The first appearance of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare makes her out as evil, too ambitious and greedy which will show how Macbeth leads to his flaw. A character that will further develop the temptation and pushing of Macbeth’s device. Lady Macbeth is crutial in Act1, Scene 5 because this is when she works on Macbeth and worries that he’s filled with goodness and that he wont go through with the assassination of Duncan. Later in the play Shakespeare shows how she makes him change his mind, not physically but verberally. In a way Shakespeare has made Lady Macbeth like the witches when she says “unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty” Lady Macbeth is saying that she doesn’t want kindness in her just want to be a hundred percent evil.
Shakespeare shows Macbeth’s conscience before the murder, is the way that Shakespeare builds up to the state of mind Macbeths in. Macbeth’s decision is not to kill Duncan but the “horrid image” won’t go from his mind, its stuck there but Lady Macbeth picks on his weaknesses and questions his man hood so he agrees to do it, because she’s been calling him “coward” and been saying things like “I dare do all that may become a man; who dares do more is none”, he’s arguing against her but her criticism has reflected him so he agrees to do it. Macbeth sees “a dagger of the mind, a false creation, from the heat-oppressed brain” pointing towards Duncan’s room is a blood filled dagger and his thoughts are filled with an evil image. Lady Macbeth says “have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, and dashed the brains out” Shakespeare is showing that she is fearless and she’ll go to extreme lengths to get what she wants, even if it means hurting her loved ones along the way.
Shakespeare shows Macbeth’s guilt, like his state of mind before the murder which has lead him to his downfall, Macbeth says “sleep no more: Macbeth does not sleep” which is saying that he’s murdered his sleep too when he killed Duncan. Shakespere is showing that he might have been a hero at the start but look what’s happened when he’s let greed and ambition get in the way. Macbeth says “will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hands…” when Macbeth says this he’s saying that the ocean won’t be able to wash the blood and guilt away, whatever he does he’ll always have that guilt as a reminder of what he did and he’s going to have to live with it for the rest of his life. The plot devices are Malcolm and Donalbain when they both disappear, Malcolm flees to England and Donalbain flees to Ireland. Shakespeare has deliberately done this so that people think that they were the guilty party and have fled. They don’t want to die which looks like there involved but infact have just played right into Macbeth’s hands. In Act 2, Scene3 Macduff arrives and has discovered Duncan’s body; Macbeth has killed the bodyguards so there is no evidence that he did it.
Shakespeare makes out that Macbeth is always going to be looking over his shoulder for what he’s done and shows his state of mind, after the coronation, Macbeth is disturbed because Macduff stayed away from the crowning which makes him suspicious because Macduff thinks that Macbeth had something to do with Duncan’s murder. Macbeth plans the assassination of Banquo and Fleance because he believes that Banquo’s descendants will be king. The three murderers kill Banquo and Fleance escapes which make Macbeth very angry and concerned at the same time because the prophecy could come true. “Then comes my fir, again” Macbeth is saying that Fleance needed to die not Banquo. At the banquet, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost sitting in his seat, which is when he starts screaming and shouting which makes him look suspicious for the rest of the scene. Macbeth says “it will have blood they say: blood will have blood” which means that he’ll kill anyone standing in his way, slightly unhinged Shakespeare is going to show Macbeth’s state of mind at this point which is that he’s got a guilty conscience.
Shakespeare shows that Macbeth is so full of himself, because of what the witches have told him he decides to go back and at this point Hecate (the goddess of witchcraft) gets involved in the witches deeds and he believes everything will be alright. Macbeth is so steeped in evil he pays the weird sisters another visit who tell him to “beware of Macduff, that he’ll never be defeated by any man born of women and also that he won’t be beaten until Birnam wood comes to dunsaine”. The witches use Equivocation, they say one thing but really mean another, Shakespeare is making out that Macbeth is invincible, his mind’s gone which brings me back to Macbeth’s state of mind. Macbeth has arranged a henchman to kill Macduff’s family because Macduff did not turn up to the coronation.
Shakespeare is showing that Macbeth is creating a nemesis by killing Macduff’s family and realises that Macduff is his nemesis and fights back. In Act 4,Scene 3 Malcolm tests Macduff’s loyalty to make sure that he’s not doing it to get on his good side and he’s doing it for his country. Malcolm describes himself as “horrible” which removed Malcolm’s suspicions by Macduff’s reaction. Macduff finds out that his family have been killed and is desperate for revenge.
Here Shakespeare shows that Macbeth might think he’s invincible but he’s not really when Shakespeare develops more into Lady Macbeth’s character and her conscience. In Act 5, Scene 1 before Macbeth’s death, Shakespeare shows the guilt that lady macbeth has when she is sleepwalking and trying to get rid of her guilty conscience and blood “here’s the smell of blood still, as the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand” Lady Macbeth is saying that the smell of blood won’t go away even the perfumes of Arabia wont sweeten her hand, she’s trying to wash her bloody hands in her sleep but still won’t go. Lady Macbeth’s conscience and guilt catches up with her, so she takes her own life, here Shakespeare shows that no matter how invincible you think you are, no matter how many people you kill, the good will always get pay back and the bad will get what’s coming to them in the end. Macbeth finds out about his wife dying, this is where Shakespeare shows nihilism when Macbeth doesn’t believe in anything no more; he feels no pain and doesn’t even grieve for his wife. In Act 5, Scene 5 the all time famous soliloquy written by Shakespeare but spoken by Macbeth “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” Macbeth in this part of the play was meant to have friends, family, honour and respect, but along the play Shakespeare has shown tragedy which leaves the noble hero with nothing, no friends, no family, nothing at all.
Shakespeare’s ending of Macbeth shows revenge on the villan and shows that everybody in the wrong will get the pay back they deserve, at the end of the play Macbeth comes to terms with, that he is going to die but is determined to die fighting because he knows that no man born of women can kill him and until Birnam wood comes to dunsaine. Macbeth’s nemesis who is Macduff tells Macbeth that he was born by a ceaserain and a messenger tells Macbeth that Birnam would dunsaing “day on Macduff”, Macbeth faces death, he want to die like a man. Shakespeare shows the tragic pattern all through the play because you’re not a hero if you were not one at the start. At the end of the play restoration happens back in Shakespeare’s day people believed that whoever were king and queen were god’s anointed so Malcolm is restored to being king. This just shows that no matter how tempting an offer is, don’t believe it, something bad will always happen in the end because remember good will always win bad in the end, and the world was back in its rightful balance.
After all this Shakespeare shows the tragedy that Macbeth has, by showing his downfall and the way people can manipulate you into doing what they want, even if they don’t do it physically but verbally.