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Logan Berenson

Honors English II Period 5

Ms. Brown

23 September 2022

Feeling of Decay
The mind has many strengths, but how does one act when areas of the brain are

overwhelmed with unjust wants and needs? William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, focuses on the

demand for power in the 16th century. The story switches from one perspective to another

showing how the affects of being in need of power can deteriorate someone. Macbeth being one

of the main characters, was impacted the most in the constant lust for more authority.

Shakespeare displays that achieving desires/aspirations via unhealthy means leads to corruption.

He conveys this idea with the constant appearance of birds, when Macbeth encounters the

floating dagger, and as the witches conversate with Macbeth.

The constant eeriness of Macbeth is backed up with the appearance of birds before or

after something foul happens. The lonesome castle that Macbeth lived in was being accompanied

by King Duncan as he was intended to deliver good news. However, Lady Macbeth alongside

Macbeth had different intentions for his stay. Both knew that if they wanted to move up in ranks

at a more rapid speed, they would have to take matters into their own hands: “The raven himself

is hoarse / That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan / Under my battlements” (Shakespeare

1.5.38-40). The use of birds in this quote is a motif as they appear all throughout the play just as

someone is about to die. The fatal entrance of Duncan addresses that he will not set foot outside

of Macbeth’s castle, and it is there that he will perish. The plotting of Macbeth and Lady

Macbeth shows that their sanity is no longer there if not departing. They aspire to gain authority,

but the means in which they do so make the road to the throne a messy path. However, it is not
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just once that birds are mentioned in correlation to bad things taking place. Macbeth begins to tie

together that when birds are in place or of discussion, unpleasant things begin. Their looming

presence symbolizes chaos has or is going to occur: “Light thickens, / And the crow makes wing

to th’rooky wood; / Good things of day begin to droop and drowse, / Whiles night’s black agents

to their preys do rouse” (Shakespeare 3.2.50-53). Night’s black agents has a double meaning, as

it is known that ravens symbolize tragic events, but here Macbeth is talking about the hitmen he

has hired to kill Banquo and Fleance. As nightfall breaks, the pleasantries of the day dissipate

and unjust actions infiltrate the air. Out of fear Macbeth hires hitmen to kill both Banquo and

Fleance, which reveals a lot about Macbeth’s mental state and greatest worries. The connection

between birds and murder exemplifies the argument that when birds are discussed or present, a

life is taken. Shakespeare effectively uses birds (specially ravens and crows) to convey a

message that unruly actions transpire when they are in the picture.

The appearance of a dagger in front of Macbeth proves that his mind has been altered and

that the path to glory is only through blood and horror. The death of Banquo was not his final

appearance, Macbeth invisions him in the castle, causing him to have an outburst. All of those in

the castle at the time were the audience to Macbeth’s performance. Lady Macbeth had to give

Macbeth a reality check so that those around him did not suspect anything was out of sorts: “This

is the very painting of your fear” (Shakespeare 3.4.61). Now that Macbeth is beginning to have

hallucinations and fictitious thoughts, those around him are seeing that there is something

seriously wrong. The malicious acts that the ravenous duo had committed would all be for

nothing if Macbeth continued to act in such a manner. Rising to power is something that comes

with time and generally is via the family name, but an artificial track evidently has its flaws.

Furthermore, there was another incident that had greater magnitude than the first. The initial act
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of killing King Duncan was a result of Macbeth’s mind and what he thought was to be true. Lady

Macbeth had egged on Macbeth and made it clear that Duncan had to die. So the burden that was

bestowed upon Macbeth created such psychological distress that he began to imagine things: “Is

this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee: / I

have thee not, and yet I see thee still” (Shakespeare 2.1.33-35). The dagger symbolizes death as

it was the driving factor that led Macbeth to kill Duncan, as well as the material object used.

Imagery was also displayed as a picture is painted in your mind, making it possible to see what

Macbeth was going through. By Macbeth killing King Duncan he is exploiting the system in

which someone comes to power, meaning he may not be fit for the role of King. His unhealthy

habits caused conflict as well as a difficult time maintaining power.

Macbeth’s ambitions alone were only obtainable through frowned upon actions, but the

witches helped fuel his passion for an unjust way to power. At an encounter with the 3 witches,

Macbeth was clued in that the future was bright. Though he wasn’t told how he would come to

power or any of the specific, he now knew that eventually he would gain a greater status: “All

hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis. / All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor. /

All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter” (Shakespeare 1.3.46-48). The repetition used

made the words that much stronger, and gave Macbeth a sense of royalty that he hadn’t yet

grasped. Macbeth had been told his future but was given no further direction, so the efforts he

made to take a step towards his prophesied goal were illicit. By knowing your future without

how you got there is a dangerous thing, and this was what stemmed the route Macbeth took. The

foreshadowing that the witches did didn't account for how Macbeth would rise to their

expectation, his desires were achieved but at what cost? Steering to another point, the witches

were those somewhat behind the scenes that could be blamed for how Macbeth acted. During the
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apparition segment of the play, the witches gave valuable information to Macbeth to guide his

travels. One of the apparitions was more powerful than the rest, and it fueled Macbeth’s ego even

more: “Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn / The power of man, for none of woman

born / Shall harm Macbeth” (Shakespeare 4.1.78-80). Macbeth was untouchable, and because of

this he could reign over people with no regard to how he went about enforcing power.

Throughout the entirety of the play Macbeth was bloody and bold, as he did as he so pleased.

The witches' influence on Macbeth was one for the worst, as the previously well established

system of power had fallen to shambles at the hands of their intellectual capabilities. Macbeth’s

mental state was diminished as a result of his interactions with the witches, leading to his poor

decisions and eventually his death. Macbeth was the puppet and the witches were the ones who

controlled him, all of their actions as a whole led to many unspeakable acts and unhealthy

desires.

Shakespeare’s use of birds, the dagger, and the witches' influence portrayed how

attempting to achieve your greatest wishes via dishonorable means leads to corruption. The use

of ravens and crows displayed how death was approaching, and it was due to Macbeth and his

actions. The appearance of the dagger portrayed how Macbeth’s mental state was falling apart

and it was affecting his everyday encounters. Lastly, the three witches help shift Macbeth’s

mindset to follow down a path where there is no remorse for those in his way to the throne. In

relation to Macbeth’s political structure, the present day’s government has procedures to gain

recognition and notoriety so that nobody is in a position that wasn’t rightfully earned. Macbeth

shines a light on how gaining power through unjust methods leads to an unstable reign, thus the

downfall of Macbeth and those supporting him.

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Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Macbeth." Advanced Language and

Literature: Strong Roots for AP®, College, and beyond, by Renee H. Shea et al., 2nd ed.,

e-book ed., New York City, Bedford/Saint Martin's, 2021, pp. 942-1017.