Macbeth is a famous play written by Shakespeare, which is set in Scotland

and England around the 11th century. In this scene, Macbeth decides
whether he should kill Duncan or not, and then Lady Macbeth comes in and
persuades him to murder Duncan. Before this scene, a messenger reports
to King Duncan that the traitors have been defeated. He also tells Duncan
that Macbeth and Banquo had performed heroically in the battle against
them. Upon their return, Macbeth and Banquo meet three witches (also
known as the weird sisters) who tell Macbeth that he will become King and
Thane of Cawdor, and Banquo that his children will be Kings. King Duncan
thanks Macbeth and Banquo, for their valiant performance in the battle.
Soon, Macbeth hears that Duncan’s eldest son will be the heir to the
throne. By hearing this, he is worried, and turns to his wife for advice.

Act 1 Scene 7 is a crucial part to the play, as it is where Lady Macbeth

persuades Macbeth to kill King Duncan. It shows us how ambitious the
Macbeths are, even if it can even lead them to the betrayal of their very
own King. It also tells us more about Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s
character, and their feelings towards their King. When Lady Macbeth hears
that Macbeth having second thoughts, she is furious and starts persuading
Macbeth with her devious ways. In this essay, I will talk about the character
of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, how Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to
murder Macbeth and the themes and issues of this scene.

Until now, Macbeth was ready to kill the King, all throughout the play, until
his conscience gives him doubts whether or not to murder Duncan. At the
beginning of Scene 7, he was not going to kill Duncan, but at the end he
decides to go on with the murder, because of his wife’s persuasion. This
shows us two sides of Macbeth: the struggle between his determination to
be King and his conscience and loyalty. He knows that he should be loyal to
his King, but he also wants to be king. In the play, Macbeth says “First, as I
am kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed – then, as his
host”. This quote is an example showing us that he deciding on what to do,
to kill or not to kill. In this scene, he also says “Might be the be-all and the
end-all here, But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, We’d jump the life
to come”. This tells us that Macbeth has also thought of the afterlife. He
knows that even if he gets away with the murder on Earth, he will have
punishments in the afterlife. Macbeth wants to kill Duncan, but at the same
time he doesn’t. He is hesitant about it, until Lady Macbeth changes his
mind.

Lady Macbeth is a cunning and devious woman, who is well respected, like
her husband. We know this because King Duncan calls her “our honored
hostess”. She controls her husband and walks all over his life. She is very
ambitious, as shown by her determination for Macbeth to be King, and for
herself to be Queen. She always wants more than she has, and more than
she deserves. Her immediate reaction after Macbeth tells her the new
about his predicted future from the three witches show us that she is
irreligiously cold and ambitious, as she tells her husband that the quickest
way for him to be king is for him to kill the current king. She knows that her
husband will doubt his actions, therefore manipulates him by flattering him
and reassuring him, questioning his manhood “When you durst do it, then
you were a man, ” and accusing him of cowardice, “which thou esteem’st
the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem,”. She
convinces her husband that it is for the better, when it leads him to start
hallucinating. He feels extremely contrite but Lady Macbeth once again
persuades him into killing the king.

In this scene, she is of great significance, as her actions create a turning

point in the storyline. As we know, she persuaded Macbeth to murder
Duncan, but what if she had behaved in a different manner? What if
Macbeth had not murdered Duncan? She would not live with guilt and
Macbeth would not be driven to madness. Which leads me to the next
point.

Is Macbeth really as evil as he seems? Sure, he may seem greedy and

power-hungry, but in this scene, he finally understands that the king has
been good to him, trusts him, and makes him the Thane of Cawdor. He
knows that there is some witchcraft involved in his wife, and he knows that
his wife is not the most pure woman. He believes that there is something
wrong but he is not able to get a firm grasp on it. He loved Lady Macbeth,
but her ambition mattered to her more than Macbeth, causing her to use
Macbeth’s position and title as the King’s right-hand man to her own
advantage. She wants all the power she could have, and she means to
attain that by using Macbeth’s connections in the world. She was so
influenced by Macbeth’s meeting with the three witches, their words of
him becoming a powerful figure in the society, it pushed her to the limit
and forced her to reveal her dark side to Macbeth. But one must consider
the point that Macbeth is actually very gullible as well, as Lady Macbeth so
easily manipulated him, simply by flattery and reassurance.

One of the main themes in Macbeth is evilness, especially from Lady

Macbeth. It is mostly shown in the planning and persuading of murdering
Duncan. Some aspects of evil are also found in the three witches. Another
main theme in Macbeth is loyalty and betrayal. In this scene, Macbeth’s
ambition for being King is so strong that he was deciding on killing Duncan
or not. Loyalty is shown when he was having second thoughts, and betrayal
is shown when he is finally persuaded and certain that he would murder
the king.

Witchcraft also plays a fairly important role in the play. Without the
presence of witchcraft in the play, Macbeth would never have known about
his future. It was the witches’ prediction that led him to tell Lady Macbeth
about his supposed “future titles” of Thane of Glamis, Cawdor, and the
King. Lady Macbeth was so moved by the witches’ prediction that she
eventually showed her craving of power. However, if Macbeth had never
met the witches, then Lady Macbeth would never have known and would
have never persuaded Macbeth to kill the King. She would’ve simply stayed
as the character of a lady. She wouldn’t be future queen. But because of
the witches’ prediction, she was pushed to take Macbeth under her wing
and play him as her puppet.

In conclusion, Act 1 Scene 7 is very important and significant to the play. It

shows many aspects of sinfulness and persuasion from Lady Macbeth. Her
use of language, mockery, manipulation, and emphasis her own fortitude
all contributed to changing Macbeth’s mind on murdering Duncan. Scene 7
is overall a very important part in the play, as it creates a turning point.

AAAAAAAAA I DUNNO WHAT TO WRITE!!!!!