Have you ever felt so guilty that you felt like you were going insane? Well, in William Shakespeare's Macbeth his main character Macbeth is a respected general a devoted husband and a loyal subject of the king…. Or is he really? In Macbeth, we find out the true characteristics of Macbeth by learning that he is an evil backstabbing, guilt-filled person. His true influence was his wife, Lady Macbeth, who rushed him to commit his very first grim act of many. Guilt has made him insane because he killed King Duncan his best friend Banquo and the family of Macduff. In (2.2.19-27) as Macbeth entered with bloody daggers Lady Macbeth said, “My husband?” He answered “I have done the deed. Didst thou not hear a noise?”. This indicates that he has already …show more content…
She also questioned his manhood by saying “When you Durst did it, ” she said. "then you were a man”, which pushed Macbeth wants to even before. Then, Macbeth sent the murderers to kill his best friend Banquo. He sent the murderers to kill him because Macbeth feared that his prophecies would come true. Macbeth says to himself “ Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be fired.” (3.1.51-53). Macbeth becomes even more guilty making him go insane, he starts to have many hallucinations. In an act (3.4) Macbeth saw Banquo’s ghost before the coronation banquet. He was screaming hysterically. Lady Macbeth knowing his guilt tried to calm him down in front of their guest, but Macbeth continued to see Banquo's ghost which caused him more guilt building up his insanity so Lady Macbeth just ended the banquet early because Macbeth was going insane. His more grim act, in my opinion, was when he killed Macduff’s wife and son. He killed them because he saw Macduff as a threat to his future. Macbeth has no type of conscious so he was not able to see what was the good and the
Macbeth is the remaining contributor to turning himself into the power-hungry animal he is before he is finally taken down. Macbeth let himself get talked into killing Duncan; he rationalizes with himself to kill Banquo. He is too ambitious. As soon as the witches cast the prophecy that he would be King, Macbeth lets himself be jealous. Once it is an option, he realizes how divine it would be to be King. Now, Macbeth will do what is necessary to get there, even if he suffers terrible consequences. After killing Duncan, Macbeth suffers by not being able to speak. “As they seen me with these hangman’s hands,/List’ning their fear. I could not say ‘Amen’/When they did say ‘God bless us’” (2.2.38-40). Macbeth cannot utter the sacred words of God; moreover, this illustrates to the reader how terrible the consequences are psychologically for this murder. Macbeth is also jealous of the prophecy Banquo gets, which also drives him to kill Banquo. Soon after he kills Banquo, Macbeth hosts a banquet, where Banquo’s seat is left empty. Only Macbeth truly knows what has happened to Banquo. However, he hallucinates that Banquo is at the table with all the guests when Macbeth says, “Avaunt, and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee./Thy bones are marrowless; thy blood is cold;/Thou hast no speculation in those eyes/Which thou dost glare with” (3.4.113-116). Macbeth is seeing Banquo at his banquet even after he ordered murders to kill Banquo and Fleance, Banquo’s son. Macbeth cannot believe his eyes, he is shocked at the sight of Banquo and he is losing his mind. Macbeth endures horrific hallucinations, falling into the depths of insanity. These two quotations in the play are very important because they emphasize how Macbeth has turned into a mon...
Because he wasn’t in a proper mental state, Macbeth was a terrible king. He ruled Scotland like a tyrant and shut himself off from all of his friends and subjects. His terrible leadership of the country caused most of the politicians to wish for him to be overthrown. Some of the nobles-- such as Ross, Lennox, and Macbeth-- left Scotland and went to England where Malcolm had been staying with his relatives, the royal family of England. In England, Malcolm and the others from Scotland are planning an attack on Macbeth so that Malcolm can claim the throne that is rightfully his. This shows that Macbeth’s choices caused his downfall because they led him to insanity and that caused him to be a terrible leader that needed to be
Despite these factors, the imperative annihilation of Duncan proceeds Macbeth to a further state of insanity. Macbeth’s mental state transforms in the progression of the Shakespearean tragedy, developing a character that originates as sane, but then is driven towards madness through the tragic flaw of ambition; this is the result of (1) Macbeth’s likelihood to commit atrocities, (2) willful construction of figments, and (3) external pressures for the pursuit of ill-advised intentions. Ambition plagues Macbeth over the course of the epic tragedy, conveying his sanity progresses to a state of mental illness through his murderous measures. At first, Macbeth is aware of the outcomes of murdering King Duncan, and contemplates whether to enact Duncan’s deposition. Consequently, Macbeth’s hamartia of determination causes him to formulate a strategy for the execution of Duncan, even though no other true motive is apparent: “I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself / And falls on th’ other,”(Shakespeare 1.... ...
The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, explores the darkest corners of the human psyche. It artfully takes its audience to a place that allows one to examine what a human being is truly capable of once tempted by the allure of power. In the play, Scottish noble Macbeth and his wife inevitably fall prey to their own self corruption. Initiated by prophesies made by three mysterious witches, the Macbeths set their sights on the throne. When the curtains open on the plot to murder King Duncan, Lady Macbeth is the driving force. Her criminal mind and desire for ruthlessness have led many a critic to define her as evil. Closer examination, however, reveals that she is a multifaceted character; other sides to her persona include: genuine good will towards her husband, coy manipulation, and feminine tenderness.
After murdering Duncan, Macbeth feels that he needs to kill Banquo. He is afraid that Banquo is going to be a problem for him. He is suspicious that Banquo believes Macbeth had something to do with Duncan's murder, "Our fears in Banquo/ Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature/ Reigns that which would be feared" (3.1.47-49). He plans to kill him, though Banquo has made no direct threat against Macbeth. He speaks of feeling inferior to Banquo, even though he is king. "There is none but he/ Whose being I do fear; and under him/ My genius is rebuked" (3.1.53-55). Banquo is Macbeth's closest friend, he is starting to lose trust in everyone around him.
... to kill Banquo he says “ Not I’ th’ worst rank of manhood say ‘t And I will put that business in your bosoms”(3.1.115) This was the same technique that Lady Macbeth used when she was persuading Macbeth to kill Duncan; she questioned his manhood. While Macbeth is loosing his morals, Lady Macbeth is developing hers. After Macbeth reveals his plot to kill Banquo she is reluctant to add another murder to those already committed: “You must leave this”(3.3.40)
A combination of Macbeth’s ambition and paranoia lead to many senseless murders. He killed his best friend Banquo out of fear and he senselessly murdered Macduff’s family. The hallucination of Banquo’s ghost is a representation of Macbeth 's guilt, all of Macbeth’s guilt is manifested in the ghost. Macbeth states that he feels guilty because of the murders. “Ay, and since too, murders have been performed Too terrible for the ear.” (III, iv, 80-81) Seeing the ghost of Banquo is the breaking point for Macbeth. The ghost also causes him to think more irrationally which leads to the murder of Macduff. Also, after the murder of Duncan, Macbeth is full of regret and guilt. The voices he hears reflect his mental state. “Methought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more!” (II, ii, 35) His innocence was killed and he knows that he has to live with this guilt for the rest of his life, hence Macbeth will never sleep peacefully ever again. After each successive murder, Macbeth becomes more and more inhumane. “I am in blood Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o 'er.” (III, iv, 143-145) Macbeth claims that after committing a murder, there is no turning back. He killed his best friend due to his ambition and fear. The third murder was outright moralless and unnecessary, he compulsively killed Macduff’s wife and children. Macbeth shows no remorse in his murders, he becomes an absolute monster towards the end of the play. As Macbeth loses his human morales, hallucinations appear to remind him of the sins he
After Duncan’s death, Macbeth feels that Banquo is suspicious of him because he knows about the prophecy. With the goal of eliminating a possible threat, Macbeth hires two murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. Macbeth convinces the murderers that he is not only their enemy but, “so is he mine; and in such bloody distance/ that every minute of his being thrusts/ against my near’st of life,” (III.i.119-121). Here Macbeth explains that Banquo is also his enemy, and that every minute Banquo is alive, is a threat to his own life. While Banquo may be suspicious, this is far from the truth. Banquo is Macbeth’s closest friend, and his willingness to kill him without hesitation shows how much he has changed. He is willing to harm not only his best friend, but also Banquo’s innocent son who may pose a threat in the distant future. Macbeth’s instinct for self-preservation outweighs his morals, and his extreme caution leads to the downfall of others. In doing so, he digs himself into an even deeper hole, and is surrounding himself in secrets in order to protect himself. This takes a toll on Macbeth mentally, because he fears that everyone is his enemy, and that he can only trust
At the beginning of the play, we are greeted with the impression that Macbeth and Banquo are heros of the battlefield. They fought courageously against the enemies of Scotland, an action that is considered the pinnacle of bravery and manliness. Macbeth receives promotion for his deeds, but goes on to endeavour in a much more ambitious goal. His wife, Lady Macbeth manipulates him into acting on this ambition by questioning his manhood. At first, Macbeth did not want to kill King Duncan, for it was not “what a man would do.”
Although, Macbeth didn’t really explain in gory details what he wanted to do to Banquo, his desire to kill his friend is enough to say that there is a shift in personality in him. Before Banquo's departure with his son Macbeth was kindly wishing him good luck and wanted him to come back for dinner. He goes from loyal friend to a backstabber and greedy cold blooded king, immediately after Banquo leaves. In a way his murder can be understood as Macbeth taking care of his family, by eliminating all who threatened it. However, at the cost of killing his best friend, his partner battle.
He even convinces two innocent men, to be the murderers of his next victim, his friend, Banquo. Macbeth persuades the two murderers with so called truths, which are actually lies. He utters, “know Banquo was your enemy”(3.1.130). The fact that Macbeth plans one of his closest friend’s death, illustrates how his malicious behavior has grown. His transformation into this mental instability, leads his wife, Lady Macbeth, to try to stand up and make excuses for her husband's bad behavior.
Because of the witch's predictions and his impatience, MacBeth kills in order to get what he expects is coming to him. When Banquo takes time to contemplate what has been going on, he turns his. thoughts to MacBeth. He expresses his feelings about the situation in Act II. Scene 1 Banqou feels that MacBeth might have something to do with the murders. but he never stands up for his thoughts or listens to his conscience until MacBeth comes to him one day. When MacBeth asks to talk privately to Banquo.
Macbeth is put together with many character traits. He is a very complex character. In the beginning Macbeth was brave and loyal. He won the battle of Norway and became the Thane of Cawdor. For brave Macbeth disdainding fortune with his brandished steel which smoked with bloody execution( ACT1 SC2 LNS18-20). Macbeth is also a gullible man, when he runs into the witches he believes them when they say, all hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter(act1 sn2 line 50) . He is so gullible to what these witches said that he killed his best friend Banquo and nearly kills Banquo's son. Macbeth also was convinced by his wife to kill Duncan. Macbeth conscious becomes guilty after he kills Duncan when he said, will all great neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?(act2 sn2 lines 79-80). He is thinking that nothing can take back the murders he had committed.
This proves his vaulting ambition and how it had taken over Macbeth. Macbeth continues to murder Banquo and does so out of fear of losing the throne. This is evident in (III, i, 47 – 50) where Macbeth says “…To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus. – Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be fear’d…” this demonstrates Macbeths fear and the threat he faces. Macbeth says that Banquo’s royalty of nature should be feared, through this we are able to understand that Macbeth is evidently lost his grasp on his moral conscience and begins to take down any threat he sees, even if that threat is his best friend. Macbeth goes on to refer to Banquo as his enemy and although he could kill him himself, he fears to offend mutual friend they may have (III, i, 115 – 120). Macbeth then orchestrates the murder of Banquo and Fleance showing no remorse. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that she should appear innocent and act nicely as to not draw any suspicion to themselves. “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, till thou applaud the deed…” (III, ii, 46 – 47). Although Macbeth still refers to Lady Macbeth as his dearest chuck he has planned the murder by himself and without any help, demonstrating his inherent evil nature. Macbeth’s quest for power not only ends his life, but he continues the murders due to malice. When Macbeth plans to murder the
In Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, the appearance of Banquo's ghost plays an important role. But it also leaves us to wonder if it is a sign of Macbeth's failing sanity, or an actual apparition appearing to frighten Macbeth. Closer examination shows evidence that this is indeed a figment of Macbeth's imagination. First, it is not the first, but the third, or arguably, the fourth time Macbeth has seen or heard was isn't there. His wife too, will have struggles along the same lines. In addition, it can be argued and demonstrated the Macbeth had lost his sanity before this point. And in a broader view, we see that the ghost of Banquo is treated much differently than ghosts used in Shakespeare's other works are.