“I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition”
Macbeth worries that he may go to hell for committing the murder
“ But here, upon this bank and shoal of time.
We’d jump the life to come.”
He is also worried that if he kills the king someone may decide to do the same to him. He is also worried because he fears that he will get his punishment if not on earth then in the afterlife (because not only was it evil to kill someone but it was believed that the king was divinely appointed). Macbeth is also conscious that Duncan is a good and righteous man and he, Macbeth is the king’s loyal subject and it is wrong to plot to kill him. Macbeth’s only motive is ambition, and is his will strong enough to do this terrible deed?
When Lady Macbeth enters Macbeth tells her that he has changed his mind
“We will proceed no further in this business”
Lady Macbeth taunts Macbeth into doing the evil deed by insulting his manhood.
“When you durst do it then you are a man”
She says she would rather kill her baby than go back on her word.
Macbeth is not convinced
“If we should fail”
Lady Macbeth says they will not fail. She has formulated a plan to kill King Duncan and blame it on the guards.
Macbeth agrees to do it because she has convinced him to kill Duncan and that it can be done with out them needing to feel guilty. They must pretend they are happy and good.
“False face must hide what the false heart doth know”.
Macbeth plans to kill Banquo and his son (Fleance) because the witches say his children will be a king. He gets two murderers and convinces them that they should kill banquo and his son. This shows that Macbeth does not care about anyone but himself. The first time he killed someone he needed his wife to convince him but this time he is plotting to kill his dearest friend Banquo and he does not need any convincing.
“ Concluded, Banquo, thy soul’s flight,
If it find heaven, must find it out tonight.”
When the murderers come back from killing Banquo (but not his son Fleance who escapes) when the murderer reports to Macbeth.
“My lord, his throat is cut; that I did for him.”
When he hears that Fleance escaped Macbeth is afraid that Fleance will grow up and become come King like the prediction.
He comperes banquo and Fleance to snakes. The murderers have killed the grown serpent (banquo) but the worm (meaning a small serpent) that got away will grow and will get its venom but is no trouble right know (meaning he doesn’t need to worry about Fleance.)
This metaphor shows how nervous Macbeth is.
Later in the scene when he goes to sit down the table is full here. He sees Banquo’s ghost (in Shakespeare’s time there were no special effects so the actor would try to convey the idea of a ghost sitting down). When Macbeth reacts he looks crazy. Shakespeare uses verbal imagery to describe how he has gone pale while everyone else is still normal
“…Keep the natural ruby of your cheeks,
When mine is bleached with fear.”
Macbeth seeing banquo’s ghost could have been two things he could be mentally unstable or the witches had something to do with it. Shakespeare uses Macbeth's speech to convince the audience that he can see a ghost also the appearance has a historical reason king James was fascinated with the supernatural. This could also be why there are witches in it.
Later on Macbeth goes to see the witches again they give him three prophecies
- “Beware Macduff”
- “The power of man, for none of woman born
shall harm Macbeth”.
- “Macbeth shall never be vanquished be, until
Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill
Shall come against him.”
When he leaves he finds out that Macduff has fled to England. This made Macbeth very angry and in England he could not kill Macduff (the only man he has to worry about) he does something that is quite foolish. He attacks his family. He hires the murderers (this time there is no scene where he convinces them it is right). They successfully kill Macduff’s wife and son.
In England Malcolm and Macduff talk about Macbeth and decide to attack him with a vast army of ten thousand men. In the same scene Ross appears and tells Macduff that Macbeth had his family killed but he tells him in a way to soften the blow. He doesn’t lie just tiptoes around the truth.
“Your castle is surprised; your wife and babes
Savagely slaughtered”.
When Madcap realises that his family is dead he becomes very depressed. Malcolm tells him not to be depressed but focus all that emotion on the mission of killing Macbeth swears vengeance on Macbeth and that his families spirits will not rest until he has his vengeance on Macbeth.
This shows that people that were once his friends want to kill him and have amassed a great army. Macbeth has even been willing to take out his motives against Macduff by horribly slaughtering his family and servants. This time as well as when he killed Banquo he did not need his wife to help convince him. In a way it shows him becoming even more evil. Last time he only tried to kill two people and this time he destroyed an entire castle. He was also described as a tyrant and how the country is under threat from him. Its interesting compared with how his friends used to speak so highly of him and now they see him as the greatest traitor of all.
Its interesting but the title he got at the beginning when he became thane of Cawdor, the thane before him was a traitor as well there may be no connection but it is an interesting idea. Although the previous thane of Cawdor did not murder the king he did aid in an opposing war against Scotland for his own personal gain.
In the next act (act five scene one) we see Lady Macbeth has gone mad with guilt from when they killed King Duncan. Thinking that just some water can clear them of the deed she has started to see blood on her hands that can not be washed of with water. I think that it is like a set of scales. One becomes more evil the other becomes less evil and realises what they have done. For example when Macbeth becomes more evil, Lady Macbeth starts going mad from guilt.
In act five scene three Macbeth is so confident he has nothing to worry about that he does not want reports. He also says he does not have to worry about Malcolm because he was of woman born. Also all of his thanes have left him (“then fly false thanes,”) its about this time a servant comes in and tells him he sees ten thousand soldiers. Of course Macbeth is not worried showing he has complete faith in the witches prophesy because he has no reason to doubt them. The witches had never actually said that he was invincible just that he never had to fear many people. I think Macbeth was to busy being caught up in his own ambition he never checked about Macduff showing he may be over confident. This shows that a once careful Macbeth has become over confident and blinded to common sense.
In act five scene three Macbeth mocks the doctor who was trying to teat his wife this has historical reference because King James did not believe in doctors.
In scene five the queen commits suicide and Macbeth seems unscathed. At the end he still does not worry and recites the prophecy about Birnam wood.
Meanwhile Malcolm has assembled an army and has told the to cut down a branch of Birnam wood and he takes it to Dunsinane hill thus completing the first part of the prophecy.
Near the end scene seven, young siward gets to Macbeth and Siward is slain. Then Macduff enters and is full of Loath for Macbeth. Macduff enters and says if he doesn’t kill him the ghosts of his family will always haunt him.
In scene eight they fight and Macduff reveals he was not born in the literal sense because his mother had a Caesarean to get Macduff out untimely so Macbeth does not want to fight him but says he will not give but he dies at the hands of Macduff.
In my conclusion Macbeth was naturally good but this play teaches us that the noblest of souls can be tainted not only by evil but by pure ambition and that when that ambition is gone you can be left with nothing but sorrow.
