The Affects of Duncans Murder in Shakespeare's Macbeth
William Shakespeare differentiated Macbeth's and Lady Macbeth's reactions towards the murder of Duncan in the tragic play Macbeth. The plotting of the homicide, the actual assassination, and the actions after the slaughter demonstrate these responses due to the murder. First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, / Strong both against the deed; then, his host, / .../ Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan/ Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been/ So clear in his great office, that his virtues/ Will plead like angels," This quote from Macbeth's soliloquy explains his relationship with Duncan, and how he has no reason for killing the king. He understands his plan will eventually backfire. At the time of the murder, the quotes "Is this a dagger which I see before me / The handle toward my hand?", and "Sleep no more! / Macbeth does murder sleep" represents Macbeth's guilty conscience beginning to deteriorate inside. The floating dagger Macbeth sees before the murder illustrates Macbeth's disturbed mind. The voices he hears exhibits his suspicion that the sleepers see him listening to their shrieks of fear. Macbeth cries, "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood/ Clean from my hand? No. This my hand will rather/ The multitudinous seas incarnadine, / Making the green one red.", while washing his hands. This shows that Macbeth's paranoia overwhelms him when the blood seems permanently stained on his hands. Macbeth believes there is enough of Duncan's blood on his hands to make the seas red. On the other hand, King Duncan's assassination effects Lady Macbeth in a different manner. Lady Macbeth exclaims "That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here/.../ Make thick my blood; / Stop up the access and passage to remorse," when she learns of Duncan's stay. At first Lady Macbeth calls upon the spirits to "unsex" her, making her susceptible to murder. She wishes not to have female emotions that will cause her to fault the murder. The quote "Had he not resembled/ My father as he slept, I had done't.", exhibits Lady Macbeth's reason for not committing the murder herself. If Duncan had not looked like her father as he slept, Lady Macbeth would commit the murder. Next Lady Macbeth hears an owl, an omen of death, scream, which startles her after the murder is committed.
“Was the hope [Macbeth’s ambition] drunk. . . And wakes it now, to look so green and pale . . . Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard/ To be the same in thine own act and valor/ As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that ” (1, 7, 35-41). Lady Macbeth would never be able to commit the crime herself because of the role she believes she has as a woman, but she knew her husband could. To make sure he follows through she makes fun of him and uses peer pressure by saying he is just afraid to actually kill Duncan. The blood that will be shed is a symbol of loyalty Macbeth to Lady Macbeth. Even when he killed Macdonwald, it was to prove his loyalty to king Duncan, but Lady Macbeth still does not trust her husband enough. Macbeth starts to act delusional when he sees the ghost of Banquo, but Lady Macbeth tries to reassure the guests to simply ignore him. “Sit worthy friends. My lord is often thus/ And hath been from his youth. Pray you, keep seat . . . If you much note him/ You shall offend him and extend his passion” (3, 4, 53- 57). Lady Macbeth feels more embarrassed by her husband instead of trying to be there for
During Duncan’s murder, she consciously suppresses her femininity, only to have it crop up in her sleepwalking. Right after Macbeth reemerges from the bedroom after killing Duncan, he talked about regretting his actions, and feeling as if he couldn’t right the wrongs he did. He even says that, “This my hand will rather/The multitudinous seas incarnadine,” (II.ii.79-80). Macbeth is saying that his hand couldn’t be washed clean with all of the oceans, and if he tried, he would stain them red with blood. Clearly, he feels guilty about killing Duncan and believes that he will never do enough penance for it. His hand is a metaphor for his soul, and the seas represent small good deeds. No matter what he does, his soul will never be clean again. Lady Macbeth belittles his worries, seeming unbothered by the fact that she helped kill the king. Right after Macbeth finishes his tirade on his sins, she insists that, “A little water clear us of this deed.”(II.ii.86). Lady Macbeth appears to think that the murder wasn’t something to feel guilty about, and even if it was, a few good deeds would fix the mark of their souls. However, in her sleepwalking episode, her true feelings appear. She mindlessly rubs her hands and cries in her haze, “Here’s the smell of blood still. All/ the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little /hand.”(V.i.53-55). When she isn’t alert
After being told that her husband could potentially be the next king, Lady Macbeth was quick to say that Macbeth should kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth was the one that came up with the whole plan to kill Duncan and intoxicate the guards, that way it will look like they were the ones who did it. Macbeth killed Duncan, but after doing so he is extremely troubled and stressed out. He comes walking out from the room with the daggers in his hands. Lady Macbeth orders him to go put the daggers back, to which Macbeth refuses. Lady Macbeth grabs the daggers from his hands and goes back to the king’s room to leave the daggers (Act II, scene II). She then proceeds to tell Macbeth to return to bed and if woken up, pretend like they have been sleeping this whole time. Lady Macbeth, even though she should not be in this time period, is the emotionally strong one in her relationship with Macbeth. She keeps her fasade up and we only see her actual feelings a couple times. Despite that, Lady Macbeth is a dynamic character and change quite drastically throughout the play. Lady Macbeth becomes less white-hearted. However, due to the guilt after the murder and the stress from constantly looking after her husband, Lady Macbeth takes her own life (Act V, scene
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
It all began really in Act II, Scene II after the murder of Duncan, when Macbeth returns to his room to join his wife. As any person would be, Macbeth is very shaken by his wrong act. Killing a man, not to mention a beloved king is a sin and Macbeth knows it very well! He truly believes he has murdered all innocence, and only worse things will follow. Throughout the scene there are several quotes that show this; " Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more," and " Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No; this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red." This shows the amount of guilt he felt. He describes this by saying that if he tried to wash his hands in the river, it would turn into the colour of the blood itself. Lady Macbeth attempts to make him stronger, " A little water clears us of this deed: How easy it is then!" But the guilt he feels just does not go away…At least for the time being.
He says, “Better be with the dead, whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, than on the torture of the mind”(III.2.46). This quote takes place just before he does the daring deed and shows the reader that he knows it is not the right thing to do before he even goes to do it. His conscience tries to stay strong but he wants all the power as soon as possible so his conscience gives out and he decides that he will kill Duncan. He states before the domino effect of murders starts that he would rather be dead, than to be a guilty murderer. As the character gives into his dream of being the king he goes to do the deed and murder King Duncan. After he commits the murder, Macbeth feels immediate guilt. This is shown in a conversation with his wife yet again. He says, “I am afraid to think what I have done. Look on’t again I dare not”(II.2.56-57). This quote takes place right after the murder of King Duncan but he accidentally left the daggers in the bedroom with the corpse of Duncan. He immediately feels the guilt which is good for his conscience because he realizes he did something he should not have. He says to Lady Macbeth that he can not stand to even see what he has done anymore. Soon after Macbeth’s daring act his guilt begins to haunt him
The symbolism of blood prior to, and immediately following Duncan’s murder amplifies the magnitude of Macbeth’s treachery. Following the prophecy of the witches, Macbeth contemplates the possible effects of murdering Duncan in order to gain the crown. Macbeth believes the killing of Duncan will provide "bloody instruction" to Scotland and will in turn "plague th' inventor" (1.7.9-10). This quotation characterizes the murder of Duncan as a bloody deed, therefore amplifying the severity of the crime. Prior to the murder of Duncan, Macbeth hallucinates bloody splotches on his dagger. Macbeth voices this hallucination when he states, "I see thee still, and on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, which was not so before" (Macbeth 2.1.46-48). The false appearance of blood on Macbeth's dagger asserts his hesitancy to murder Duncan. In this case, blood symbolizes the possible guilt of Macbeth upon the murder of Duncan. Immediately following the murder of Duncan, Macbeth uses the symbol of blood to assert the magnitude of his crime. Macbeth conveys immediate concern when he states, "Will all great Neptune's ocean...
He no longer is the innocent soldier he once way, he now has “unclean hands”. Lady Macbeth however, assumes his innocence. She claims she cannot murder Duncan herself because Duncan looks to much like her sleeping father. She is all words and no actions. Macbeth is devoid of any human emotions as the play goes on, and Lady Macbeth assumes the emotional role. Lady Macbeth begins to have dreams in which she cannot get the blood off her hands, and ultimately commits suicide from guilt of her actions. This breakdown of Lady Macbeth really highlights how inhuman the murder of Duncan has made Macbeth.
Many factors were involved in Macbeth's decision to kill King Duncan. He had pressure from his wife, he had an idea in his head, given to him by the three witches, and he was extremely ambitious. All of these factors contributed to his demise in the end and his decision to murder his king.
After the first murder scene, when Macbeth stabs King Duncan in his sleep, he encounters a great deal of guilt towards the murder. This is shown by a quote from Macbeth, "With all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas in carnadine, making the green one red", at this point in the play, blood is resembled mostly by guilt. What Macbeth is really saying is that not even the entire ocean could wash his hands clean of blood from this dirty deed he had committed. He feels that what he had done was so wrong and shameful there is not a way in the world to hide it, the ocean is an excellent way to portray this. After the discovery of Duncan’s murder in the third scene, Macbeth exaggerates the king’s wounds," His silver skin lac’d with his golden blood, and gash’d stabs look’d like a breach in nature..." Macbeth most likely said this to drive away any thought of him being the murderer. The word "golden" resembles the King’s blood, referring to his social status not only as a King, but as a well liked member of society. The word “blood,” produces a dreadful description of the king’s murder which aids the audience in picturing this horrific murder scene.
Lady Macbeth begins with an unrecognizable conscience. She explains to Macbeth that if she said she would kill her own child, she would rather do the deed than break her word to do so. As the play continues, however, Lady Macbeth begins to develop a conscience. After placing the daggers for Duncan's murder, she makes an excuse for not killing Duncan herself: "Had he not resembled / My father as he slept, I had done't" (2.2.12-13). These words introduce her conscience. Towards the end of the play, Lady Macbeth falls into a sleepless state, and this sleeplessness represents her guilt for her role in Duncan's death,...
In the beginning of the play, when Lady Macbeth is first introduced she is already plotting Duncan's murder. She even wishes that she were not a woman so that she could do it herself saying in Act I, Scene 5, "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here." Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband with astonishing success, overruling all his objections. When he does not wish to murder, she frequently questions his manhood until he feels that he must kill King Duncan in order to prove himself. They are both blinded by ambition; nothing will stop them from gaining the throne. Macbeth feels remorse immediately following the murder, but Lady Macbeth assures him that everything will be fine. When he worries over his blood stained hands she tells him in Act II, Scene 2 that "A little water clears us of this deed. How easy is it then!" Lady Macbeth also logically explains to her husband that as long as he is the new king, he can never be punished for the murder of Duncan, for no one possesses more power than he. She seems completely unaffected by the murder they two have conspired to commit. This apathy does not last for long however.
Shakespeare first displays this idea in Act 2 where Macbeth states, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red.” (II II 61-64) Macbeth figuratively states that his hands are so bloody, even the entire ocean could not cleanse them. Rather, they would make the ocean red. Macbeth’s speech takes place after Duncan’s murder. The quote is important as it shows Macbeth’s guilt over the murder, and how it haunts him. Macbeth gradually loses his sanity and questions if his decision was correct. Through this quote, you are able to see Macbeth’s vulnerability and more humane side. Shakespeare communicates that if negative emotions are not confronted, they will consume and relentlessly haunt them. The idea is again demonstrated in Act 5 where Macbeth says, “Of all men else I have avoided thee But get thee back. My soul is too much charged With blood of thine already.” (V VIII 4-6) Macbeth directs this speech to Macduff, vocalizing how he wished to not confront him again. This quote happens subsequently after Macduff locates Macbeth. They fight following the speech, in which Macduff triumphs. Macbeth fears fighting Macduff because it could result in his hands being stained with even more of the Macduffs’ blood. Macbeth can not find it in himself to become detached from his emotions,
Key elements in the play substantiate the fact that Macbeth is a serious story, the first elements of Aristotle’s definition. From the first lines of the play, the mood is set featuring witches whom speak of witchcraft, potions and apparitions. Not only do the three witches aid in making this a serious story but also, they appealed to Elizabethans whom at the time believed in such supernatural phenomena. War for centuries has represented killing and feuding, thus, the war taking place between Scotland and Norway provided a dark component. The Thane of Cawdor’s rapidly approaching execution due to his deceiving the king also plays a role in this grim work. Murder throughout all of Macbeth is an essential aspect when dealing with the seriousness of the play. From the beginning, Lady Macbeth urges Macbeth to do anything to overthrow King Duncan, whom is the king of Scotland, the role Macbeth desperately yearns for. During the excursion to become king, Macbeth successfully murders King Duncan, Macduff’s wife and children, and with the help of a group of murderers Banquo; a brave general who will inherit the Scottish throne. Through the whole play, while such dank occurrences are used to create deep mood, Shakespeare also uses strong language and words. Such as when Lady Macbeth calls upon the gods to make her man-like so she will have the fortitude to kill King Duncan herself in this quote, “Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here… Make my blood thick… Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunest smoke of hell, that my keen knife see not the wound it makes, nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark.” This type of language provokes thoughts of death, blood and darkness though the imagery such dank words create. The play also follows through with its theme of blood by in the end of the play, having both of its lead characters die. Lady Macbeth, distraught by guilt over the bloodshed, commits suicide while Macbeth is murdered and beheaded by Macduff, a Scottish noblemen.
... in him but in her. He hallucinates before the murder but she suffers from the mental disorders afterwards. He stands helpless with his bloody hands crying all Neptune's ocean won't clear the guilt from his hands while she comforts him saying that a few drops of water would clear them of their deed. Later. She is the one who washes her hand for quarter of an hour to get rid of the bloodstain. What Macbeth fears to happen to him happens to her. She becomes "all remorse, and he all defiance." In fact the fall of lady Macbeth and her death paves the way to the fall of Macbeth and his death.