Who was the driving force behind the murdur of duncan?

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Who is the driving force behind the murder of Duncan?

This Shakespearean play was written in the height of Shakespeare’s career. The flimsiness of people’s mental stability and their potential for Machiavellian tasks, prejudice, barbarity and voracity are explored. Use of supernatural beings is commonly used in his plays, with Macbeth this is being used with the characters of the witches. Macbeth tells the story of a Scottish lord who kills the king in order to become king himself after it was prophesised by a cult of witches who he meets only once in the play. He then also kills his friend Banquo as a result of his thirst for power but then suffers greatly from his guilt, as a result prevents him enjoying the rewards of his actions and becomes a depressed oppressor, murdering innocent people and eventually condemning himself to defeat in battle.

In this essay I will be deciding who I think was the driving force behind the murder of Duncan, King of Scotland and the begging of Macbeth’s spiral downwards. After reading the play I have found three potential forces behind the murder:

  1. The Witches
  2. Macbeth himself
  3. Or Lady Macbeth.

I must now closely examine the play’s events and the behaviour and thought’s of the central protagonists, so that I can finally conclude who I think was the main catalyst that made Macbeth commit this homicide.

The very first party we come across is the Witches. Shakespeare giving these characters the tile of ‘The Witches’ immediately gives a feeling of super-natural malevolence, stereotypical in Shakespearean times, witches were malicious devil-worshipers who prey on innocent people. Witches were greatly feared in those times for belonging to a different religion and not honouring the chain of being like the rest of the population did. Religion held great ascendancy in that time and almost everyone had the same beliefs that when you die you’ll either go to heaven or hell depending on whether you belonged to the right social groups and that God existed. There was strong cultural virtues in those times and this always lead to discrimination where stereotypes where handed out. ‘Witches’ were the most accused stereotype given to women in theses days, if you’d done anything hateful you’d be branded as being a witch, for example: stealing another women’s husband was told of being sorcery, putting the man under a spell to stray from his wife. Adultery was considered a terrible crime in those days and divorce wasn’t existent so the belief was the person you marry is the one you truly love and the only reason for that bond to be broken was of mischievous sorcery done by the female half. Women were considered to be inferior to men, despite there class and were often tagged with being ‘witches’ if they didn’t do what society (or men) wanted from them.

Act 1 scene introduces us to the witches. The play starts off with a very short scene where the witches are plotting to meet Macbeth; this can create tension about the path of this play. The fact that a cult of witches were found conspiring to meet with Macbeth, would force the audience to think that theirs a bad omen dwelling on this play, as from how witches were foretold within that century. If we look at this scene in greater meaning we’ll be able to see other possible signs of super-natural influence.

One of the most obvious is the fact it’s a ‘coven’ of witches, not one on its own, this seems to hyperbole the power of these three presences, one witch conspiring against you was bad enough but when three are involved it makes it all the more threatening, increasing the atmospheric tension.

The thunder and lighting phonology used to enter the witches into this scene sets a impending and sinister atmosphere. ‘Lighting’ is an effective was to make an audience feel threatened. In real-life circumstances, you would feel a sense of fear to sound of lighting, in worry that it could strike you down. Lightning is also associated to miserable rainy days, enforcing the audience to conjure an image of three evil witches chanting their witchcraft on an innocent victim. The fact that the witches aren’t running for cover due to the lightning and seem to be comfortable with their surroundings would also associate them with the fearful atmosphere around them emphasizing the overall sinister atmosphere of this scene. The short, swift, poetic deliverance of the opening of the play seems to captivate the audience into watching on to see what these three witches are conspiring to do. MacBeth seems to draw his audiences in with the believes and superstitions portrayed upon them in Shakespearean times. People find they can relate to some of the emotions or dilemmas experienced by some of the characters in the play. In these times you couldn’t discus some of the matters you were finding difficult in your life, or inner wishes you couldn’t share with the out side world because society had strong virtues and anyone in breach of these, or with hidden inhibitions would be quickly cast out.

People didn’t seem to be allowed to speak freely in those days, in fear of possibly being labelled a ‘witch’ or another social outcast groups so they’d watch them being played out on the stage which would then interest them in finding out how other people deal with certain situations. He also seemed to use local superstition, fate and destiny to draw the audience in more. These are types of things which no one could explain and hearing a play talk about or dwell on certain aspects of this would create a compelling hold on the audience, the superstition surrounding witches and the telling of a prophecy are used in this play.

The three clarifications stated in this scene are that there is a battle being fought, to meet with Mc Beth and to where to meet him. We are first told that they’re arranging a meeting:

“When shall we three meet again?

In the thunder, lightning or in rain?”

Here the surroundings are orally announced to the audience, as to evoke the feelings associated with the atmosphere. This is the first speech in the speech in this scene as to make sure the audience has made note of the surroundings. Assonance is used in this dialogue: ‘again’ and ‘rain’, these are situated at the end of each sentence. Then again when we are told a battle is commencing:

“When the hurlyburly’s done,

When the battle’s lost and won’’

Assonance is used again in the Second witches first speech: ‘done’ and ‘won’. This proves resonant with a steady rhythm, it tells of a battle that will come to an end and a victory and a loss will be made. These are used again on separate lines at the end of each sentence to give a poetic rhyme to the speech. Juxtapositions are seen here: ‘lost’ and ‘won’, this could also be seen as ironic. ‘Lost’ as in all of what Macbeth comes to lose in the play psychologically. For example, he loses his pride of being a brave, valiant war hero and becomes a murderous tyrant. ‘Won’ can be used to describe the reward of his action of becoming king after the murders he commits. Another clue to the storyline of the play could be:

“When the hurlyburly’s done”

 Speaking of it being ‘done’ could symbolise the murder which Macbeth needs to commit to be king. ‘When its done and things are lost and gained’ could be the hidden motive behind this pigment of speech.

“That will be ere the set of sun”

The Third witches speech could be thought as a prediction: ‘That will” this is used instead of ‘That could’, she seems to know that the battle will end at sun set. Having a poetic rhythm being spoken from the witches gives a sense of a bewitchment being made and gives the sense of a curse being delivered.

“There to meet with Macbeth”

This is when the audience hears Macbeth’s name for the first time. After the atmosphere being set and the witches planning to meet somewhere you are then given his name. The title of this play being Macbeth makes this line more alluring. Two perceptions could then possibly be made of Macbeth; either he could be a sinister character or a bewitched one. Sinister- as the witches haven’t said anything against Macbeth and are planning to meet with him. The audience could think that him meeting with witches intentionally could be for bad motives, or they could see it as they plan to sneak up on him and cause mischief.

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair:

Hover through the fog and filthy air”

Join now!

This appears to be the most resonant line to come. It uses two oxymorons: ‘fair is foul’ and ‘foul is fair’. Alliteration is also used here with groups of the same ‘f’ constant. This gives the line a more powerful resonance. As well as it being spoken by ‘All’ instead of just one person makes it stick in your mind even more. All these techniques used in a single bit of dialogue shows that it is a significant line in this scene. The language used is ambiguous:

“fair is foul, and foul is fair”

It seems to tell us ...

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