Macbeth - Comparison between Act one Scene five and Act five Scene one.

Comparison between Act one Scene five and Act five Scene one Scott Warner 11C

In Act one scene five lady Macbeth reads out the letter sent to her from Macbeth about his recent meeting with the three witches. The letter tells the story of what the witches have said to him and Banquo, but in the letter he leaves out that he was with Banquo when he met with the witches. The witches say, lines 67-8 ‘Thou shalt be kings, though thou be none; So all hail Macbeth and Banquo!’ this line says that they will not be kings in themselves but instead father kings in the future. Macbeth lies in the letter about these facts as he wants to be king himself and needs his wife’s backing fully in order for him to become king. This seems to tell his wife that the witches have specially chosen him to be king. He wants his wife to think that he is brave and big enough to become king, by saying what the witch’s have supposedly foreseen.

Towards the end of the scene Lady Macbeth describe the news she has just received as good in the line ‘Give him tending; he brings great news.’ Line 37-8. She seems to think that Macbeth is a great man and that the witch’s prophecies are correct and believes everything that Macbeth has said even though it maybe slightly different to the real truth. I do not agree with this but as Lady Macbeth does not know the full story may believe that Macbeth has truly met prophets who have told him that he will be king, knowing the full story I believe Macbeth is very much a coward lying to his wife and acting like he has become the chosen one to become the next king, this gets lady Macbeths hopes up and know all she can focus on is to become the queen, this is an intelligent plan to get lady Macbeths backing for his bid to become king seeing as she is probably more ruthless and ambitious than Macbeth himself.

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There are many themes that run through the play, these themes or images include Darkness which is shown in Act one scene five lines 49-50 ‘Come thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell!’ Shakespeare shows darkness as both real and as imagined. Blood is another theme of the play and is mentioned many times during the two scenes blood makes people think of death, violence and murder and adds to the whole sickness of the murders that occur during the play. Animals and birds is a running theme throughout the play and is mentioned in act one scene five many times including ‘The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan.’ The raven is used as it is a dark and savaging creature which adds to the darkness theme of the play. Shakespeare often refers to animals, birds and reptiles during the play especially dark, gloomy and slimy ones all adding to the themes of the play snakes and serpents are used often during the play.

When Macbeth first enters the room lady Macbeth is very happy and exited with the news she has heard and greets him as if he was already king. She has already started to plot to kill the king, Duncan, before she has even spoke with Macbeth which seems to show that she is just as bitter and ambitious as Macbeth is. He says hello to lady Macbeth when he first sees her in a very loving, positive and ambitious way and then says how Duncan is coming and then leaving the next day or so he thinks which means that they are both in the same mind set that they are going to kill Duncan at the first chance that they get and cover up the murder in order to make Macbeth the King.

In this scene Macbeth and lady Macbeth are feeling very close and positive about what is going to happen later on that night the scene follows the iambic pentameter and is giving the effect that it is smooth flowing, later on in the play the rhythm stops and becomes much more random as they begin to fall apart as it isn’t going the way in which they planned. In Act one scene five Lady Macbeth is very relaxed about the murders but by Scene Five Act one she becomes very agitated and worried about someone finding out about the murders and she is feeling very guilty. The theme of blood comes into the scene when she is continually trying to wipe blood from her hands but is unable to.

The atmosphere of the scene before Lady Macbeth enters the room is tense as the two, the gentle woman and the doctor, talk about lady Macbeth. They are also worried as they are both pretty sure that she must have played some part in the murders and aren’t sure whether one of them may be next, when lady Macbeth enters the gentlewoman says ‘ lo You, Here she comes!’ as in to say ‘look, he she comes!’ As if they are worried that she may over hear their conversation and become angry with one of them two. This adds to the hostile atmosphere of this scene and not only are these two worried about lady Macbeth but also Lady Macbeth is worried about them finding out about the murder that she has committed.

In act one scene five lady Macbeth is very confident about the fact that her husband is going to be king and is not worried about the murder that she would have to be involved in in order for her husband to be king, but in Act five scene one her feelings have change dramatically. She now feels as if everyone is suspecting her of the murder and she is personally feeling very guilty about the killings and is showing this by the way she is trying to wash the blood from her hands over and over again. The blood is a sign of death, murder and viciousness. She is very worried that someone will find out and is feeling very pressurised until at the end of the scene she feels she is forced to tell of the horrible act that she has just committed and does eventually reveal it to the Doctor and gentlewomen in this scene. She says ‘what’s done is done’ and then quickly retreats to her bed after the revelations. The two decide not to speak about what has just been told to them as they are worried that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth may want to kill them next if they cause any sought of out cry.

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