall was not all his fault.
In the Banquet MacBeth says he can see Banquo’s ghost this reaction from MacBeth startles his guest Lady MacBeth try's to tell the guests that MacBeth has been unwell and he has had this problem since he was a child. MacBeth decides to go back to the witches to find out more about his future, this worries Lady MacBeth.
I think that not only was Lady MacBeth a big factor in MacBeths downfall but so was the witches MacBeth has the urges to find out more about his future.
MacBeth finds out that an army from England is getting ready to attack Scotland.
MacBeth demands the witches to tell him what is going to happen in his future this shows me that MacBeth is getting over ambitious.
There are three apparitions:
A helmeted head warning him of MacDuff
No man of woman born can harm him
He will not be beaten until Birnham wood moves to Dunsinane
This makes MacBeth Full of confidence that no one will beat him. The witches show him eight kings’s leading him to Banquo’s descendent that indeed he will be crowned.
MacBeth informs Lennox of MacDuffs betrayal he is ordered to kill his family.
I think Macbeth has gone too far with this he has ordered more killings than which is needed this I think answers my question that MacBeth has other factors in his downfall.
MacDuff goes to find Malcolm for help; he is suspicious of him. MacDuff needs to persuade Malcolm that he will be better on the throne. MacDuff uses the news of his family to revenge MacBeth; they join the English army to take over MacBeth. MacBeth has heard of the forces coming up from England he makes his army move to Birnam wood to meet Malcolm's forces, I think that MacBeth is over confident and I do think this plays a part in his down fall. Macduff uses the branches from the wood to hide the army. So the Scots do not know how many people there really is. They also know many of MacBeths Men have left him so there are smaller numbers. MacBeth is confident that he will win, the news of his wife’s death does not shock him, he is so use to the sound of death it doesn’t matter.
MacBeth decides there is no need to run away from his problem so he stays and fights.
The castle has been taken over but MacBeth still does not give up. He starts to fight with MacDuff MacBeth says he can not be killed man of woman born, Macduff says he was not woman born he was born by a caesarean operation. This worried MacBeth he refuses to fight. MacDuff has killed MacBeth.
I think that Macbeth’s downfall was not his own fault I feel sorry for him as he was pressurised by the main three factors
1. The witches, 2. Lady MacBeth and 3.his ambition.
MacBeth I feel is not to blame for his tragic downfall it was the pressure.
