Macbeth Essay Research Paper Daniel Eve Wednesday

Macbeth Essay, Research Paper

Daniel Eve Wednesday 3rd February1999

English 10 Set 1B

Macbeth

What were the relative influences on Macbeth to kill his King.

There were a number of factors that influenced Macbeth’s decision whether to assassinate King Duncan or not. Each of these arguments worked for or against Macbeth’s better judgement of the situation. Eventually, a combination of all these factors broke down his conscience through his mental weakness; this led to an unwise decision to kill the King. The consequences of this were fairly disastrous because Macbeth began to regret his actions just moments after the deed was done.

The whole concept of Macbeth’s desire to become King of Scotland began when he and Banquo first met the three witches on the moorland. The witches greeted Macbeth each with a prophecy of his future titles:

‘All hail to thee, Thane of Glamis

All hail to thee Thane of Cawdor

All hail to thee Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter’

Macbeth seemed to be somewhat stunned by the witches prophecies, whereas Banquo continued to question the three witches in a calm and humorous manner. He noticed Macbeth’s troubled facial expression and said:

‘Good sir, why do you start, and seem to fear

Things that do sound so fair.’

This was the point where Macbeth started to seriously think about the witches’ predictions, the possibilities of becoming King, and how he was going to become King. Although he appears to be head-strong in the opening scenes, the witches’ predictions frighten him because he knows he wants to become King, but he realises that he has to take action to progress any further.

One of Macbeth’s first soliloquies shows us that he has frightening thoughts, as the idea of murder has slipped into his mind. Although the witches did not suggest murder, Macbeth starts to think solemnly about killing King Duncan. Near the beginning of his first soliloquy, he says:

‘If good, why do I yield to that suggestion

Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair

And make my seated heart knock at my ribs,

Against the use of nature.’

Macbeth is showing here that deep inside him, there are forces that want him to take action to become King, even if this action is murder. In a way, this scares him, as it would you or me if in his position. It is already starting to show that he is brave in battle, but fragile in mind.

Macbeth’s conscience works well for him at first by helping him reject the idea of murder, as Macbeth tells himself:

‘If I chance will have me King, why, chance

may crown me,

Without my stir.’

This means that if the witches’ prophecies are true, then he will become King whatever the circumstances, so he wouldn’t need to commit any crimes, for example murder.

By the end of scene four, Macbeth realises that he may have to take some action to become King, whether it be murder or not. His soliloquy indicates that he wants no one to see what he feels, and what he wants to do. He admits to himself that he has black and deep desires locked up inside him, which he does not want anyone good to see, as he says:

“The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step

On which I must fall down, or else o’er leap,

For in my way it lies. Stars hide your fires!

Let not light see my black and deep desires;”

From one of Macbeth and his wife’s first conversations, he proves his reluctance to give his wife a final decision on the matter. As he says:

“We will speak further.”

He seems to have developed an uncertainty about the situation, and fails to stand up to his wife for the first time and say, “I will not murder the King”. He hasn’t completely dismissed the subject, but so far it is in his best interests to let his wife know that he is not all for the idea of murder. This would help her understand Macbeth’s side of the story, so she would not be so much against him.

At the banquet, Duncan proclaims that his son Malcolm is next in line to the throne. Macbeth then acquires the understanding that to become King, he has to overcome an even larger task now- to kill the King and his two sons.

You can already tell that Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, hold no secrets from each other, and that they share a loving and affectionate relationship. This relationship is gradually destroyed by the consequences of both their actions to promote Macbeth to King of Scotland. By the end of act 1 you can tell that Lady Macbeth is the more dominant partner in the relationship. This is indicated by the fact that she takes no less than full control of the situation, and Macbeth is happy to let her have the responsibility. It is clear by now that Lady Macbeth’s desire to become Queen is just as strong as her spouse’s are to become King. She even went to the limits and called evil spirits upon herself, and gave up all the tender, gentle qualities of a woman to become a sexless pitiless fiend. One of her motives for doing this is likely to be the fact that she would become Queen of Scotland if Macbeth became King. Her only problem is that she knows Macbeth would need a lot of persuasion to complete the task at hand, but she also knows that Macbeth is too loyal to kill the King and his two sons.

In

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