In act 1 scene 7, Shakespeare characterizes Lady Macbeth as controlling. After King Duncan of Scotland arrives at the Macbeth estate, Macbeth contemplates the benefits of killing Duncan versus the harms of doing so. Macbeth concludes that it would be unjust to kill Duncan because not only has Duncan given Macbeth praise for defeating the Thane of Cawdor, but Duncan is a very popular monarch. When Macbeth tells his wife “We will proceed no further in this business” (34), the response from Lady Macbeth is “Art thou afeard” (43). This calls in Macbeth’s bravery into question through the use of “afeard”. The word “afeard” denotes that he is scared and carries the implication that he is not brave enough to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth’s taunt is extremely
Lady Macbeth frequently uses insulting language, aiming to insult Macbeth’s masculinity. One instance where she does this is when she says “Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valour as thou art in desire?” She is asking him if he is scared to be as brave as much as he desires and loves her. This was evidently designed to provoke Macbeth into retaliation, and to prove his masculinity, he would assassinate King Duncan.
The Ways in Which the Different Characters in Macbeth React to the Murder of Duncan
to plan out her murder on Duncan to ensure that her husband is to be
Taking Responsibility for the Murder of King Duncan in William Shakespeare's Macbeth Although Macbeth did murder King Duncan, there were other people. responsible for his death, he said. There were really 4 other people. responsible for the murder, the witches whom Macbeth had communicated. with, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth's wife, of course Macbeth himself, King.
The Murder of King Duncan and Macbeth's Downfall in William Shakespeare's Macbeth Macbeth is a famous Shakespearian tragedy. In all of Shakespeare's tragedies, a truly good character eventually experiences a horrific event. These tragedies are caused by a fatal flaw in the character's personality, which for Macbeth is ambition, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself and falls on th'other" Macbeth was written for King James, because a huge interest of his was the supernatural. It was written at a time when the audience would have mostly believed in things such as witches, witchcraft and magical powers. Because of this the play probably had a much more realistic and believable appeal, and would have had a much greater impact on the audiences.
She says he is too kind to commit such a deed, but she is going to
Back in the 1600s, when the Renaissance age existed monarchies existed everywhere in Europe and some parts of Asia. The kings ruled the country and was considered the leader who made all the countries decision from war to education. So when a king dies or gets murdered it would have a huge impact on its people because they lost their ruler. In Macbeth, King Duncan is murdered in his sleep by Macbeth and numerous reactions of characters are revealed. Some reactions are positive and some are negative to the situation. In the end it’s a comparison of an ordinary person's death and a king's death, which seems more important.
During this time, Macbeth was undergoing a lot of apprehension and anxiety. Additionally, Macbeth at this time was questioning whether taking the life of someone (Duncan) who he trusted, fought for, and cared for was really worth all the power and glory it would gain him and his wife. Moreover, he was also contemplating the moral, and emotional consequences this crime would invoke. Prior to the murder, Macbeth utters these words,”This even-handed justice commend th’ingredience of our poison’d chalice to our own lips...First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should go against his murderer shut the door, Not bear a knife myself…”(1:7:10-16). Within this quotation Macbeth displays his anxieties and his emotions in a very open way and conveys to the audience that deep down Macbeth wishes not to murder Duncan because of the overwhelming guilt he will face in the future. Moreover, Macbeth speaks on how being his kinsman and host rightfully prohibit him from killing Duncan and that Macbeth should actually be the one stopping a threat to Duncan’s life rather than committing it himself. Contrastingly, Lady Macbeth, prior to the murder, heavily impacts her husband and antagonizes Macbeth by trying to belittle his masculinity for refusing to kill Duncan.
In Act 1 Scene 7, Lady Macbeth ‘bullies’ her husband by doubting his masculinity and provoking a response. She called Macbeth “afeard” and a “coward”. I am inclined to think that Lady Macbeth chose these words as Macbeth values his courage and fierce nature as it has positioned him highly in society. It is possible that Macbeth’s greatest vulnerability is his love for Lady Macbeth and that enables her to exploit his love for power. This shows her femininity as a strength as she can use it to influence Macbeth and show him as the weak spouse.
At the start of Act 1, Scene 2 Macbeth is shown brave and loyal with
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the repercussions of Macbeth murdering his King are very numerous. Through themes that include, imagery, soliloquies, atmosphere, and supernatural beings, Shakespeare enforces the magnitude of Macbeth’s crime. Most of these factors are linked together.
Throughout history women have fought for the same rights of men. In the time of William Shakespeare they were seen in society as weak and vulnerable. They were seen to be good, caring and not as powerful as men. Men were the superior and ruled the land. Shakespeare has taken the stereotypical image of the women of the time and turned it on its head in ‘Macbeth’. Lady Macbeth is shown as a very powerful, strong woman. She has an evil about her that Shakespeare has used to make ‘Macbeth’ a supernatural play. Women were seen to be good and not as powerful as men, in ‘Macbeth’ Lady Macbeth is the dominate character and commands and persuades Macbeth to commit the murders and crimes that he does.
After Lady Macbeth reads his letter and Macbeth arrives home, she is excited about becoming queen. She asks Macbeth when King Duncan is to be arriving and tells Macbeth to leave the plan up to her, his only job being that he has to look innocent and hide their true intentions. Macbeth seems to be stunned and nervous, telling his wife that they will talk later when she begins to tell him of her plan. In the seventh scene, at the castle, Macbeth speaks of the intense guilt he is feeling even before he is to kill Duncan; “… this even-handed justice/ Commends the ingredients of our poisoned/ Chalice to our own lips…” (1. 7. 10-12) (Shakespeare), “… He’s here in double trust…” (1. 7. 12) (Shakespeare), “… Besides, this Duncan/ Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been/ So clear in his great office…” (1. 7. 17-19)(Shakespeare) all express Macbeth’s discomfort with murdering Duncan to steal the throne. Not only does he convey these emotions during this monologue, but he does so when Lady Macbeth enters the room, saying “We will proceed no further in this business./ He hath honored me of late, and I have bought/ Golden opinions from all sorts of people…” (1. 7. 32-34) (Shakespeare). To respond to this, Lady Macbeth does what she does best: emasculating her husband. She first articulates her questioning of his manhood after she reads Macbeth’s letter in the first act when she says “Yet do I fear thy nature;/ It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness…” (1. 5. 2-3) (Shakespeare), which contrasts with the heroic description the dying Captain gives of Macbeth in the opening scene. After Macbeth tells his wife that he is calling off the plan to kill King Duncan, she
Macbeth is a true Shakespearian tragedy, in which mast murders take place, in order for one man and women to take the throne and become king and queen. It starts with Duncan’s murder, which is done because Macbeth did not want to see Duncan’s son next in line for the throne and the only way to prevent that was by eliminating Duncan. The nest murder was that of Banquo. Banquo is a friend of Macbeth and his murder is un-predictable. Macbeth may have feared that if he did not kill Banquo, Banquo would kill him in order to gain a position power seeing that the witch’s just informed both Macbeth and Banquo that Macbeth will be the next King of Scotland and Banquo will never have the chance to hold the throne. Once Banquo is out of the way, Macbeth turns his attention to his real target, King MaCduff. Although at first hesitant about killing MaCduff, Macbeth chooses to murder MaCduff, a man who Macbeth himself said was a good man and a fine leader. The last murder is of MaCduff’s family. Macbeth can not take any chances and must kill any associated with the former king (King MaCduff). The murder of MaCduff’s wife and son is the most vicious crime of them all because for one we see the killing on stage and number two a child is murdered, the most vicious and horrific thing one can show. Macbeth murders for personal gain and has no regrets or else he would not have continued his mass slaughtering. Macbeth is responsible for these murders because he commits them himself, without any assistance, he kills everyone out of necessity, and because all these acts were done out of free will.
Killing the King in William Shakespeare's Macbeth William Shakespeare was born on April 23rd 1564 in Stratford, England. In the 1590's Shakespeare joined a touring theatre company in London. He was the lead actor of the company, which was called " The Lord Chamberlain's Men."