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SHAKESPEARE’S “MACBETH”: AN
IN DEPTH ANALYSIS
Sana Syed
syedsana@was.qld.edu.au
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Macbeth Master Document

Mrs Bennington School lessons Act 1 Error! Bookmark not defined.
Act 1 Scene 1 3
Act 1 Scene 2 4
Act 1 Scene 3 4
Act 5 Scene 5 4
Act 1 Scene 7 5

Act 1 Scene by scene summary 6

Mrs Bennington School lessons Act 2 6

Act 2 Scene 1 6
Act 2 Scene 3 6
Act 2 Scene 4 7

Act 2 Scene by scene summary 7

Character Analysis Error! Bookmark not defined.

Macbeth 11
Lady Macbeth 12
MacDuff 14
Banquo 14
Duncan 15

Themes Ideas and Values 15

The corrupting Power of Unchecked Ambition 16
The relationship between Cruelty and Masculinity 17
The Difference Between Kingship and Tyranny 18
Deceptive Appearances 18
Using Appearances to hide real intentions 19
The Cost of deception 19
Equivocations 20
Honour 21
Fate vs Free Will 21

Lady Macbeth Analysis 22

Essay about Macbeth 25

Homework 30

Practise Exam Style Questions 31

Ambition and Power Essay 31

Analyse the influence of Lady Macbeth on her husband’s downfall. 32

Equivocation Essay Pt 1 34

Equivocation Essay Pt 2 35

Equivocation Essay Pt 2. 36
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Marking Scheme 42

Mrs Bennington School lessons Act 1

English External Prep
The basics for nutshell para
1. Written in (approx.) or (Circa) 1606
2. First performed in 1611
3. Setting in Scotland – Primary setting and England
4. Set in the Middle-11th century (High Middle Ages)
5. 36 Characters
6. 5 Acts
7. 31 Scenes
8. Lines 2,349

The Great Chain of Being

God, Angels, Royalty, Man, Women, Servant, Children, Animals, plants, Minerals
In Macbeth, we see women attempt to overtake man and man overtakes the king
Usurp (Verb): To go above. E.g. Lady Macbeth attempts to usurp Macbeth’s god-given power by asking to
be unsexed so that she may have the ambition and cruelty of nature required to successfully commit
tyranny.
Usurpation (noun): Lady Macbeth’s usurpation of Macbeth disrupts the Natural Order ordained by the Great
Chain of Being and is therefore sacrilegious.
The Divine Order: The Great Chain of Being
1. Belief in the divine order
2. The concept that everything in the universe has a specific place and rank in order of its perceived
importance and spiritual nature
a. The more spirit a person or object had, the more power he or she had
b. The belief that God set up this order and wanted it to be followed
c. If someone or something were to break the Divine Order by not being obedient to whatever
was above it, the person or thing that went against God’s will would be punished
d. Bigger betrayals of the Divine Order were believed to bring bigger punishments by God,
while smaller betrayals would bring about smaller punishments
3. The effect of the Chain being disturbed
a. Natural order- gave rise to the divine right of Kings (the right to rule is anointed by the Gods-
A God-given right)
b. When the Royal house is disturbed (overthrown), then the Natural Order is misaligned,
Nature is upset and misfortune and tragedy will wreak havoc until all is restored/ re-
established
King James
According to the Great Chain of Being, Kings were considered God’s lieutenants on Earth, “The state of
monarchy is the most supreme thing on Earth: for Kings are not only God’s Lieutenants on Earth and sit on
God’s throne, but even by God himself they are called Gods”

Act 1 Scene 1
1. Starts with Thunder and Lightning
2. The setting of the play begins with thunder and lightning which sets a dark, foreboding, ominous or
ungodly atmosphere/mood
3. Witches (agents of chaos)– meddle with the Great Chain of Being
4. Thunder lightning and rain (Darkness and Evil)
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5. Battle’s lost and won (oxymoron/ juxtaposition and foreshadowing – witches speak in
ambiguities/equivocations). Their use of oppositions throughout their language prevents clear
interpretations – they’re the ones who tell Macbeth he’s going to be King
6. The set of Sun (Sun= God and then godlessness shall reign) – Foreshadows. Possible sentence: In the
Witches’ opening equivocations, they say, “That will be ere the set of Sun,” which not only serves to
foreshadow the rightful king’s impending death but also the godlessness that will reign supreme over
Scotland once darkness descends upon the land

Act 1 Scene 2
 The Sergeant says that…
 The battle was evenly matched – with the “whore” Fortune smiling temporarily on Macdonwald…
 until Macbeth “brandished his steel, which smoked with bloody execution.” Macbeth carved his way
through Macdonwald’s men until “he came face-to-face with the slave (Macdonwald)...”
 …at which point Macbeth “unseamed him (Macdonwald) from the nave to the chops and stuck his
head upon the battlements.”
 Macdonwald’s men run – “trusting their heels.”
 The King of Norway fights on the side of Macdonwald. Norway hopes that a successful uprising by
the traitor will allow him to capitalise on his support and gain political power in Scotland.
 At this point, Norway sends his fresh forces onto the field to fight Macbeth and Banquo’s tired and
battle-worn men.
 Duncan asks: “Didn’t this dismay Macbeth (and Macbeth’s co-leader, Banquo)?”
 The Sergeant replies: “Yes. Like the sparrow dismays the eagle or the rabbit dismays the lion.”

Act 1 Scene 3
● M’s reaction (12 -13) B’s reaction
○ “Seems to start – startled”
○ Seems to ear – frightened/ shocked
○ Rapt withal – transfixed/ obsessed
○ Very intrigued, curious and hungry for more information
○ Desperate and demanding More casual
○ Less serious
● The timing of Angus and Ross's entrance in Act one, scene 3 is important because Macbeth has
just received the “prophetic greeting” from the Witches, in which they announce that he will be thane
of Cawdor when Angus and Ross give this title to Macbeth at Duncan's direction, it prompts
Macbeth to believe that the witches predictions are a legitimate foretelling of his destiny
○ Perceive the regicide as the absolute destruction of the natural order but Macbeth begins the
disruption in act 1 scene 3 by listening to the “instruments of darkness” and their prophecy
● Rapt – emphasises his complete belief in the prophecy and how transfixed he is on his idea of being
king as repeated – Macbeth is easily manipulated by his mind

Act 1 Scene 5
● Day by Day, Death slowly approaches till the end of time. Our past actions have only served to
guide towards death
● Life is short before it is extinguished/over
● You can live life, it exists, but it does nothing
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● Life is a performance in which we believe we are more important than we are and worry about death
or inconsequential matters.
● No one remembers you after you are dead
● We’re stupid and we live lives that are chaotic and noisy that mean nothing in the end

Act 1 Scene 7
● Line 35 – sick and scared
● “If you can change your mind that quickly then that is the way you love me” – using his fickleness
regarding his regicide, emasculating means to take away their manhood.
○ Cultural assumption “11th century requires masculine men” – disruption in the chain of being
● Lady Macbeth's usurpation of Macbeth’s power at the end of Act 1 manipulation/emasculates the
characteristics thereby disrupting the chain of being. The reference to the adage extends her
emasculation of Macbeth.
○ Are you afraid to act on your desires? – the cat is another reference to the feminine quality of
Macbeth
○ I will do anything to be the manliest man. “enterprise” – promise
○ If you kill the king, you’ll be the man.
○ Emasculates → cloud his judgement and takes his reason prisoner
○ She can separate herself from her femininity – manipulative and violent imagery. Indication
of her manipulative state
○ He turns his opinion – stays steadfast
○ She then addresses the plan
○ Duncan falls asleep
○ The chamberlains get drunk until unconsciousness
○ Sneak in and kill Duncan
○ Blame it on the Chamberlains and you won’t be able to remember anything.
○ He reinforces her masculinity – your “undaunted metal” – courage, she asked to be unsexed
and this reinforms this.
○ Pretend to be so mortified because of Duncan’s death.
○ Killing Duncan – regicide.
○ Appearance vs image “crying and act” -false face “there’s no art to find the mind’s
construction in the face”
○ “False betrayal”

Act 1 Scene by scene summary

Scene What happens

1 the Witches appear “Fair is foul” say they’ll meet with Macbeth

2 Captain talks up M to D, the OG TOC is named as a traitor, Macbeth is named as the new
Thane Of Cawdor

3 MB receives the prophecies form the W, R and A tell M he is TOC

M starts envisioning the “horrid image”

4 M and B got to Duncan at Forres, D’s son (Malcom) is named Prince of Cumberland, M says
he needs to remove Malc/overcome the obstacle he represents. D announces a visit to M’s
castle (Inverness)
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5 Lady Mac gets the letter announcing their arrival and the prophecy, Unsex me speech, M
arrives home and LM begins manipulating him and plotting to commit regicide. Look like the
innocent flower but the serpent under’t

6 Duncan and Banquo arrive and describe the gentility of nature, and Lady Mac appears as a
loyal hostess

7 Macbeth debates whether it is good or not to kill Duncan. In “The Vaulting Ambition”,
Macbeth decides not to kill Duncan and LM emasculates M who finally agrees to regicide

Mrs Bennington School lessons Act 2

Act 2 Scene 1
● Banquo’s having bad dreams and he’s taken his sword back – as he is feeling uneasy, Macbeth
walks in
● The king’s asleep and Macbeth is walking around
● Macbeth is lying as he was thinking about the prophecy
● “Foil’ characters who oppose each other for effect e.g functions as M’s foil (opposite to Macbeth –
everything is defined is by what it is not)
● Representation of Banquo as a moderate, self-assured and loyal character
● Often offer soliloquy and offer their honest response
● Envisages an intangible dagger, a hallucination
● Words vs deeds, talk vs action “cold breath of words stops action”
● Lady Macbeth is undoubtedly flawed as a character but there is a
● Donalbain is not of power and Malcolm is the prince of Cumberland
● Instantaneously god turns his back on Macbeth.
● Sleep is a motif for sleep is for nourishment
● The witches foreshadow Macbeth's insomnia

Act 2 Scene 3
● Silver and gold juxtaposed with the hideousness of the blood, “breach in nature” - natural order
● Duplicitous,
● Donalbain and Malcolm speak with reason and rationality.
● The representation of Donalbain and Malcolm contrasts the representation of Macbeth, Duncan vs
Macbeth
● Banquo is Macbeth's foil - opposing characters, nature is retaliating (most bloody piece of work -
regicide).
● Very suspicious and his tone shifts towards Macbeth (“in the great hand of god I stand”) - advocate
of the chain of being and loyalty. - Macbeth and banquo stand together.
● “To show an unfelt sorrow in an office” - it's easy for a liar to pretend to feel sorrow when he feels
none.
● shaft - imagery of an arrow killing more than its arrow
- There's no mercy left

Act 2 Scene 4
- Lennox vs old man
- The sun is a moving lamp
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- The earth = tomb Ross is important
- Living light - alliteration and personification accentuates light and contrasts it against the death like
state of darkness.
- The owl (Macbeth) killed the falcon (Dunan) which usurps the natural order - symbolism
- More than bloody deed
- Thriftless ambition, that will raven up thine own lives - repetition of the theme of ambition - macduff
does not trust, there's no loyalty as he didnt go the macbeth's coronation.
- The clothing imagery, our old positions fit better than the new
- Old man = equivocations

Nature retaliates: occurs until natural order is restored

1. Dark when it should be day
2. Very windy - chimney blown down, strange screams of death
3. Fires erupt out of nowhere
4. Owl shrieks
5. Starless and moonless night
6. Animals going wild and becoming cannibals
7. Predator prey relationship is upturned
Scene What happens

1 Banquo sees Macbeth at night (starless), M hallucinates and sees the dagger

2 Macbeth Kills Duncan, God turned his back on M (can't say “Amen”). M is overwhelmed
by guilt and remorse and panicked; Lady Macbeth introduces the theme of cleansing with
water. Lady Macbeth is a hypocrite - the sleeping thing. The knocking at the gate. Macduff
and Lennox enter. Goodness (will always prevail or triumph = Macduff) and still trying to
be more dominant. Accentuates the characters. LM plants the daggers in the
chamberlain's hands

3 Porter rant, Macduff arrives at the castle, talk about unruly night (natural
rebellion/retaliation), Macduff finds D dead “horror horror horror”, Macbeth kills the
chamberlains, Malcolm and Donalbain flee

4 Introduced to an old man aged 70 who has never seen anything like this. Describes the
events that occurred after regicide (disruption of natural order). “Man’s act-regicide”
Malcolm and Donalbain are suspected of regicide as they had fled to Ireland and England
which made them suspicious. Macbeth is going to be announced as king in scone and
Macduff is not in attendance and the king is buried in Colmekill.
Act 2 Scene by scene summary

Mrs Bennington School lessons Act 3

Act 3 Scene 1
 Banquo contemplates Macbeth’s rise to power and how it matches the witches prophecy, though
suspecting it to be done using unworthy means.
 Banquo realises Macbeth and LM enter as king and queen and leaves before the feast, not
returning before nightfall
 Left alone, Macbeth wonders about the threat that Banquo presents to his rule, fearful of is noble
nature and the wisdom he possesses
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 “the value file distinguishes the swift, the slow, the subtle … and so of men” – claiming that they are
at the bottom of the types of men in the world, but by killing Banquo they can climb higher towards
Macbeth’s position
 Macbeth claims he would kill Banquo himself if it wasn’t for their common allies and once receiving
the support of the murderes, orders them to wait on the road to kill Banquo and his son Fleance
while they travel. Much like before Duncan was killed Macbeth states ominously “Banquo thy soul’s
flight/ if it find heaven, must find it out tonight”
Analysis:

Act 3 Scene 2
● Silver and gold juxtaposed with the hideousness of the blood, “breach in nature” - natural order
● Duplicitous,
● Donalbain and Malcolm speak with reason and rationality.
● The representation of donalbain and malcolm contrasts the representation of macbeth, Duncan vs
macbeth
● Banquo is Macbeth's foil - opposing characters, nature is retaliating (most bloody piece of work -
regicide).
● Very suspicious and his tone shifts towards Macbeth (“in the great hand of god I stand”) - advocate
of the chain of being and loyalty. - Macbeth and banquo stand together.
● “To show an unfelt sorrow in an office” - it's easy for a liar to pretend to feel sorrow when he actually
feels none.
● shaft - imagery of an arrow killing more than its arrow
- There's no mercy left

Act 3 Scene 3
- Lennox vs old man
- The sun is a moving lamp
- The earth = tomb Ross is pretty important
- Living light - alliteration and personification accentuates light and contrasts it against the death like
state of darkness.
- The owl (macbeth) killed the falcon (Dunan) which usurps the natural order - symbolism
- More than bloody deed
- Thriftless ambition, that will raven up thine own lives - repetition of the theme of ambition - macduff
does not trust, there's no loyalty as he didnt go the macbeth's coronation.
- The clothing imagery, our old positions fit better than the new
- Old man = equivocations

Nature retaliates: occurs until natural order is restored

8. Dark wehn it should be day
9. Very windy - chimney blown down, strange screams of death
10. Fires erupt out of nowhere
11. Owl shrieks
12. Starless and moonless night
13. Animals going wild and becoming cannibals
14. Predator prey relationship is upturned
Scene What happens

1 Banquo sees Macbeth at night (starless), M hallucinates and sees the dagger
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2 Macbeth Kills Duncan, God turned his back on M (can't say “Amen”). M is overwhelmed
by guilt and remorse and panicked, Lady Macbeth introduces the theme of cleansing with
water. Lady Macbeth is a hypocrite - the sleeping thing. The knocking at the gate. Macduff
and Lennox enter. Goodness (will always prevail or triumph = Macduff) and still trying to
be more dominant. Accentuates the characters. LM plants the daggers in the
chamberlain's hands

3 Porter rant, Macduff arrives at the castle, Talk about unruly night (natural
rebellion/retaliation), Macduff finds D dead “horror horror horror”, Macbeth kills the
chamberlains, Malcolm and donalbain flee

4 Introduced to an old man aged 70 who has never seen anything like this. Describes the
events that occurred after regicide (disruption of natural order). “Man’s act-regicide”
Malcolm and Donalbain are suspected of regicide as they had fled to Ireland and England
which made them suspicious. Macbeth is going to be announced as king in scone and
Macduff is not in attendance and the king is buried in Colmekill.
Act 2 Scene by scene summar

Character Analysis
Character Analysis and representation of themes
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A MAN OF ACTION
Our first knowledge of Macbeth comes from the captain, who testifies to Macbeth’s skill as a
Macbeth swordsman, his fearlessness in battle and his capacity for spontaneous, decisive action.
Later, of course, it becomes clear that Macbeth has other qualities – a rich imagination,
ambition, a sense of the moral order which underpins society – that give rise to moments of
hesitation and vacillation. Yet these moments of anxious indecision also reinforce the degree
to which Macbeth is most comfortable when he is acting rather than thinking when his path
does not contain choices or moral questions.

Macbeth is most comfortable when he is acting rather than thinking when his path does not
contain choices or moral questions. Thus, when Macbeth faces a crisis, his preferred response
is to act rather than to reflect. Only on the question of Duncan’s murder does his wife need to
bring him to the point of action. Subsequently, Macbeth’s solution to his state of guilt and
fear is to act as he had as a soldier – to recapture that state of absolute certainty and
effectiveness attained in the heat of battle. Unfortunately, as Macbeth comes to realise, such
a strategy only exacerbates his problems, both practically and psychologically.

MACBETH’S MORAL SENSE

A key element of Macbeth’s complexity is his moral sense, which is conveyed through the
doubts he expresses in his soliloquies and much of his early dialogue with Lady Macbeth.
Macbeth’s early recognition that murdering Duncan would be wrong in an absolute sense –
moral, social and universal – anticipates his later feelings of deep remorse as well as violent
actions. In the powerful soliloquy that begins Act 1 Scene 7, Macbeth conceives of the
murder as a perversion not simply of a moral order within a society, but of cosmic order,
such that
pity, like a naked newborn babe
Striding the blast, or heaven’s cherubin hors’d
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
That tears shall drown the wind (1.7.22-25)

Here Macbeth expresses a grasp of his crime’s wider context that no other character
articulates with such conviction or poetic intensity. For Lady Macbeth the murder is a means
to an end; for Macbeth, though, it is a blow against all human feeling, against everything that
makes the universe coherent.

In various ways, Macbeth attempts to distance himself from his subsequent action, as if to
avoid their inevitable consequences and, perhaps most significantly, to assuage the feelings
of guilt and remorse that plague him and rob him of sleep. He insists to Banquo’s ghost
‘thou canst not say I did it (3.4.50); later he suggests that ‘blood will have blood’ (3.4.122),
as if it is blood and not himself who is to blame for so much violence. Macbeth is aware of
his moral culpability, that he is guilty. Yet he continually seeks to deflect responsibility from
himself by imagining that the murders he commits (or orders) are due to the mysterious
workings of larger, incomprehensible forces – fate, supernatural powers and the apparently
self-perpetuating momentum of violence.
Yet the consequences of Macbeth’s actions do catch up with him. Banquo’s ghost spoils the
banquet, Macduff vows to avenge his family’s slaughter and Lady Macbeth commits suicide.
Finally, he reflects on the apparent meaninglessness of life:

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. (5.5.23-25)
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This speech is an existential cry of despair, triggered by Lady Macbeth’s suicide, but
expresses the cumulative effects of fear, unhappiness, destruction and loss.
From the beginning, Macbeth is a man of bold and unflinching action. He is initially a heroic
soldier; he becomes a murderer and tyrannical ruler who lives, and finally dies, by the sword.
Yet equally – especially for the reader or audience member, who is privy to Macbeth’s
innermost thoughts – he is defined by his thoughts and feelings, his poetic flair for language,
and his capacity to grasp his situation not simply in practical terms, but also in moral and
philosophical terms.

Thus, the play enacts not merely a series of murders, but an evolving state of mind. The
play’s conflict is not merely between Macbeth and those he regards as a threat, but within
Macbeth’s own consciousness, between what he desires and what he knows is right
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SYMPATHY FOR LADY MACBETH
Lady Our understanding of Lady Macbeth affects how sympathetically we view not only her but
Macbeth Macbeth too. For some readers, Lady Macbeth is no more than an incantation of evil, and
her decline into insanity at the play’s end is simply what she deserves. Her declaration that
she would have ‘dash’d the brains out’ of a baby feeding at her breast (1.7.58) is an appalling
image and certainly suggests that she lacks compassion or tenderness – or at least that she can
ruthlessly suppress such feelings for personal gain. Moreover, she tries to make herself feel
less: she summons ‘spirits that tend our mortal thoughts’ to ‘stop up th’ access and passage to
remorse’ (1.5.39-43). With such a person by his side, we might feel considerable sympathy
for Macbeth – who at least expresses doubts about the morality of murdering Duncan

However, there is much in Lady Macbeth’s character to indicate that she is more complex
than this, and that she simply suppresses certain feelings in order to help her husband attain
the throne. On the night of Duncan’s murder she consumes some of the wine she gives the
chamberlains, and admits that, as he slept, Duncan reminded her of her own father. She
admits these feelings to the audience. However, when Macbeth enters following the murder,
she quickly puts aside her nervousness and presents the practical, resilient persona she
usually adopts for her husband.

This pattern is repeated when she is queen, a position she has aspired to but which now
brings her no pleasure. Early in Act 3 Scene 2, she admits her unhappiness to the audience
– ‘our desire is got without content’ (3.2.5)
– but, rather than communicating these feelings to her husband, she focuses on his worries.
Her attempts to calm Macbeth (‘Gentle my lord’), and to dissuade him from thoughts of
further murders (‘You must leave this’) show her continuing affection and concern for him.
By this point, though, her influence over her husband has virtually ended, and following the
disastrous banquet, she makes only brief remarks that reflect her weariness and
disenchantment. She suggests to Macbeth that he lacks ‘the season of all natures, sleep’, but
clearly she, too, lacks sleep or any other source of solace.

THE PERSONAL COST OF MAINTAINING FALSE APPEARANCES

Perhaps no other character is so proficient at ‘putting on’ a false appearance, yet no character
suffers the consequences so severely. Lady Macbeth suggests to her husband that they
should appear charming and welcoming hosts to Duncan, and demonstrates all the necessary
qualities: in greeting Duncan she is courteous, humble, formal and practical.
In reality, of course, she plans the murder of Duncan in her own house and then lives with the
uncomfortable knowledge that she is an illegitimate queen. She conceals her unease from all
others, including Macbeth, and attempts to convince herself that, with a small effort of the
mind, their troubles will fade away. Eventually, though, it becomes clear that her efforts to
control her thoughts and feelings after her traumatic experiences have neither been easy, nor
ultimately successful. What she has seen and known have indeed affected her deeply – it
simply requires the complete breakdown of her personality for it to be revealed.

The memories and knowledge that she tries to suppress end up sending her mad, walking and
speaking in her sleep in a way that her conscious mind can no longer control. Things from
her past preoccupy her to the exclusion of all else: Duncan’s blood remains perpetually on
her hands, and her sad recognition that ‘what’s done cannot be undone’ (lines 59-60)
suggests that she would undo the past if she could. Yet even at this point, her last thoughts
remain with her husband, as she seeks once more to comfort him – ‘come, give me your
hand’ (line 59) – and take him to bed.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MACBETH AND LADY MACBETH

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The intensity and the closeness of the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth gives
the first half of the play much of its dramatic tension. It distinguishes both characters from
those around them, who are not shown to have equivalent relationships. Only Macduff’s
wife is represented, she is portrayed lamenting her husband’s absence. In contrast, Macbeth
and his wife are constantly exchanging expressions of affection and comfort: ‘My dearest
love’ (1.5.57), ‘Gentle my lord’ (3.2.27), ‘dearest chuck’ (3.2.45).

The tension and contrast between them is pronounced in the first two acts. Macbeth’s
understanding of the immorality of murdering the king causes him to hesitate (‘We will speak
further’, 1.5.70), whereas Lady Macbeth’s determination to achieve ‘sovereign sway and
masterdom’ (1.5.69) leads her to become the dominant force in the relationship.
For Lady Macbeth, power is something that men should want more than anything else, and
yet she is the one whose desire for power is the most desperate. She disavows female aspects
of her identity, since she sees them as preventing her from acting effectively: she wants
spirits to ‘Come to my woman’s breasts/ And take my milk for gall’ (1.5.46-7). Conversely,
she perceives Macbeth’s reluctance to act as a sign that he is insufficiently masculine, ‘too
full o’th’ milk of human kindness’ (1.5.16). This means that for the first two acts, Macbeth
and Lady Macbeth often act and speak in ways that reverse the conventional gender roles of
their society.

The conflict climaxes when lady Macbeth summons all her passion in overturning
Macbeth’s, ‘We will proceed no further’ (1.7.31). His objections gradually fade, passing
through ‘if we should fail?’ to ‘I am settled’ (lines 59 and 79). By the end of this scene they
are at their closest, their words and feelings in complete agreement.

Subsequently, they drift apart and their roles reverse. Following the murder, Macbeth
immediately grasps that this crime will not easily be left behind, while Lady Macbeth
attributes his feelings to guilt and horror to a mental weakness. She instructs him to ‘be not
lost/ So poorly in your thoughts’ (2.2.74-5), as though it is a simple deficiency of willpower
that leads to such distress. From that point on, though, it is Macbeth who increasingly spurns
thought and commits himself to unhesitating action, whereas Lady Macbeth retreats into
introspection and regret.

Her first privately spoken words after becoming queen are: ‘Nought’s had, all’s spent’
(3.2.4), echoing Macbeth’s ‘to be thus is nothing’ (3.1.49), but while he seeks the means to
be ‘safely thus’, his wife has little more to give. He conceals his plan to murder Banquo and
Fleance from her, in stark contrast to their initial exchanges, in which nothing was held back.
She valiantly tries to maintain the appearance of normality at the banquet, but it is her last
display of strength.
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‘Her comes the good Macduff’ (Ross, 2.4.20)
Malcolm: Dispute it like a man.
MacDuff Macduff: I shall do so/ But I must also feel it like a man...(4.3.222-4)
‘I have no words/ My voice is in my sword...’ (5.8.6-7)

The similarities between the names ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Macduff’ points to important similarities
and contrasts between these two characters, and it is fitting that their fight brings the play to
its conclusion. Both are strong and fearless fighters; both have an independent manner, yet
have close family relationships; both express a wide range of emotions.

The first signs of Macduff’s individuality appear when he is absent from two key occasions:
he goes home to Fife rather than to Scone for Macbeth’s coronation; and he does not attend
Macbeth’s banquet, which makes Macbeth suspicious. Others refer to him as ‘good
Macduff’, yet he is set apart from the other Thanes by his independent behaviour.

Malcolm questions Macduff’s motives in leaving his ‘wife and child’, but gradually his – and
our – appreciation of Macduff’s integrity and virtue is enhanced. Macduff’s ‘noble passion’
confirms that his foremost commitment is to Scotland. This establishes a key difference
between Macduff and Macbeth, whose primary concern is to hold on to power at any cost.

NOTION OF MANLINESS

Macduff’s distress on learning that all of his family have been killed is conveyed by his
initial struggle to speak, and by his balanced response to Malcolm’s ‘Dispute it like a man’.
Macduff, though, suggests that being a man means being willing to ‘dispute’ and also being
able to ‘feel it like a man’. Malcolm is pleased that Macduff is prepared to fight – ‘this tune
goes manly’ – and together they show that necessary balance between feeling and action
which has been so lacking under Macbeth’s reign of terror.

Thou hast it now, King, Cawdor, Glamis, all,/ As the weird women promis’d, and I fear/
Thou played’st most foully for’t…(3.1.1-3).
Banquo ‘…in his royalty of nature/ Reigns that which would be fear’d…He hath a wisdom that doth
guide his valour/ To act in safety’. (Macbeth 3.1.51-5)

Banquo is the nearest Macbeth has to a friend or colleague: Banquo refers to a ‘most
indissoluble tie’ between them, which Macbeth ruthlessly severs. Banquo fights heroically
alongside Macbeth and, in Duncan’s eye, is as worthy of praise as Macbeth. More
importantly, Banquo encounters the witches, and is the only other lord to know of their
prophecies. This gives Banquo a particular insight into the thoughts and actions of his friend.

Banquo’s reaction to the prophecies show marked similarities to, and differences from,
Macbeth’s. Banquo admits to ‘cursed thoughts’ and wonders if the witches can ‘set me up in
hope’; yet he is always more measured and sceptical in his response. He astutely suspects the
witches of being ‘instruments of darkness’ who wreak havoc by winning their victim’s trust
‘with honest trifles’.

Banquo acts with a calm authority following Duncan’s murder: even Macbeth acknowledges
Banquo’s ‘royalty of nature’ and ‘wisdom that doth guide his valour’. However, to
Macbeth’s mind these qualities appear as threats rather than valuable assets, and he single-
mindedly plots the murders of Banquo and Fleance.
 15

‘Besides, this Duncan/ Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been/ So clear in his great
Duncan office, that his virtues/ Will plead like angels…’(Macbeth, 1.7.16-19)
‘The royal father/ Was a most sainted king…’(Macduff, 4.3.108-109)

Duncan is universally praised and admired, but his reign is troubled by rebellious lords and
his judgement of character is suspect. His declaration that ‘ There’s no art/ To find the
mind’s construction in the face’ (1.4.11-12) pinpoints the text’s general interest in deceptive
appearances, but it also suggests that Duncan lacks the necessary ‘arts’ of discovering ‘the
mind’s construction’ by other means. Moreover, Duncan does little to protect himself from
the danger he identifies and immediately repeats the mistake he has made with Cawdor by
rewarding Macbeth with this title and staying at his castle.

Nevertheless, statements by so many – Macbeth’s acknowledgement that Duncan has ‘been/

So clear in his office’; Lennox’s lament for the ‘gracious Duncan; and Macduff’s reference to
‘a most sainted king’ – as well as Duncan’s unfailingly regal and courteous manner, testify to
his noble character. That is, he sets a moral standard that Macbeth never even hopes to
match, and the contrast between the two exposes Macbeth’s flawed character even more
clearly.

Themes Ideas and Values

Themes, Ideas and Inference
Values
 16
The main theme of Macbeth—the destruction wrought when ambition goes
unchecked by moral constraints—finds its most powerful expression in the play’s
The corrupting
two main characters. Macbeth is a courageous Scottish general who is not
Power of naturally inclined to commit evil deeds, yet he deeply desires power and
Unchecked advancement.
Ambition
He kills Duncan against his better judgement and afterward stews in guilt and
paranoia. Toward the end of the play he descends into a kind of frantic, boastful
madness. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, pursues her goals with greater
determination, yet she is less capable of withstanding the repercussions of her
immoral acts. One of Shakespeare’s most forcefully drawn female characters, she
spurs her husband mercilessly to kill Duncan and urges him to be strong in the
murder’s aftermath, but she is eventually driven to distraction by the effect of
Macbeth’s repeated bloodshed on her conscience.

In each case, ambition—helped, of course, by the malign prophecies of the

witches—is what drives the couple to ever more terrible atrocities. The problem,
the play suggests, is that once one decides to use violence to further one’s quest
for power, it is difficult to stop. There are always potential threats to the throne—
Banquo, Fleance, Macduff—and it is always tempting to use violent means to
dispose of them.

Characters in Macbeth frequently dwell on issues of gender. Lady Macbeth

manipulates her husband by questioning his manhood, wishes that she herself
The relationship could be “unsexed,” and does not contradict Macbeth when he says that a woman
between Cruelty like her should give birth only to boys. In the same manner that Lady Macbeth
and Masculinity goads her husband on to murder, Macbeth provokes the murderers he hires to kill
Banquo by questioning their manhood. Such acts show that both Macbeth and
Lady Macbeth equate masculinity with naked aggression, and whenever they
converse about manhood, violence soon follows. Their understanding of manhood
allows the political order depicted in the play to descend into chaos.

At the same time, however, the audience cannot help noticing that women are also
sources of violence and evil. The witches’ prophecies spark Macbeth’s ambitions
and then encourage his violent behaviour; Lady Macbeth provides the brains and
the will behind her husband’s plotting; and the only divine being to appear is
Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft. Arguably, Macbeth traces the root of chaos and
evil to women, which has led some critics to argue that this is Shakespeare’s most
misogynistic play. While the male characters are just as violent and prone to evil
as the women, the aggression of the female characters is more striking because it
goes against prevailing expectations of how women ought to behave. Lady
Macbeth’s behaviour certainly shows that women can be as ambitious and cruel as
men. Whether because of the constraints of her society or because she is not
fearless enough to kill, Lady Macbeth relies on deception and manipulation rather
than violence to achieve her ends.

Ultimately, the play does put forth a revised and less destructive definition of
manhood. In the scene where Macduff learns of the murders of his wife and child,
Malcolm consoles him by encouraging him to take the news in “manly” fashion,
by seeking revenge upon Macbeth. Macduff shows the young heir apparent that he
has a mistaken understanding of masculinity. To Malcolm’s suggestion, “Dispute
it like a man,” Macduff replies, “I shall do so. But I must also feel it as a man”
(4.3.221–223). At the end of the play, Siward receives news of his son’s death
rather complacently. Malcolm responds: “He’s worth more sorrow [than you have
 17
expressed] / And that I’ll spend for him” (5.11.16–17). Malcolm’s comment
shows that he has learned the lesson Macduff gave him on the sentient nature of
true masculinity. It also suggests that, with Malcolm’s coronation, order will be
restored to the Kingdom of Scotland.
 18
In the play, Duncan is always referred to as a “king,” while Macbeth soon
becomes known as the “tyrant.” The difference between the two types of rulers
The Difference
seems to be expressed in a conversation that occurs in Act 4, scene 3, when
Between Kingship Macduff meets Malcolm in England.
and Tyranny
In order to test Macduff’s loyalty to Scotland, Malcolm pretends that he would
make an even worse king than Macbeth. He tells Macduff of his reproachable
qualities—among them a thirst for personal power and a violent temperament,
both of which seem to characterise Macbeth perfectly. On the other hand,
Malcolm says, “The king-becoming graces / [are] justice, verity, temp’rance,
stableness, / Bounty, perseverance, mercy, [and] lowliness” (4.3.92–93). The
model king, then, offers the kingdom an embodiment of order and justice, but also
comfort and affection. Under him, subjects are rewarded according to their merits,
as when Duncan makes Macbeth thane of Cawdor after Macbeth’s victory over
the invaders.

Most importantly, the king must be loyal to Scotland above his own interests.
Macbeth, by contrast, brings only chaos to Scotland—symbolized in the bad
weather and bizarre supernatural events—and offers no real justice, only a habit of
capriciously murdering those he sees as a threat. As the embodiment of tyranny,
he must be overcome by Malcolm so that Scotland can have a true king once
more.

The question of whether a person’s real state of mind is accurately reflected in

their outward appearance is at the centre of every exchange and conflict in
Deceptive
Macbeth. The point is not merely that a person’s visual appearance can deceive
Appearances others; rather, it is that every aspect of how a person presents themselves to the
world – their facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice and, above all, what they
say – can create a false impression of their real thoughts and feelings. In other
words, there is a gap between how a person seems to be, and how they really are.
This gap is at the heart of the treachery and fear that pervade the play. The
treachery of Cawdor surprises Duncan; Macbeth and Lady Macbeth then vow to
appear welcoming and gracious hosts while plotting to murder Duncan in his
sleep. Macbeth invites Banquo to a feast he hopes Banquo will never be able to
attend, asking seemingly innocent questions about Fleance’s whereabouts. Such
deception generates widespread mistrust, causing all the characters to speak
guardedly and to choose their confidants carefully.

Finally, the conflict is resolved when those characters whose words match their
true selves come together, defeating deceit and treachery with honesty and
integrity. Malcolm at first asks his men to conceal themselves behind branches,
but then – signalling an imminent end to the rule of false appearances – he
instructs them to discard their ‘leafy screens’ and ‘show like those you are’.

One of the traits that mark Macbeth and, especially, Lady Macbeth as evil is the
calculated way in which they pretend to be good while planning heinous crimes.
Using Appearances
Lady Macbeth urges her husband not to be so transparent – not to allow his face to
to hide real be ‘a book where men/ May read strange matters’ – but to ‘look like th’ innocent
intentions flower’. Macbeth becomes at ease with such deception as he becomes more
practised at it. His speeches in response to the discovery of Duncan’s body are
extravagant in both imagery and length, perhaps reflecting his own genuine
remorse, as well as the need, as Lady Macbeth puts it, to ‘make our griefs and
clamour roar’. However, his later exchange with Banquo shows a new coolness,
as he deftly elicits the details of Banquo’s ride and Fleance’s presence in a natural,
 19
conversational manner.

Lady Macbeth encourages the projection of false appearances, but whereas

Macbeth immerses himself in a world of violence and deceit – even hiding his
actions from his wife – she quickly wearies of such an existence. She urges
Macbeth to ‘Sleek o’er his rugged looks’ and ‘be bright and jovial’ for their
guests, yet at the banquet she ‘keeps her state’, remaining on her throne while
Macbeth mingles with the guests. She tries to maintain the appearance of
normality as his behaviour becomes increasingly erratic, but after she dismisses
the guests she says only three more lines in the scene, and then is not seen again
until her sleepwalking scene at the start of Act 5.
 20
The difficulty of telling what is really in people’s minds from their appearances is
acknowledged throughout the play, and the destruction that follows from
The Cost of
Macbeth’s treachery and deceit demonstrates the importance of honesty and
deception integrity to the social order. Donaldbain recognises that ‘there’s daggers in men’s
smiles’ – meaning not that all men are treacherous, but that it is impossible to tell
whose ‘smiles’ are genuine and whose are merely a façade for more sinister
intentions.

Macbeth also illustrates the cost to the individuals of constantly presenting a ‘false
face’ to the world. The most dramatic instance of this is Lady Macbeth’s
sleepwalking scene, since her sanity manifests as an inability to mask her inner
thoughts from others. Now, what is truly in her mind becomes evident to all who
listen; whereas previously she recommended pushing thoughts of horror and guilt
to the back of the mind, now they come to the fore, unable to be governed. It is as
if the very effort of burying her guilt is precisely what has driven her mad – the
ultimate cost of such deceitfulness.

A different consequence of living in a world in which false appearances are

pervasive is recognised by Macbeth, who attains power without experiencing any
of the pleasures or rewards of his position. By the end of the play he retains a
small group of supporters, yet he knows that he cannot trust their ‘mouth-honour’
and their ‘breath/ Which the poor heart would fain deny’. That is, he receives no
genuine loyalty and honour, only the appearance of it through falsely spoken
words.

Just as external appearances can deceive by providing a false impression of a

person’s true intentions or nature, so too can words in Macbeth mislead by having
Equivocations
a double meaning. The key term here is equivocation, first introduced by the
Porter’s speech. On one level this speech is comic interlude; on another it is a
clue to deeper or symbolic meanings – such as the idea of the Macbeths’ castle
being a hell on earth. The Porter refers to ‘an equivocator that could swear in both
the scales against either scale’, pointing to the use of words to achieve a desired
outcome, but not necessarily to express a truth or achieve justice.

The most obvious equivocators in the play are the witches, who speak in such a
way that they tell the truth, yet create a false impression for Macbeth about what
his reality is actually to be. He thinks his destiny is to achieve greatness, yet his
life becomes full of torment and hatred. He thinks he is safe since a wood cannot
move from place to place, yet the use of branches as ‘leafy screens’ signals his
imminent demise. Finally, Macbeth accuses the witches of ‘equivocation’ and
calls them ‘juggling fiends…That palter us in a double sense’, though each of
their prophesies comes true in the course of the play. Macbeth’s problem, in a
sense, is that he reads their words literally, which gives them the meanings he
most wants to hear, whereas their true meaning lies on a metaphorical level.

Honour is a quality highly valued in Macbeth – its importance to human

relationships and the social order is conveyed through the destructive effects of its
Honour
absence. It is received by individuals who perform good deeds, or whose
characters are esteemed. At the start of the play, Duncan is the source of honour:
he bestows honour on Macbeth, partly in the form of praise and partly in the form
of the title of Thane of Cawdor. He also brings honour to Macbeth and Lady
Macbeth by staying at their castle. In return, the noblemen honour their king: as
Macbeth says, their duty is to do ‘everything/ Safe towards [Duncan’s] love and
honour’.
 21

Honour, therefore, involves a set of relationships and a code of conduct, both of

which are breached by Duncan’s murder. When Macbeth cries ‘renown and grace
is dead’, he is trying to create a false impression of his shock and distress – but he
also accurately identifies the qualities he has discarded. In the world of the play,
‘renown’ – one’s good name or reputation – and ‘grace’ stem from the king, and
underpin the king’s capacity to dispense honour and receive it in turn from his
subjects. Macbeth’s actions, though, make such an order impossible, since
reputations now count for little and there is no infallible source of grace.

The value of honour is linked to the theme of false appearances since honour
depends on good words being matched to good intentions. Once it is impossible
to distinguish between appearance and reality, it also becomes impossible to
decide who is honourable and who is not. Of course, as an audience we can make
this distinction, but the characters are caught up in a world in which honour seems
to be no more than words spoken in order to please.
 22
The idea that certain events in our lives are destined to occur, irrespective of what
we choose to do or not to do, runs through Macbeth without being conclusively
Fate vs Free Will
resolved one way or another. Macbeth’s own attitude to fate is contradictory: he
believes both that the witches do know the future – that is, that the future is both
knowable and fixed – and that he can change that future through his own actions.
Nevertheless, the witches’ prophecies do all come true, including the unlikely
details of Birnum Wood moving to Dunsinane and Macduff not being ‘of woman
born’. Macbeth’s sense of being caught up in a course of events that he is
relatively powerless to alter gives the play considerable momentum.

The opposing idea is that we are free to determine the course of our lives – that we
have free will, are free to choose how to act at any moment, and therefore must
bear moral responsibility for our actions. This idea, too, is present throughout the
play, since we certainly hold Macbeth accountable for the murders he commits,
however much the witches and Lady Macbeth are seen to influence him to begin
with. Nor does Macbeth wish to abandon this sense of control over his fate, and
he seeks to shape it to his own ends by, for instance, ordering the deaths of
Banquo and Fleance.

The other two characters who know about the witches' prophecies – Banquo and
Lady Macbeth – are also intensely interested in the idea of fate. Banquo’s
response is more cautious than Macbeth’s, and he is immediately sceptical of the
witches’ motivations. However, he confesses to ‘cursed thoughts that nature/
Gives way to in repose’; while Lady Macbeth feels certain that Macbeth will
become king since ‘fate and metaphysical aid’ seem to have him ‘crown’d withal’.
Yet these thoughts are prompted by the witches’ words. It is these words that
cause certain thoughts and actions, and without them the characters would, it
seems, think and act quite differently.

In this way, the play leaves open the possibility that it is not fate that determines
the character’s actions, but their psychological make-up that leads them in one
direction or another.
On the other hand, characters who do not know about the witches are motivated
by an altogether different set of qualities. Malcolm and Macduff, for example, are
ruled by love of country and allegiance to a code of behaviour that values honour,
grace, integrity and truthfulness.

Even Macbeth belatedly recognises the value of ‘honour, love, obedience, troops
of friends’, but it is with a sense of fatefulness, as if such a ‘way of life’ was his
destiny. In contrast, Malcolm Macduff, Ross and Lennox never express any sense
of resignation to fate; for them, individuals are free to choose, and should always
choose in accordance with values that uphold the social and moral order. Seen in
this light, Macbeth is always able to choose differently; he simply lets himself be
persuaded that his fate ‘exists’ in some absolute sense. His sense of being a ‘poor
player’, and of life being no more than a performance on a stage, ‘full of sound
and fury’ but essentially meaningless, is, in this view, no more than self-delusion
and self pity.
 23

Lady Macbeth Analysis

The following character analysis is reprinted from "Remarks on the character of
Lady Macbeth" from Thomas Campbell's Life of Mrs. Siddons. New York: Harper
& Brothers, 1834.

In this astonishing creature one sees a woman in whose bosom the passion of ambition has almost
obliterated all the characteristics of human nature, in whose composition are associated all the subjugating
powers of intellect and all the charms and graces of personal beauty. You will probably not agree with me as
to the character of that beauty; yet, perhaps, this difference of opinion will be entirely attributable to the
difficulty of your imagination disengaging itself from that idea of the person of her representative which you
have so long accustomed to contemplate. According to my notion, it is of that character which I believe is
generally allowed to be most captivating to the other sex--fair, feminine, nay, perhaps, even fragile--

'Fair as the forms that, wove in Fancy's loom,

Float in light visions round the poet's head.'

Such a combination only, respectable in energy and strength of mind, and captivating in feminine loveliness,
could have composed a charm of such potency as to fascinate the mind of a hero so dauntless, a character so
amiable, so honourable as Macbeth;--to seduce him to brave all the dangers of the present and all the terrors
of a future world; and we are constrained, even whilst we abhor his crimes, to pity the infatuated victim of
such a thraldom. His letters, which have informed her of the predictions of those preternatural beings who
accosted him on the heath, have lighted up into daring and desperate determinations all those pernicious
slumbering fires which the enemy of man is ever watchful to awaken in the bosoms of his unwary victims.
To his direful suggestions she is so far from offering the least opposition, as not only to yield up her soul to
them, but moreover to invoke the sightless ministers of remorseless cruelty to extinguish in her breast all
those compunctious visitings of nature which otherwise might have been mercifully interposed to
counteract, and perhaps eventually to overcome, their unholy instigations. But having impiously delivered
herself up to the excitements of hell, the pitifulness of heaven itself is withdrawn from her, and she is
abandoned to the guidance of the demons whom she has invoked.

Here I cannot resist a little digression, to observe how sweetly contrasted with the conduct of this splendid
fiend is that of the noble single-minded Banquo. He, when under the same species of temptation, having
been alarmed, as it appears, by some wicked suggestions of the Weird Sisters, in his last night's dream, puts
up an earnest prayer to heaven to have these cursed thoughts restrained in him, 'which nature gives way to in
repose.' Yes, even as to that time when he is not accountable either for their access or continuance, he
remembers the precept, 'Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.'

To return to the subject. Lady Macbeth, thus adorned with ever fascination of mind and person, enters for
the first time, reading a part of one of these portentous letters from her husband. [I, v, 1-12.] Vaulting
ambition and intrepid daring rekindle in a moment all the splendours of her dark blue eyes. She fatally
resolves that Glamis and Cawdor shall be also that which the mysterious agents of the Evil One have
promised. She then proceeds to investigate her husband's character. [I, v, 14-23.] In this development, we
find that, though ambitious, he is yet amiable, conscientious, nay, pious; and yet of a temper so irresolute
and fluctuating, as to require all the efforts, all the excitement, which her uncontrollable spirit, and her
unbounded influence over him, can perform. She continues [lines 23-28]. Shortly, Macbeth appears. He
announces the King's approach; and she, insensible it should seem to all the perils which he has encountered
in battle, and to all the happiness of his safe return to her--for not one kind word of greeting or
congratulation does she offer--is so entirely swallowed up by the horrible design, which has probably been
suggested to her by his letters, as to have entirely forgotten both the one and the other. It is very remarkable
that Macbeth is frequent in expressions of tenderness to his wife, while she never betrays one symptom of
affection towards him, till, in the fiery furnace of affliction, her iron heart is melted down to softness. For
the present she flies to welcome the venerable, gracious Duncan, with such a show of eagerness, as if
allegiance in her bosom sat crowned with devotion and gratitude.
 24
THE SECOND ACT: There can be no doubt that Macbeth, in the first instance, suggested the design of
assassinating the King, and it is probable that he has invited his gracious sovereign to his castle, in order
more speedily and expeditiously to realize those thoughts, 'whose murder, thought but yet fantastical, so
shook his single state of man.' Yet on the arrival of Duncan, his naturally benevolent and good feelings
resume their wonted power [and after rehearsing the arguments against the commission of the crime], he
wisely determines to proceed no further in the business. But now behold, his evil genius, his grave-charm,
appears, and by the force of her revilings, her contemptuous taunts, and, above all, by her opprobrious
aspersion of cowardice, chases [away the feelings of] loyalty, and pity, and gratitude, which but a moment
before had taken full possession of his mind.

Even here [I, vii, 54-59], horrific as she is, she shows herself made by ambition, but not by nature, a
perfectly savage creature. The very use of such a tender allusion in the midst of her dreadful language,
persuades one unequivocally that she has really felt the maternal yearnings of a mother towards her babe,
and that she considered this action the most enormous that ever required the strength of human nerves for its
perpetration. Her language to Macbeth is the most potently eloquent that guilt could use. It is only in
soliloquy that she invokes the powers of hell to unsex her. To her husband she avows, and the naturalness of
her language makes us believe her, that she had felt the instinct of filial as well as maternal love. But she
makes her very virtues the means of a taunt to her lord.... It is the dead of night. The gracious Duncan shut
up in measureless content, reposing sweetly.... The daring fiend, whose pernicious potions have stupefied
the attendants, and who even laid their daggers ready--her own spirits, as it seems, exalted by the power of
wine--now enters the gallery in eager expectation of the results of her diabolical diligence. In the
tremendous suspense of these moments, while she recollects her habitual humanity, one trait of tender
feeling is expressed, 'Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done it.' Her humanity vanishes,
however, in the same instant. [For when her husband refuses to return to the chamber to replace the daggers]
instantaneously the solitary particle of her human feeling is swallowed up in her remorseless ambition, and,
wrenching the daggers from the feeble grasp of her husband, she finishes the act which the 'infirm of
purpose' had not the courage to completely....

THE THIRD ACT: The golden round of royalty now crowns her brow, and royal robes enfold her form; but
the peace that passeth all understanding is lost to her forever, and the worm that never dies already gnaws
her heart [III, ii, 4-7]. Under the impression of her present wretchedness, I, from this moment, have always
assumed the dejection of countenance and manners which I thought accordant to such a state of mind; and,
though the author of this sublime composition has not, it must be acknowledged, given any direction
whatever to authorise this assumption, yet I venture to hope that he would not have disapproved of it. It is
evident, indeed, by her conduct in the scene which succeeds this mournful soliloquy, that she is no longer
the presumptuous, the determined creature that she was before the assassination of the king; for instance, on
the approach of her husband we behold, for the first time, striking indications of sensibility, nay, tenderness
and sympathy; and I think this conduct is nobly followed up by her during the whole of their subsequent
intercourse. It is evident, I think, that the sad and new experience of affliction has subdued the insolence of
her pride, and the violence of her will, for she now comes to seek him out, that she may, at least, participate
in his misery. She knows, by her own woeful experience, the torment which he undergoes, and endeavours
to alleviate his sufferings by the following inefficient reasonings: [III, ii, 8-12]. Far from her former habits
of reproach and contemptuous taunting, you perceive that she now listens to his complaints with
sympathising feelings; and so far from adding to the weight of his affliction the burden of her own, she
endeavours to conceal it from him with the most delicate and unremitting attention.... All her thoughts are
now directed to divert him from those sorriest fancies by turning them to the approaching banquet.... Yes,
smothering her sufferings in the deepest recesses of her own wretched bosom, we cannot but perceive that
she devotes herself entirely to the effort of supporting him.

Let it be here recollected, as some palliation of her former very different deportment, that she had, probably,
from childhood commanded all around her with a high hand; had uninterruptedly, perhaps, in that splendid
station enjoyed all that wealth, all that nature had to bestow; that she had, possibly, no directors, no
controllers, and that in womanhood her fascinated lord had never once opposed her inclinations. But now
 25
her new-born relentings, under the rod of chastisement, prompt her to make palpable efforts in order to
support the spirits of her weaker, and, I must say, more selfish, husband....

THE BANQUET: Surrounded by their Court, in all the apparent ease and self-complacency of which their
wretched souls are destitute, they are now seated at the royal banquet; and although, through the greater part
of this scene, Lady Macbeth affects to resume her wonted domination over her husband, yet,
notwithstanding all this self-control, her mind must even then be agonized by the complicated pangs of
terror and remorse. For what imaginings can conceive her tremors lest at every succeeding moment
Macbeth, in his distractions, may confirm those suspicions, but ill-concealed under the loyal looks and
cordial manners of their facile courtiers, when, with smothered terror, yet domineering indignation, she
exclaims, upon his agitation at the ghost of Banquo, 'Are you a man?' [III, iv, 60-68.] Dying with fear, yet
assuming the utmost composure, she returns to her stately canopy, and with trembling nerves, having
tottered up the steps to her throne, that bad eminence, she entertains her wondering guests with frightful
smiles, with over-acted attention, and with fitful graciousness; painfully, yet incessantly, labouring to divert
their attention from her husband. Whilst writhing thus under her internal agonies, her restless and terrifying
glances towards Macbeth, in spite of all her efforts to suppress them, have thrown the whole table into
amazement; and the murderer then suddenly breaks up the assembly by the confession of his horrors: [III, iv,
110-116.]

What imitation, in such circumstances as these, would ever satisfy the demands of expectation? The terror,
the remorse, the hypocrisy of this astonishing being, flitting in frightful succession over her countenance,
and actuating her agitated gestures with her varying emotions, present, perhaps, one of the greatest
difficulties of the scenic art, and cause her representative no less to tremble for the suffrage of her private
study, than for its public effect.

It is now the time to inform you of an idea which I have conceived of Lady Macbeth's character, which
perhaps will appear as fanciful as that which I have adopted respecting the style of her beauty; and in order
to justify this idea, I must carry you back to the scene immediately preceding the banquet, in which you will
recollect the following dialogue: [III, ii, 36-55]. Now it is not possible that she should hear all these
ambiguous hints about Banquo without being too well aware that a sudden, lamentable fate awaits him. Yet
so far from offering any opposition to Macbeth's murderous designs, she even hints, I think, at the facility, if
not the expediency, of destroying both Banquo and [Fleance] when she observes that 'in them Nature's copy
is not eterne.' Having, therefore, now filled the measure of her crimes, I have imagined that the last
appearance of Banquo's ghost became no less visible to her eyes than it became to those of her husband.
Yes, the spirit of the noble Banquo has smilingly filled up, even to overflowing, and now commands to her
own lips the ingredients of her poisoned chalice.
 26
THE FIFTH ACT: Behold her now, with wasted form, with wan and haggard countenance, her starry eyes
glazed with the ever-burning fever of remorse, and on their lids the shadows of death. Her ever-restless spirit
wanders in troubled dreams about her dismal apartment; and, whether waking or asleep, the smell of
innocent blood incessantly haunts her imagination:
'Here's the smell of blood still.
All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten
This little hand.'
How beautifully contrasted is this exclamation with the bolder image of Macbeth, in expressing the same
feeling:
'Will all great Neptune's ocean wash the blood
Clean from this hand?'
And how appropriately either sex illustrates the same idea!

During this appalling scene, which, to my sense, is the most so of them all, the wretched creature, in
imagination, acts over again the accumulated horrors of her whole conduct. These dreadful images,
accompanied with the agitations they have induced, have obviously accelerated her untimely end; for in a
few moments tidings of her death are brought to her unhappy husband. It is conjectured that she died by her
own hand. Too certain it is, that she dies and makes no sign. I have now to account to you for the weakness
which I have ascribed to Macbeth.... Please observe, that he (I must think pusillanimously, when I compare
his conduct with her forbearance,) has been continually pouring out his miseries to his wife. His heart has
therefore been eased, from time to time, by unloading its weight of woe; while she, on the contrary, has
perseveringly endured in silence the uttermost anguish of a wounded spirit.... Her feminine nature, her
delicate structure, it is too evident, are soon overwhelmed by the enormous pressure of her crimes. Yet it
will be granted that she gives proof of a naturally higher toned mind than that of Macbeth. The different
physical powers of the two sexes are finely delineated, in the different effects which their mutual crimes
produce. Her trailer frame, and keener feelings, have now sunk under the struggle--his robust and less
sensitive constitution has not only resisted it, but bears him on to deeper wickedness, and to experience the
fatal fecundity of crime....

In one point of view, at least, this guilty pair extorted from us, in spite of ourselves, a certain respect and
approbation. Their grandeur of character sustains them both above recrimination (the despicable accustomed
resort of vulgar minds) in adversity; for the wretched husband, though almost impelled into this gulf of
destruction by the instigation of his wife, feels no abatement of his love for her, while she, on her part,
appears to have known no tenderness for him, till, with a heart bleeding at every pore, she beholds in him
the miserable victim of their mutual ambition. Unlike the first frail pair in Paradise, they spent not the
fruitless hours in mutual accusation.

Essay about Macbeth 

The poet's eye in a fine frenzy rolling

Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven;
And as imagination bodies forth
The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen
Turns them to shape, and gives to airy nothing
A local habitation and a name.

MACBETH and Lear, Othello and Hamlet, are usually reckoned Shakespeare's four principal tragedies.

Lear stands first for the profound intensity of the passion; Macbeth for the wildness of the imagination and
 27

the rapidity of the action; Othello for the progressive interest and powerful alternations of feeling;
Hamlet for the refined development of thought and sentiment. If the force of genius shown in each of these
works is astonishing, their variety is not less so. They are like different creations of the same mind, not one
of which has the slightest reference to the rest. This distinctness and originality is indeed the necessary
consequence of truth and nature. Shakespeare's genius alone appeared to possess the resources of nature. He
is 'your only tragedy-maker'. His plays have the force of things upon the mind. What he represents is
brought home to the bosom as a part of our experience, implanted in the memory as if we had known the
places, persons, and things of which he treats. Macbeth is like a record of a preternatural and tragical event.
It has the rugged severity of an old chronicle with all that the imagination of the poet can engraft upon
traditional belief. The castle of Macbeth, round which 'the air smells wooingly', and where 'the temple-
haunting martlet builds', has a real subsistence in the mind; the Weird Sisters meet us in person on 'the
blasted heath'; the 'air-drawn dagger' moves slowly before our eyes; the 'gracious Duncan', the 'blood-
boltered Banquo' stand before us; all that passed through the mind of Macbeth passes, without the loss of
a tittle, through ours. All that could actually take place, and all that is only possible to be conceived, what
was said and what was done, the workings of passion, the spells of magic, are brought before us with the
same absolute truth and vividness. Shakespeare excelled in the openings of his plays: that of Macbeth is the
most striking of any. The wildness of the scenery, the sudden shifting of the situations and characters, the
bustle, the expectations excited, are equally extraordinary. From the first entrance of the Witches and the
description of them when they meet Macbeth:

--What are these

So wither'd and so wild in their attire,
That look not like the inhabitants of th' earth
And yet are on't?

the mind is prepared for all that follows.

This tragedy is alike distinguished for the lofty imagination it displays, and for the tumultuous vehemence
of the action; and the one is made the moving principle of the other. The overwhelming pressure of
preternatural agency urges on the tide of human passion with redoubled force. Macbeth himself appears
driven along by the violence of his fate like a vessel drifting before a storm: he reels to and fro like a
drunken man; he staggers under the weight of his own purposes and the suggestions of others; he stands at
bay with his situation; and from the superstitious awe and breathless suspense into which the
communications of the Weird Sisters throw him, is hurried on with daring impatience to verify
their predictions, and with impious and bloody hand to tear aside the veil which hides the uncertainty of the
future. He is not equal to the struggle with fate and conscience. He now 'bends up each corporal instrument
to the terrible feat'; at other times his heart misgives him, and he is cowed and abashed by his success. 'The
deed, no less than the attempt, confounds him.' His mind is assailed by the stings of remorse, and full of
'preternatural solicitings'. His speeches and soliloquies are dark riddles on human life, baffling solution, and
entangling him in their labyrinths. In thought he is absent and perplexed, sudden and desperate in act, from a
distrust of his own resolution. His energy springs from the anxiety and agitation of his mind. His blindly
rushing forward on the objects of his ambition and revenge, or his recoiling from them, equally betrays the
harassed state of his feelings.--This part of his character is admirably set off by being brought in connexion
with that of Lady Macbeth, whose obdurate strength of will and masculine firmness give her the ascendancy
over her husband's faltering virtue. She at once seizes on the opportunity that offers for the accomplishment
of all their wished-for greatness, and never flinches from her object till all is over. The magnitude of her
resolution almost covers the magnitude of her guilt. She is a great bad woman, whom we hate, but whom we
fear more than we hate. She does not excite our loathing and abhorrence like Regan and Goneril. She is only
wicked to gain a great end; and is perhaps more distinguished by her commanding presence of mind
and inexorable self-will, which do not suffer her to be diverted from a bad purpose, when once formed, by
weak and womanly regrets, than by the hardness of her heart or want of natural affections. The impression
which her lofty determination of character makes on the mind of Macbeth is well described where he
 28

exclaims:

--Bring forth men children only;

For thy undaunted mettle should compose
Nothing but males!

Nor do the pains she is at to 'screw his courage to the sticking-place', the reproach to him, not to be 'lost so
poorly in himself', the assurance that 'a little water clears them of this deed', show anything but her greater
consistency in depravity. Her strong-nerved ambition furnishes ribs of steel to 'the sides of his intent';
and she is herself wound up to the execution of her baneful project with the same unshrinking fortitude in
crime, that in other circumstances she would probably have shown patience in suffering. The
deliberate sacrifice of all other considerations to the gaining 'for their future days and nights sole sovereign
sway and masterdom', by the murder of Duncan, is gorgeously expressed in her invocation on hearing of 'his
fatal entrance under her battlements':

--Come all you spirits

That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here:
And fill me, from the crown to th' toe, top-full
Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood,
Stop up the access and passage of remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect and it. Come to my woman's breasts,
And take my milk for gall, you murthering ministers,
Wherever in your sightless substances
You wait on nature's mischief. Come, thick night!
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,
Nor heav'n peep through the blanket of the dark,
To cry, hold, hold!--

When she first hears that 'Duncan comes there to sleep' she is so overcome by the news, which is beyond her
utmost expectations, that she answers the messenger, 'Thou'rt mad to say it': and on receiving her husband's
account of the predictions of the Witches, conscious of his instability of purpose, and that her presence is
necessary to goad him on to the consummation of his promised greatness, she exclaims:

--Hie thee hither,

That I may pour my spirits in thine ear,
And chastise with me valour of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round,
Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem
To have thee crowned withal.

This swelling exultation and keen spirit of triumph, this uncontrollable eagerness of anticipation, which
seems to dilate her form and take possession of all her faculties, this solid, substantial flesh-and-blood
display of passion, exhibit a striking contrast to the cold, abstracted, gratuitous, servile malignity of the
Witches, who are equally instrumental in urging Macbeth to his fate for the mere love of mischief, and from
a disinterested delight in deformity and cruelty. They are hags of mischief, obscene panders to iniquity,
malicious from their impotence of enjoyment, enamoured of destruction, because they are themselves
unreal, abortive, half-existences, and who become sublime from their exemption from all human sympathies
and contempt for all human affairs, as Lady Macbeth does by the force of passion! Her fault seems to have
been an excess of that strong principle of self-interest and family aggrandisement, not amenable to the
common feelings of compassion and justice, which is so marked a feature in barbarous nations and times. A
 29

passing reflection of this kind, on the resemblance of the sleeping king to her father, alone prevents her from
slaying Duncan with her own hand.

In speaking of the character of Lady Macbeth, we ought not to pass over Mrs. Siddons's manner of acting
that part. We can conceive of nothing grander. It was something above nature. It seemed almost as if a being
of a superior order had dropped from a higher sphere to awe the world with the majesty of her appearance.
Power was seated on her brow, passion emanated from her breast as from a shrine; she was tragedy
personified. In coming on in the sleeping-scene, her eyes were open, but their sense was shut. She was like a
person bewildered and unconscious of what she did. Her lips moved involuntarily--all her gestures were
involuntary and mechanical. She glided on and off the stage like an apparition. To have seen her in that
character was an event in every one's life, not to be forgotten.

The dramatic beauty of the character of Duncan, which excites the respect and pity even of his murderers,
has been often pointed out. It forms a picture of itself. An instance of the author's power of giving a striking
effect to a common reflection, by the manner of introducing it, occurs in a speech of Duncan, complaining
of his having been deceived in his opinion of the Thane of Cawdor, at the very moment that he is expressing
the most unbounded confidence in the loyalty and services of Macbeth.

There is no art
To find the mind's construction in the face:
He was a gentleman, on whom I built
An absolute trust.
O worthiest cousin, [addressing himself to Macbeth]
The sin of my ingratitude e'en now
Was great upon me...

Another passage to show that Shakespeare lost sight of nothing that could in anyway give relief or
heightening to his subject, is the conversation which takes place between Banquo and Fleance immediately
before the murder-scene of Duncan.

Banquo. How goes the night, boy?

Fleance. The moon is down: I have not heard the clock.

Banquo. And she goes down at twelve.

Fleance. I take't, tis later, Sir.

Banquo. Hold, take my sword. There's husbandry in heav'n, Their candles are all out.--A heavy summons
lies like lead upon me, And yet I would not sleep: Merciful Powers, Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that
nature Gives way to in repose.

In like manner, a fine idea is given of the gloomy coming on of evening, just as Banquo is going to be
assassinated.

Light thickens and the crow

Makes wing to the rooky wood.
.....
Now spurs the lated traveller apace
To gain the timely inn.

Macbeth (generally speaking) is done upon a stronger and more systematic principle of contrast than any
other of Shakespeare's plays. It moves upon the verge of an abyss, and is a constant struggle between life
 30

and death. The action is desperate and the reaction is dreadful. It is a huddling together of fierce extremes, a
war of opposite natures which of them shall destroy the other. There is nothing but what has a violent end or
violent beginnings. The lights and shades are laid on with a determined hand; the transitions from triumph to
despair, from the height of terror to the repose of death, are sudden and startling; every passion brings in its
fellow-contrary, and the thoughts pitch and jostle against each other as in the dark. The whole play is an
unruly chaos of strange and forbidden things, where the ground rocks under our feet. Shakespeare's genius
here took its full swing, and trod upon the furthest bounds of nature and passion. This circumstance
will account tor the abruptness and violent antitheses of the style, the throes and labour which run through
the expression, and from defects will turn them into beauties. 'So fair and foul a day I have not seen,' &c.
'Such welcome and unwelcome news together.' 'Men's lives are like the flowers in their caps, dying or ere
they sicken.' 'Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it.' The scene before the castle-gate
follows the appearance of the Witches on the heath, and is followed by a midnight murder. Duncan is cut
off betimes by treason leagued with witchcraft, and Macduff is ripped untimely from his mother's womb to
avenge his death. Macbeth, after the death of Banquo, wishes for his presence in extravagant terms, 'To him
and all we thirst,' and when his ghost appears, cries out, 'Avaunt and quit my sight,' and being gone, he is
'himself again'. Macbeth resolves to get rid of Macduff, that 'he may sleep in spite of thunder'; and cheers
his wife on the doubtful intelligence of Banquo's taking-off with the encouragement--'Then be thou
jocund: ere the bat has flown his cloistered flight; ere to black Hecate's summons the shard-born beetle has
rung night's yawning peal, there shall be done--a deed of dreadful note.' In Lady Macbeth's speech, 'Had he
not resembled my father as he slept, I had done't,' there is murder and filial piety together, and in urging him
to fulfil his vengeance against the defenceless king, her thoughts spare the blood neither of infants nor old
age. The description of the Witches is full of the same contradictory principle; they 'rejoice when
good kings bleed'; they are neither of the earth nor the air, but both; 'they should be women, but their beards
forbid it'; they take all the pains possible to lead Macbeth on to the height of his ambition, only to betray
him in deeper consequence, and after showing him all the pomp of their art, discover their malignant delight
in his disappointed hopes, by that bitter taunt, 'Why stands Macbeth thus amazedly?' We might multiply
such instances everywhere.

The leading features in the character of Macbeth are striking enough, and they form what may be thought at
first only a bold, rude, Gothic outline. By comparing it with other characters of the same author we shall
perceive the absolute truth and identity which is observed in the midst of the giddy whirl and rapid career
of events. Macbeth in Shakespeare no more loses his identity of character in the fluctuations of fortune or
the storm of passion, than Macbeth in himself would have lost the identity of his person. Thus he is as
distinct a being from Richard III as it is possible to imagine, though these two characters in common hands,
and indeed in the hands of any other poet, would have been a repetition of the same general idea, more or
less exaggerated. For both are tyrants, usurpers, murderers, both aspiring and ambitious, both
courageous, cruel, treacherous. But Richard is cruel from nature and constitution. Macbeth becomes so from
accidental circumstances. Richard is from his birth deformed in body and mind, and naturally incapable of
good. Macbeth is full of 'the milk of human kindness, is frank, sociable, generous. He is tempted to the
commission of guilt by golden opportunities, by the instigations of his wife, and by prophetic warnings. Fate
and metaphysical aid conspire against his virtue and his loyalty. Richard, on the contrary, needs
no prompter, but wades through a series of crimes to the height of his ambition from the ungovernable
violence of his temper and a reckless love of mischief. He is never gay but in the prospect or in the success
of his villanies; Macbeth is full of horror at the thoughts of the murder of Duncan, which he is with
difficulty prevailed on to commit, and of remorse after its perpetration. Richard has no mixture of common
humanity in his composition, no regard to kindred or posterity, he owns no fellowship with others, he is
'himself alone'. Macbeth is not destitute of feelings of sympathy, is accessible to pity, is even made in some
measure the dupe of his uxoriousness, ranks the loss of friends, of the cordial love of his followers, and of
his good name, among the causes which have made him weary of life, and regrets that he has ever seized the
crown by unjust means, since he cannot transmit it to his own posterity:

For Banquo's issue have I 'fil'd my mind--

For them the gracious Duncan have I murther'd,
 31
To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings.

In the agitation of his thoughts, he envies those whom he has sent to peace. 'Duncan is in his grave; after
life's fitful fever he sleeps well.' It is true, he becomes more callous as he plunges deeper in guilt, 'direness is
thus rendered familiar to his slaughterous thoughts', and he in the end anticipates his wife in the boldness
and bloodiness of his enterprises, while she, for want of the same stimulus of action, is 'troubled with thick-
coming fancies that rob her of her rest', goes mad and dies.

Macbeth endeavours to escape from reflection on his crimes by repelling their consequences, and banishes
remorse for the past by the meditation of future mischief. This is not the principle of Richard's cruelty,
which resembles the wanton malice of a fiend as much as the frailty of human passion. Macbeth is goaded
on to acts of violence and retaliation by necessity; to Richard, blood is a pastime.--There are other decisive
differences inherent in the two characters. Richard may be regarded as a man of the world, a plotting,
hardened knave, wholly regardless of everything but his own ends, and the means to secure them.--Not so
Macbeth. The superstitions of the age, the rude state of society, the local scenery and customs, all give a
wildness and imaginary grandeur to his character. From the strangeness of the events that surround him, he
is full of amazement and fear; and stands in doubt between the world of reality and the world of fancy. He
sees sights not shown to mortal eye, and hears unearthly music. All is tumult and disorder within and
without his mind; his purposes recoil upon himself, are broken and disjointed; he is the double thrall of his
passions and his evil destiny. Richard is not a character either of imagination or pathos, but of pure self-will.
There is no conflict of opposite feelings in his breast. The apparitions which he sees only haunt him in his
sleep; nor does he live like Macbeth in a waking dream. Macbeth has considerable energy and manliness of
character; but then he is 'subject to all the skyey influences'. He is sure of nothing but the present moment.
Richard in the busy turbulence of his projects never loses his self-possession, and makes use of
every circumstance that happens as an instrument of his long-reaching designs. In his last extremity we can
only regard him as a wild beast taken in the toils: we never entirely lose our concern for Macbeth; and he
calls back all our sympathy by that fine close of thoughtful melancholy:

My way of life is fallen into the sear,

The yellow leaf; and that which should accompany old age,
As honour, troops of friends, I must not look to have;
But in their stead, curses not loud but deep,
Mouth-honour, breath, which the poor heart
Would fain deny and dare not.

We can conceive a common actor to play Richard tolerably well; we can conceive no one to play Macbeth
properly, or to look like a man that had encountered the Weird Sisters. All the actors that we have ever seen,
appear as if they had encountered them on the boards of Covent Garden or Drury Lane, but not on the heath
at Fores, and as if they did not believe what they had seen. The Witches of Macbeth indeed are ridiculous on
the modern stage, and we doubt if the furies of Aeschylus would be more respected. The progress of
manners and knowledge has an influence on the stage, and will in time perhaps destroy both tragedy and
comedy. Filch's picking pockets, in the Beggars' Opera, is not so good a jest as it used to be: by the force of
the police and of philosophy, Lillo's murders and the ghosts in Shakespeare will become obsolete. At last
there will be nothing left, good nor bad, to be desired or dreaded, on the theatre or in real life. A question
has been started with respect to the originality of Shakespeare's Witches, which has been well answered by
Mr. Lamb in his notes to the Specimens of Early Dramatic Poetry:

"Though some resemblance may be traced between the charms in Macbeth and the incantations in this play
(the Witch of Middleton), which is supposed to have preceded it, this coincidence will not detract
much from the originality of Shakespeare. His Witches are distinguished from the Witches of Middleton by
essential differences. These are creatures to whom man or woman plotting some dire mischief might resort
for occasional consultation. Those originate deeds of blood, and begin bad impulses to men. From the
moment that their eyes first meet with Macbeth's, he is spellbound. That meeting sways his destiny. He can
never break the fascination. These Witches can hurt the body; those have power over the soul.--Hecate in
 32

Middleton has a son, a low buffoon: the hags of Shakespeare have neither child of their own, nor seem to be
descended from any parent. They are foul anomalies, of whom we know not whence they are sprung, nor
whether they have beginning or ending. As they are without human passions, so they seem to be without
human relations. They come with thunder and lightning, and vanish to airy music. This is all we know
of them.--Except Hecate, they have no names, which heightens their mysteriousness. The names, and some
of the properties which Middleton has given to his hags, excite smiles. The Weird Sisters are serious things.
Their presence cannot co-exist with mirth. But, in a lesser degree, the Witches of Middleton are fine
creations. Their power too is, in some measure, over the mind. They raise jars, jealousies, strifes, 'LIKE A
THICK SCURF O'ER LIFE.'

Homework
27/07/2022

The iconic tragedy; Macbeth is arguably one of the most recognised and celebrated works of playwright
William Shakespeare. Though powerful concepts are littered throughout the play, the greatest impact on
audiences come from the amalgamation of themes and their cultural significance, all which influence
audiences even 400 years later. For instance, Macbeth’s desire to usurp the king and thereby disrupt the
Great Chain of Being strongly parallels the social hierarchy present today and defines the fate of many that
use regicide to usurp those that are of higher power. Another is the blind faith in prophecies behaving as
“spirits in thine ear” that “take[s] the reason prisoner” all of which reflect the tactics of manipulation used by
society when igniting blind faith in religious individuals or bodies of government. Perhaps the most poignant
is the cultural representation of masculinity and femininity, where the dark atmosphere that accompanies
the arrival of the “instruments of darkness” reveal the truth of the cynicism that women face if they possess
qualities that don’t fit the norm. Shakespear’s representation of Lady Macbeth’s masculine characteristics
and hunger for power is a love letter to the feminists in society. The most recent ban on abortion, which
now, referring to Lady Macbeth’s desire to be unsexed adds another layer of meaning to the struggles of
women even in the 21st century. Her desperation to climb society’s ladder gave her no choice but to
emasculate her “dearest love” to give him the “undaunted mettle” to kill King Duncan. This not only
encapsulates the desperation of women fighting for equality but allows audiences to empathise with the
character. These representations not only act as reminders of events past but also speak truth of the
present and by delving into the world that Shakespeare has created, we learn to bear the wrongs of our
world.

Practise Exam Style Questions

Ambition and Power Essay

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the themes of ambition and power corrupting are presented as vices of the
protagonist, Macbeth, and serve to cause his tragic downfall. Macbeth first gains power in the beginning of
the play when he defeats the Thane of Cawdor, a traitor to Scotland. The Witches professed this and it
caused Macbeth to believe that whatever they said would come true. When they told him he would one day
become the King of Scotland, he decided to take a bloody path, which progressively led him to more power.
As his power grew, his corruption did as well, and he simply got rid of any person that threatened his
kingship by killing them. Macbeth’s power and ambition untimely commenced to lead him down a slippery,
murderous downfall. 
 33
Macbeth’s ambition is the essential reason why he turned from a noble Thane to a violent and bloody tyrant.
Initially after gaining the title of Thane of Cawdor, he remained humble and morally upright. However, soon
after the victory, he heard of the Witches’ prophecy and realised the untapped ambition within himself.
Although he had come across ambition, his intention to use it was little. It was Lady Macbeth that fully
persuaded Macbeth to use his ambition in order to gain power and position. Under her influence, Macbeth
murdered King Duncan to gain kingship and killed the Chamberlains in order to cover up his wrongdoing.
His ambition next led him to kill Banquo, a trustworthy, noble, and moral friend. This murder showed just
how out of control Macbeth had gotten. At this point, he was no longer under the influence of Lady Macbeth
and began to view Banquo as a threat to his advancement instead of an asset to the wellbeing of Scotland.
Finally, Macbeth conducts his last major act of violence by murdering Macduff’s family after he is warned
that Macduff is in England assembling an army against Macbeth. This killing was wholly purposeless.
Macduff was bound to attack Macbeth, because he regarded him as a tyrant. He knew Macbeth was no
longer suited to be in a position of authority over Scotland, and this only helped his case.           

The other effects of ambition in Macbeth had a small, yet noticeable impact on the main characters. Macbeth
and Lady Macbeth were both deeply afflicted because of their ambition. Both of them suffered from
tremendous guilt as a result of their ambition, and Lady Macbeth eventually killed herself over it. Along
with this, Malcom knew ambition was prevalent during Macbeth’s tyranny, and he wanted to prevent it from
being present in the position of the throne in the future. He ensured this prevention by testing Macduff. He
lies to Macduff and tells him that his vices overbear his virtues, wanting to see whether Macduff is
honourable and trustworthy toward Scotland, or whether he has been manipulated by Macbeth and has
similar selfish intentions in mind. However, ambition was most seen through Macbeth and his egocentric
choices. Ambition not only turned Macbeth into a selfish tyrant, but he continued to murder all those in his
path without once considering the repercussions that his decisions would have on the wellbeing of Scotland. 

As Macbeth began to gain more power through his ruthless advancements, his morals and nobility were
greatly corrupted. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth has done a great deed for Scotland and received
praise from King Duncan. In addition to this, Macbeth struggles greatly from an internal moral conflict
when he was deciding to kill Duncan. At this point, Macbeth had no gained any significant power, but it was
clear that he possessed basic morality. After killing Duncan, he emerged as king and did not look back.
Although suffering from guilt, when he had to make a decision about ending someone’s life, he didn't
consult his morals nor think twice. It should also be noted that as he moved into a powerful position in
Scotland, he no longer need Lady Macbeth’s stern hand to make poor choices. As his independence grew,
his pride developed and he turned into a tyrant. His coming into power corrupted him in the sense that he
turned from a seemingly invincible warrior that wanted to serve Scotland, to a prideful tyrant that was
lusting for power. This corruption was best summarised in the last act of the play when the Witches give
Macbeth their final prophecy. They said that, “…none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth,” and “Macbeth
shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood…Shall come against him.” After hearing this from the
Witches, Macbeth is under the impression that it is physically impossible to kill him. However, his pride
serves a fatal blind spot. He fails to recognize that Macduff was born from a caesarean section, and that
Macduff’s army would use the wood from Birnam to fight against Macbeth’s army. He did not pick up on
this because what he heard from the Witches was what he wanted to hear. He wanted his power to be
absolute and confirmed, and it was in his mind after their prophecy. These two misconceptions led to
Macbeth’s death and ultimate downfall. Macbeth’s power corrupted him into becoming a tyrant, and led him
to an internal stage where he fatally misconceived himself as being invincible. 
 34
Shakespeare included the themes of ambition and power corrupting through the protagonist, Macbeth.
Macbeth’s tragic downfall was a direct result of these two themes. His mind and decision-making were
manipulated by the power he gained. Because Macbeth was portrayed as a noble thane in the beginning of
the play, the flaws were very easy to spot. The themes of ambition and power corrupting are best seen
through the character of Macbeth, as his actions and decisions highlighted the transformation from noble
thane to power hungry tyrant.

Analyse the influence of Lady Macbeth on her husband’s downfall.

Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth is dominated by two powerful and psychologically complex characters: the
titular1 tragic hero Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth. Though it would be reductive 2 to say Lady
Macbeth’s encouragement of her husband is the sole reason for his descent into murderous madness, she
undeniably plays a pivotal role in eliciting his ambition and provoking him to commit regicide as a means of
asserting his masculinity. However, Shakespeare does not characterise Lady Macbeth as an entirely
unsympathetic villain; she is depicted as having her own complex desires and motivations. In fact, despite
their affection for one another, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth compound each other’s suffering through the
unintended consequences of their actions; hence, Shakespeare implies that Lady Macbeth is both a victim of
and an active agent in the tragedy of the play.

The audience’s introduction to Lady Macbeth sets the stage for Shakespeare’s exploration of an
unconventional and intriguing female character. Act 1 Scene 5 opens with Lady Macbeth receiving letters
and messengers at the castle, issuing imperatives 3 – ‘give him tending’ (1.5.36) – and even instructing her
husband to ‘leave all the rest to [her]’ (1.5.72), clearly indicating her capacity for political manoeuvres and
interpersonal authority. By contrast, the audience’s first impressions of Macbeth come from the Captain’s
report to Duncan about Macdonwalds defeat in which he hails ‘brave Macbeth (for well he deserves that
name)’ (1.2.16) and repeatedly associates him with notions of ‘valour’ (1.2.19) and the illustrious
symbolism of ‘eagles’ and ‘lion[s]’ (1.2.35). That Lady Macbeth appears able to command her husband
positions her as an atypically powerful figure in this patriarchal society. Yet this control is at odds with her
womanhood, as she calls on spirits to ‘unsex’ her, ‘fill[ing her] from the crown to the toe, top-full / Of direst
cruelty’ (1.5.40–42), thereby freeing her from what she perceives as the limitations of femininity. Although
the male characters use similarly visceral language in conveying their violent intent, this soliloquy would
have been more shocking to Shakespeare’s audience – and this is still true of modern audiences to some
extent – as it is antithetical to the stereotypical expectations of women as nurturing creatures. But Lady
Macbeth expresses her antipathy for womanhood, wishing she could exchange her ‘milk for gall’ (1.5.47) as
the symbolic ‘milk of human kindness’ (1.5.16) she dislikes in her husband becomes a physical part of her
body from which she wants to achieve distance. Likewise, her imploring her husband to ‘be so much more
the man’ (1.7.51) has echoes of her own extolling of masculine potential: perhaps she is moulding Macbeth
into the man she wishes she could be. Thus, Shakespeare reveals how Lady Macbeth’s impossible desires to
transform herself are redirected through her influence over her husband.

This is complicated, however, by Shakespeare’s hints towards Lady Macbeth’s underlying fragility and
insecurities. She initially plans to commit the murder of Duncan herself, as Macbeth wants to ‘proceed no
further in this business’ (1.7.31), but is unable to carry out the crime because the king ‘resembled / [her]
father as he slept’ (2.2.12–13). Not only does this indicate that Lady Macbeth does not possess the
‘undaunted mettle’ (1.7.73) she taunts her husband for lacking, it also contradicts her claim that she would
1 Titular- holing a purely formal position or title but without any real authority.
2 Reductive –presenting a subject in a simplified form, especially one viewed as crude.
3 Imperative – giving an authoritative command
 35
have ‘dashed the brains out’ of her own suckling infant ‘had [she] so sworn’ to her husband to do so
(1.7.58). Likewise, her insistence that ‘a little water clears us of this deed’ (2.2.64) is undermined by her
own palpable guilt for her role in Duncan’s murder. Though she has the presence of mind to fake ‘fainting’
in Act 2 Scene 3 to divert attention away from Macbeth’s suspicious behaviour, and maintains to her
husband that ‘what’s done is done’ (3.2.12), she is perturbed by Macbeth’s contrasting chant that ‘blood will
have blood’ (3.4.122) and is ultimately unable to control Macbeth at the banquet in Act 3 Scene 4. This
scene also marks the final on-stage conversation between the couple, with Macbeth’s ironic
acknowledgement that they are both ‘young in deed’ (3.4.144) underscoring how neither of them are
prepared for the psychological toll of orchestrating murders. Lady Macbeth is not seen again until Act 5
Scene 1, by which point she is afflicted by a ‘great perturbation in nature’ (5.1.8), sleepwalking with her
‘eyes open … but their sense … shut’ (5.1.22–23). Here, the conventions of iambic pentameter break down
as Lady Macbeth commands ‘out, damned spot’ (5.1.31) in prose, indicating the disintegration of her mental
state. By separating the couple in the second half of the play, Shakespeare complicates Lady Macbeth’s
culpability; the audience is made to question whether she is more a victim of her own ill-planned sins or her
husband’s commitment to bloodshed.

Lady Macbeth’s final and greatest impact on Macbeth’s psyche comes when he is informed of her presumed
suicide. Her final words – ‘What’s done / cannot be undone’ (5.1.60 –61) – subvert her aforementioned
conviction from Act 3, but she is depicted as being too fractured to redeem herself. Macbeth’s final
soliloquy serves as both a eulogy for Lady Macbeth and a belated 4anagnorisis for himself; he descends into
pessimism upon realising that life ‘signif[ies] nothing’ (5.5.28). He has now become a man ‘aweary of the
sun’ (5.5.49), awaiting death but unwilling to ‘play the Roman fool and die / On [his] own sword’ (5.8.1–2).
Hence, though Macbeth’s decision to ‘try the last’ (5.8.32) in battle with Macduff may be his own
subconscious desire to fulfil the witches’ prophecy, this could also be seen as the final, fatal product of Lady
Macbeth’s repeated exhortation that he be a ‘man’ with no ‘passage to remorse’ (1.5.43). In portraying the
unravelling of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare ultimately suggests that such unfettered and
ruthless masculinity is untenable.

Thus, Lady Macbeth’s role as the ‘illness’ that ‘attends’ (1.5.18) her husband’s ambition is duly punished by
an ‘infected mind’, for, as the doctor astutely notes, ‘unnatural deeds / Do breed unnatural troubles’ (5.1.64–
65). Macbeth presents the audience with an anachronistically powerful woman, but also highlights the
disastrous consequences of this power for both Lady Macbeth and every other character affected by her
actions.
4. Anagnorisis is a moment in a tragedy wherein the main character either identifies his/her true nature, recognises the other
character’s true identity, discovers the true nature of his situation –leading to the resolution of the story

Equivocation Essay Pt 1

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 36
Equivocation is the practice of deliberately deceiving a listener without explicitly lying, either by using
ambiguously misleading language or by withholding crucial information. What is the significance of
equivocation in Macbeth?

Macbeth  is a play about subterfuge and trickery. Macbeth, his wife, and the three Weird Sisters are linked in
their mutual refusal to come right out and say things directly. Instead, they rely on implications, riddles, and
ambiguity to evade the truth. Macbeth’s ability to manipulate his language and his public image in order to
hide his foul crimes makes him a very modern-seeming politician. However, his inability to see past the
witches’ equivocations—even as he utilises the practice himself—ultimately leads to his downfall.
Sometimes, equivocations in Macbeth are meant kindly, as when Ross tries to spare Macduff’s feelings by
telling him that his wife and son are “well.” Macduff initially takes this to mean that his family is alive and
healthy, but Ross means that they are dead and in heaven. More often than not, though, such ambiguous
statements lead to harm. The witches’ deceptive prophecies are perhaps the most destructive instances of
equivocation. They tell Macbeth that he can never be harmed by anyone “of woman born,” but they neglect
to tell him that Macduff was surgically removed from his mother’s womb and therefore doesn’t fall into that
category. Similarly, they tell Macbeth that he can’t be defeated until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane, but
they don’t alert him to the possibility that the opposing army might advance on his castle under cover of
branches cut from Birnam trees.

Macbeth ignores several signs that might have alerted him to the witches’ deceptive capabilities. Banquo
warns Macbeth to be wary of their predictions, since evil creatures will sometimes win people’s confidence
with “honest trifles”—small truths—only to betray them more deeply in the future. Indeed, the witches
promise Macbeth fame and honour while withholding important information about the consequences that
will follow. If Macbeth had been listening closely to the witches’ language, he might have picked up on the
their potential for trickery himself. The three Weird Sisters greet Banquo with a series of riddling titles,
hailing him as “Lesser than Macbeth, and greater” and “Not so happy, yet much happier.” The phrases
sound like nonsense, but in reality both assertions in each statement are true. Banquo will have a lesser title
than Macbeth, but is the greater (i.e., more moral) man. He will not be as fortunate as Macbeth in the short
term, as he will soon be assassinated, but will ultimately be much more fortunate because he won’t be made
to suffer the everlasting torments of hell. At no point do the witches lie to Macbeth—he simply hears what
he wants to hear and ignores the rest.

It is ironic that Macbeth falls for the witches’ equivocations, because Macbeth and his wife are master
equivocators themselves. Duncan laments that there’s no method with which one may find “the mind’s
construction in the face,” meaning that it is impossible to know what a person is truly thinking just from his
or her outward appearance. Lady Macbeth mimics this language when she directs her husband to look like
an “innocent flower” in order to hide the “serpent” that truly lurks in his heart. The Macbeths know how to
use imagery and appearance to conceal the truth, and sometimes they even use those skills on themselves.
Macbeth asks the stars to extinguish their light so that his “eye” cannot see what his “hand” does. Similarly,
Lady Macbeth asks the night to grow as dark as the “smoke of hell” so that her knife cannot see itself slash
its victim. The Macbeths know that their acts are wicked, so they try to hide the knowledge of their deeds
from their own consciousness. In a sense, they wish to equivocate to themselves.

Just before Macduff kills him, Macbeth swears that he will never again believe those “juggling fiends” that
manipulate words and speak “in a double sense.” However, it’s possible that the three Weird Sisters are not
“fiends,” or demons, at all, but rather agents of morality who bring Macbeth to justice by trapping him with
his own tricks. The drunken porter, imagining himself the keeper of hell’s gates, pretends to admit “an
 37
equivocator that could swear in both the scales against either scale, who committed treason enough for
God’s sake, yet could not equivocate to heaven.” One can imagine Macbeth receiving a similar welcome
from the true porter of hell’s gates.

Equivocation Essay Pt 2

The noncommittal language is the heart of this tragedy. The reader will meet with the appearance of the
hags, on the way of the heroes, Banco and Macbeth. The divinations of these hags show a key role in the
development of the story, they turn out to be the engine, with the every following action this turns out to be
pure. The author made the image of the sisters truly awful, with the aim of maximally reproducing their evil
nature.

So, the hugs perform on the way to Macbeth and Banco. Three hags tear down the curtain of the
forthcoming before these two men. The reader at first glance seems that their divinations haven’t got
anything creepy. They prophesy just power and glory to each of these people. At first glance, no one could
have thought that these divinations would be a real and terrible test, a struggle for man. There is no doubt
that the writer doesn’t accidentally introduce the motive of double divination for Macbeth and Banco here.

But the promise of future greatness can also prove to be a test for man and generate thirst. That’s why the
author introduces the motif of double divination - the future of Macbeth and Banco. The divinations of the
hags had a different impact on them, Macbeth has terrible plans.

Three villains managed to raise the cruel that was in his soul, it appeared before him in all dazzling
temptations. The specter of power and desire completely captured him. Despite this, he admits that he will
have to go to horrible deeds, which are completely contrary to nature. He seeks to support, therefore, he is
completely convinced that his weird is headed by higher forces. He covers the divination that he must
become king. He is uncontrollable and obsessed with this idea. He agrees to kill because he trusts that this
should be so. Hence, the divinations of the hags weren’t exact. Thanks to their uncertainty speech, they
simply played an evil, insidious joke with ordinary persons.

The divinations of the three hags were not direct and seem to be metaphorical. It was the metaphor in their
divinations that did not allow Macbeth to understand the correct sense of it. For instance, they whispered to
him that he would die when the forest moved to the hill. Therefore, he decided that this is impossible
without the intervention of mystical forces. Consequently, the army against Macbeth, covered with twigs of
trees, was able to defeat him.

Thanks to their ambiguous language, witches were able to completely destroy Macbeth’s life. He fell into
their treacherous trap because of his basic lack, excessive ambition. What were their motivations? They are
the personification of vice and evil, which thus entertains and mocks people, destroying human souls.

Three hags are the embodiment of the noncommittal. With their unclear soothsaying, they managed to
capture Macbeth’s humanity in a trap. In accordance with their harmless at first glance, they raised in him
the terrible black side of his soul. This uncertainty is fully reflecting their vice and insidious essence

Equivocation Essay Pt 2.
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a story set in Scotland, and England in the Renaissance (1605-1606). Macbeth is
about a man whose overriding ambition leads him onto a path of evil. Sadly, it is a relentless path that
admits no deviation or departure. To develop the progression of evil in the play, Shakespeare employs the
 38
idea of equivocation, beginning with Macbeth’s temptation, then his commitment, and finally the resultant
confusion and disorder that permeate his life. The play opens with the three witches discussing their
upcoming meeting with Macbeth.

Before they depart, they intone together the equivocal words: “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (1. 1. 10). This
phrase sets the stage for the evil that takes place in the play. Evil is never attractive if it looks like evil; it
tempts only if it looks like good. Thus, we know that the witches will approach Macbeth with something that
looks “fair,” but is actually “foul. ” Indeed, when we first meet Macbeth, he remarks to Banquo, “So foul
and fair a day I have not seen” (1. 3. 38), accentuating the feeling that Macbeth will soon become the victim
of the witches’ equivocal tricks.

The witches meet the two men on the heath, and hail Macbeth as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and
King hereafter. Macbeth is already Glamis, and he learns soon after that Duncan has named him the new
Thane of Cawdor (1. 3. 105). Although Banquo warns him that “instruments of darkness tell us truths,/ Win
us with honest trifles, to betray’s/ In deepest consequence” (1. 3. 124-126), Macbeth takes the witches’ bait,
and immediately begins entertaining murderous thoughts as he imagines himself to be the next King of
Scotland. Underneath the apparent “fairness” of the prophecy lies the “foul” temptation to commit evil.

When Lady Macbeth reads of the prophecy in her husband’s letter, she also immediately thinks of
murdering Duncan, but fears that her husband has too kind a nature to go through with it (1. 4. 1-16). She
reveals her affinity to evil when she entreats him to “look like th’ innocent flower,/ But be the serpent
under’t” (1. 5. 63-64). At this point, Macbeth is still able to think clearly and comes up with good, logical
reasons why he should not murder his king. He tells her that he has changed his mind and they will not
proceed with their plan. Furious, Lady Macbeth retaliates by attacking his manhood nd persuades him that
they will not fail (1. 7. 1-60).

At last, Macbeth is convinced, and echoes his wife as he commits his life to the course of evil: “Away, and
mock the time with fairest show:/ False face must hide what the false heart doth know” (1. 7. 82). He
realizes that in order to succeed in evil, his actions must be equivocal. What he does not realize is that
equivocal actions result from an equivocal mind, which on one hand claims that fate via the witches will
make him king, but on the other still feels the need to take matters into his own hands (Johnson 305).

In due time, we see that ambiguous thoughts and behavior end in full-scale confusion. The Macbeths murder
Duncan and attain the throne, but their lives are far from happy. They are beset by nightmares and
insecurity. Macbeth fears Banquo, whom the witches prophesied would be a father to kings (3. 1. 49-66).
What had seemed a fair prospect of peace has turned into foul mental chaos. Ultimately, the Macbeths’
equivocal stance in “helping” destiny along takes its dire toll (Johnson 306).

Better be with the dead,” Macbeth says, “Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace,/Than on the
torture of the mind to lie/ in restless ecstasy” (3. 2. 19-22). The fear and disorder in Macbeth’s mind is also
reflected in the state of the country. Increasingly his thanes turn against him, so that Macbeth must keep a
spy in each of their houses (3. 4. 131-132). Like Macbeth, Scotland is beset by fears, sleeplessness, and
bloodshed (3. 6. 33-35). Clearly, the result of equivocation is not order but disorder, not clarity but
confusion.
 39
After Banquo’s murder and Fleance’s escape, Macbeth turns to the witches for help, desiring to know his
future. They show him three apparitions, and like the first encounter with the witches when he is hailed as
Thane of Glamis, the first communication is a known truth: beware of Macduff (4. 1. 71). These truths he
already knows, and this puts him at ease. But the second and third apparitions tell him things equivocal:
Macbeth would not be harmed by any one born of a woman, and Macbeth would not be vanquished until
great Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill (4. . 79-94).

They give him false hope, for in one sense they are true, but in another sense false. Ironically, although
Macbeth should know through his own actions that equivocation is the face of evil, he takes these
prophecies at face value. His mind by this time is so disordered and confused by evil that he cannot think
clearly at all. As he faces Macduff in the final battle, he realizes too late that he should not have listened to
those “juggling fiends” who “palter with us in a double sense” (5. 8. 19-20).

Truly, the life of evil and equivocation is a journey towards death, a downward spiral of disintegration and
disillusionment. The absolutes of truth and falsehood, of good and evil, blur and become indistinguishable.
The result is a life devoid of meaning. Macbeth is a tragic tale of a great man full of promise, who
succumbing to temptation, ends broken and defeated, who sees in a moment of understanding that his life
has become merely “a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/ Signifying nothing. ”

How is the reader invited to view the role of the supernatural forces in Macbeth?
The play Macbeth and its protagonist are seemingly ruled by supernatural forces that set tragic events in
motion. This is especially pertinent given Shakespeare’s Jacobean context – his king and patron James I of
England was notoriously superstitious and fearful of the supernatural realm. In order to validate these
concerns and explore the complexities of prophecy and causality, Shakespeare incorporated many
supernatural and ambiguous elements into his play, most obviously in the form of the witches, but also in the
form of ghosts, apparitions and symbols. To this end, Shakespeare encourages his audience to see the
destructive power of the supernatural.

The most palpable purpose of supernatural forces in Macbeth is the role that the witches play in instigating
Macbeth’s meteoric rise to the throne and subsequent tragic demise. Their introduction to Macbeth in Act 1
Scene 3 establishes their prophecy of his path from ‘Glamis’ to ‘Cawdor’ to ‘King hereafter’ (1.3.49 –51).
Despite Banquo’s wise warning that these ‘instruments of darkness’ may have offered them ‘honest trifles’
in order to ‘betray [them] / In deepest consequence’ (1.3.125–127), Macbeth is irrevocably seduced by these
promises, noting in an aside that the apparent ‘suggestion’ that he should kill Duncan supposedly makes his
‘seated heart knock at [his] ribs’ (1.3.135–137). However, the witches make no such suggestion; rather,
Shakespeare has them sustain a deliberate ambiguity in their seemingly contradictory predictions about how
Banquo will be ‘lesser than Macbeth, and greater’ (1.3.66) or, later, that Macbeth should fear Macduff but
that he need not fear any man born of a woman. Hence, the audience is made to see both the equivocal
nature of the witches’ prophecies and Macbeth’s fatal mistake of wholeheartedly believing them. That these
self-fulfilling prophecies then lead to the death of a king was a highly provocative concept for Shakespeare’s
contemporary audience, as he implies that supernatural forces are either invested in subverting or otherwise
indifferent to the divine right of kings; neither Macbeth nor Banquo’s sons would be in the line of
succession without them committing the high crimes of treason and regicide. The witches, as the source of
this ‘hurlyburly’ (1.1.3), are therefore presented to the audience as a menacing and anarchic threat to societal
order and the monarchy as a whole.
 40
This depiction is furthered by Shakespeare’s exploration of the supernatural as contravening the natural
world. The witches embrace this misrule, chanting ‘fair is foul, and foul is fair’ (1.1.12) as a celebration of
deception and equivocation. As a result of the witches’ chaos, Scotland is thrown into disarray with the
pathetic fallacy of storms and inclement weather symbolising the impending political tumult and emotional
turmoil. Furthermore, the characters who give credence to the prophecies (namely Macbeth and Lady
Macbeth) experience swift psychological declines as their amorality is punished. Macbeth, prior to killing
Duncan, personifies ‘Murder’ as ‘stealth[ily] pac[ing]’ towards his victim, moving ‘like a ghost’ (2.1.53–
57), and is haunted by visions of a dagger and of Banquo until his mind is ravaged – the once valiant warrior
who claims he cannot be ‘taint[ed] by fear’ (5.3.3) is rendered ‘aweary of the sun’ and merely waiting for
death in the form of the ‘world [coming] undone’ (5.5.49–50). Likewise, despite never meeting the witches,
Lady Macbeth is tormented by her visceral hallucinations and the ‘smell of … blood’ (5.1.45). By Act 5, the
once savvy political player is left a hollow wreck, muttering about how ‘Hell is murky’ (5.1.40), implying
that her acceptance of supernatural prophecies has poisoned her mind. She is no longer able to speak in
verse, with the breakdown of iambic pentameter indicative of the disorder in her mind and, most tragically,
‘what’s done cannot be undone’ (5.1.60–61). Though these final words could be interpreted as Lady
Macbeth’s regret for her role in the deaths of Duncan and Lady Macduff, Shakespeare may also have chosen
these words as a poignant warning to his audience: to embrace the unnatural or supernatural is an
irredeemable decision with irreparable consequences.
The play uses the ambiguity of the supernatural to compound the reader’s fear of these unknown forces. The
witches are physically contradictory, ‘not like th’ inhabitants o’ the earth’; they ‘should be women, / And yet
[their] beards forbid’ (1.3.42) Banquo from identifying them as such. The stage directions specify that they
‘vanish’ in Act 1 Scene 3 and Act 4 Scene 1 after proffering their prophecies; their disappearing apparitions
in the latter scene also amplify the sense that they are ephemeral and unpredictable forces. In contrast,
Hecate has a more overt belief in order, commanding the witches as the ‘mistress of [their] charms’ and
‘contriver of all harms’ (3.5.6–7). She chides them for ‘traffic[ing] with Macbeth, / In riddles, and affairs of
death’ (3.5.4–5) and implies that where the witches were indiscriminately sowing seeds of chaos, she instead
believes in the karmic justice of the ‘spiteful and wayward’ (3.5.12) Macbeth meeting a ‘dismal and a fatal
end’ (3.5.21).
This hinting of the machinations and, at times, conflicting intentions of supernatural figures bolsters
Shakespeare’s depiction of them as fearsome. Likewise, Banquo’s ghost and the witches’ apparitions have
dubious motives; in Act 3 Scene 4, the ghost ‘enters’ and ‘re-enters’ but does not outwardly haunt Macbeth
and, as such, Macbeth’s anguish upon seeing the ‘horrible shadow’ (3.4.105) is largely the result of his own
guilt as opposed to a product of the ghost’s desire to harm him. Later, in Act 4 Scene 1, the three apparitions
take the form of menacing symbols: ‘an armoured head’, ‘a bloodstained child’ and a ‘child wearing a
crown, with a small green tree in his hand’. Though the accompanying prophecies have obvious meanings
that come to fruition, the apparitions are ambiguous – is the ‘armoured head’ representative of the threat of
Macduff, or the soon to be beheaded Macbeth? Is the ‘bloodstained child’ the infant Macduff ‘untimely
ripped’ from his mother’s womb (5.8.16), or a reminder of the innocence of Macbeth’s victims, or even a
manifestation of his own childlessness? This scene is accompanied by ‘eerie music’ and a mysteriously
sinking cauldron, all of which culminate in unsettling Macbeth to the point that he resolves that ‘the very
firstling of [his] heart shall be / The firstling of [his] hand’ (4.1.147–148), with no time for caution or
contemplation of consequence. Ultimately, this cements the tragedy as inevitable, as the murky morality of
the supernatural ‘prick[s] the sides’ (1.7.26) of Macbeth and sets in motion an inevitable tragic outcome.
To this end, Shakespeare capitalises on his audience’s apprehension towards the supernatural as well as his
patron King James I’s overt distrust and dislike of supernatural threats to the throne. Thus, Shakespeare
 41
denounces the role of the supernatural not as the root of all evil necessarily but as an undoubtedly
destructive, anarchic and dangerous presence in minds of people.

Macbeth’s Tragic Downfall

Even the bravest and most noble allow themselves to be manipulated by peers to perform unnecessary
actions, ultimately leading them to construct their own destruction. In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare
effectively demonstrates that characters are able to influence a noble war fighter, Macbeth, to cause his own
downfall. Moreover, this tragedy becomes clear when the effects of the characters on Macbeth result in his
poor decisions, which inevitably progresses into his downfall. Shakespeare initially presents Macbeth as an
innocent character who becomes the victim of circumstance leading to a sorrowful downfall and deserves
the pity of the audience.

The cause for brave Macbeth’s downfall is due to the misleading truths which produce negative thoughts
and disables his mind to distinguish the right from wrong. To begin with, Macbeth’s confusion starts by an
encounter with three witches who intentionally entitle him with three prophecies, where two of them, Thane
of Cawdor and King of Scotland, have not occurred. Macbeth stresses when the second prophecy comes
true, and he states “two truths are told,/ [but] this supernatural soliciting/cannot be ill, cannot be good… I
am Thane of Cawdor [now, if so] why do I yield to that suggestion.” (1.3. 126-128, 133). Evidently,
Macbeth debates whether the prophecy is genuine or not, because he recognizes the King is still alive and
for that to become true something dreadful will happen. This creates ambition for power in naive Macbeth’s
mind, demonstrating the effect of the witches. Afterwards, Macbeth informs Lady Macbeth about his
encounter with the three witches and his new title as Thane of Cawdor, but Lady Macbeth begins filling
negative thoughts in Macbeth’s mind for his third prophecy to be true as well.

Macbeth wants to enjoy praises about his accomplishments, but Lady Macbeth wants him to kill Duncan by
telling him, “When you durst do it, then to were a man./ And to be more than what you were, you would/ be
so much more than a man.”(1.7. 49-51). Lady Macbeth pressures Macbeth to conduct King Duncan’s
murder by questioning his manhood, and tells him to strengthen his courage which demonstrates how Lady
Macbeth is being a negative influence on Macbeth. Lady Macbeth shows an influencial character that strives
for power, and she successfully manipulates Macbeth to kill the King. Lastly, after he becomes King,
Macbeth recalls the witches’ prophecy where they inform him that Banquo’s children will be Kings. Banquo
has doubts on Macbeth regarding the murder of King Duncan and tells him that he has everything, “now,
King, Cawdor, Glamis, all,/ as the weird women promis’d, and I fear/ thou played’st most foully for’t… [but
Banquo] should be the father/ of many kings …[and] may they not be my oracles as well.”(3.1. 1-3, 5-6, 9).
Macbeth believes in the prophecy as much as Banquo does, and Banquo decides to take advantage of the
circumstance by creating fear in Macbeth’s mind to make him cause even more destruction to maintain his
title. All in all, harmless Macbeth is easily manipulated by the characters in the play resulting in a negative
change in his character.

The creation of major flaws from characters becomes apparent in Macbeth as his influenced behaviour leads
to his Downfall in morals and life, causing the audience to feel sympathetic for Macbeth’s misguided death.
Unlike the start, Macbeth’s thoughts directly lead actions, without hesitation or second thought. Macbeth
confesses that, “the very firstlings of [his] heart shall be/ the firstlings of [his] hands. And even now/ to
crown [his] thoughts with acts, be it thought and/ done.”(4.2. 145-148). Macbeth demonstrates a lack of
value and makes selfish decisions, making the audience pity him since he has lost his moral due to other
characters’ negative influence. Furthermore, Macbeth also shows a downfall in his personality after he is
informed about his wife’s death. Macbeth barely changes expression upon hearing Lady Macbeth’s death, he
believes, “[Lady Macbeth] should have died hereafter;/
 42

There would have been a time for such a word.”(5.5. 16-17). This thought reveals Macbeth’s downfall
through his loss of compassion, intense love, and feeling which are the qualities of a human being. The
audience pities Macbeth because he completely loses his family and his qualities that make him a person.
However, Shakespeare reveals his ultimate downfall in a dramatic fight scene against Macduff resulting
Macbeth’s death. Macbeth feels empowered when a Apparition summoned by the witches tell Macbeth that,
“none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.” (4.1. 79-80). While fighting with Macduff, Macbeth is over
confident due to the Apparition’s promise and eventually takes his last breaths, this demonstrates another
example that brings negative effects to Macbeth. Overall, the audience acknowledges the fact that Macbeth
loses his humanity and eventually life due to the major flaws that the characters compose for Macbeth.

The most noble and heroic person at the beginning of the play Macbeth goes through a major downfall from
influences and ultimately loses everything slowly, until death. The characters, Lady Macbeth, three witches,
and Banquo play a significant role in misleading Macbeth to his doom. As a result, it is now visible the
audience would pity Macbeth since he is ripped from his morals and his soul. It takes a little misunderstand
and tragedy for even the bravest and strongest person to cause his own downfall.
https://philosophyessays.net/macbeth-s-tragic-downfall

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Essay

The tragedy Macbeth written by Shakespeare shows a man fall from the greatest pedestal, kingship. It is one
of the greatest tragedies because it demonstrates how a once loyal and courageous man can diminish into an
immoral ‘butcher’. Macbeth receives a prophecy from three witches’ stating that he would become King.
This prophecy enkindled Macbeth’s ‘vaulting ambition’ and after the prompting of Lady Macbeth, Macbeth
commits regicide. Killing the King is the beginning of Macbeth’s tragic fall. After Macbeth rises to kingship
he begins to behave like a tyrant because he becomes obsessed with his elevated position.

He becomes paranoid about Banquo’s prophecy so he kills Banquo and tries to kill his son. He commits evil
after evil, killing anyone who threatens his reign. Macbeth’s monstrous behaviour ends with his death and
the restoration of Duncan’s royal line. In Macbeth there are many tragic events that are caused because of
the involvement of the witches, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. These tragic events led to the demise of
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

The witches are the first to appear in Macbeth and this signifies their importance in the tragic events of the
play. Their first appearance straight away categorises the witches as evil as their riddles show that they want
to stir up trouble. ‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair’ (act1, scene1). The witches add an element of supernatural
and prophecy to the play. Without the witches the prophecy which was the beginning of the tragic events
would not have occurred. The evil portrayal of the weird witches in Macbeth was because of King James’s
views and interests in witches and the supernatural. James believed that witches were evil and their purpose
was to kill the King. This certainly had an influence in Macbeth as the witches are partly responsible for the
regicide of Duncan. The witches used Macbeth’s tragic flaw to create something of their own doing. They
prophesied that Macbeth would become King and this sparked up his ambition which inevitably led him to
committing regicide.

They identified that his weakness was ambition and they exploited that weakness so they could use him as a
tool of evil. The witches are central to the theme of equivocation because they deliberately use words in one
sense but mean another thing to confuse Macbeth. The witches deliberately try to mislead Macbeth into
taking the crown by saying ‘none of women born shall harm Macbeth'(act4, scene1). Macbeth takes this
 43
to mean that no one will have power over him because no man can be born and not be born of women but he
later finds out that his killer Macduff was not born naturally, ‘Macduff was from his mother’s womb
untimely ripp’d'(act5, sense8) The witches also made Macbeth wary of Banquo’s threat to his throne.
‘Father a line of Kings’ This prophecy which is saying that Banquo’s sons will become King makes
Macbeth become increasingly hostile to Banquo because he fears his kingship.

Macbeth orders the murder of Banquo and Fleance but Fleance escapes and Macbeth become paranoid and
afraid that the prophecy can still come true. ‘But now I am cabin’d, cribb’d, confined, bound in to saucy
doubts and fears.'(Act3 scene4) The witches also have a part to play with the murder of Macduff’s family
because they prophesised that Macduff would become a threat. ‘Macbeth! Beware Macduff'(Act4, scene1)
Macbeth seizes his chance to eliminate the threat of Macduff by killing his family while Macduff has turned
to England. The witch es being central characters, link Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to them. Macbeth
repeats what the witches say, ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’, those linking him to their evil ways. This
establishes the evil nature of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as it coincides with the witch’s nature.

Macbeth being the tragic hero is responsible for his own tragic fall. His tragic flaw, ambition, is the reason
for his fall. Without this weakness the witches would not have been able to use Macbeth. His weakness
enabled the witches to exploit him and because Macbeth is weak-willed he could not stand up for himself
and ignore what they were saying. This is also the reason why the audience feels sympathy for Macbeth
because he could do nothing when faced with the witch’s prophecy. Sympathy is also felt because once
Macbeth had started on his tragic fall he could not stop it and also because the fall was so great. That is the
nature of a tragedy; the tragic hero going through a tragic fall that cannot be stopped. Macbeth after killing
Duncan and Banquo justified killing other people by saying that he has committed too many crimes to turn
back. The only choice is to continue his violence and his tyranny.

‘I am in blood stepp’d in so far, that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er'(act3,
scene4) There are two side to the character of Macbeth, one is the courageous and loyal soldier at the start
and then the monstrous tyrant towards the end. Macbeth is largely responsible for all of the tragic events in
the Macbeth. Macbeth physically killed Duncan and the two chamberlains. He ordered the deaths of Banquo
and Macduff’s family. He helped to cause the mental breakdown of Lady Macbeth by first including her in
the murders and then isolating her from him and his plans. He was also responsible for his death because his
tragic flaw brought him to the point where people wanted to kill him so peace could be found among his
world of evil.

We understand Macbeth’s psyche more during his soliloquies. In his first true soliloquy in act1 scene 7 we
find out that Macbeth had doubts about the regicide and only committed to it after Lady Macbeth had
persuaded him. Soliloquies and asides were important tool to use because the audience got to get into the
head of the characters and got to see the torment and metal suffering that Macbeth went through which
aroused feelings of pity towards Macbeth from the audience.

Lady Macbeth is portrayed as the evil that leads Macbeth astray. She becomes unfeminine and de
humanized when she looses all of her weak qualities and focuses on the evil crime. ‘Come, you spirits that
tend on mortal thoughts! Unsex me here.'(act1, scene5) This also shows her evil disposition because she is
aligning herself with the supernatural. Lady Macbeth had a big role to play in Duncan’s and the
chamberlain’s murder. She convinced Macbeth that he should commit regicide and only after her tormenting
did he commit to the crime. Lady Macbeth was the one who came up with the plan of framing and killing
 44
the two chamberlains. This is a negative portrayal of women because it is suggesting that men are led to evil
by women.

Lady Macbeth is also portrayed as ambitious because in wanting Macbeth to become King she will also get
a high status. This shows that women were second to men in this era because women could only achieve if
the man achieved. In most Shakespearean tragedies if women ever have power they are always cut down and
reduced to nothing. When Lady Macbeth becomes Queen she starts to show signs that she can handle her
conscience. She is driven mad with guilt and is made even worse when Macbeth isolates her. Lady Macbeth
is portrayed as too weak to suppress her conscience and so commits suicide and takes the easy option out.
Her suicide is also viewed as a final and desperate act of trying to cleanse her conscience.

The witches, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were all to blame for the tragic occurrences in Macbeth. The
witches are mainly responsible for Macbeth’s problems because of their prophecies. Macbeth is at fault in
all of the tragic events but mainly for his own demise because without his tragic flaw none of the other tragic
events would have occurred. Lady Macbeth is mainly responsible for the deaths of Duncan and the
chamberlains and the fact that she was driven mad to the point of suicide because of the weak state of her
mind.

https://philosophyessays.net/macbeth-and-lady-macbeth/

Macbeth’s Tragic Downfall

Marking Scheme

Essay Structure
Different analysis - open question and need to come up with a position through a thesis statement and
substantiate the thesis statement through evidence.
FINISH THE RESPONSE

Title:
General Title
Introduction:
1. General statement: Use the theme -1 sentence
2. Nutshell statement: Start with “this concept is captured in William Shakespeare’s play;
Macbeth” - “Macbeth” in quotations, the name of the author : William Shakespeare, written in
1606 written and performed 1611 and is set in 11th century Scotland, the main characters and
a brief plot overview.
3. Thesis statement: Use the key words - to answer the question - multidimensional (1)
4. Paragraph preview: ordered statements supporting thesis statement that build with different
perspectives
5. Clinch: State the thesis statement in a different way.
Body para 1,2,3:
1. Point sentence: Don't embed any quotes and
 45
2. Embedding evidence: embed your evidence - use snippets of quotations continuously
4 questions to answer:
1. Who is speaking
2. Who to
3. What about
4. What is/was happening or what will happen
Example 1: The palpable tension of the final scenes of Act 1 is reinforced when Macbeth reflects on his
wife’s persuasion and advice regarding the timeliness of the ambitious couple’s planned regicide and affirms
her suggestion that the “False face must hide what the false heart doth know”.
Example 2: Macbeth’s reference to the “false face” which must hide what the “false heart” knows serves to
reinforce the palpable tension which concludes Act 1, just after Macbeth has reflected on his wife’s
persuasion and advice regarding the timeliness of the ambitious couple’s planned regicide.
3. Comment:
a. What does this example mean/show
b. Why is this example significant
c. What stylistic devices/aesthetic devices are manipulated in this example?
d. How does this position the reader to think/feel
4. Explain:
a.
5. Comment:
a. What does this example mean/show
b. Why is this example significant
c. What stylistic devices/aesthetic devices are manipulated in this example?
d. How does this position the reader to think/feel
6. Link (Synthesis)
a. How does this example relate to my point
b. How does this point relate to my thesis?
c. Pull words from thesis to point sentences to the synthesis (state a few synonyms)- DONT
link forward to the other point
Conclusion:
Summarise:
the three main points of the essay, restate the argument (using different words from the intro) - no
new evidence unless its a short phrase that epitomises your thesis statement
Thesis statement: restate the thesis
Final statement: summarises the final sentiment of the central ideas of the essay

Rules
1. No slang/colloquialisms - an essay is a formal piece of writing.
2. No personal pronouns
3. Write in third person
4. No contractions
5. Keep references to the text general in the introduction - save the evidence and analysis for the
body paragraphs
6. No new points or evidence
7. Catchy title : An analysis of “X” in Macbeth
 46

Quotes and vocab use

Words How and where to use

Enigmatic; hard to understand The witches enigmatic representation is used to allude
both their demonic and deceptive nature.
Coercive; relating to or using force or threats Lady Macbeth coerces Macbeth to commit regicide
through manipulation and emasculation,
Domineering: asserting one will over another Lady Macbeth’s domineering persona is perhaps the
in an arrogant way sole reason that Macbeth is propelled into insanity
Malevolent: having or showing a wish to do
evil to other
Dauntless: showing fearlessness and
determination
Nascent; coming into existence into
beginning to display signs of future potential
Ontological crisis; term coined to describe the
crisis an agent, human or not, goes through
when its model – its ontology- of reality
changes
Turmoil: a state of great disturbance
Usurp/ Usupration: to seizes and holds office,
power and position
Existential crisis: ensemble of feelings and
questioning the meaning and purpose of our
life
Satanic forces:
Moral failure:
Divine punishment:
The Great Chain of Being:
Foil: Macduff is a foil of Macbeth; mirroring
Regrettable:
Beyond redemption:
Semantic field of ….
Chief agents of ……
Multi-faceted nature of (theme)
Inextricable connection (between)
Moral infrastructure Consequently, Shakespeare also suggests that Macbeth
is affected by the witches, employing the theme of the
supernature to destabilise his moral infrastructure,
leading to his guilt.
Moral compass Macbeth’s moral compass was heavily influenced by the
 47
magnetic forces of the “instruments of darkness” and
Lady Macbeth; whose enigmatic traits allow for
interpretation.
Hamartia; the fatal flaw Shakespeare foregrounds the ways that the
supernatural will destroy both of the protagonists, acting
as their hamartia.
Virtue
Heeding the supernatural
For a contemporary audience For a contemporary audience, the fear would already be
prevalent in society, but the development of Macbeth’s
guilt is used as a construct to add to their fears of unruly
and unchecked ambition
Regicide; murder/death of a king
Antithetical realms of value
Masculine pathological ambition Her outwardly masculine pathological ambition is thus
the inexorable force which results in her psychological
unravelling and acts as the catalyst for societal chaos,
perhaps being allegorical for the danger of corrupt
femininity, the victimisation of women and the dangers of
paganism
Pagan ambition:
Cognisant:
Enticed:
Blasphemous demand Additionally, the repetition of the imperative “out”
highlights her lack of power and recalls her
blasphemous demand for “murdering ministers” to come
to her “woman’s breasts”
Echoing Christian sentiments of Good over On one hand, Shakespeare has a Christian message of
Evil evil being punished by God, as even before the regicide,
he aligned her character with demonic forces. The guilt
experienced is a result of going against God and in
effect, is punishment before hell, echoing Christian
sentiments of Good over evil.
Excoriate; critise and accuse On the other hand, Shakespeare perhaps uses the
theme of guilt as a way to excoriate the patriarchal
society, due to the effects of guilt on Lady Macbeth
Cyclical structure At the denouement of the play, Macbeth is described as
to be the ‘usurper’s head’. This is structured at the end
to give a cyclical structure to Macbeth’s character arc –
as means to develop Macbeth’s hamartia as his
unchecked ambition “takes his reason prisoner” . This
cautions readers of how even the most “noble” can fall
victim to fate and their own flaws.
Spiritual malpractice
Syntax
Manifold nature of (complex theme) Furthermore, Shakespeare also explores the manifold
nature of justice in Macduff’s moral dilemma
Vices In shakespeare’s Macbeth, the themes of ambition and
power corrupting are presented as vices of the
protagonist, Macbeth
 48

Characters Quotes Using in a sentence

Representations “His silver skin laced with his The metallic rich colour choices with a lighter
of King Duncan golden blood / And his gashed palette highlight his worth and goodness. The
stabs looked like a breach in act of the murder, the stabs, are a breach in
nature” nature. For Duncan to be stabbed is a
Macbeth Act 2 Scene 3 disruption of the Great Chain of Being.
“God save the king” God will save the king; he strives to keep the
Ross, Act 1 Scene 2 hierarchy in place “God protects and asserts
the Great Chain of Being”
“More is thy due than more than all Represents King Duncan as a gracious,
can pay” grateful King, giving gifts to his people and
King Duncan, Act 1 Scene 4 friends unlike Macbeth who will kill them. The
To Macbeth, thanking him for his rightful King and structure will bring gifts, the
actions in the war unrighteous will not. This juxtaposes the
“rightful”
O, never / Shall sun that morrow She is assigning him the sun, the greatest
see! giver of light to earth. And as sun, she is
Lady Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 5 saying he shall never rise. This means:
To Macbeth, upon hearing the - King Duncan will die
prophecy and that King Duncan Light will never reach the land again
shall arrive tomorrow
That will be ere the set of sun
Witches, Act 1 Scene 1
Foreshadowing The death of king
The reign of godlessness
After life’s fitful fever, he sleeps Both King Duncan and Macbeth has been
well king. However, unlike Macbeth, Duncan sleeps
Macbeth, Act 3 Scene 2 peacefully. This juxtaposition highlights the
Speaking with Lady Macbeth, disparity between the two Kings, one of good,
reflecting their actions so far receiving the gift of peace and rejuvenation,
while that of bad is not allowed to, ensuring his
degradation of state and eventual demise.
Representation
of Banquo
In the great hand of God I stand So I lose non / In seeking to augment it, but
Banquo, Act 2 Scene 3 still keep / My bosom franchised and
To the group after the regicide, allegiance clear
intending to research the
“treasonous malice”
Banquo, Act 2 Scene 1 The foil to Macbeth, unlike him who seeked
To Macbeth when asked whether power through immoral means, Banquo will
he would follow Macbeth’s rule only accept power from righteous sources
Lesser than Macbeth, and
greater. / Not so happy, yet much
happier. / Thou shalt get kings,
though thou be none.
The witches, Act 1 Scene 3
The witches’ prophecy to Banquo
at his request
True, worthy Banquo, he is full so
valiant
Duncan, Act 1 Scene 4
Whose being I do fear; and under Banquo in a soliloquy
him / My genius is rebuked Banquo is light, Macbeth is dark, while
Macbeth Act 3 Scene 1 Macbeth’s logic may fool ordinary people, it
When planning the death of will not fool Banquo, it will not fool light. Dark’s

Banquo in a soliloquy
Representations
of Malcom and
Donalbain
“Our tears are not yet brewed”
Donalbain, Act 2 Scene 3
To Malcolm after the regicide of
their father
To show an unfelt sorrow is an
office / Which the false man does
easy
Malcolm, Act 2 Scene 3
To Donalbain after the regicide,
showing suspicion to the group
Modest wisdom plucks me / From
over-credulous haste; but God
above / Deal between thee and me
- Malcolm, Act 4 Scene 3
Explaining his test to Macduff, and
why he must do so
Meet we the med’cine of the sickly
weal
Caithness, Act 5 Scene 2
Excited by the imminent attack
from MacDuff and Malcolm’s army,
four thanes discuss the reign of
Macbeth
Representation
of Macbeth
Th’expedition of my violent love /
Outran the pauser, reason
- Macbeth Act 2 Scene 3
After the regicide of King Duncan,
describing his murder of the
chamberlains to the group
Bellona’s bridegroom
- Ross, Act 1 Scene 2
To King Duncan when delivering
the news about the victory with
Norway
Look how our partner’s rapt
- Banquo, Act 1 Scene 3
About Macbeth to the witches and
audience
It is a peerless kinsman
- King Duncan, Act 1 Scene 4
About Macbeth
49
logic is inferior to light
The rightful Kings act with reason, putting
aside their emotional state for safety, in
contrast to Macbeth
Mirrors Duncan’s wariness of crocodile tears. It
describes exactly what the Macbeths are
doing, showing that they are aware of what is
happening, having almost divine insight
naturally, as opposed to the prophecies
Macbeth must receive
Malcolm, like his father is wary of deception.
However, Duncan died for he did not know
what to do with his suspicion. While
suspicious, his benevolence cost him his life.
Malcolm, however, has both his father’s
benevolence plus wisdom (a trait assigned a
gift from God in the bible)/intelligence to
protect himself.
Like the King of England, Malcolm is
considered the cure. A rightful reign is
considered the fix for the wrong one, mirroring
the ideology that once order (following God or
good’s way) is restored then peace will come.
Here, Macbeth describes himself as acting on
emotion rather than reason
Ross views Macbeth in such high regard he is
a husband to a god
He is married to the cause of war, and he is a
violent fighter through and through. Bellona is
seen as the personification of “valour”, which is
precisely how she refers to her “tongue”; a
metaphor for her speech.
Thus, she is portrayed as attempting to
embody the archetypal form of ambition,
through association with arcane figures,
rejection of Christian morality and femininity.
Her downfall thus acts as a warning for these
behaviours within society.
Macbeth is described as rapt many times, he
considers the evil witches’ words with intensity,
fixated on the promise of power. He is
characterised as one who is willing to listen to
darkness
Irony, there is none other like: none who could
not only win like him but commit regicide

Art not without ambition, but
without / The illness should attend
it
- Lady Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 5
In a soliloquy regarding Macbeth
“As sparrows, eagles, or the hare,
the lion”
- Captain, Act 1 Scene 2
Describing the courage of Banquo
and Macbeth when facing the
Norwegian armies
A falcon tow’ring in her pride of
place / Was by a mousing owl
hawked at and killed
- Old Man, Act 2 Scene 4
Discussing with the Thane of Ross
the regicide
Rugged Russian bear, / The armed
rhinoceros, or th’Hycran tiger
- Macbeth, Act 3 Scene 4
Macbeth when describing himself
against Banquo’s ghost, claiming
he is unafraid
“It will have blood they say: blood
will have blood”
- Macbeth, Act 3 Scene 4
After the Banquet with his fits to
Lady Macbeths
Confessed his treasons / Implored
your highness’ pardon, and set
forth / A deep repentance
- Malcom, Act 1 Scene 4
To Duncan regarding the execution
of the old traitorous Thane of
Cawdor
I grant him bloody, /
Luxurious, avaricious, false,
deceitful, / Sudden, malicious,
smacking of every sin / That has a
name.
- Malcolm, Act 4 Scene 3
Malcolm describing Macbeth when
testing Macduff’s good intentions
As justice, verity, temp’rance,
stableness, / Bounty perseverance,
mercy, lowliness, / Devotion,
patience, courage, fortitude
- Malcolm, Act 4 Scene 3
Testing Macduff, describing what a
king should be
Not in the legions / Of horrid hell
can come a devil more damned / In
evils to top Macbeth
50
Lady Macbeth describes him at the beginning
of the play as all bark, no bite, lacking the
cruelty she too seeks. In this way, Lady
Macbeth describes Macbeth as womanly (“ith
to full the milk of human kindness” assigning
him the feminine quality of milk), implying his
weakness and inferiority.
The captain uses predatory animals to
describe to pair, in contrary to implying that the
pair were dismayed at the “fresh assault” from
Norway. This emphasises their conquering
spirits.
Metaphor: Animalistic descriptors for Macbeth
and Duncan.
King Duncan is a falcon, a bird of prey. “Their
spirit has vision, victory, success, dominance,
leadership, authority, freedom, and
superiority.” Meanwhile, Macbeth is an owl,
represented in the play as a harbinger of
death, “the fatal bellman,” (“An owl shrieks”,
Act 2 Scene 2, when Duncan is killed).
Describing as big thick animals, assumedly
unaffected
He uses this word five times on the page,
highlighting his fixation, this time specifically
on his guilt, as blood acts as a symbol for their
guilt
Juxtaposition - The old Thane of Cawdor,
despite his sins, seeks repentance instead of
delving deeper into the darkness knowing that
we would never be redeeming
‘He dies in honour, looking for God,’ opposite
of Macbeth
Compare this list with the list following.
Macbeth, according to Malcolm and in contrast
to how he describes a good king is sudden
instead of patient, luxurious insteady of lowly,
malicious instead of merciful etc. showing just
how much he lacks the “king-becoming
graces”
Alliteration: The ‘h’ sound is a exaggerated
breath, creating an angry tone of exasperation,
the repetition bringing this forward, the quick

-Macduff, Act 4 Scene 3
Describing Macbeth and the
situation in Scotland to Malcolm
when he tries to convince Malcolm
to come back and fight
Angels are bright still, though the
brightest fell.
- Malcolm, Act 4 Scene 3
Speaking with Macduff who is
trying to convince him of coming to
fight in Scotland, sharing his
wariness of him.
Turn, hellhound, turn
- Macduff, Act 5 Scene 8
Ready to kill Macbeth, after
swearing he shall be the one to kill
him to avenge his family
Throw physic to the dogs, I’ll none
of it
- Macbeth, Act 5 Scene 3
Upon hearing the doctors diagnosis
and incurability of Lady Macbeth’s
state
Representation
of Lady
Macbeth
Bellona’s bridegroom
51
succession creating a faster rhythm. Similar
thing with ‘d’, a constant ‘plosive’ letter (The
IPA Consonant Chart) creating a harsh accent.
Metaphor: Macduff calls Macbeth a devil, lining
up with the story of lucifer (more in the next).
He also says he is damned, so Macduff also
recognises Macbeth’s damnedness, and how
he will not go to heaven or receive eternal life.
Angels are bright, like lighting, illuminating the
paths and guiding the way of people. People
can seem good, but be leading you astray
(This not only links to Macbeth but also
Macduff in this scene as Macduff is trying to
persuade him to come back to Scotland). The
brightest in Christian Faith is Lucifer. Just like
Macbeth, Lucifer, once the right hand man of
god, attempts to overthrow him, unlike
Macbeth, Lucifer succeeds. But Lucifer was
also considered the brightest, shining out and
considered most noble (like how Macbeth is
showered in praise).
This could foreshadow, like Lucifer, Macbeths
eventual overthrowal/ demise.
Metaphor: Commanding, like you would to a
dog. Macduff now sees Macbeth as a lowlife,
one who exists low on the Great Chain of
Being if at all.
Hellhound: He is hellish, from the depths.
Reminds me of Cerberus, the dog of Hades
sent to protect the underworld. A hellhound
would defend hell, protecting like dogs are
known to do, implying that Macbeth now
protects all that is bad, and serves bad
leaders.
Physic is medicine. So in this line he says to
throw away medicine to the dogs, creatures
who would have no idea what to do with it as
he deems it worthless and it wouldn’t matter if
it was in their paws or his hands. From here
on, Macbeths becomes increasing isolated.
Man’s medicine has failed him, his Thane’s will
betray him (“Were they not forced with those
that should be ours”), his wife dies, the
prophecies turn and mark his demise.
He less and less is externally influenced. And,
ironically, he starts to act with more honour: he
goes into battle himself as opposed to hiring
murderers (“At least we’ll die with harness on
our back”), he recognises that the people hate
him and to live under Malcolm’s rule would be
horrid so he fight’s to the death, rather than
surrender (“Yet I will try the last”), an idea held
noble as exemplified by the death of Young
Siward (“Ay on the front”, “But like a man he
died”).
Ross views Macbeth in such high regard he is

- Ross, Act 1 Scene 2
To King Duncan when delivering
the news about the victory with
Norway
Bring forth men-children only, / For
thy undaunted mettle should
compose / Nothing but males
Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 7
She has light by her continually, ‘tis
her command
- Gentlewoman, Act 5 Scene 1
Describing Lady Macbeths
condition to the doctor, after his
inquiry as to the light
Who would have thought the old
mane to have had so much blood
in him?
- Lady Macbeth, Act 5 Scene 1
During her sleepwalking, reliving
memories of her guilt with
Macbeth.
Representations
of the Witches
So withered and wild in their
attire, / That look not like
th’inhabitants o’th’earth
- Banquo, Act 1 Scene 3
Commenting and describing the
appearance of the witches upon
first meet, with Macbeth
Upon her skinny lips; you should
be women, / And yet your beards
forbid me to interpret / That you are
so
52
a husband to a god
He is married to the cause of war, and he is a
violent fighter through and through. Bellona is
seen as the personification of “valour”, which is
precisely how she refers to her “tongue”; a
metaphor for her speech.
Thus, she is portrayed as attempting to
embody the archetypal form of ambition,
through association with arcane figures,
rejection of Christian morality and femininity.
Her downfall thus acts as a warning for these
behaviours within society.
To Lady Macbeth after she emasculated him
into committing the regicide
She is praising him despite only moments
before being degraded
Mirrors her being “unsexed”. He is praising
her for her mettle, her constitution, and cruelt
so seemingly, her wish was granted as she is
granted such masculine qualities such that her
masculinity would overflow into any of her
offspring. She does break the Great Chain of
Being
Lady Macbeth always carries a light. She is
clinging on to goodness, and external source
of light (not from herself) in hopes it would
make her good again. Unlike the murderers
who snuffed out Banquo’s light. This parallel
could show that Lady Macbeth, seeing the
ways of Darkness now wishes nothing to do
with it, trying to keep it at bay, like Banquo
did, with a light.
Firstly, this is in prose. She no longer speaks
poetically as if her mind is unhinged, speaking
the truth so freely.
Secondly, this shows she is a creature of
hindsight. At the time of the murder she was
dismissive, but now, covered in the blood she
realises the true guilt of her actions and the
weight of her actions, blood acting as a symbol
of guilt. She was the original dark influence
onto Macbeth. Therefore, darkness is illogical.
The witches have tattered clothing, they are
lowly. This dishevelled appearance makes
them look unlike that from earth, unlike from
nature, where everything has a Natural Order.
This unearthly appearance gives the
impression of an intruding being from another
world, unwelcome on earth. It highlight how
they disturb the Great Chain of Being
They have both feminine qualities of the skinny
lips with opposite of masculine beards. The
collision of these opposing binaries create a
unnatural appearance. They do not fit into

- Banquo, Act 1 Scene 3
With Macbeth, describing the
“weird sisters”
Representations
of the King
Edward of
England
There are crew of wretched souls /
That stay his cure; their malady
convinces / The great assay of art,
but at his touch, / Such sanctity
hath heaven given his hand, / They
presently amend
Doctor, Act 4 Scene 3
He hath a heavenly gift of prophecy
- Malcom, Act 4 Scene 3
Describing the King of England to a
newly allied Macduff fresh afoot in
England.
Hanging a golden stamp about
their necks
- Malcolm, Act 4 Scene 3
Describing the King of England’s
miraculous healing abilities
Representations
of MacDuff
I am not treacherous
- Macduff, Act 4 Scene 3
Macduff denying being a spy of
Macbeth to murder him in England
to try and win Malcolm to come
back to Scotland
Theme Quotes
Deception Help me hence, ho
- Lady Macbeth, Act 2 Scene 3
To the group after the regicide
False face must hide what the
false heart doth know
Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 7
Your face, my thane, is a book
where men / May read strange
matters
- Lady Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 6
To Macbeth when planning the
regicide and banquet
Look like th’innocent flower, / But
be the serpent under’t
53
stereotypical looks for woman, they are not
within the Great Chain of Being, against it
even.
Metaphor: The King of England heals people
with a touch (like Jesus), a power given to him
by the heavens, presumably by god. The KoE,
heals people, saving their lives. Macbeth
however kills, resulting in “New widows howl,
new orphans cry, new sorrows / Strike heaven
on the face”, death, like sickness does. In this
way, a good king acts as a cure to a bad king.
Much like Malcolm, he too has a seemingly
divinely granted wisdom. Where the king is a
being of foresight, seeing all futures, Macbeth
is a creature of hindsight, acting in his was for
only temporary, fleeting gains. i.e. He
becomes an earthly king but gives up his
eternal life in heaven
The use of the golden colour, similar to that of
King Duncan bloody description and that of a
crowns. The golden colour representing light,
maybe even purity, as an unclean gold would
turn brown.
This is quite a short line. Macduff is very blunt
in this, he feels no need to justify himself,
implying confidence and familiarity in his claim.
He is concerned a great deal with treachery
considering he was the one who found the
body and his suspicious of Macbeth and his
false reign. To here he shows he is loyal to
God, godly kings, kings (like Malcolm named
the prince of Cumberland) by other godly
Kings
Analysis
She is playing into Macduff’s womanly
stereotypes to deceive him/ play into his thinking
that a woman could never conceive of a regicide
Dramatic irony as:
- Lady Macbeth engineered the murder
She doesn’t care, in fact she pushed for it
Metaphor, Lady Macbeth is saying that he is bad
at lying. As a book, Macbeth is bad at hiding his
knowledge, in fact books are made for sharing
knowledge
Metaphor. The innocent flower: flowers are
pretty, made to be ogled at, such as the position

- Lady Macbeth
To Macbeth when planning the
regicide and banquet
So, from that spring whence
comfort seemed to come/
Discomfort swells
- Captain, Act 1 Scene 2
To King Duncan in describing the nourish, but here it does the opposite, just as
actions of the war
Here comes newer comfort
- Siward, Act 5 Scene 9
After the battle, after Macbeth is his death does provide so, a new form of
slain and after hearing of his comfort. The overthrowal and dethronement of
young son’s manly and noble the tyrannical Macbeth, restores peace in
death. He is seeing Macduff accordance with the Great Chain of Being, in
walking in with Macbeth’s head.
There’s no art / to find the mind’s
construction in the face
- King Duncan, Act 1 Scene 4
To his son Malcom,
upon hearing the results of the
traitor Thane of Cawdor’s
execution
Masking the business from the
common eye
- Macbeth, Act 3 Scene 1
To the murderers
Though all things foul would wear
the brows of grace, / Yet grace
must still look so too
- Malcolm, Act 4 Scene 3
Speaking with Macduff who is
trying to convince him to help him
fight after fleeing to England to
escape the regicide and
Reason
Pour my spirits in thine ear
- Lady Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 5
In her soliloquy, talking about
Macbeth upon receiving the news
Or have we eaten on the insane
root, / That takes the reason
prisoner?
- Banquo, Act 1 Scene 3
To Macbeth after receiving the
prophecy from the witches
Strange things I have in head that
will to hand
- Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4
After the Banquet and his “fits” of
insanity
54
of King. A natural symbol.
The serpent under’t: serpents are well hidden,
and able to kill. Associated with the devil and evil
as they seem inhuman.
Foreshadowing – Like Macbeth, Norway, a
nation that was once peaceful and provided no
hassle, came to attack them. Metaphor: As a
spring, it should hypothetically provide and
Macbeth/ Norway should have provided.
Metaphor: mirrors the line from the beginning.
Where Macbeth was the spring of comfort, now
which they find comfort. Ironic: Once a man they
found happiness in alive, they now celebrate his
death.
Macbeth is becoming more secretive, becoming
what Lady Macbeth asked
He kind of expands on this idea. Bad looks like
good, not the other way around. Also directly
parallels Lady Macbeth’s advice to “look
th’innocent flower”, innocent as in a good/ pure/
graceful.
She plays her words as a metaphor, as spirits to
intoxicate his mind. She wishes to be his reason,
provide him false confidence in much the same
way as alcohol does
Immediately, Banquo (a symbol of good) calls
the ‘evil’ witches’ ideas crazy, disregarding the
information within them, or calls themselves
crazy for considering such dark prophecies
Macbeth his implying that instead of ideas going
through his head, being thought through in his
mind, instead going straight to his hand, going
into action. He will stop acting with so much
reason.
By this point he is in very deep, he even
acknowledges so, so the darkness creates a
desire to act without reason. An idea echoed in
the witches when Hecate gets mad at them for

From this moment’ / The very
firstling of my heart shall be / The
firstling of my hand
- Macbeth, Act 4 Scene 1
To Lennox, after communing
which witches
Ay, but their sense are shut
- Gentlewoman, Act 5 Scene 1
Describing Lady Macbeths
sleepwalking, how her eyes while
open, do not see
Fate vs Action
If chance will have me king, why
chance may crown me / Without
my stir
- Macbeth Act 1, Scene 3
To Banquo regarding the prophecy
Tigged with fortune, / That I would
set my life on any chance / To
mend it or be rid on’t
- First Murderer, Act 3 Scene 1
Confirming to Macbeth that he
would go through with the murder
of Banquo
Ay, sir, all this is so
- Witch, Act 4 Scene 1
To Macbeth, when he asks about
his prophecy
Light vs
Darkness
And yet dark night strangles the
travelling lamp
- Ross, Act 2 Scene 4
Talking with the old man, talking
after hearing about the death of
King Duncan
Murderer strikes out the light
- Act 3 Scene 3
At the assassination of Banquo
That darkness does the face of
earth entomb / When living light
should kiss it?
- Ross, Act 2 Scene 4
Conversing with the old man after
hearing about the regicide
Nobleness like stars shall shine /
On all deservers
- King Duncan, Act 1 Scene 4
55
communing with Macbeth.
He used to overthink, calculate murders such as
King Duncans. Now, he says he will act without
thinking. He specifically says with his heart, so
his desires (ambitions).
This lack of sense/ stimulus is a result of her
awful deed. After the regicide of Duncan, she
begins to sleep walk. When she sleepwalks she
acts irrationally, repeating and reliving the
regicide and subsequent life non chronologically,
while in full view of other people. Lady Macbeth
would try to hide these things, but since her
senses are shut, she cannot detect them, acting
illogically. Her evil and darkness within makes
her blind to the rest of the world.
He is lying through his teeth. He says he will let
fate decide, personifying fate as a king/queen to
crown him, when he has already envisioned the
‘horrid image’, planning the regicide.
Or he is fickle, going from planning the regicide
to letting fate decide the next
Macbeth, as a figure of darkness, corrupts
others, also making them doubt fate and the
Great Chain of Being
This is the first time they stop speaking in
equivocations. Even them, as figures of
darkness, prophecy.
Is referenced later, normally light pervades
darkness, but now light is blocked by thick
darkness
The dark murderers had to strike out the light
(“stars hide your fires”, “And yet dark night
strangles the travelling lamp.”) Darkness must
take out light first.
Personification, darkness is associated with
death while light is associated with life
Simile, nobleness like stars: stars create light
which goes anywhere unless something blocks
the ways like darkness, in this way nobleness

To Banquo and Macbeth
The instruments of darkness tell
us truths; / Win us with honest
trifles, to betray’s / In deepest
consequence
- Banquo, Act 1 Scene 3
After hearing of the prophecy with
Macbeth and the confirmation of
Macbeth’s new title as Thane of
Cawdor
The night is long that never finds
the day
- Malcolm, Act 4 Scene 3
Malcolm after testing Macduff,
reconvening the Thane of Ross
and Macduff
TheGreat
chain of being
Things at the worst will cease, or
else climb upward / To what they
were before
- Ross, Act 4 Scene 2
With Lady Mcduff, after Mcduff fled
and discussing the current state of
Scotland
Stand not upon the order of your
going
- Lady Macbeth, Act 3 Scene 4
When telling the guests to leave
the Banquet at which Macbeth is
losing his mind
Guilt and
repercussion
Will these hand ne’er be clean?
56
only reaches those without darkness and
rewards them
Here Banquo warns Macbeth of the manipulative
tricks that evil legions use to ally themselves with
people. Immediately after receiving the prophecy
from the witches, the Thane of Ross and Angus
tell Macbeth he is Thane of Cawdor. This timing
leads Macbeth to believe that the witches
prophecies are true. They may not be, just
attempts to get Macbeth to overthrow the Natural
Order (as they are agents of chaos) but
regardless this does make Macbeth lends some
credence to their “prophetic greeting” and
therefore, trust them.
Banquo, a man of God, is wary, he doesn’t
listen, but Macbeth does. Breaking the Great
Chain of Being and some Christian and
Protestant ideologies, as Shakespeare was, that
you should now heed advice outside of that of
God’s as it was the devil’s and would lead you
astray.
This also foreshadows Macbeth’s future, where
the witches warning of men born of women give
Macbeth a false confidence, leading him to
foolishly put himself in harms way from Macduff,
his killer and the truthfully prophesied man born
not of woman. His deepest consequences he
pays is his sanity, his life, and his place in
heaven.
Night = Darkness
Day = Light
Currently, Scotland exists in a state of night, a
state where darkness rule or a time when bad
things.
Malcolm also uses the word find, an active word.
They must fight actively to create a time of good
and restore order. Otherwise, this period of
darknesss will stay
Ross, as a loyal supporter of King Duncan, is of
the opinion that life will return to order or they will
reach the worst.
They, as king and queen, are throwing out the
Natural Order, willing to be rid of it, causing the
chaos of the rush out and of the kingdom
Irony: At the time of the regicide she stated “A
little water clears us of this deed”,
underestimating the guilt the murder of the King
would bring. Now, she attempts to clean these

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
- Macbeth, Act 2 Scene 5
After the murder of King Duncan,
lamenting his actions
Macbeth does murder sleep
- Macbeth, Act 2 Scene
To Lady Macbeth reciting the
incident of the murder
57
hands but no amount of water seems to clean it.
This mirrors Macbeths line “Will all great
Neptune’s ocean was this blood/ clean from my
hand?”
There is a lot of blood, guilt. Neptune, as the
Roman god of the sea would have “godly”
abilities or amounts of water to wash his hands.
He will spread his badness, his actions.
The green one: A green sea is typically referring
to a shoreline, crystal clean or a algae filled one.
Algae, as a form of food to many fishes
represent a sea of life. However, his actions turn
this green sea of life, Scotland, red, one of guilt
and death.
Metaphor
Firstly, he will no longer be able to sleep, to
rejuvenate himself (“Chief nourisher in life’s
feast”)
The regicide also strikes fear into the heart of
Scots and therefore, the people will not be able
to sleep