In Act II, scene 1 of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is standing alone in his castle, Inverness. Banquo and Fleance have left after briefly discussing with Macbeth the prophecy of the three witches. While alone, Macbeth suddenly observes a dagger floating in the air. After unsuccessfully attempting to grab it, he begins wondering if what he sees is a tangible dagger or a hallucination. He promptly decides it is only his imagination after seeing blood on the tip of the blade. Macbeth realizes that he is having these visions as a result of his coming deed, which is killing Duncan. Though he acknowledges the evilness of the night, he resolves to carry out his plan. After hearing Lady Macbeth’s signal to proceed, a bell tolling, Macbeth makes his way to Duncan’s chamber.
Macbeth’s hesitation at murdering Duncan is clearly shown through the dagger, which is the first of many hallucinations Macbeth and Lady Macbeth will experience. The dagger indicates Macbeth’s guilty and paranoid nature. Though he is not instinctively inclined to perpetrate evil deeds, his great desire for power trumps his hesitations and he murders Duncan. He does this before he has a chance to lose his courage and consider the consequences, saying, “While I threat, he lives. Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives.” His ambitions will eventually lead to his corruption.
Several significant sounds and visions occur in Act II. The bloody dagger that is a manifestation of Macbeth’s guilt points towards Duncan’s chamber. This illustrates the destructive path Macbeth will embark on. Blood symbolizes Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s guilt, as well. Before committing the murder, Macbeth only sees blood on the dagger, but he will later imagine it to be permanently stained on his hands, leading him to cry out, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?” The ringing of the bell by Lady Macbeth indicates the murder as well.
This passage further establishes Macbeth’s shame and guilt, but he proves that he is willing to disregard his conscience to achieve his ultimate desires. The hallucinations of blood foreshadow the violence that is to come, as well as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s increasing guilt and paranoia.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Friday, July 11, 2014
Act I, scene 5, II. 12/15-27/30 LADY MACBETH, structure
In Act I, scene 5 of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is in Macbeth’s castle, Inverness, reading a letter she has received from him. He describes to his wife his ascension to the title of “Thane of Cawdor”, and the witches’ prophecy. Lady Macbeth believes that the witches predicted that Macbeth would become the Thane of Cawdor, and their projection that he will be crowned king will come to fruition as well. However, she does not believe her husband is aggressive enough to seize the throne on his own. She fears that he is “too full o’ the milk of human kindness”. She decides to persuade Macbeth to become king by whatever means necessary, since it seems apparent that that will be his destiny.
Lady Macbeth is a dominant character in the play, who is shown to possess the most ambitious and violent nature as well. Though in scene 5 of Act I Macbeth is portrayed as being a brave and able warrior, Lady Macbeth describes him in a different sense, thinking of him as weak, though ambitious. It becomes clear that she is willing to manipulate him to her benefit. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth desire to become powerful, but Lady Macbeth is more inclined to be ruthless in the process. Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy foreshadows the bloodshed that is to come.
When Lady Macbeth finishes her husband’s letter, she agrees he will become king, but she immediately decides that his nature will not permit him to be successful alone. She comes to this conclusion after discussing to herself all that Macbeth desires, but why he will not attain them by being a virtuous man. For example, she states “What thou wouldst highly, that wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, and yet wouldst wrongly win.” Her speech is written in blank verse, as is the majority of the work, except for the prophecies of the witches. This makes the witches’ rhymes more sinister, creating a sense of doom.
This speech, along with Lady Macbeth’s second soliloquy later in Act I, scene 5, represents Lady Macbeth’s conviction that aggression and cruelty are masculine traits. She will later wish that she was a man, so that she herself could carry out the murders that she thinks are necessary. Also, she will use this as a tactic of persuasion, questioning Macbeth’s masculinity when he hesitates to use violence. This scene represents the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and their desire for power.
Lady Macbeth is a dominant character in the play, who is shown to possess the most ambitious and violent nature as well. Though in scene 5 of Act I Macbeth is portrayed as being a brave and able warrior, Lady Macbeth describes him in a different sense, thinking of him as weak, though ambitious. It becomes clear that she is willing to manipulate him to her benefit. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth desire to become powerful, but Lady Macbeth is more inclined to be ruthless in the process. Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy foreshadows the bloodshed that is to come.
When Lady Macbeth finishes her husband’s letter, she agrees he will become king, but she immediately decides that his nature will not permit him to be successful alone. She comes to this conclusion after discussing to herself all that Macbeth desires, but why he will not attain them by being a virtuous man. For example, she states “What thou wouldst highly, that wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, and yet wouldst wrongly win.” Her speech is written in blank verse, as is the majority of the work, except for the prophecies of the witches. This makes the witches’ rhymes more sinister, creating a sense of doom.
This speech, along with Lady Macbeth’s second soliloquy later in Act I, scene 5, represents Lady Macbeth’s conviction that aggression and cruelty are masculine traits. She will later wish that she was a man, so that she herself could carry out the murders that she thinks are necessary. Also, she will use this as a tactic of persuasion, questioning Macbeth’s masculinity when he hesitates to use violence. This scene represents the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and their desire for power.
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