Macbeth: Further Analysis

Throughout the play, Macbeth heads down a dark path where he abuses his power, commits horrible atrocities, and to cover up his actions he commits more crimes. This is because his power corrupts him, due to his fear. This can be summed up with the theme of Power, Corruption and Ambition.

Quoations as proof:

Power:

“Rebellion's head, rise never till the wood
of Birnam rise, and our high-placed Macbeth
shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath to time and mortal custom.” (IV. I. 97-103)

Corruption:

“Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee? But yet I'll make assurance double sure, And take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live; That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies, and sleep in spite of thunder. ” (IV. I. 82-86)

Ambition:

“Whiles I stood rapt in the wonder of it, came missives from the king, who all-hailed me 'Thane of Cawdor;' by which title, before, these weird sisters saluted me, and referred me to the coming on of time, with 'Hail, king that shalt be!' This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness, that thou might not lose the dues of rejoicing, by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee. Lay it to thy heart, and farewell.' Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be what thou art promised” (I. V. 5-15)

Throughout the play, Macbeth is
influenced by the three witches who tell him about his future and what it holds. Because of this Macbeth starts to do what is necessary to ensure of his success, while failing to understand that his fate is not written in stone and that he is the master of his own destiny, which brings forth his downfall.

Quotations as proof:

Fate: At the beginning of the story, said by Duncan to Banquo about Macbeth

"He is full so valiant, and his commendations I am fed; It is a banquet to me. Let's after him, whose care is gone before to bid us welcome it is a peerless kinsman."

(I. IV. 54-58)

In the play, the murder of
Duncan takes a toll on Lady
Macbeth and starts having guilt
for her actions and the actions
of her husband. She starts becoming
paranoid about her hands and how
they are stained with blood forever

Quotations as proof:

Negative Effects of Guilt: Lady Macbeth

“ Here’s the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh! oh! oh!” (V. I. 43-45)

Negative Effects of Guilt: Macbeth

“Still it cried 'Sleep no more!' to all the house:
'Glamis hath murder'd sleep, and therefore Cawdor
Shall sleep no more; Macbeth shall sleep no more”. (II. II. 41-43)

At the begining of the play,
Macbeth says in his letter to
Lady Macbeth that he lacks
her ruthlessness to be able to
pull of a murder.

Quotations as proof:

Gender roles:Lady Macbeth:
“yet do I fear thy nature;

It is too full o' the milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great; art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it: what thou wouldst highly, that wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, and yet wouldst wrongly win: thou'ldst have, great Glamis, That which cries 'Thus thou must do, if thou have it; ” (I. V. 19-22)

Relationship: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

“This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness” (I. IV. 8-12)

Throughout the play, Macbeth takes into
account, all of the prophecies that the Witches tell him, to the point where he forgets that the Witches are evil.

Quotations as proof:

Appearance: that Macbeth is good

“Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none. so all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!”(I. III. 67-68)

Reality: Macbeth’s character

“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes” (IV. I. 44-47)

Conflict

Macbeth's future is put in jeapordy by the three witches as they try to corrupt him, creating a conflict

Macbeth desires the throne and
feels that Banquo and his son
is a threat, since the three witches prophecy states that Banquo's son
could be king, therefore creating unrest.


Macbeth vs. Macduff
and his army at the
end of the play as he
and his army seize the throne
for the rightful king, Macolm

As the reader we can see that Macbeth is weak, his belief in the three witches is so much that it puts him on a path of destruction and result in his own downfall

How the setting adds to the thinking and beliefs or the characters at the time
of the story.


In Macbeth the entire story takes place in Western Europe in an area known as the United Kingdom where the majority of municipalities were monarchies, having each monarch possessing a great amount of power, so it is easier for us as the reader to see that it was pretty common for traitors such as Macbeth to be villainous, since monarch's only care about power from the setting that the story takes place in.

How the setting adds to the mood of the story

Near the end of the story the army fighting Macbeth comes through Birnam wood and disguises themselves in with shrubs and other things so that Macbeth does not know the number of troops coming. Therefore the setting of Birnam would signifies purity and the return of order in a time of chaos.

How the setting adds to the mood of the story.

During the final moments of Macbeth's life he is in yet another castle. The castle in Dunsinane. This castle is one that is mentioned by the prophecy so as the reader we are already experiencing the suspense.
This location, as it is another castle in a far off weird place, creates a mood that tells you that the story is coming to an end

Background:

A Scottish general, who becomes Thane of Galais and Cawdor through being corrupted by prophecies that he is told, and bad influences like his wife

Key Characteristics:

Irrational, constitutionally weak and impulsive

Quotations as proof:

"If it were done, when 'twere well it were done quickly: if th' assasination could trammel up the consequences, and catch with his surcease, success" (I. VII. 1-5)

Background:

Macbeth's wife, a ruthless, power hungry wife who is more ambitious and is the main reason behind Macbeth's corrupted state.

Key characteristics:

Power-hungry, manipulative and evil

Quotations as proof:

“That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top: full. Direst cruelty make thick my blood” (I. III. 40-42)

Background:

The great king of Scotland, a virtuous and dedicated leader. He is everything that Macbeth is not. His murder symbolized the destruction of order in Scotland.

Key characteristics:

Noble, Strong, Caring and Compassionate

Quotations as proof:

"He is full so valiant, and his commendations
I am fed; It is a banquet to me. Let's after him, whose care is gone before to bid us welcome it is a peerless kinsman."
(I. IV. 54-58)

Background

King Duncan's son who
flees Scotland after the
death of his father, but
returns, to fight back
against Macbeth and
his tyrannical rule

Key characteristics:

Intelligent, Leader-like

Quotations as proof:

“Be this the whetstone of your sword: let grief
Convert to anger; blunt not the heart, enrage it.” (IV. III. 228 -229)

Background:

A Scottish nobleman with strong loyalties to the sovereign

Key Characteristics:

Intelligent, Loyal (to the sovereign

Quotations as proof:

Intelligent:

“Things have been strangely borne. The gracious Duncan
Was pitied of Macbeth: marry, he was dead: and the right-valiant Banquo walk'd too late; Whom, you may say, if't please you, Fleance kill'd, For Fleance fled: men must not walk too late. Who cannot want the thought how monstrous It was for Malcolm and for Donalbain to kill their gracious father? damned fact!” (III. V. 3-10

Loyal:
“Or so much as it needs,

To dew the sovereign flower and drown the weeds.

Make we our march towards Birnam.” (V. II 29-31)

Background:

A Scottish nobleman

Key Characteristics:

Optimistic (when Lady Macduff is asking why Macduff left her), Sensitive

Quotations as proof:

Optimistic:

“You know not whether it was his wisdom or his fear” (IV. II. 4-5)

Sensitive:

“Your castle is surprised; your wife and babes

Savagely slaughter'd: to relate the manner, Were, on the quarry of these murder'd deer, to add the death of you.”

(IV. III. 204-207)

Background

A noble and wise Scottish general who is also given the prophecy along with Macbeth, which states that his children will have the throne in the future, however he does not pay much attention to it.

Key characteristics:

Noble, wise and strong

Quotations as proof:

"But 'tis strange: and oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray's in deepest consequence." (I. III. 122-126)

Background

The goddess of witchcraft, who helps the three witches do mischief apon Macbeth.

Key characteristics:

Mischievous, evil and cunning

Quotations as proof:

"How did you dare to trade and traffic with Macbeth in riddles and affairs of death; And I, the mistress of your charms, was never called to bear my part, or show the gory of our art" (III. V. 3-9)

Background:

A Scottish nobleman who suspects Macbeth's intentions from the start and flees to England after the murder of his King Duncan, but when his wife and son are murdered he desires vengeance and the rightful king, Malcolm to take the throne.

Key characteristics:

Fearful and loyal

Quotations as proof:

Background:

A group of ruffians conscripted by Macbeth to murder Banquo and Fleance

Key Characteristics:

Rude and Evil

Quotations as proof:

“What, you egg! Young fry of treachery!”
(IV. II. 80-81)

Background:

A drunken doorman at
Macbeth's castle

Key Characteristics:

Honest & Irresponsible

Quotations as proof:

“Faith sir, we were carousing till the second cock: and drink, sir, is a great provoker of three things… Marry, sir, nose-painting, sleep, and urine. Lechery, sir, it provokes, and unprovokes; it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance: therefore, much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery: it makes him, and it mars him;” (II. I 20-21, 24-28)

Background:

Duncan's son and Malcolm's younger brother

Key characteristics:

Intelligent and a rational thinker

Quotations as proof:

“What should be spoken here, where our fate, hid in an auger-hole, may rush and seize us” (II. IIII. 134-137)

Background:

Macduff's wife, She is only seen in one scene of the story. her personality and
home contrasting to that of Lady Macbeth's dark world

Key characteristics:

Irrational & Arrogant

Quotations as proof:

“Wisdom! to leave his wife, to leave his babes,his mansion and his titles in a place from whence himself does fly? He loves us not;” (IV. II. 6-8)

Background:

Three witches with
hag like appearances who plot mischief against Macbeth,
through magic and
prophecies and
convince Macbeth to
murder King Duncan

Key Characteristics:

Mischievous, manipulative and cunning

Quotations as proof:

"Aroint thee, witch! the rump fed ronyon cries. Her husband's to Aleppo gone, master o'th' Tiger: But in a sieve I'll thither sail, and like a rat without a tail, I'll do, I'll do, and I'll do." (I. III. 6-10)

Background:

Banquo's son

Character
analysis found
inconclusive

How the setting adds to the Mood of the story:

In Macbeth, the witches reside in
a heath somewhere where they brew
their potions and plot their evil plans. Not
much information is given to us about this
heath so we have to use our imagination. Since we have to use our imagination, many details are of suspenseful nature, and create an evil and scary mood which continues throughout a large part of the story.

How the setting adds to the Mood of the story.

In Macbeth, Macbeth holds his inauguration at a castle in Forres. The mood of the story is already dark, as Macbeth has murdered
Duncan in his own castle. Then since he is in another far off castle gives the reader an eerie feeling. To top this off Macbeth plans on killing Banquo from this castle, creating a well rounded setting for treachery

How the setting adds to the Purpose of the story:

The story of Macbeth is one where powerful monarchs abused their power via manipulating their inferiors to do their work for them (eg. killing enemies). All monarchs at that time lived in large castles and Macbeth was no exception. Often times during the medieval era, a castle was where the monarchs plotted their schemes. Therefore for this reason this castle adds to the purpose of the story, which was to showcase how power can corrupt people

Prophecy: The three witches

Key Points: Act 1 Scene 1

The three witches prophesied that Macbeth will be thane (king) of both Gamais and Cawdor.

Macbeth is very confused. The thane of cawdor was still alive. He figures out that to become thane of Cawdor he must kill the current thane and so the story begins

Key Points: Act 4 Scene 1

An apparition performed by the witches, indicates that nobody born from a woman will ever be able to harm macbeth and that the only way that he could be defeated is if the the Birnam forest were to come to Dunsinane.


Macbeth is relieved, and is absolutely certain that he cannot be defeated since he believes that every human being is born from a woman and that forests cannot move.

Proofs: Quotations

“Be bloody, bold, and resolute: laugh to scorn the power of man; for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” (IV. I. 79-81)

“ Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are; Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill” (IV. I 90-94)

Violence: Macbeth's murderers

Key Points: Act 3 Scene 3

When the murderers kill Banquo

Proofs: Quotations

“O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly!
Thou mayst revenge. O slave! [Dies. FLEANCE escapes]”

(III. III. 18-19)

Key Points: Act 4 Scene 2

When the murderers kill Macduff’s son

Proofs: Quotations

“He has kill'd me, mother:
Run away, I pray you!

[Dies]”

(IV. II. 82-83)

Hallucinations: Macbeth sees the ghost of
Banquo

Key Points: Act 3 Scene 4

At a party to celebrate his new control over the throne, he sees the ghost of Banquo he he starts to see everywhere

Proof: Quotations

“Avaunt! and quit my sight! let the earth hide thee! Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; Thou hast no speculation in those eyes. Which thou dost glare with” (III. IV. 92-98)

Blood: Macbeth's actions

Weather:

Key Points: Act 1 Scene 1

In the first scene when the three witches are seen at a heath

Proof: Quotations

“When shall we three meet again?
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” (I. I. 1-2)

The setting is crucial for three reasons

The setting helps the reader understand the purpose of the story

The setting of a story can influence the readers understanding of the characters at the time

It adds to the mood of the story

Proofs: Quotations

“All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Cawdor” (I. III. 48-49)

Key Points: Act 2 Scene 2

Macbeth murders Duncan and cannot look at the bloody mess that he has created

Proof: Quotations

“I’ll go no more: I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on’t again I dare not. ” (II. II. 51-53)