The impact of Macbeth being Thane of Cawdor is a surprise ‘but how of Cawdor? Thane of Cawdor lives a prosperous gentleman’ this shows that Macbeth know knows that in order to become thane of cawdor he will have to do something to the current thane of cawdor as he is alive.
In act 1 scene 5 Lady Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth telling her about the witches prophecies she reacts by encouraging Macbeth to be king ‘Glamis thou art and Cawdor and shall be what thou art promised’ this shows that she wants him to be king as she will be queen, she wants Macbeth to succeed so that she may become Queen and be able to share in his glory. She puts her opinions across very strongly as she wants to be Queen and she has no doubt that Macbeth will become King.. Lady Macbeth knows Macbeths character well she knows that he will not kill the king as he is to kind “yet do I fear thy nature, it is to full o’th’milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way” this shows that Lady Macbeth believes that Macbeth is to kind to kill the king but she miss judges his character as Macbeth has already been thinking about killing the king ‘ whose murder is but fantastical’. she also thinks he has ambition but no courage because he wants to be king and would enjoy being king but he does not actually have the courage to kill Duncan ‘ art not without the ambition, but without the illness that should attend it’ Lady Macbeth wants him to be king because if Macbeth is king she will be queen and therefore she will be wealthy.
Lady Macbeth resolves to kill Duncan ‘the fatal entrance’ meaning when he enters he will not go back and he will die. She turns evil as she believes as a woman she cannot plan a murder and if all of her womanly emotions are taking away from her she then will be stronger and be more able to make a plan “unsex me here” alliteration is also used to make it stand out more “murdering ministers”.
In act 1 scene 7 Macbeth decides not to kill the king “proceed no further in this business” this means he does not want to deal with killing king Duncan any more. And because of this lady Macbeth attacks his manhood ‘ when you durst do it then you are a man’ and she also calls him a coward ‘ and live a coward in thine own esteem’ this mocks Macbeth by calling him a coward. She then appeals his love to her ‘ from this time such I account my love’ this shows she loves him and she using it to persuade him to go through with the murder. Macbeth then resists by saying ‘prithee, peace. I dare do all that may become a man’ this shows in Macbeths eyes if he kills Duncan he will become less of a man than he already is. Lady Macbeth then resorts to violent and horrible language “How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, have pluck’d my nipple form his boneless gums and dash’d the brains out, had I sworn as you have done to this”. Lady Macbeth says this because if she will do it why cant Macbeth do it and say what he said he would do. This also shows us that lady Macbeth is very serious about killing Duncan as she would kill her babies to be queen. Lady Macbeth then pressures Macbeth that they will not fail “we fail? But screw your courage to the sticking place, and we’ll not fail” this shows that if Macbeth puts all his courage together then they will not fail in killing king Duncan.
Lady Macbeth then reassures Macbeth as she has a plan “his two chamberlains will I with wine and wassal to convince that memory, the warder of the brain, shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason a lime beck only” this plan is to drug the guards of Duncan so the they can kill Duncan when he sleeps . “When in swinish sleep their drenched natures lies as in a death, what cannot you and I perform upon th’unguarded Duncan? What not put upon his spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt of out great quell?” this is vital information to the story as this is when they plan to kill Duncan they will drug his guards so they will sleep and not remember them killing Duncan.
Macbeth wants to be King we know this as when he see’s the witches and he hears their prediction he is confused and intrigued ‘ stay you imperfect speakers tell me more’ this proves that he wants to know more about becoming king. Macbeth is already “Glamis and thane of Cawdor and the greatest is behind” this shows he is already thane but the greatest prophecy is yet to come this shows that Macbeth wants to be king and that he believes the witches. When Macbeth is talking to himself he again admits that he wants to be king ‘two truths are told, as happy prologues to the swelling act’ this means he is already Glamis he has become thane of Cawdor and he wants to be king. Macbeth also thinks about killing King Duncan ‘why do I yield to that suggestion that whose horrid image doth unfix my hair’ this means why does he give in to killing the king although it makes my hair stand on end. Macbeth is also thinking of becoming king ‘chance may crown me’.
When Malcolm is named as heir to the throne Macbeths reaction is not that bad as he was thinking he could do a better job ‘threst is labour which is not usd for you’ which is saying he is not the right man for the job and Macbeth is he would be more loyal.
Macbeths reaction to lady Macbeth is that he is not really that convinced she says ‘o never shall that morrow see’ which indicating that Duncan will never see tomorrow as he will be dead. Macbeth then says ‘we shall talk no further’ this shows he is not mentally prepared for this and that he wants to talk more.
In act 1 scene 7 Macbeth talks to the audience in a soliloquy. “if it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well it were done quickly” this shows he wants duncan’s death over with as quick as he thought of the idea. He then says “if th’assassination could trammel up the consequence and catch with his surcease, success” this means that if their where no repercussions then he would murder Duncan right now. ‘if it were done when tis done, then twere well it if it were done quickly’ he believes if the business of the murder were ended as soon as the deed is performed then it would be a good thing to have it carried out quickly but he believes he will be judged .
The reasons Macbeth gives for not killing Duncan are ‘he hath honour’d me of late’ this shows he does not want to kill Duncan as he has honored him lately by making him thane of Cawdor.
The driving force of Macbeth killing Duncan is lady Macbeth persuading him and his ambition. And he says he will ‘proceed no further in this business ‘because he feels he will regret it in the future. But then lady Macbeth persuades him by questioning his manhood ‘ do it then you are a man’ so Macbeths does it because he wants to be a man. Macbeth then thinks they will fail then lady Macbeth reassures him they will not fail by sayin ‘we fail? But screw your courage together to the sticking place and we’ll not fail’. And then she tells him the plan ‘when Duncan is asleep. Wheirto the rather shall his hard days journey soundly invite him his two chamberlains will, with and wassail so convince that memory the warder of the brain shall be a fume.’
In act 2 scene 1 Macbeth imagines seeing a dagger before himself. He is hallucinating.
The dagger is covered in blood and is hovering in the air in front of him. It leads him in the direction of Duncan’s chamber and beckons Macbeth to kill Duncan. “Is this a dagger I see before me, the handle toward my hand?” Macbeth realizes ‘it is so horrible that even the stones would cry out’ but he still goes on to kill Duncan this shows that he has a burning ambition to be king.
I think that Macbeth killed Duncan under the influence of others and also his ambition to be king. I think that Macbeth was first influenced by the witches to kill Duncan what they said to him to him was true about him becoming Thane of Glamis and also about him becoming Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth may have believed that what the witches prophesised was his fate and his fate looked so good he did not want to deny any of it and just went through with the killing.
I also think that lady Macbeth was an influence on Macbeth killing Duncan lady Macbeth persuaded Macbeth to kill Duncan by attacking his manhood and saying she loved him and she also persuaded him because she new he had ambition to be the king he just didn’t have the courage. When Macbeth decides not to kill him she abuses him and turns him evil. If it had not been for lady Macbeth then Macbeth might not of gone through with the killing of King Duncan. Therefore I think that Macbeth killed king Duncan under the influence of his wife and the three witches and his own ambition.