The Evils of Macbeth in William Shakespeare's Macbeth
The question that I have been given is to evaluate Shakespeare's
characterization of Lady Macbeth and to decide on an correct
description of her character, as I think Shakespeare intended it to be
- is she a cruel, calculating, cold blooded killer; or is she just a
confused and distraught lonely woman?
Throughout the play, she shows qualities and performs actions that
point to both of these possible outcomes, and I, through searching the
book and picking up all possible leads (all quotes in Italics), will
attempt to decide on which of these Lady Macbeth really is and if
possible why she might have been this way.
The first scene that Lady Macbeth appears in is Act 1 scene 5. In the
beginning of this scene, we are inside a room in Macbeth's castle, and
she is reading a letter that we think she has just got from Macbeth.
The letter tells her of his victory in battle, and of his meeting with
the witches and their predictions.
When she has finished reading the letter, she begins to show the
audience the darker side of her character.
She begins by picking on the 'good' aspects of Macbeth's character,
and criticises him for being "…too full o' the milk of human
kindness…"
This means that she thinks of Macbeth as being too soft at heart to do
what she believes is correct, as he feels it is incorrect. However,
she does use mothering terms when describing kindness. This reference
to motherhood repeats later on, and may be hinting at something deeper
in her character that is never actually directly shown . She backs up
this idea straight away with the lines "…though wo...
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...ually began to worsen, she
started to become dragged down by the relentless torrent of troubles,
and despite her desperate attempts to pull herself and Macbeth free,
she was eventually dragged under by the weight of their combined
troubles. Following Macbeth becoming king, he began to become more
independent of her, planning strategies on his own. Having no further
matters to occupy her mind, she began to dwell on the past, slipping
further and further from reality until she eventually completely lost
her hold on sanity and took her own life.
Had her ambition not overridden her sense of morality, she could have
been a respectable, intelligent woman who complemented her husband's
abilities to form a perfect partnership. However, she ended up
becoming a tortured, immoral, dejected soul, and disliked by many
people.
Macbeth's Actions in William Shakespeare's Macbeth As soon as we start to read the play, we learn that Macbeth has earned. himself an honourable reputation, and is described by King Duncan as a valiant cousin. Worthy gentleman. His loyalty and bravery are portrayed through his defeat of the Norwegian army and Scottish rebels, and he returns from battle, a gallant and reputable soldier. The extent of his courage is shown as he is interminably praised by his noblemen, has become a hero of Scotland, and the thane of Cawdor.
Macbeth knows that he is about to die as soon as he sees Birnam Forest
opinions in Act 1, Scene 2. The aim of this is to build the suspense
Biography: William Shakespeare's Macbeth tells the story of a man who would be king. And he is the king, because he murders. Him and his wife murder to get their way. This works greatly for them, until they are questioned, and their guilt sets in. The task for this paper was to compare the Macbeth's to two people who did great evil to accomplish good. IE: Adolf Hitler and Osama bin Laden, whom were used in this essay.
Lady Macbeth is at the same time greater and lesser than her husband. She has a hardness which he lacks, but she has none of his subtlety and perception. She knows her husband well and despises him a little, but to satisfy her ambition, which is a crude desire to see her man King, she will devote herself soul and body to evil. (62)
Macbeth is a tragedy written by Shakespeare roughly between the years 1603 and 1606. It was a play written following the death of Queen Elizabeth. The king at the time - James I of England/King James VI of Scotland was known to be a big supporter of theatre, witchcraft and demonology. Shakespeare and his associates soon into their career became known as the King’s men. The Kings ancestry was traced back to Banquo, a character from the play.
Lady Macbeth thinks that being gentle is a weakness. When she says Macbeth is “too full o’ the milk of human kindness,” she means that he is too gentle and weak to murder Duncan (Scott 37). For example, in Act II, Scene 2, Lines 57-74, Macbeth has trouble dealing with the guilt of committing such a crime. He immediately wishes Duncan were alive again.
She also asks them to give her the strength to kill Duncan, she just wants to get on and do it without feeling guilty. At the end of the scene she takes full control of the situation, and Macbeth seems glad to let her have the responsibility.
in 5, 1 when she is the opposite. In Act 5 scene 1 Lady Macbeth is a
The witches are the first characters we see in the play in Act one Scene one- A prologue of evil. They plan to meet Macbeth when the fighting has finished.
Lady Macbeth is first introduced in Act1 Scene 5: reading a letter receives from Macbeth describing the encounter with the Witches, and the prophecies which they given him. Lady Macbeth is very ambitious; believes that Macbeth is too kind and loyal to take the steps needed to become king. "Yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full o’ the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way." Lady Macbeth uses the weaknesses of Macbeth to convince him to kill King Duncan: she challenges his manhood "When you durst do it, then you were a man." "Thou esteem’st the ornament of life and live a coward in thine own esteem." She tries to make him feel guilt: Macbeth promised to kill Duncan he changes his mind. "What beast was’t, then that made break this enterprise to me"
The character Macbeth in the story of Shakespeare’s Macbeth faces decisions that affect his morals. He begins as an innocent soul, dedicated to serve his kingdom and its king, Duncan. As time passes and opportunities present themselves combined with the deception of the evil witches, Macbeth begins his descent into madness. Macbeth’s innocence and loyalty are completely corrupted due to his over confidence, guilty conscience, and the inevitability of human nature. Macbeth looses sight of what is morally right to do in life because his logical choices are changed by these factors.
The Characterisation of Lady Macbeth in Act 1 Scene 5 The Macbeth scenes are generally intended to express tragedy in the play. I will be there. Much of the scene in Act 1 Scene 5 is concentrated on Lady Macbeth, because she has dominance over her husband. The scene commences with Lady Macbeth in solitary confinement.
does not have any children to carry on the name, so he is wondering is
Evil is a destructive force; it causes harm to those who embrace it and their victims. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the protagonist Macbeth and Lady Macbeth fall into the hands of evil. Evil is what drives people to commit unnatural actions of destruction. Macbeth succumbs to evil through his fatal flaw, greed, and it causes him to disrupt the chain of being. When Macbeth willingly murders, massacres, lies and deceives, he loses his heath and sanity. Evil corrupts everything it touches, and Macbeth decides to be evil's servant. But, when Macbeth embraces evil, it corrupts him, and it ultimately destroys him as well. Lady Macbeth is a victim of Macbeth's fatal flaw, since she is drawn in, and becomes greedy for power herself. She pushes Macbeth into destruction when she adds the small touch that plunges Macbeth into a chain of murder, destruction, and lying followed by the loss of their sanity and health. After Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are well into the depths of corruption and greed, it is clearly seen that their guilt will haunt them for the rest of their lives. The harm they have caused others will be returned to them as revenge and they have lost their sanity in order to gain power. The fate of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth clearly illustrates that to embrace evil is to negate our own need for order and well being.