Before Macbeth meets the three weird sisters, we are aware of his good reputation because he is complemented by the captain, who says
“For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name”
Here the captain talks about how brave Macbeth was in the battle. We know he is talking about the battle because he goes onto say
“With his brandished steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution”
Meaning that he fought well, and killed many enemies. Macbeth fights without caring for his own safety, and he kills brutally,
“Till he unseamed him from the navel to th’ chaps.”
After the battle Macbeth and Banquo meet the three weird sisters upon a heath, on a fair and foul a day. Macbeth is surprised of what he is looking at, and gives the impression that he is curious about these beings
“Speak if you can: what are you?”
After asking this, the weird sisters all hail Macbeth, telling him that he is
Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and that he will be king here after.
“All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis.
All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawodor.
All hail Macbeth, thou shall be king hereafter.”
Macbeth is already Thane of Glamis but he is not Thane of Cawdor, and he is certainly not the King. Although Macbeth likes the sound of the witches’ prophecies, he does not believe them. The next morning Angus and Ross make Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is shocked and a little scared of the news, and of the witches’ prophecies he says
“Glamis, and the Thane of Cawdor:
The greatest is behind”
After the witches predictions seem to be coming true, Macbeth starts to think about the possibility of becoming King, but then realises that that will involve murder,
“My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical”
This is the first sign of Macbeth’s evil side. Even thinking about the deed of killing the king is out of the question, because it is against his country, and is against the Ten Commandments, which means if he breaks them he will be curt off from god.
Lady Macbeth becomes evil and power hungry, after she receives the letter from Macbeth, telling her about the three witch’s predictions telling her that he has become Thane of Cawdor,
“From the King who hailed me Thane of Cawdor”
After reading the letter, Lady Macbeth shows us she believes in the weird sisters and their predictions, she thinks about what will have to be done, in order for Macbeth to take the throne. Before Macbeth comes to Lady Macbeth she performs a spell to the spirits. It is a spell asking the spirits to make thick her blood with cruelty, so she is capable with completing and going through with killing the King,
“Of direst Cruelty”
Macbeth arrives and Lady Macbeth already with the spell in her mind, asks Macbeth when the king will arrive to their castle and when he leaves. Then she tells Macbeth about her plan to kill the king, but for the plan to be successful Macbeth needs to look innocent but he has to be guilty, she says
“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t”
Even though what Lady Macbeth has said to him has come as a shock, he wants to know more about the deed, he say’s
“We will speak further”
After hearing Macbeths plan Macbeth thinks about the reasons for and against killing King Duncan. In his soliloquy he shows the reader that he still has some loyalty inside him, but the power hungry side of him is still there as well He says
“If it were done when tis done, then ‘twere well
It were done quickly.”
Here Macbeth is saying that if the assassination of the King could be done quickly, he would do it now, as long as it was over and done with. He then says
“If th’assasination
Could trammel up the consequence and catch
With his surcease, success, that this blow
Might be the be all and end all here,
But here, upon this and shoal of time,
We’d jump the life to come.”
In this quote Macbeth is explaining that if the killing of the king could catch the result of his death, and he could become kin, without guilty feeling and draw backs then Macbeth would do it. But then Macbeth realises, and tells us in his soliloquy that if he kills his next life will be hell, not heaven because he will be cut off from God. He also knows that if he is bloody and violent to people they will return the favour, for example if Macbeth kills he will be killed. Macbeth also shows his good side, when he tells us the reasons against killing king Duncan,
“First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed”
Macbeth is Duncan’s cousin (a relative), strong reasons not to kill him. Then he says
“Then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door,
Not bear the knife myself.”
Macbeth is Duncan’s host; he should be protecting the King, not taking a knife and killing him himself. Macbeth’s next reason for not going ahead with deed is
“I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself
And falls on the other-”
Macbeths only reason for killing king Duncan is for his own ambition. Macbeth is not killing him because he has been a bad king, Duncan has been a good King, Macbeth realises that killing an innocent human being, is unnatural, and against heaven and against humanity, and Macbeth that in this life or the next he will be punished for doing the deed. Macbeth doesn’t have a good reason for killing king Duncan, the only reason he would go ahead with the deed would be for his own self greed, his own ambition, and to fulfil his need for power.
Lady Macbeth interrupts Macbeth’s thoughts, this is the first time she becomes very evil, and this is where she shows us how much power means to her, and she is prepared to use any methods to get what she wants. She uses very cunning ways of changing Macbeths mind, about the murder, she does this because Macbeth does not want to go ahead with the murder, he say’s
“We will proceed no further in this business,”
Macbeth does not want to kill King Duncan, to try and persuade him to think otherwise she say’s
“Art thou afeared
To be the same in thine own act and valour,
As thou art in desire?”
She asks Macbeth if he is afraid to act out his deepest desire (power), she then goes onto say,
“And live a coward in thine own esteem,”
She calls Macbeth a coward because he doesn’t want to kill the king. Macbeth stands up for his loyalty for the king, and is aware of his moral limit. Lady Macbeth then say’s
“That made you break your enterprise to me?”
She is saying to Macbeth, why did you tell me you would do it then. Lady Macbeth then says something very hurtful to Macbeth or any man,
“When you durst do it, then you were a man.”
She says if he does the deed then he will prove his manliness. Macbeth obviously does not like being considered as not a man, and feels that he has to prove himself to her. He then asks Lady Macbeth about the consequences. He asks
“If we should fail?”
Lady Macbeth uses her strong power and persuasion to assure Macbeth that they will succeed.
Lady Macbeth has already planned how Macbeth will kill King Duncan, this shows she is very ambitious for power. To persuade unsure Macbeth, she even lies that she would do the deed herself, but then shows a sign of humanity and doesn’t because it resembles
“My farther as he slept.”
Macbeth is tied around Lady Macbeth’s finger, and she has managed to persuade him to go ahead with the deed, he has turned into a lying, unfaithful evil person. Macbeth knows who to blame for the murder.
Macbeth plays very well as being the
“Innocent flower, but being the serpent beneath it.”
This is noticeable when he and Banquo discuss the weird sisters, Banquo dreamt of them the night before and implicates that to Macbeth they have shown some truth, but Macbeth being the innocent flower answers
“I think not of them.”
Macbeth acts like this because if he kills Duncan, Banquo will be less suspicious of Macbeth.
Macbeth does the deed without hesitation because he is led to sleeping Duncan’s bedroom by a dagger of the mind, he calls it
“A dagger of the mind.”
He then say’s
“Is this a dagger that is see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come let me clutch thee?”
The dagger is inviting hi to do the deed, he lets it happen because deep down Macbeth desires power. When the dagger disappears and Macbeth is outside Duncan’s bedroom, we know that Macbeth has changed to a cold blooded, power hungry man because he does not hesitate about the deed, he say’s
“I go, and it is done .The bell invites me.”
After Macbeth has killed King Duncan he is worried and weary, and ashamed of what he has done, we know this because he say’s,
“This is a sorry sight.”
Macbeth is looking at his hands in disgust and shame of what he has just done. We know Macbeth is worried, because after he has done the deed he asks Lady Macbeth
“I have done the deed. Didst thou hear a noise?”
Even though Macbeth is ashamed of what he is done,. He is still an evil traitor, it would seem that he was cut off from God after completing the deed, we would think this because he tells Lady Macbeth
“One cried God bless us, and Amen the other,”
“I could not say amen.”
After the murder had been done, Lady Macbeth shows how strong a person she really is, by using kind words and confidence to calm Macbeth down, and prevent him going insane. She say’s
“A foolish thought to say a sorry sight.”
She also jokes wit Macbeth about forgetting the incident, she tells him
“These deeds must not be thought
After these ways; so, it will make us mad.”
At this point in the play, Lady Macbeth is in total control, she tries to make Macbeth feel free of guilt even though he has committed the deed.
Up to Act 2 Scene 2 in the play Lady Macbeth and Macbeth greatly change, with respects to their characters and personalities. Although Macbeth was known as a strong Physical character, he is mentally very weak, because he has a conscience, and it was only the strong character of Lady Macbeth, who helped him through the murder of King Duncan. Lady Macbeth is almost opposite compared to the character of Macbeth, in physical and mental power. Lady Macbeth is the person who is able to persuade Macbeth to kill Duncan. This character change of Lady Macbeth happens after she reads he letter from Macbeth, and performs a spell to the spirits to become evil. The character of Macbeth changes after he meets the three weird sisters, and his power hungry ambition and his trust in the prophecies make, make him the person he is at the murder of King Duncan.
