Joshua Skuy Research Paper

"MACBETH Who can be wise, amazed, temp 'rate and furious, / Loyal and neutral in a moment? No man,/ Th 'expidition of my violent love/ Outran the pauser reason. Here lay Duncan,/ His silver skin laced with his golden blood,/ And his gashed stabs looked like a breach in nature/ For ruins wasteful entrance; there the murderers,/ Steeped in the colours of their trade, their daggers/ Unmannerly breeched with gore. Who could refrain/ That had a heart to love, and in hat heart/ Courage to make loves known". (2.3 105-115)

Thane of Cawdor to me promise no less to them' (act 1, scene 3, page

Once a successful war leader, Macbeth demonstrates the ability to command by providing reasoned motivation, purpose and directions to sway the minds of two men into murdering Banquo and Fleance, two of whom were threats to his kingship - “Not i' th' worst rank of manhood, say ’t,/ And I will put that business in your bosoms,/ Whose execution takes your enemy off,/ Grapples you to the heart and love of us,” (Act 3 Scene 1 Line 102-105). “And something

Inverness Castle, the Macbeth residence on Friday Evening- Breaking news, the honorable King Duncan of Scotland was found dead in his sleep with multiple stab wounds to the chest. Watchmen have yet to identify who committed such a horrendous felony. The locals of Scotland are in utter shock and awe of the tragic events that took place last night. The great lands of Scotland are still with the breaths of the helpless citizens that don’t know what to do now that the king is dead. As loyal citizens they all want the death of the king to be avenged.

A murder of a King who highly praised him and rewarded Macbeth for his loyalty? It seems very unlikely bordering on fiction. Macbeth is a man of great character. Described by the King himself as noble. Also called ‘O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman’, King Duncan did not just speak these words for the sake of it but to show how he honoured him.

Macbeth, a highly revered Thane, was a huge war hero and feels that this is who he is meant to be. Upon returning from war, he meets 3 witches who start his prey drive towards the other members of the kingdom. Our witches reveal that Macbeth will become Thane of a second region, but will not just stop at being a Thane. He will one day be king. Macbeth reveals this to his wife, who quickly becomes the force behind the madness. She insists that the only way for Macbeth to become king is to murder the current king who just so happens to be coming to stay with the Macbeth’s that very night. It is here that Macbeth turns himself into a force of direct suffering.

We certainly know that the direct responsible for Duncan’s death is Macbeth. However this does not necessarily mean he is to blame, for his violent death is obviously the consequence of certain influences that forced Macbeth to perform his fatal deed. Furthermore, to unearth the truth about who is really the guilty for Duncan’s murder we must explore the influences the different characters have on Macbeth’s impulses and the overall scenario of the slaying.

Macbeth’s voice was filled with fright, and he looked quite disturbed by the sight. Lady Macbeth reassured us that her husband had suffered from these “fits” since his youth and that we would offend Macbeth if we noticed him too much. Though she tried to keep a calm exterior, it was clear that Lady Macbeth was shaken by the sudden outburst. Her words were suspicious, and I was unsure of the truthfulness of her explanation. The once inviting atmosphere of the gathering had quickly dissipated, and it seemed as though an ominous darkness had filled the air. I remained quiet in my chair, but something seemed greatly amiss about the situation. Lady Macbeth pulled Macbeth aside and began talking quietly with him, and though I could not hear what was being said, it seemed as though she was more angry than concerned, which is different than what I would have expected her to be during her husband’s fit. Soon, Macbeth rejoined the table, but he looked pale and shaken, a far cry from the noble man I had witnessed at the beginning of the banquet. After he toasted Banquo, it appeared that the gathering had resumed, and I was looking forward to finally

3. 157-159) Macbeth’s arrogance is made apparent with the immediacy of his thoughts of becoming king and it is clear that the supernatural has given him arrogant ambition as Macbeth is already beginning to think of how he will be crowned king. Macbeth eventually decides he will show his “Black and deep desires” (1. 4. 58) and murder Duncan, the current king of Scotland. This is a shift from Macbeth showing loyalty to Scotland and the king as he now has arrogantly, for the benefit of himself becoming king, murdered Duncan, the king of Scotland. Duncan was greatly admired and respected by the population of Scotland. Macbeth himself describes Duncan as “meek” (1. 7. 17) and being “so clear in his great office” (1. 7. 18). When Macduff first realizes the death of Duncan, he describes the scene as: “O horror, horror, horror!” (2. 3. 73) Macbeth acknowledges that the reaction to Duncan’s death would be mournful before murdering him: “Pity… / Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye, / That tears shall drown the wind” (1.7. 21-25). However, Macbeth’s only goal is to become king, not to please the population of Scotland who admires their king greatly and sees him as a righteous person. After tempting Macbeth with the idea of becoming king, the supernatural gives Macbeth arrogant ambition, forcing him to contrast his loyal and courageous personality, which motivates him to kill Duncan.

Duncan, the King of Scotland, is dead! While staying at the castle of Macbeth, Thane of Cawdor, the King was stabbed to death in his bed. The body was discovered by Lord Macduff, who had visited his bedside

When dealing with scene II act II from Macbeth, we can’t miss Shakespeare’s mastery in stagecraft. This story of crime and punishment culminates here in a climax of horror and terror, which exposes to the 17th century spectator the features of the two plotters of Duncan’s murder. Thus, the audience are invited to attend the inevitable and tragic downfall of these protagonists.

The “Tragedy of Macbeth” by William Shakespeare tells a tale of deceit, murder, and ambition, beginning with a cutthroat rise to power, followed by calamitous downfall. At the start of the play, Macbeth is a brave and loyal captain in King Duncan’s army, but after three witches prophesize that he himself will become the king of Scotland, and that those born of a friend, Banquo, will be king after him, Macbeth is overtaken by ambition and gluttony. Instigated by his wife and his own lust for power, he murders Duncan, assumes the throne, and subsequently sends mercenaries to kill Banquo’s sons. While awaiting battle, Macbeth addresses the death of his wife in Act V, scene 5. Throughout the

Macbeth was, shortly after the murdering incident, driven insane by the immense guilt produced by his withered conscience. The dagger that was used in the killing of King Duncan haunted him before the murder took place. This tragedy in the play gives us both fear of where the sword came from and pity for Macbeth's character that had degraded to such a point that he has become paranoid.

King Duncan has been invited into Macbeth’s home, to dine and enjoy himself. He expects to have a great time and is ridiculously thankful, yet what makes this ironic is the fact that the hostess that he is praising is conspiring to kill him-he will be murdered that night. This represents the duplicitous nature of Macbeth, as the outward nobility of his character is contrasted greatly to his true spirit.

Not only is Macbeth by far the shortest of William Shakespeare’s great tragedies, but it is also anomalous in some structural respects. Like Othello (1604) and only a very few other Shakespearean plays, Macbeth is without the complications of a subplot. (Bradley, 1905) Consequently, the action moves forward in a swift and inexorable rush. More significantly, the climax the murder of Duncan takes place very early in the play. As a result, attention is focused on the various consequences of the crime rather than on the ambiguities or moral dilemmas that had