Analysis of Macbeth's Inner Turmoil over Killing King Duncan - The Ramifications of Vaulting Ambition

by alstonng (student)

Shakespeare’s Macbeth – Term 3 Assignment 1

With close reference to the passage, discuss Macbeth’s inner turmoil over the assassination of King Duncan. Be sure to support your points with a close analysis of the imagery used to illustrate Macbeth’s fears and uncertainties over the consequences of his actions.

Act One Scene 7 is perhaps one of the most important scenes in all of Macbeth, highlighting the uncertainties and inner turmoil of Macbeth before he commits the execrable deed of regicide. The passage, an extract from Scene 7, apparently accentuates Macbeth’s unwillingness to partake in the murder of Duncan, but it also reflects Macbeth’s thirst for power, as he entertains the idea of a consequence-free action and the entailing benefits of which. Macbeth’s vacillation and doubts further reaffirm the central thematic message that the desire for power inevitably corrupts the human soul, stripping it bare of conscience and guilt, rendering man lesser than beasts.

When the scene begins, Macbeth contemplates whether or not he can perform the dreadful deed of killing King Duncan. In an attempt to build up the necessary courage to fulfill his “vaulting ambition”, he recognises that overcoming his conscience is necessary in empowering himself to kill King Duncan. Although Macbeth finally concludes that the treachery of murdering King Duncan is absolutely unacceptable and would only result in retribution in equal measure, Macbeth still titillated himself with the possibility of having the murder being “the be-all and end-all”, already an indication of the gradual corruption and depravation since the prophecy was made clear to him. Notwithstanding his acknowledgement that the “assassination” of the King is fundamentally wrong and inexcusable, he has disregarded the ignominy of contemplating to murder the King and instead relented to his tantalising fantasy, however ephemeral and unrealistic, of having the deed “done quickly”. Essentially, the first few lines in Macbeth’s soliloquy significantly exemplify his desire to seize the throne as conveyed through his hopeful fantasies.

In the subsequent lines, a stark change in Macbeth’s sentiments is evident, as he abandons his wishful thinking and realistically assesses the gravity of the assassination, which eventually culminates in three main premises – the murder of a King would only inspire future aspirants to do the same, the obligatory loyalty of Macbeth to the King should be unwavering, especially since he is a kinsman of King Duncan, and finally, murdering the King would invoke “deep damnation” by the heavens. The sharp contrast in Macbeth’s oscillating attitudes towards the plot reinforces the idea that he is still human and has his doubts and vulnerabilities at this point in time, though ambition and a desire to prove his masculinity has ultimately precluded him from making the right decision.

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Convinced that murdering the King and usurping the throne is unacceptable and detrimental to his long-term interests, Macbeth’s soliloquy extensively utilises metaphors and imagery to emphasise Macbeth’s dilemma and susceptibilities, thereby revealing the remnants of his humanity of which he forsakes eventually for power and authority. The image of a “poisoned chalice” is foreboding of the untimely demise of King Duncan during his stay at Inverness, but it is also a premonition of the fate of Macbeth, as the murder of King Duncan would return to haunt him, as would “Bloody instructions (that) plague th’inventor”. Notably, the imagery in his soliloquy is eerie and dark – “bloody instructions”, “deep damnation” and a “poisoned chalice”. As evinced in the use of the word “bloody”, diction has thus played an essential role in exposing the dark and unforgiveable sins in the treasonous regicide, as blood embodies and symbolises the guilt that sits like a permanent stain on Macbeth’s conscience.

The dilemma is escalated in line 15 when Macbeth reminds himself that King Duncan trusts him as “his kinsman and his subject” and “as his host”. The trust and faith King Duncan has in Macbeth is reciprocated with his solemn declaration that “as his host,/ Who should against his murderer shut the door,/ Nor bear the knife (himself)”, as he purges and cleanses himself of all evil ambitions, which are, as interpreted in this paper, personified as “the murderer … bear(ing) the knife”. In the final lines of his lengthy soliloquy, Macbeth reaffirms his commitment to “shut the door, (and not) bear the knife” as he muses on King Duncan’s many virtues and qualities – his trust and kindness, his graciousness and grace. Metaphors such as the “angels trumpet-tongued against/ The deep damnation of his taking off” and “Pity, like a naked new-born babe,/ Striding the blast, or heaven’s cherubin horsed/ Upon the sightless couriers of the air” introduce the notion of the intrinsic sacrilegious and blasphemous nature of regicide. Words such as “angels”, “damnation” and “heaven’s cherubin” solidify the basic idea that murdering Duncan would invoke the heaven’s wrath and retribution would befall on Macbeth for his treachery and betrayal, especially since King Duncan “Hathe borne his faculties so meek, hath been/ So clear in his great office”. Furthermore, the Elizabethan era saw the rise in popularity in the doctrine of the Divine Order, or the Great Chain of Being, and as such, the usurpation of King Duncan’s throne by a subject would defy the hierarchy, thereby resulting in disorder and chaos, an ominous foretelling of Macbeth’s tyrannical rule.

In conclusion, Macbeth’s lengthy soliloquy has manifested his fear of eternal damnation as well as his fear of having fallen victim to a similar fate as Duncan – murdered by a subject. His moral dilemma over whether or not to murder a king so gracious and compassionate highlights his humanity and righteousness as he finally reaches the conclusion that the plot “will proceed no further”. However, this sense of righteousness and reason would soon be corrupted by Lady Macbeth, who taunts him into murdering King Duncan subsequently. His susceptibility to the corruption of his “vaulting ambition” has also been manifested in his brief fantasy of ascending to the throne without having to suffer for his treasonous act.

(b) ‘I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition’. With reference to this passage and the rest of the play, analyse Macbeth’s ‘vaulting ambition’.

Macbeth is often read as a cautionary tale about the kind of destruction Macbeth’s “vaulting ambition” can cause without the influence of moral constraints. The destructive capacity of ambition and lust for power led to the demise of Macbeth and his wife, and the overt decadence of the Scottish kingdom. Evidently, Macbeth’s “vaulting ambition” directly conflicts with his conscience, which has also been conveyed through his confession that he bears “no spur to prick the sides of (his) intent”, thereby acknowledging his inability to rationalise and justify the impending murder of Duncan.

Macbeth’s confession – “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition”, a metaphor that likens his desires to a wild steed. Continuing the horse metaphor, he can only draw on “vaulting ambition”, which is an intense desire for power. His desire vaults even beyond its intrinsic limits – “o’erleaps itself” to land on “th’other” – probably, to land somewhere unknown and beyond reason. The seed of ambition and unchecked lust for the acquisition and continuance of power, planted in Macbeth’s heart during his encounter with the Weird Sisters, germinated and developed into a megalomaniacal desperation to maintain power and to eliminate competition and opposition. The essential atmosphere that depicts the uncontrollability and irreversibility of greed and lust, that once it is allowed to take root upon the heart, it would be impossible to eradicate, like a resilient parasite gnawing at the conscience. In Act One Scene 1, the prophetic words of the Weird Sisters- “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”- have already indicated that the fine line that separates right from wrong has been obscured, and these words foretell the ultimate fate of Macbeth as he becomes blinded by ambition, thereby gradually regressing into heightened hysteria and paranoia and commits atrocities in a meaningless attempt to salvage his tyrannical rule.

While critics remain divided in their opinions towards whether Macbeth would have murdered King Duncan and seize the throne by force if the three witches had not made known their prophecy to Macbeth, this paper suggests that Macbeth’s murderous thoughts have all the while been suppressed and dormant as he remained satisfied with being a good soldier, but these murderous desires were unravelled when the witches appeared and prophesised that he will be the King of Scotland. In Act One Scene 3, Macbeth’s aside revealed that his “thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,/ Shakes so my single state of man that function/ Is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is/ But what is not.” After the prophecy was made known to Macbeth and Banquo, Macbeth thoughts instantaneously turn to “murder” in order to seize the throne, but of which the sisters have said nothing about. It is thus ostensibly apparent that the witches’ prophecy has awakened within Macbeth a murderous ambition that has been dormant all this while. It is thus further evinced in the aside that ambition, as implanted by the Weird Sisters, has precluded Macbeth from objectively assessing the situation and the possible avenues by which he could have risen to kingship.

The progressive depravation and moral decadence of Macbeth grows increasingly conspicuous throughout the play as Macbeth becomes wearier and more paranoid. This is further reinforced in his own profession that he is “in blood/ Stepp’d in so far that, should (he) wade no more,/ Returning were as tedious as go o’er”. By comparing his nefarious actions to wading through a bloody river, Macbeth suggests that once a man commits a murderous act for his own gain, it’s impossible to stop, and turning back is described to be “as tedious as go o’er”. By this scene, Macbeth is fully willing to do anything to save himself from the relentless psychological trauma he endures and to legitimise and protect his tyrannical dictatorship.

In conclusion, the corrupting power of unrestrained ambition and lust for control has sent Scotland crumbling to her knees. Although the Weird Sisters have prophesised that Macbeth would eventually become the King of Scotland, they do not wield supernatural control over the fate of Macbeth, and ultimately, Macbeth has the choice to do what he deems fit. However, the influence of ambition as implanted by the witches indubitably contributed to his burgeoning appetite for more power, obscuring him from judging the situation objectively and rationally and staying within the necessary confines and limitations of his existence as justified in the Great Chain of Being.