“Come you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here”
As she may be portrayed as a forth witch in the text, the atmosphere created around her when producing this play would have to change a lot. For example when she is will
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company she should be dressed very elegantly as she has to be respected. But when her alto ego comes into play, the lighting should become dark and mysterious to reflect her other side, and her clothes more depressing and witch like. The scenery placed around her on stage would have to be diminutive and simplistic, so it could be overpowered by her dominant figure and personality, making her appears different from her usual self. Lady Macbeth would possibly be a very beautiful person, as she could use her beauty and innocent features to manipulate her husband.
She believes he has too kind a nature to kill. With this in mind, she coerces him into killing Duncan by threatening his self-esteem.
“Art thou afeard
To be the same in thine own act and valour,
As thou art in desire?”
Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are in some ways very similar, in respect that they both need a honourable excuse to murder. For example at the start of the text, Macbeth finds it easy to cut someone from the “ knave to the chaps”, but cannot kill Duncan without legitimate justification. Similarly, Lady Macbeth is trying to clear her conscience from the thought of the murder, by persuading herself that she would not of done it if she did not acquire the evil spirits.
Lady Macbeth is ambitious with a manipulative nature. She however lacks the morals of her husband. She takes advantage of a man who only knows one way to live, as a warrior. His whole life is therefore dictated by the qualities of a warrior, of which he is trying to live up to i.e. being bloodthirsty, brave and having no fear. He will go to any lengths to maintain this image.
As Lady Macbeth starts to loose power over her husband, she becomes weak and feels that he has no respect for her. When he orders Banquo to be killed in act 3 scene 1, he does not consult his wife first and keeps it private.
“Both of you no Banquo was our your enemy…… so is he mine.”
“We shall, my lord, Perform what you command us”
Macbeth then follows by saying that he wishes for there to be no lead or suspicions, and no one should know, including his wife.
“That I require clearness. And with him To leave no rubs nor botches in the work.”
This illustrates that Macbeth can think for himself, and can easily kill anyone who he may think would jeopardise his chance of becoming king. His wives words may have finally cracked through Macbeth’s hard exterior and twisted his thoughts. But as reality hits Macbeth on what is really happening, and the lives that are being lost out of
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wanting power, he becomes much more strong-minded and tells his wife that he will not murder the king, he will not follow her orders.
“ We will proceed no further in this business”. This shows that he can make his own decisions and his wife can only pressure him if he lets her. Lady Macbeth actuates Macbeth into killing the king by threatening their relationship. She takes him back to
previous things he has said to her, and the oaths that he has made. She tries to make him feel guilty, and makes out that she is more of a man than he is, and she would rather harm a human life than break her word to someone she loves.
“Plucked my nipple from its boneless gums........ had I so sworn As you have done to this.”
The word ‘plucked’ is a very sharp, harsh word, showing Lady Macbeth’s asperity.
Lady Macbeth has a very strong character with an alter ego. In front of her subjects she is much a lady, and is admired. She is very formal and acts as a lady with high principles. But when behind closed doors or with people she is comfortable to be in the presence of, she becomes much more manipulative, adamant and blunt. You could emphasise her dominance when producing this play by having Macbeth played as a much more weak person when around her, verging on insane. She could almost be his rock to lean against.
When the king arrives at the castle, she acts like the perfect host that is expected of her. Meanwhile Macbeth is alone contemplating the consequences of the murder. In this soliloquy Macbeth is biased to keep Duncan alive. But he knows that if he kills him he would not only face the punishment on earth, but afterlife’s punishment as well. “We’d jump the life to come”. When he is alone Macbeth is very certain that he does not want to harm the king, he respects him a lot. He brags that he is the perfect ruler,
“Hath borne his facilities so meek, hath been so clear in his great office”
However a short time with his wife, and he is forced unwillingly to want to kill the king once again. At the end of this soliloquy Macbeth proclaims that nothing is making him do this other than his vaulting ambition, and at this moment Lady Macbeth enters, the spur of his ambition. Macbeth’s ambition is the flaw in his character. Shakespeare’s use of a paradox clearly shows that Lady Macbeth coerces Macbeth to murder.
However at the start of the play in Act 1 Scene 7, she proclaims that he is not alone and that she will be helping him.
“What cannot you and I perform upon th’nguarded Duncan?”
He is then under false pretences in believing that he will not have to do all of it. This is very sneaky and unfaithful, which is exactly the thing that Lady Macbeth does not want recuperated onto her by her husband.
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In Act 2 scene 2, after Macbeth has murdered the king, he returns to his room where his wife awaits. Shakespeare builds the tension and paranoia between the two, by
disrupting the regular iambic pentameter rhythm of there lines. There lines are much shorter and more panicky.
“Did you not speak?”……Lady Macbeth
“When?”……Macbeth
“Now?”……Lady Macbeth
Macbeth then returns to his chamber with his hands covered in blood. Being the dominant one, Lady Macbeth orders him to wash himself of his deed. She shows no guilt or remorse of the crime.
“My hands are of your colour, but I shame to wear a heart so white”
Macbeth is mystified by the comments of the witches and does not no what he should believe. “Stay, you imperfect speakers. Tell me more.”
He is already a well groomed and looked after man with high prosperity, and has gained respect from many a person, for being so bold as a fighter and gallant as a man. With this physical strength and mental power you would presume that Macbeth is one to think for himself, taking no nonsense from anyone. As the witches only have so much power the rest is down to Macbeth to decide. Macbeth is a very mysterious character, who has his doubts about the liability of the witches. He can believe whatever he wants to believe and portray it in any context. The witches do not follow the normal rhythm of an iambic pentameter, instead they speak in verses of about seven syllables. This gives them differentiation from the rest of the text, and makes them stand out as if they were something you had to take notice in. “When shall we three meet again?”
Macbeth is not obliged to believe in what the witches say, but he chooses to. It is clear that Macbeth is not sceptical of there words. He orders them to continue,
“Speak I charge you”. This shows that he is intrigued by there words. When they vanish Macbeth follows with “ Would they have stayed?” They had successfully delivered all their information they wished to, in order to leave him suspicious and wanting to pursue the predictions. When the king’s servants arrive to tell Macbeth that he has been honoured with the role of Thane of Cawdor, he then starts to rethink the witch’s words. If they were right and he would become king, then he would have to make sure he definitely did and therefore contemplate assassinating the king. Without the witches words, Macbeth would never of pursued his wanting desire of becoming king and therefore would never of contemplated killing Duncan.
I think you could emphasise the witches importance in the play by making there characters very bold when around Macbeth, but inconspicuously dressed to try and make listeners more aware of them. The music played behind them should be mysterious but quiet, and full of texture to make people listen harder to what the witches have got to say.
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I believe that over all, each one of the people mentioned in this essay has had an influence on Macbeth’s downfall, as they all had a domino affect on each other. When one thing is done it pushes the next thing to happen. For example with the witch’s words, it made Macbeth more ambitious to become king, which then made Lady Macbeth power crazy. So it is fair to say that the witches were at the start of it all, and therefore were the preliminary individuals to instigate the downfall of Macbeth’s life.
