William Shakespeare’s Medieval Play Macbeth

MACBETH PRACTICE ESSAY:

In William Shakespeare’s medieval play Macbeth, the character of Macbeth is given three prophesies by three mysterious witches, the first being that Macbeth with become ‘Thane of Glamis’, the second being that Macbeth will become ‘Than of Cawdor’, and the last being that Macbeth ‘shalt be king hereafter’. After the first two prophecies come true, Macbeth wonders if the third prophesy will also be granted? With some doubt in his mind, Macbeth approaches his ‘dearest love’, Lady Macbeth with the dilemma. Lady Macbeth is quite decisive that the killing should go on! In Act 1, various themes are introduced, such as the battle of good versus evil, deceptive appearances and fate versus free will.

In Act 1, scene 7 of Macbeth, it is revealed to the audience that Macbeth is quite indecisive about whether or not he should kill his king. Macbeth speaks about the reasons why he should not kill the king, Macbeth expresses that this unnatural task will “return to plague the inventor”, loyalty, kinship, ambition and the abnormal events that might occur.  Although Macbeth is talked about as being ‘brave’, ‘valiant’ and a ‘worthy gentleman’, even though it might seem strange, this scene reveals that Macbeth is not the man he is raved to be. When Macbeth stresses to his beloved wife about the sudden change of mind, Lady Macbeth refers to Macbeth as a ‘coward’, even asking ‘art thou afeard’.

In the play, Macbeths wife, Lady Macbeth, seems sweet and nice, until she hears of the three prophesies proposed by the ‘instruments of darkness’. During Shakespearean times, women were known as weak unimportant beings that were there to give birth and look beautiful. They were not thought to be as intelligent or equal to men. Lady Macbeth disobeys these standards, as she is a large influence of Macbeth’s decisions throughout the play. Lady Macbeth is unusually fixed on the killing of King Duncan, she speaks about how Macbeth is too “full o’ the milk of human kindness”, Lady Macbeth also plans on convincing him by “pouring my spirits in thine ear”, as Macbeth is unworthy of doing the deed on his own. Lady Macbeth calls upon spirits to ‘unsex me here’ to take away all of her kindness and femineity. Which seems to work, after these prays have been called, Lady Macbeth is set on Macbeth killing Duncan, no matter the cost. She plans the death by drugging the chamberlains, and blaming them for the death by using their daggers and smearing the Kings blood over them. Although Lady Macbeth is meant to represent beauty and peace, her appearances are quite misleading.  If Macbeth were not to take these prophecies so seriously, and tell Lady Macbeth, Lady Macbeth would not have the desire to kill King Duncan, and therefore not resulting in their own death.