Macbeth Essay

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Macbeth Essay

Is Lady Macbeth the driving force behind the murder of Duncan?


'Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be What thou are promised; yet I do fear thy nature, It is too full o'th'milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way.' Lady Macbeth, Act 1 scene 5 In the first two scenes, it is clear that the plot to murder King Duncan is the main occurrence in Macbeth. It is not fair to say that Lady Macbeth is the only driving force behind this deed, however, her persuasiveness and ruthlessness is one of the main factors. When Lady Macbeth receives the letter from her husband, her ambition is immediately obvious. As soon as she has read it, she wants Macbeth to become king. She is determined that Macbeth must act to become king, and so she thinks of murder straight away. She is determined that the prophecies that she has heard about will come true.
Throughout the beginning of the play, Macbeth has been seen to be the driving force towards King Duncan’s death however it is shown later on, that Lady Macbeth influences him to kill Duncan. The play shows that Lady Macbeth plays on the weaknesses and fears that Macbeth has, manipulating him and questioning him.

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In Act 1 Scene 3, Macbeth says “so foul and fair a day I have not seen” this reminds the audience of the witch’s language in Act 1 Scene 1, Shakespeare uses this saying to show that Macbeth is evil and it associates him with the witch’s and says that he is similar to them. Also in this scene the witch’s give an insight of what is to become of Macbeth;

“All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!”

“All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!”

“All hail, Macbeth – that shalt be the king hereafter!”

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