Prior to Duncan’s death, Lady Macbeth recognizes Macbeth’s inner turmoil and she takes matters into her own hands. Lady Macbeth advises him of her plan to kill Duncan and explains that she will conduct the evening's events. She states, “Look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye,/ Your hand, your tongue. / Look like th' innocent flower,/ But be the serpent under ’t. /He that’s coming / Must be provided for, and you shall put / This night’s great business into my dispatch, / Which shall to all our nights and days to come” (Shakespeare 1.5.55-61).
This extract is from Act 4 Scene 1 of the acclaimed play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers of English literature in the history. He is famous for his poetries, quotes, tragic and comedy plays. We must assume that some of his writings on misery and warmth were a reflection of his own life experience. Love and marriage in his plays always ended miserably and symbolized as tragedies, or full of unnecessary disputes on trivial issues.
In Act 4 Scene 3b of Shakespeare's Macbeth, Malcolm, Macduff, and Ross discuss the current state of Scotland. Malcolm asks a doctor if the King is coming out, and the doctor responds positively, and explains that there are sick people who can only be cured by the King's touch. Malcolm tells Macduff that the illness is known as "the evil," and that the King has the power to cure it with a golden stamp and holy prayers. The King is also said to have the gift of prophecy and is known for being kind. Ross enters and tells them that Scotland is in a bad state, with frequent violence and death causing despair.
Macbeth is the Shakespearean play that features the triumphant uprise and the inevitable downfall of its main character. In this play, Macbeth’s downfall can be considered to be the loss of his moral integrity and this is achieved by ambition, despite this, Lady Macbeth and the witches work through his ambition, furthering to assist his inevitable ruin. Ambition alone is the most significant factor that led to Macbeth’s downfall. The witches are only able to influence his actions through Macbeth’s pre-existing and the three witches see that Macbeth has ambition and uses it to control his action. Ambition alone is displayed throughout the play to be the most significant cause for Macbeth’s downfall.
In Act 1 Scene 5, Shakespeare introduces and engages our interest in Lady Macbeth’s complex character by associating her with the supernatural and revealing her deadly ambition to fulfil her murderous needs. As the scene progresses, Lady Macbeth performs a soliloquy that brings light to the complexity of her character, using language associated with the supernatural and witchcraft. She says, “Come, you spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts,” referring to the ghosts that are deadly and feed on thoughts of murder. Shakespeare uses this in revealing Lady Macbeth’s belief of the supernatural and the innate connection she has that is strong enough for her to be calling out to them for help.
Act 2, scene 2 is quite an important scene in Macbeth, since it marks the changes of the characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Their thoughts and emotions are presented in this particular scene. It shows the different roles that they play and how much they have been influenced by the witches’ prophecies. Lady Macbeth claims to be courageous in the beginning of the scene, by saying ‘that which hath made them drunk made me bold’. She seems to be very keen about this murder and very confident, and the fact that she was alone on stage emphasises it.
The scene Act 3 scene 2, conveys the theme that killing someone isn't the most proficient way in dealing with problems nor does it make life simpler, instead it creates more complications. Ironically, In this scene Lady Macbeth and Macbeth discuss the death of Banquo; both of them begin to show signs of fear & guilt. Both of them realize the troubles that come with killing Banquo, and recognize that troubles follow; his son Fleance can still cease the prophecy. This is demonstrated in the metaphorical quote “We have scorched the snake, not killed it.” Macbeth refers to Banquo as a snake, who has not yet been killed and is still able to “attack” them.
Act 3 scene 4 Analysis Scene 4 of Act 3 takes place at Forres,The murders return to tell Macbeth of Banquo 's death Macbeth returns to the banquet only to be tormented by the ghost of Banquo which is presented in William Shakespeare 's Macbeth usage of metaphors and imagery. The Death of banquo his former best mate has Macbeth reflecting about the moments happening in his life. Macbeth states “I had else been perfect,Whole as the marble, founded as the rock”(2.4.23-24) banquo 's death has Macbeth reflection about his old self and how he used to be a strong man with free will and now he 's reduced to a man who 's easily manipulated almost like a shell of his former self. This scene establishes that Macbeth is no longer the man he used to be he a ghost of his former self.
“The spring, the head, the fountain of your blood is stopped; the very source of it is stopped” (2.3.77-78). Macbeth murders the guards to prevent them from professing their innocence, affirming their intention to avenge the king in a fit of rage for his misdeeds. Duncan 's children; Malcolm and Donalbain, flee to England and Ireland, respectively, for fear that the killer of Duncan wishes the death of both also. Macbeth has killed Duncan who is his cousin. “Where we are, there’s daggers in men’s smiles.
Macbeth’s soliloquy in Act 5 Scene 5 after hearing about Lady Macbeth’s death acts as a reinstitution of Macbeth’s trace of humanity, he reflects upon his own actions and life itself. Macbeth’s melancholy lamentation over Lady Macbeth’s death reveals the disorientation of time caused by his actions. Although his desires are fulfilled, he realizes in the soliloquy that everything he has done is futile. In the soliloquy, Macbeth brought up the the idea of time.
Macbeth’s state of mind changes dramatically throughout the play. This is revealed through his soliloquy. In his soliloquy, He shows his intention he would like to achieve but its construction shows Macbeth’s mind still very much in confusion. However, most of the time Macbeth shows three different fears considering the consequences of killing king Duncan. At the beginning of Act 1 Scene 7, Macbeth is in turmoil about killing Duncan.
The version of Macbeth Act 5 Scene 1 that was the most true to Shakespeare 's vision was the Kate Fleetwood version. The Kate Fleetwood version was more successful than the Judi Dench version due to the portrayal of Lady Macbeth and her downfall. In the Judi Dench version of Act 5 Scene 1 of Macbeth the tone is sad not crazy. As well as Lady Macbeth is portrayed as more sad than irrational/anxious and guilty.
Lady Macbeth has many faces and the given extract shows the truest of them all. Shakespeare makes Act1 Scene 5 a striking introduction to Lady Macbeth as her words fit with the theme of witchcraft-and supernatural- as well as deceit. Macbeth is a tragedy that was thought to be performed in 1606- an era when witchcraft was prevalent. Lady Macbeth is a dynamic character and Shakespeare makes this extract so striking by using elements of language, structure and mood. Using language, Shakespeare is able to make this extract so fascinating in terms of introducing Lady Macbeth.
King Duncan then decided he would go to Macbeth 's house for dinner where Lady Macbeth had already been made aware of the situation with the witches and that Macbeth was not named king. When Macbeth arrives home she suggests they kill him, after he declines, she starts questioning his manhood and peer pressures him until he decides to kill Duncan. This act scarred the two sons of Duncan so they fled the country and Macbeth was crowned. Obviously the play ends with Macbeth as the villain, dethroned and beheaded.
As I was sitting there I could tell something was bothering Macbeth, he seemed paranoid. As I am about to start eating he yells at the top of his lungs which of you have done this? He started talking to his chair like someone was sitting there. I had to make an excuse for him talking to his chair. I told the guests that he occasionally has visions and that they should just ignore his behavior.
