Monday, April 27, 2020

Macbeth Characters Essays - Characters In Macbeth,

Macbeth Characters Acts I and II Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Banquo are all tempted with the witches' prophecies. Horrid images immediately begin to invade the minds of these three characters. However, it is their responses to this and the choices they make that distinguish them from one another and ultimately change lives forever. Macbeth and Banquo respond to the witches' predictions in different ways. Banquo is very skeptical. Although he begs for their prophecy of his future, he is not so taken with their revelations as he says, "Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear/ Your favours nor your hate" (I.iii.60-61). Fair words can mean foul things. Their replies are tempting but he passes them off as only trouble. Macbeth is understandably thrilled at the sudden reality of the truths and becomes obsessed with the idea of being king. He claims to have decided to allow fate to direct his destiny, but their predictions have left a frightening impression in his mind. Banquo uses good judgment believing that the witches represent evil and will bring more harm than good, but the rapid occurrence of events clouds Macbeth's judgment and cause him to fall prey to this deep impatient ambition. From the moment Lady Macbeth reads the letter, she is determined to make the witches prophecy come true. Her mind is an echo of the witches predictions, "Fair is foul and foul is fair"(I.i.10). However, the witches are forces of nature and fate and Lady Macbeth is human. They may have pointed Macbeth in a direction but did not force him to commit to anything as she did. Their predictions only came true because of her push. The quick decisions begin as she plans the ?quickest way' to get Macbeth on the throne. Shakespeare introduces her character as a dominant and controlling wife. Contrary to her heartless nature though, Macbeth addresses her as a pure being because only he knows of her hidden weaknesses. Lady Macbeth's character portrays many rich combinations of personality: evil, manipulating, delicate, kind. Her resolution is so intense that it frightens Macbeth. The sickening determination is expressed with potent imagery in scene 5, "Come to my woman's breast, and take my milk for gall"(I.v.48-49). As soon as she sees Macbeth's apprehensions, she mocks him by implying that he is a coward. She even questions his manhood. Although Macbeth is chilled by his wife's hard attitude, he succumbs to her prodding and prepares to commit to the murder. His goodness and loyalty can be seen as he struggles with the foulness of his ambition. But when the king tells of his visit to their home, Macbeth realizes that the time and opportunity are perfect to quench this "burning of desire" (I.v.3). Banquo and Macbeth's contrasting characters are obvious in Act II. Banquo has some strange uneasiness which makes him unwilling to go to sleep. His nervousness is evident when he hears somebody coming and calls for his sword, even though he should feel safe in Macbeth's castle. Banquo tells Macbeth about his fear to sleep because of the witches' predictions. He is having"cursed thoughts" (II.i.8) and is fearful for Macbeth also. Macbeth bluntly lies and claims that he has thought "not of them" (II.i.22). While Banquo is confiding his private thoughts to his friend, Macbeth is dodging honesty and hints at business that will "make honor" (II.i.26). Banquo, although tempted by the thoughts of his heirs, rejects the prophecies and rationally overcomes the sinful thoughts. He proves his integrity by never truly considering to act of these evil dreams. Banquo maintains a clean conscience and responds cautiously but begins to suspect that something is amiss. Macbeth's character seems to have become more independent at this stage. He has gained a sense of purpose and does not need his wife's demands anymore. However, in the moments before the crime is committed, Macbeth sees visions and seems to have lost his mind. He does not know whether to trust his eyes or his reason: "Mine eyes are made the fools of the other senses, or else worth all the rest" (II.i.44-45). His rationality takes over and the murder is done. He immediately changes once again into a frightened child. Macbeth is nearly driven mad by the horror of his actions but his wife urges him to be practical. Tension is seen when the deed is done and husband and wife exchange sharp, quick words. Macbeth is horrified with what he has done while Lady Macbeth takes a soldier's stance as she says, "These deed must not be Macbeth Characters Essays - Characters In Macbeth, Macbeth Characters In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is made to act as a catalyst in Lord Macbeth's evildoings. Even though Lord Macbeth is generally the one to have the final say in the many killings that take place in the play, Lady Macbeth plays the role of a tyrannical villain alongside him. She mocks her Lord if he frets over something she has instructed him to do, saying he would be less of a man if he does not follow through on their plan (I. vii. 56-57). She gives Lord Macbeth a short lecture in deceptiveness when they are planning to kill King Duncan (I. vi. 73-78). She also prepared the daggers for Macbeth to kill Duncan in advance (II. ii. 15-16). Though her Lord was still having doubts, she was, in the most literal sense, ready to go in for the kill. Clearly demonstrating another villainous characteristic other than self- gain, Lady Macbeth shows the fear of getting caught when she unintentionally gives herself away in her sleep (V. i. 33, 37-42, 44-47, 53-55, 65-67, 69-72). Though her fear can suppress itself during a conscious state of being, she can do nothing about it when she is asleep. Throughout the play and leading up to her eventual suicide, Lady Macbeth slowly weakens. Yet, in the beginning of the play, she acts as if she is unstoppable. When Macbeth has his doubts and fears about murdering the loyal Duncan, Lady Macbeth chastises him, calling him everything from a coward to a helpless baby (I. vii. 39-49, 53-67). She even offers to do it herself, possibly to make Macbeth feel that he's even more cowardly because a woman is offering to do "his" job. This pushes Macbeth to kill, though these are the actions that will eventually lead to both of their demises later in the play. Macbeth tries to convince Lady Macbeth, as well as himself, that she is wrong: 3 Prithee, peace. I dare do all that may become a man. Who dares more is none. (I. vii. 50-52) However, Macbeth does not seem to fully convince her, because he is still mocked by his wife. Whether he failed to convince himself or to convince his Lady is irrelevant; he went through with the murder anyhow. Not only does Lady Macbeth push her husband to do things he does not want to, but she also informs him that his face is too easy to read. Of course, she does not want her husband or herself to get caught, so she gives him advice in the area of deceptiveness. When she tells him to "look like th' innocent flower,/ But be the serpent under ?t" (I. vi. 76-78), not only is she doing this so that Macbeth will not give himself away, but so that he will not give her away in the meantime. Even before that early point in the play, Lady Macbeth has already demonstrated that she is two-faced. When Duncan first arrives at the castle, Lady Macbeth acts as a welcome hostess, when in reality she has different plans for Duncan than she lets on. Through the careful use of chastisement, Lady Macbeth manages to manipulate her Lord so that she may get what she wants: a dead King Duncan in her house. Indeed, Lady Macbeth does get what she wants, and ultimately what she deserves, as the play progresses. Usually, though she has to nudge her husband a bit before he takes action, Macbeth is relatively obedient. Lady Macbeth seems to realize that her husband probably will not go through with the murder of Duncan until she pushes him to the point of no return, so she prepares everything in advance. All Macbeth has to do for 4 his part in the murder is actually kill Duncan; Lady Macbeth sets out the daggers and gives the guards enough alcohol so that they pass out. She was so eager to have Duncan dead that she almost killed him herself. "Had he not resembled/ My father as he slept, I had done ?t" (II. ii. 16-17). Yet she still had her husband commit the crime, whether it was because she was actually scared to do so, or because she wanted him to feel empowered. Either way, Lady Macbeth was definitely ready for Duncan to die. Despite her eagerness earlier in the play, Lady Macbeth seems a bit afraid that she might get caught later in the play. When she sleepwalks and talks in her sleep, she demonstrates a fear that clearly represents

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