Was Macbeth really a loyal companion of the king? The witches tell him that he will be Thane of Glamis and Thane of Cawdor, and that he will be king hereafter. After they speak to him and Banquo, Macbeth says, “Stay you imperfect speakers. Tell me more. By Sinel’s death I know I am Thane of Glamis. But how Cawdor?”( Shakespeare 219). By asking them this question he wonders how he will be king. Macbeth, after this scene, is getting greedy. He is willing to do anything to be King. Greed is a human trait that is evident in our daily lives. Macbeth displays greed throughout the play and it was one of the major components in his downfall. In act 1 scene 5, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth decide that they will kill King Duncan, so that they can
Before hearing of this wonderful news, Macbeth speaks to three witches that predict he will be Thane of Cawdor and eventually king. Obviously, in disbelief he leaves, not yet knowing that he has earned the title. He then meets with a man who tells him this. When meeting with the king he is quoted as saying, “The service and the loyalty I woe, In doing it, pays itself. Your highness’ part Is to receive our duties: and our duties Are to your throne and state, children and servants; Which do but what they should, by doing every thing Safe toward your love and honour.” (i, iv) This quote shows Macbeth’s honor and appreciation for his king and his country.
Throughout Macbeth, the question of loyalty was on everyone's minds. Macbeth is more for power than loyalty. His fate told by the three witches
In act 1 scene 5 Lady Macbeth received a letter from Macbeth. In the letter Macbeth wrote about what happened to him earlier. The tone of the letter is exciting which shows Macbeth’s interest in the prophecies. Moreover now that Lady Macbeth knows about the predictions, she is making a plan for example “Hie thee hither that I may pour my spirits in thine ear” so that he can succeed. This suggests that Lady Macbeth is going to persuade Macbeth to commit regicide. In addition, from that moment, Macbeth is starting to change from kind and nice to an aggressive and brutal man. Lady Macbeth started to manipulate Macbeth using insulting language to make him kill the king as she calls him a coward “Will you take the crown you want so badly, or will you live as a coward, always saying ‘ I can’t’ after you say ‘I want to’? This insulting language suggests that Lady Macbeth wants to force him to kill
Macbeth was a high-ranking thane of Glamis, who was greedy. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth only killed when he was in battle. For his bravery and loyalty, Macbeth than becomes the thane of Cawdor, because the original thane was, as it says in act 1, sc. 2 line 52 “ a most disloyal traitor.” Now those may argue Lady Macbeth is responsible for Macbeth’s downfall, but Macbeth could have told her that it was wrong to kill Duncan and if she wanted King Duncan dead, she would have to do it herself. Lady Macbeth says she would have killed King Duncan, except she could not because he resembled her father,"Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done't.” Macbeth’s conscience knows that murdering King Duncan is wrong, but he lets Lady Macbeth’s harmless persistence and greed destroy his judgement. Macbeth knew that his actions were wrong, yet he still murdered and also committed treason against his country, Scotland for social status, power, and riches. Macbeth not only murdered King Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s family and servants, he murdered the innocent guards. Macbeth speaks of how he could not refrain from murdering the guards in act 2, sc.3, lines 90-96, “Here lay Duncan, His silver skin laced with his golden blood… there, the murderers, Steep'd in the colours of their trade, their daggers Unmannerly breech'd with gore… Who could
In the beginning Macbeth was such a nice guy. That all changed when he met the three witches. When Macbeth first meets the witches they say two things that begin Macbeth's trail of evil. "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cowdor!" I iii 49, is the first thing that leads to the trail. The second is, "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!" I iii 50. These two predictions told by the witches caused great ambition to happen within Macbeth. Lady Macbeth finds out about the predictions, and drives Macbeth's ambition even harder. Lady Macbeth tries to get Macbeth to kill King Duncan, because she wants Macbeth to be king. "He that's coming/ must provided for: and you shall put/ this night's great business into my dispatch;/ which shall to all our nights and days to come/ give solely sovereign sway and mastedom." I v 65-69, this is a quote from Lady Macbeth explaining to Macbeth that when King Duncan come to stay, they will kill him. After Macbeth killed Duncan he killed the King's guards, so no one could question them. All this was just the beginning of a walk down an evil trail.
At the beginning of the play, Macbeth was a kind and gentle person. The only time he killed is when he was in battle. Macbeth was loyal to the King (Duncan), and did as he wished. In battle, he kills a traitor to the Scotland who was a high ranking individual. For killing the traitor so bravely, Macbeth is awarded the title the Thane of Cawdor. The irony of this situation is that the title first did indeed belonged to 'a most disloyal traitor'(pg. 3, line 53). As Macbeth heads home with his new title and a lot more ambition. This is mainly because of the three witches who tell him he will be king. With this new ambition, Macbeth did not know what to think and he wrote a letter to his wife. By Macbeth writing this letter it showed at this stage he was still loyal because he still was sharing everything with his wife. Macbeth at this point still did not have a lust for power.
From the beginning, Lady Macbeth wants to be the queen and if that happens macbeth would be king. In order to do that the king, Duncan, would have to die. This is where Lady Macbeth’s idea of killing Duncan comes in. “Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty” (Scene 1 act 5 44-46). This quote describes how Lady Macbeth wants the royalty of being queen. Here she is power-hungry to be the queen and she shows she will do anything to get it like killing. As Macbeth tries to perform the murder Lady Macbeth persuades him and he finally does it. During this act, Lady Macbeth portrays a dominant leader as she leads Macbeth into the murder. What really tops it off is when Macbeth does not execute the plan completely and Lady Macbeth finishes it with ease. As the play goes on, the dominant lady in Lady Macbeth begins to disappear. In act 5, Lady Macbeth is always moving her hands like she is washing them, which foreshadows a dramatic and emotional scene about to happen. In the beginning of the play she didn't bother washing her han...
Macbeth is captured by his wild ambition at the opening of the play when he and Banqou meet the three witches. The witches tell Macbeth that he is the Thane of Cawdor, and later will be king. They tell Banquo that his sons will be kings. Instantly Macbeth started to fantasize how he is going to be king. He understood that in order for him to become king he has to kill Duncan. “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical”(Act 1 Sc. 3, p.23). He was pondering about the assassination until the moment that he could no longer control his emotions. “To prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which overleaps itself and falls on the other-“(Act 1 Sc. 7, p.41). Because of his “vaulting ambition” he killed Duncan.
In Act 1 Macbeth is troubled by his desire to kill the king that is countered by his morals that state he should not kill Duncan for the fact “First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
When the play started Macbeth was a very loyal person towards the King, therefore the King treated Macbeth like a son. The king tells Macbeth that he is in great debt to Macbeth and there is no amount of money or land to repay Macbeth for his services. Macbeth responds to the King telling him that all he wants is for the King to accept his services and duties to his throne and kingdom (Act I, scene IV). Macbeth shows a great deal of friendliness when he invites King Duncan to his house (Act I, scene VI ). Macbeth is thoughtful and very compassionate in the way of the king but without the King's knowledge he has a plan to kill the King while the King is sleeping.
When Lady Macbeth is first introduced she is reading a letter from her husband, Macbeth. He is telling her about his meeting with the three witches and their three prophecies. The one she is most concerned with is the prophecy that Macbeth will become king. She decides that they must kill King Duncan. She then asks for the strength to commit the murder. “Of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood, Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse.” (Act 1 Scene 5 Lines 41-42) She is the one who plans the entire murder.
King Duncan trusts Macbeth too much. Macbeth appears as a superhero and faithful to King Duncan. He fights against the traitor Macdonwald, and he helps the king to solve a great problem that wins the war. Duncan trusts Macbeth very much because of Macbeth’s heroic efforts and he gives Macbeth the title “Thane of Cawdor”. In actuality, Macbeth is not as faithful to the king as he appears.
In act 2, scene 2, the murder of Duncan takes place. The audience should be on the edge of their seats by now, wondering if Macbeth will actually have the nerve to murder his king.
Duncan is the most unlikely character to be killed because of his personality, but his title as King of Scotland, causes for Macbeth to loathe Duncan. In the play there is very little interaction between Macbeth and Duncan, showing the little time in which Macbeth gets more power. Prior to the witches’ prophecies Macbeth is loyal to Duncan, and would never imagine killing him. After the one of the witches’ prophecies comes to be true, the thought of killing Duncan, Macbeth "yield[s] to that suggestion / whose horrid image doth unfix my hair / and make my seated heart knock at my ribs" (1.3.146-148). Partly because of Lady Macbeth’s suggestion his "vaulting ambition" is starting to take over, and he begins to take into consideration killing Duncan, to become king. Macbeth however, does not feel comfortable in killing Macbeth, giving himself reasons why not to kill Duncan: “First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself,” (I, vii, 13-16) Lady Macbeth, convinces Macbeth, that killing Duncan is the right thing to do until right before he performs the murder. We learn from this murder that Macbeth truly had faith in the king and was very loyal, but knowing that one day he would become king, his ambition and the persuasion of Lady Macbeth, causes him to perform the act, that he will regret. This murder changes Macbeth as a person, however, and he soon feels little regret for killing King Duncan, but this act will soon aid in his downfall.
Macbeth and his wife have a strong relationship of trust and love as seen in the letter he sends to Lady Macbeth, where he calls her is “dearest partner of greatness.” Macbeth’s encounter with the witches accelerates his deep “vaulting ambition” to be King, with the strong influence from his wife, which leads him to eventually betray King Duncan. After the first prediction of being Thane of Cawdor comes true the “horrid image” of the murder of King Duncan in order for him to become King crosses his mind. When told that he is going to be King of Scotland, Macbeth does whatever he can to ensure that this prediction comes true. It is clear that Macbeth is fascinated with the thought of him being King.