Macbeth develop into a murderer
...floating to King Duncan’s chamber it is no surprise that the witches want the deed to be carried out. Their means of temptation are enormous and they intimidate him to the extreme so that his mind is unclear of his actions. So it is quite obvious that the witches at least make Macbeth’s dream his reality, influencing and confusing him to go against nature, killing Duncan, the one who called Macbeth ‘worthy gentleman’ in such irony. Subsequently our peerless kinsman is further submitted to temptation from his resolute wife, Lady Macbeth. She presents us with an insight into Macbeth’s character. Her interpretation may not be a real explanation of his inner feelings but based on her own perceptions and desires. Again, we know that Macbeth desires to be King or otherwise he would not have sent a letter to his wife indicating that they have discussed the fact of him becoming King before. After she learnt of this news, she feels tempted, imagining herself being Queen. The effect of the enjambment ‘Shall be’ indicates that she is more ambitious, lusting for power more than Macbeth. From Lady Macbeths’ perspective Macbeth wishes to be King ‘what thou promises’ a caesura (she is dwelling on her husbands ambitions) but ‘to catch the nearest way’ wants an easier way to be king or is too afraid to kill Duncan. Her thoughts relate her husband’s failings. He is ‘too full of the milk of human kindness’ to commit murder She thinks she knows Macbeth’s weakness and tries to rid him of it. At this point Lady Macbeth has become an agent of fate like the witches having an abhorrent influence on him. Upon her husband’s return, she attempts to convince him immediately ‘be innocent like a flower but be an evil serpent within.’ It is clear that she is turning her husband to his sinister side. The use of ‘evil’ tells us that she is willing to do anything to be crowned as Queen. She endevours to take control of him right from the start of the play and like a little child tells him exactly what to do. Q She soothes him, making him aware that he is not alone in his ordeal by subjecting him to her sweet temptation, which ultimately would result in the death of Duncan. It was even Lady Macbeth who came up with the plan to kill the King. From her intelligent plan, it is clear that she has thought long about being a respected Lady of power. She has put hard work into this since it is a long and careful procedure where the King’s guards will be accused of the murder. When her husband has second thoughts about the gruesome murder, she feels annoyed Q because she has been the one doing all the preparation for Duncans’ death. Macbeth tells her he is afraid of the consequences of his future actions, she exploits this fact telling Macbeth that he is not a man referring back to her previous presumptions of him ‘ too full of the milk of human kindness’. She is determined to seek her aspirations through her husband, saying that she would sacrifice her new born baby to keep her promise of their success to him. A baby is a strong sign of a good creation in the world. So, we get the impression that she is selling her soul to the devil. She calls on the evil spirit to ‘ unsex’ her and fill her with direst cruelty Q Again, like the witches she is a ghastly influence on Macbeth. She knows her husbands’ character, knowing his weaknesses and that he would do anything for her. Slowly she is turning him to the other side once more ‘if we should fail’ suggest that he is willing to do the murder but is not sure of the consequences. Her feminine touch has worked and thanks to his wife’s support, our portrayer Macbeth is slowly turning to his evil side. In truth, his wife wants the murder more, since it is her plan to kill the King however she is too scared to carry out the actions herself. Q She is not of evil nature since she has no conscience because she is clouded in her thoughts of ambition and this influences Macbeth to carry on with his demented task Noble Macbeth is portrayed in the initial parts of the play as a peerless kinsman of the battle and has immense bravery. ‘For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name,’ the caesura emphasizes that the captain is shouting out with justification of our worthy fighter. We learn that he was the keystone of the battle ‘Disdain fortune, with his brandishing steel, which smoked with bloody execution like a valorous minion carved out his passage, till he faced the slave.’ With the use of plosives (emphasizing the fierce battle) in the captain’s speech we learn that Macbeth is a savage man and full of bravery. Although Macbeth kills everyone in his sight, we see a man who would take very big risks and sacrifice his life killing many to win his kings war, which is what the captain’s account illustrates. ‘O valiant cousin, worthy gentlemen!’ Duncan replies. This is the point from which we learn that Macbeth is a noble kinsman. However, there is a great sense of irony since he will be the king’s murderer. Macbeth and his friend Banquo are now seen to be the heroes of war. They were strong ‘like cannons’ and feared not death ‘Golgotha.’ ‘What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won’ a rhyming couplet that the king utters in scene 2. The phrase relates to what the witches had said in the opening seen ‘when the battle is lost and won’. They are talking about the former Thane of Cawdor losing his battle and of Macbeth winning his title as well as the battle itself. Even though Macbeth is seen to be a worthy noble, this title may bring dire fortune, telling us that there may be a curse upon this designation. He has received a title of a traitor indicating that he is doomed from the start. After the witches had told him of his prophecy, we see Macbeth’s true mental attitude itself. As said before he may have thought of being King but not so seriously. He knew that the King had an heir and that the only way to be King was to commit murder from the start. This is where our fierce warrior opens up into dark thoughts. It is scary for Macbeth since if he kills the king he would be killed as a traitor and that he would be denouncing God referring to the Tudor chain of being. Even though he has a conscience it is clear he may be willing to carry out such treason as long as he is not caught, hence this is why he reacts with fear towards the witches words. At this moment, he wants to know how he is to become king and how prosperous his reign will be. However, by acknowledging the witches’ words we learn that he can be influenced easily and that the witches have seduced Macbeth’s desire for power. When he does hear the news of his new title as the Thane of Cawdor, this strengthens his belief in the witches’ prophecy. He says ‘why do you dress me in borrowed robes’ a rhetorical question that only his mind can answer. It seems that he has not weighed up his options. He could have gone home a warrior, ignoring the witches heralding news. Instead, he believes in the witches’ words. The line is of such irony explaining how he fears of borrowing the kings’ robes through murder which will not fit him because deep down he knows that God did not choose him to be King. From this, we learn that he has a conscience since by murdering the King he is aware he is doing something morally wrong. However, in act one scene three his mind changes. He knows that the witches are evil from Banquo’s warning but he does not act towards this caution and instead we see his inner greed. His mind has changed and he looks towards his own prosperity. Now, he considers murder unwillingly, only because a force against nature has told him of his prophecy. From this, he draws a conclusion that he must act against nature and kill Duncan. When Malcolm is proclaimed King, his heritage influences Macbeth further more that the only way that he can be crowned is through murder. ‘On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap’ is evidence of his menacing thoughts. He desires to be king and will do so in the most repulsive way. He has not still decided on his opinion since he asks Lady Macbeth what to do. By counseling others, we know that Macbeth is mentally weak since he can not decide on his own actions, instead fol...