Macbeth
Uploaded by adnan5486 on Oct 09, 2001
The play is about a king who is murdered by one of his most trusted men trying to gain power. During the play Shakespeare heightens the mood by using various accounts of imagery. The blood and night imagery that Shakespeare uses adds to the evil, darkness and deception surrounding the play.
It is established from the very beginning that Macbeth is ambitious. A certain level of courage accompanies his ambition as well.
The people with greatest impact on Macbeth are the witches, his wife and Lady, and King Duncan of Scotland. The witches introduce the idea, King Duncan gives personal motive, and Lady Macbeth helps along the way.
The least influential party in all of this is King Duncan. The conflict between these two is purely circumstantial, but clear enough. Macbeth is an ambitious man. The King represents the highest position of power that Macbeth can hope to become.
When King Duncan thanks Macbeth for his heroic service in battle, Macbeth replies that "your highness’ is to receive our duties; and our duties, your throne and state children and servants". A King cares for his people as a father cares for his children; and the people are supposed to act like obedient children, which macbeth does there.
Duncan's main influence is directly after Macbeth is honoured for bravery and courage in battle, fighting for Duncan against a lord. Macbeth is celebrating his glory and soaking up credit when Duncan basically steals his spotlight from right over his head.
This action also makes Macbeths heroic work less known. Duncan is basically announcing that Macbeth, while noble, is inferior to his wonderful son Malcolm.
The other side of Duncan's murder is due to the contribution of Lady Macbeth, who begins plotting as soon as she finds out Duncan is coming to stay. Macbeth truly found his soul mate in this sense; she certainly does think along the same vein as he.
When Macbeth first hears the predictions of the witches, and when the first 2/3 of it comes true, he does think of killing the king, but also, towards the end of Act 1, Scene 3, he thinks that perhaps he doesn't need to do anything to become the king: "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir."
On the other hand, Lady Macbeth, on receiving the letter telling her about the witches' predictions, she immediately thinks that she...