Examining the Three Deaths in William Shakespeare's Macbeth

Examining the Three Deaths in William Shakespeare's Macbeth

I will show how Shakespeare makes us feel horror pity and fear by

examining three of the deaths in the play. These are the three main

components to any tragedy, dating back to the ancient Greek tragedies.

I will look at the murder of King Duncan and that of Banquo as well as

the killing of young Macduff and his mother.

The play was Macbeth was probably first performed in front of King

James at Hampton Court Palace in 1606; six centuries after the birth

of the real Macbeth on whose life the play is loosely based. Most of

the other characters also existed but Shakespeare has moulded them to

suit his purposes.

There is a great build-up to Duncan's death. This creates an

atmosphere tension, suspense and fear. You fear for the King, and the

consequences of what Macbeth is about to do. For this reason you not

only feel sorrow and pity for Duncan but also for Macbeth, who started

off a good man, noble and just, with a courageous heart. He has been

led by the witches and his wife to commit the terrible act, and we

have perceived for him because we know this story is a tragedy.

Macbeth will eventually go mad and have to pay for what he has done

with his own life.

A very important element in both Duncan's and Banquo's murder is the

night. It plays on the childhood fears of the dark and has always been

traditionally associated with evil and wicked goings on. Things happen

in the dark that should not, secret, unseen deeds from which only bad

can come. The good people of the world were in the beds, that was

where Duncan was, unaware that his host was about to do the

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his anger to his family "give to th' edge o' th' Sword His Wife, his

Babes". Macduff later avenges his loss, ending Macbeth's hubris by

killing him in the play's catharsis.

In this callous killing Macbeth reaches the apex of his cruelty.

"Cruel are the Times" comments Rosse. Fear is created by the

unexpected entry of the anonymous messenger who warns Lady Macduff "Be

not found here" after she has just pointed out she has been left

unprotected. We pity her ignorance "Whether should I fly?" and her

helpless child.

We are not shown the murder of Lady Macduff but we are shown the

appalling murder of her son who pitifully attempts to stand up for his

mother. We are left once again to imagine another grisly slaying with

our own macabre mental pictures fuelled by her parting screams of

"Murthr!"