The Ways in Which the Different Characters in Macbeth React to the Murder of Duncan
Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare, the passage of the
play which I will be speaking of is Act 2 scene 3, lines 42-144. In
this passage the King of Scotland, Duncan is brutally murdered by
Macbeth, who is a successful general and respected by the King. His
wife, Lady Macbeth, leads Macbeth to murder the King and he has been
told by three witches that he will be the next King of Scotland. After
Macbeth had finished leading Scotland to victory in battle he is named
as Thane of Cawdor by the King, in fact so pleased is Duncan with
Macbeth that he accepts Macbeth's invitation to spend a night in his
castle and dine with him. Lady Macbeth sees this as the perfect time
to eliminate the king for good so that Macbeth could be crowned King
of Scotland.
Macbeth has killed King Duncan and therefore he's in a mood of great
tension but is really trying to shake it off. The actor playing
Macbeth in the theatre would be sweating and fiddling around with his
hands, just generally acting very nervous and anxious. Macbeth is very
curt in his sentences and is speaking in pre-prepared proverbs; he's
just too tense and nervous to speak normally. William Shakespeare
normally wrote in verse, the sentences would contains ten syllables,
however Macbeth was speaking in stichomythia, this means that he was
breaking up the verses of ten syllables and instead was speaking in
verses of four and six syllables for example, this would then make the
ten syllable verse.
Macbeth slips up by saying that possibly King Duncan would not be
going anywhere when Macduff co...
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... around the castle. “I fight of treasonous
malice”, Banquo knows that the murder was carried out with intent, and
he says that he will stand and fight against such “treasonous malice”.
Donalbain and Malcolm are very shocked at the death of their father
and fear that they might be next. “There’s a dagger in men’s smiles”.
Donalbain leaves with a telling remark about how there are “daggers in
men’s smiles” all around them. This echoes the “fair is foul” theme of
the play and shows a level of perception on his part. Malcolm, who was
the heir to the throne, flees to England, and Donalbain flees to
Ireland. It makes us wonder if he saw through Macbeth’s act. Certainly
it would be hard for Macbeth to maintain the impression that he is a
good reasonable man, having just admitted to a frenzied killing of two
sleeping guards.
Duncan was taken from our lives far too soon. He had a few enemies, some of which wanted his place in the throne. He was viciously murdered purely for his position as King. His death signified the start of destruction and continuous acts of murder throughout Scotland. His death was guided by three witches who manipulated an honest soldier to commit a horrifying crime. Macbeth further exceeded this with his desire for power and it pushed him and his wife over the edge committing the ultimate crime. Duncan was a good and honest man who didn’t deserve to be disgraced in such a
In Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, the third murderers identity is unknown and it is never revealed at the end of the play. But there are some clues throughout the story that suggests Lady Macbeth could be the unknown third murderer. Lady Macbeth could be the third murderer in Macbeth because she shows signs of wanting to be like a man, she is the one that influenced Macbeth to kill Duncan, and because she shows signs of extreme guilt later in the story. With these three pieces of evidence, Lady Macbeth is shown to be the third murderer in Macbeth.
In regards to Duncan’s murder, Lady Macbeth demonstrates her tragic flaw in her conscious suppression of her muliebrity and her subconscious support of it. In Act I scene 5, she receives a letter from Macbeth. When she hears about the prophecy, she considers killing Duncan to gain power for the first time. Lady Macbeth is too gentle
Through the interactions and relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare conveys that relationships in which one person is the clear leader and the other the clear follower usually end up with an ignorance of the consequences of one’s actions leading to unexpected and rapid destruction because the follower is likely oblivious to the repercussions of the actions of the leader. This is evident especially during Macbeth’s internal struggle on whether or not to kill Duncan. One of the key scenes which shows this is Act i, Scene vii. Here, Macbeth shows scepticism about their plan to kill Duncan saying “We will proceed no further in this business; he hath honour'd me of late; and I have bought golden opinions from all sorts of people, which would be worn now in their newest gloss, not cast aside so soon.” (I.vii).
In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the main character, Macbeth, murders King Duncan with the assistance of his devious wife, Lady Macbeth. Although they get away with the murder, they are unable to omit the feeling of remorse, although it affects them in different ways, the outcome is similar for both characters. It is obvious to the reader that killing Duncan inflicted the character’s odd behaviors and unstable mental state because of Shakespeare’s use of imagery related to illness.
After a long and hard battle, the Sergeant says to King Duncan, “For brave Macbeth,-well he deserves that name,- disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, which smok’d with bloody execution , like valour’s minion carv’d out his passage till he fac’d the slave;” (1.2.16) . This quote shows that Macbeth is viewed as a valiant soldier and a capable leader. However, it does not take long for the real Macbeth to be revealed- a blindly ambitious man, easily manipulated by the prospect of a higher status. His quest for power is what drives his insanity, and after having been deemed the Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth’s ambition can immediately be seen. In a soliloquy, Macbeth says, “Present fears are less than horrible imaginings; my thought, whose murder yet is but fantastica, shakes so my single state of man that function is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is but what is not” (1.3.140). Macbeth has just gained more power, and his immediate thought is of how to gain an even higher status as king. He imagines how to kill Duncan, and then is troubled by his thoughts, telling himself it is wrong. This inner struggle between Macbeth’s ambition and his hesitation to kill Duncan is the first sure sign of his mental deterioration. Although Macbeth does kill Duncan, he questions whether or not he should to do so, which is far different from how Macbeth feels about murder later in the play. Macbeth becomes king, and this power leads
Macbeth feels a great deal of remorse after he has killed the king. He understands that he has committed a sin and will be punished. He is so terrified that he hears voices telling him:“ Macbeth does murder sleep, … , Macbeth shall sleep no more”(Act 2, Sc.2 p. 57). Macbeth is very upset with himself and wishes that he never killed Duncan. “To know my deed it were best not know myself.” When he hears strange knocking at the gate he wishes that it wakes up Duncan, “wake Duncan with thy knocking”, however it is too late (Act 2, Sc.3 p. 61).
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth tells the story of a general who commits regicide in order to become king. Early in the play, Macbeth is conflicted as to weather or not he wants to kill his kinsman the king. In the first two acts Macbeth is not portrayed as a ruthless killer; he is a sympathetic character who succumbs to the provocation of his wife and a prophecy foretold by three mysterious witches. In contrast, Lady Macbeth is a manipulative, immoral woman. Her ambition is so strong that she is willing to do anything to see her husband succeed. However, in the third act things begin to change. The death of the king and lord and lady Macbeth’s rise to power catalyze profound transformation in their personalities.
has sent to her, Lady Macbeth begins to plot and plan how Macbeth can become
We certainly know that the direct responsible for Duncan’s death is Macbeth. However this does not necessarily mean he is to blame, for his violent death is obviously the consequence of certain influences that forced Macbeth to perform his fatal deed. Furthermore, to unearth the truth about who is really the guilty for Duncan’s murder we must explore the influences the different characters have on Macbeth’s impulses and the overall scenario of the slaying.
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.
To begin, Macbeth experiences an internal downfall due to his ambition where he battle between his desires and moralistic values. Initially, the idea of attaining power over Scotland by killing King Duncan sparks a sense of fear and paranoia in Macbeth, however, his conscience struggles to take over his ambition: "that we but teach/ Bloody instructions, which being taught, return/ To plague the inventor. [...] I have no spur/ To prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Valuing ambition, which o'erleaps itself/ And falls on th' other-" (1.7.8-28). At this moment, Macbeth contemplates on killing King Duncan as he visualizes the long term consequences of committing the crime. The reader can grasp his moral judgement as he understands that by proceeding with the murder, he is only causing his own demise and punishing himself. With that b...
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth many characters commit actions that they regret later. These characters try get away with their mischievous deeds, but it ultimately comes back to haunt them until they die. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth fail to cover up the murder of Duncan without people having suspicion of them killing him. While some characters seek to commit injustice other are determine to fight and bring justice and harmony. Characters in Macbeth define what they believe is justice by abiding by their set of morals, this is a mindset of what they think is right and wrong. The mindset and ambition of characters in Macbeth ultimately lead to their actions being justified or help justifying what is wrong. Justice in Macbeth is served on different levels depending on the character’s integrity and desire to do unmoral deeds. The characters in Macbeth are provoked to commit actions out either of personal desire or manipulation, animosity and revenge of one another. Macbeth’s inner desire to suddenly become king portraits how justice is served after he continues to murder, Macduff’s determination to bring proper order and justice without any personal gain shows how he is the true hero and an agent of justice, and Lady Macbeth’s guilt proves her injustice deeds which drives her to commit suicide.
In Act 3 Scene 3 (the scene following on from the one in question) the