Murder in Macbeth by William Shakespeare

1007 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: macbeth as a moral play

In Shakespeare's play, Macbeth murders his king, Duncan. He is strongly against committing the sin but power takes the better of him. The reader begins to pity Macbeth despite his flaws of greed and corruption. Shakespeare manipulates the audience to react with empathy towards Macbeth through the utilization of Macbeth's, dialogue, and passion.
Throughout the story, there is a feeling of hostility toward Macbeth in response to his harmful actions. However, scenes revealing Macbeth's more admirable side balance that negative feeling.

One particular instance where the reader has the potential to feel pity for Macbeth appears in the dialogue immediately before Macbeth decides whether or not to kill King Duncan. Macbeth is unsure of the morality of the murder. As it can be seen from
"I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed" (A1, S1, L 13-14). Macbeth states two things: “his kinsman” and “subject”. Firstly a kinsman is a blood relative, and in this context shows a very close bond between the Thane and the king. A kinsman is meant to love and protect the person not cause any harm. As a “subject” he has to host Duncan giving him a safe place to stay. This shows that Macbeth has a clean conscience as he says he is “against the deed” but is being pulled by his greediness for more power.

While Macbeth considers whether murdering Duncan is feasible, Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth that he would murder Duncan if he were truly brave and masculine. Lady Macbeth goes on to remark that if he murders Duncan, Macbeth "would be so much more the man" (A1, S7, L50-51). This shows Lady Macbeth’s superiority over her husband. “would be” indirectly indicates that he is a wimp and a coward and that if he does not kill the kin...

... middle of paper ...

...To conclude it can be said that Shakespeare has crafted Macbeth into attracting sympathy. If all the sins that Macbeth committed were just told to a person then it leaves the reader no choice but to consider him evil and immoral; yet when the book is fully read the audience understands his mental anguish, a feeling of sympathy is aroused. Macbeth was a victim of his own power and ambition. He breaks down mentally losing power of himself, becoming very paranoid. At the end of the play, Macbeth tries to regain some dignity by dying with courage. Also as Macbeth had a clean conscience, he was very easily pulled to evil by his mentally overpowering wife. Macbeth was constantly driven by power to commit more harmful actions, as when he got more power, the greedier he became for it. Throughout the play the tragic hero is sympathised even though he committed wrong acts.

Show More
Related

  • Pathos In Macbeth

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... his kinsman and his subject"(act.1 scene.7). Macbeth also explains that he is Duncan's current host, as well as the fact that Duncan is a good king. There are several more reasons not to kill him. However, upon hearing this, Lady Macbeth appeals to pathos, ridiculing Macbeth's masculinity: "When you durst do it, then you were a man; / And to be more than what you were, you would/ Be so much more the man"(P.2, act1, scene7). Pathos is effective because Macbeth feels emasculated after his wife tells him this. Macbeth further defines his ethos, stating that he is not afraid to die: "I will not be afraid of death and bane"(P.3, Act.5, scene3).

    Read More

  • The War Inside The Character of Macbeth

    1104 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth still has some good in him before he commits his first murder. His constant struggle to decide if he will kill the king shows he still has a conscious. He feels Duncan is a good leader, and as his kings men he is supposed to protect Duncan. Macbeth at this part of the play is too virtuous to betray him in such a manner. He also fears the...

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Macbeth

    611 Words  | 2 Pages

    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,

    Read More

  • Macbeth: The Evolution of Corruption

    1423 Words  | 3 Pages

    Perhaps the most fundamental theme of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is the inherent corruptibility of even a seemingly good man when ambition turns to greed, and Macbeth himself exemplifies this concept throughout the play. While at the outset he is seen to be loyal to his king, generally considered trustworthy, and displaying numerous other laudable qualities, Macbeth ultimately succumbs to the influence of those around him and becomes unequivocally evil, setting aside all his previously held morals and coming to be driven only by his lust for power. This transition is brought about by a wide variety of factors and plays an integral role in the development of the plot. In his tragedy Macbeth, William Shakespeare employs

    Read More

  • Evoking Sympathy for Macbeth

    896 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the story, there is a feeling of animosity toward Macbeth in response to his deleterious actions.  However, scenes revealing Macbeth's more admirable side balance and even abet that negative feeling.

    Read More

  • Essay Comparing Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

    1040 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Struggles of the Conscience in Macbeth by William Shakespeare

    1060 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” explores a fundamental struggle of the human conscience. The reader is transported into the journey of a man who recognizes and acknowledges evil but still succumbs to its destructive powers. The character of Macbeth is shrouded in ambiguity that scholars have claimed as both being a tyrant and tragic hero. Macbeth’s inner turmoil and anxieties that burden him throughout the entire play evoke sympathy and pity in the reader. Though he has the characteristics of an irredeemable tyrant, Macbeth realizes his mistakes and knows there is no redemption for his sins. And that is indeed tragic.

    Read More

  • Macbeth’s Deteriorating Mental State

    1648 Words  | 4 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy in which the main characters are obsessed by the desire for power. Macbeth’s aspiration for power blinds him to the ethical implications of his dreadful acts. The more that Shakespeare’s Macbeth represses his murderous feelings, the more he is haunted by them. By analyzing his hallucinations it is possible to trace his deteriorating mental state and the trajectory of his ultimate fall. Throughout the play Macbeth is never satisfied with himself. He feels the need to keep committing crime in order to keep what he wants most: his kingship. The harder Macbeth tries to change his fate the more he tends to run into his fate. His ambition and struggle for power was Macbeth’s tragic flaw in the play. Macbeth’s rise to the throne was brought about by the same external forces that ensure his downfall.

    Read More

  • Why Does The Audience Feel Sympathetic Towards Macbeth

    403 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the words of Charles Henry Parkhurst, “Sympathy is two hearts tugging at one load.” This idea can be connected to Shakespeare’s Macbeth, as the audience may feel sympathetic towards the character Macbeth. As readers begin to see a part of Macbeth that they can relate to, they also start to sympathize with him and what he is feeling. Two specific ways in which the audience may feel sympathetic towards Macbeth are the fact that Macbeth feels remorse for his crimes, and because of his manipulative wife. These are both key factors that allow the audience to relate to Macbeth’s downfall that eventually leads to his death.

    Read More

  • Lady Macbeth's Personality

    736 Words  | 2 Pages

    My opinion on Macbeth is he his a good example of a “bad guy” in a story and he truly felt like one. Now about his personality I feel that he was a person that really wanted something and would do anything in his power to achieve his goal. Now if he put that attitude somewhere else instead of the want for power and greed he could have been a really great person. Other then that he was a great

    Read More

  • Guilt and Conscience in Shakespeare’s Macbeth

    1298 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare uses the title character of Macbeth to effectively develop the theme of guilt and conscience in his play. Several times in the play we see Macbeth’s character crumbling as a result of a guilty conscience. At the beginning of the play he meets the witches with Banquo, and this prompts the first step toward killing the King. This helps in developing the theme because we get the idea that Macbeth does not trust the witches, nor does he fully believe them. Unfortunately his ambitious nature gets the better of him and causes him to listen carefully to how he might acquire his kingship. Macbeth feels guilty that he is thinking about killing the King because he’s basing his entire thought upon belief in the ‘evil creatures’. We see this when Macbeth has a soliloquy in which he says, “Cannot be ill, cannot be good” and also asks himself why the thought of becoming King makes his “seated heart” knock against his ribs.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Is Not A Villain...

    2390 Words  | 5 Pages

    The proposition that “Macbeth is a villain in whom there is little to admire'; is an inadequate judgement of Macbeth’s character. Macbeth is not consciously and naturally malevolent, and there are many aspects of his character and his downfall which serve to support this. Macbeth was not only a victim of his own actions, but also of the human condition and the extremely powerful forces of both his wife and fate. Throughout the play the audience undoubtedly experiences feelings of horror at Macbeth, but we are also driven, through an understanding of his character, to admiration and sympathy. This would not be the case if Macbeth was a totally vile and reprehensible villain, and thus the tragedy of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is clear.

    Read More

  • Macbeth’s Character Transformation

    386 Words  | 1 Pages

    Macbeth’s character changes dramatically when he commits the murder of king Duncan. He is immediately changed to attempting to cover up his action and placing the blame on someone else. He is upset and worried about what he has done and feels very guilty about it. Macbeth is unable to say “Amen” because of his guilty conscience. His seeing the ghost of Banquo and losing his composure at his feast with his guests also prove his guilty mind.

    Read More

  • The Guilt Between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lady Macbeth is a vicious and overly ambitious woman, her desire of having something over rules all the moral behaviors that one should follow. On the beginning of the novel, Macbeth receives the news that if Duncan, the current king, passed away he would be the next one to the throne. So, Lady Macbeth induces Macbeth into killing Duncan by filling his mind with ambition and planting cruel seeds into his head. After accomplishing his deed of killing the king, he brings out the daggers that were used during the murder, and says, “I’ll go no more. I am afraid to think what I have done; look on’t again I dare not.” This is his first crime and Macbeth is already filled with guilt and regret. He shows the reader to be the weak one of the duo. Lady Macbeth as the cruel partner still has some sentiment and somewhat a weakness in her heart and mind. When talking about Duncan she says, “Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t.” Weakness is still present and will always be there throughout the novel but this one change the fact that Lady Macbeth is still the stronger and cruel one.

    Read More

  • Lady Macbeth: A Multifaceted Character

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, explores the darkest corners of the human psyche. It artfully takes its audience to a place that allows one to examine what a human being is truly capable of once tempted by the allure of power. In the play, Scottish noble Macbeth and his wife inevitably fall prey to their own self corruption. Initiated by prophesies made by three mysterious witches, the Macbeths set their sights on the throne. When the curtains open on the plot to murder King Duncan, Lady Macbeth is the driving force. Her criminal mind and desire for ruthlessness have led many a critic to define her as evil. Closer examination, however, reveals that she is a multifaceted character; other sides to her persona include: genuine good will towards her husband, coy manipulation, and feminine tenderness.

    Read More

More about Murder in Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Open Document