Shakespeares Macbeth Essay Example for Free

Shakespeares Macbeth Essay In Shakespeares Macbeth, which character or characters bear most responsibility for the death of Duncan? Discuss. Shakespeares drama Macbeth was first performed in 1603 and appears to celebrate the accession to the English throne of King James I, who was believed to be the descendant of one of the plays characters, Banquo. The plot originates from the ancient Scottish story of King Macbeth of Scotland. Macbeth is the Thane of Glamis, and holds the position of general in the kings army. He is tempted with the prospect of becoming king himself by three witches he meets on a heath. This creates an internal moral dilemma which is exacerbated after he writes to his wife, informing her of his experiences. This compels her to exert pressure upon him, and give orders and ultimatums; and so on the surface Macbeth appears to be a victim of external forces. With this in mind I intend to examine these characters in turn to see who bears the greatest blame for the death of King Duncan. This play was intended for King James Is attention. We know this through the use of Scotland, James homeland, as a backdrop to the story and the characterisation of his ancestor, Banquo. The characters of the three weird sisters are intended as a reference to King James obsession with witches and witchcraft. In his treatise Daemonologie (1597) he wrote of them as demonic supernatural beings who served a purpose as tempters. According to him, their purpose was the damnation of their victims soul. Their role as tempters in the play relates to James belief that God may test people, even the best (God will permit so to be tempted or troubled), and this demonstrates that the witches motives for targeting Macbeth was not merely a cruel trick but may be seen as part of a greater design in which he is to be tested by God. This demonstrates that even a hero must be subjected to temptation (and euen some of the best, that their patience may bee tryed before the world). Though the witches are malevolent, they could possibly be instruments of God (rather than the Devil as suggested in Act 3 Scene 5, where the character of Hecate comes to direct the witches; however, this character is probably a later interpolation by another writer, as the Folio was printed seven years after Shakespeares death). Macbeths subsequent failing through succumbing to temptation and killing Duncan is not the fault of God nor the witches, but himself. This illustrates the ubiquitous nature of temptation, and shows that all people are plagued with their own demons of desire; however these demons cannot be blamed for leading their victims astray because the responsibility lies with the person who chooses not to resist temptation. We must deal with the possibility that the witches possessed Macbeth, and that he may not be responsible for his actions. The frequent use of the word rapt, which comes from rapture, suggests the transportation of the soul. This is seen in the play when Banquo comments on Macbeths appearance upon being told he is to be the new thane of Cawdor; (Look, how our partners rapt). However his subsequent actions prove he is capable of free will (We will proceed no further in this business) and that he is therefore responsible for his actions. In conclusion, Macbeth is capable of making choices, and he chooses to commit regicide for personal gain. This was not forced upon him by the satanic tempters, they are not controlling him. One character who does attempt to exert control over Macbeth however is his wife, Lady Macbeth. In the next paragraph we will examine the way in which she attempts to do this and to what extent she is responsible for the tragedy. Lady Macbeth was first told of the witches prophecy in a letter from her husband. Her first reaction is to doubt her husbands ability to achieve it, (Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it). Her use of the word illness refers to her suspicion that Macbeth does not possess the necessary ruthlessness to enable him to become king. This establishes her as the dominant partner in their marriage, which extends to her taking the lead in the plot to supplant Duncan with Macbeth. Her invocation of evil spirits is an invitation to Satan to purge her of her humanity (And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty) so to as better enable herself to conspire to murder. Lady Macbeth is aware that her husband has great affection for her (he calls her My dearest partner of greatness and my dearest love), and uses this to her own advantage when she persuades Macbeth to follow through with her plan when he has doubts (We will proceed no further in this business). She achieves this by calling into question his love for her (Such I account thy love) and uses this supposed implantation of doubt in his character as a tool by which she can control him. When she uses the word desire for his ambition (As thou art in desire), she is attacking his masculinity and insinuating that if he does not do this he is not really a man. There are two elements of desire she refers to, the ambition to become king, and also implying sexual desire by which she is challenging his masculinity and provoking a reaction. Macbeth takes the bait (I dare do all that may become a man), meaning he is now resolved to proving to her that he is a man. She says she will not consider him a man until he fulfils his promise (And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man). This also demonstrates her use of flattery to coerce him to her will. Another emotional tool Lady Macbeth wields to her advantage is the memory of hers and Macbeths deceased child. (How tender tis to love the babe that milks me, / I would dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you / Have done to this.) She uses this memory as a shock tactic, evoking the raw anger and passions that stem from losing a child, to show Macbeth that had she promised to do something she would honour that promise, and so must he. We know that Macbeth has no children from a conversation Macduff has with Malcolm, telling him that Macbeth has no children. Therefore we must deduce the Macbeths have suffered a bereavement, for Lady Macbeth previously mentions the feelings of motherhood. From this we see Lady Macbeth does play a substantial role in the killing of Duncan, however she argues she was justified to take this course of action because her husband Macbeth wants her to, or else he wouldnt have sent the letter. What beast wast, then, / That made you break this enterprise to me?). His letter to Lady Macbeth could possibly be his subconscious mind, anticipating his inhibitions, and so constructing an external force, in the form of Lady Macbeth, to impede any change of mind or unwillingness to kill Duncan. Earlier pre-Freudian commentators thought that Lady Macbeth was over-reacting to Macbeths remarks on the witches. However in the light of Freuds theories on the unconscious mind (that your statements reflect your deepest preoccupations), Macbeths mentioning of the witches prophecy in his letter to his wife could be interpreted as an invitation to her to help him realise it. It seems that Macbeth would not have killed Duncan without the pressure from his wife. However his initial openness to believe that the witches prophecies are true (Tell me more), are indicative of his underlying aspirations to be king. Banquo, who was himself prepared to indulge in their stories, and even invited them (Speak then to me) harboured no such allusions of entitled greatness. He quickly tries to relinquish the witches promises, dismissing them as tricks (The instruments of darkness tell us truthsto betrays in deepest consequence). Shakespeare was constrained in his ability to portray Banquo as anything less than chivalrous because of his historical relation to James I, who believed him to be a distant ancestor. However, Shakespeare was able to use Banquo as a dramatic contrast to Macbeth. In Act 2 Scene 1 Banquo was able to resist his temptations by the calling of heavenly powers to help banish the traitorous thoughts from his mind. In contrast Macbeths own willingness to believe in the witches so fervently is an indicator of an already formulated plan to deprive Duncan of his throne. Throughout the play Macbeth continuously abdicates responsibility for his actions (I go, and it is done; the bell invites me), preferring to concentrate on his end goal rather than the suffering he is causing in the present. Macbeth says of the hallucinated dagger Thou marshallst me the way that I was going, which demonstrates his belief that fate (represented through the instrument of murder, the dagger) is compelling him to commit these acts of evil by leading his hand for him. (If it were done when tis done, then twere well / It were done quickly). Here he shows he takes no pleasure in his actions and wants them over as soon as possible. The audience understands that this is just a coping mechanism that allows him to carry out these evil deeds; however his ability to remain apathetic and dissociated with his actions does not allow him to escape ultimate responsibility. Shakespeares attempts at dealing with issues of responsibility and motivation in his characters bring up some initially unexpected conclusions upon penetrating the surface. The most telling of these is perhaps Macbeth himself, whose conflicted aspirations of greatness, greed and apathy in the face of suffering are indicative of the worst of human nature. Another character who demonstrates a number of human qualities is Lady Macbeth, who has often been misrepresented as the figurehead of greed and self-interest in the past. In fact she could possibly be seen as the victim of an indecisive husband who uses her to carry his burdens of self doubt and insecurity. The witches initial roles as catalysts of events through their indiscriminate torture of Macbeth are in fact, when considered within the context of James Is book Daemonologie, sent by God as judges to test Macbeth. The underlying message of the play is the uncomfortable responsibility that we must all take responsibility for our own actions, and that however much wed like to be able to pass blame, we cant.