The Punishment of Macbeth Throughout the play of Macbeth, the reader can see a decay of morals in the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. As the characters grow more brutal, the need for a harsh punishment grows with them. Though they do receive retribution, Macbeth’s does not fit his crime. Because of Macbeth’s lack of remorse along with the amount of blood on his hands, he deserves a harsher punishment than Lady Macbeth, who only directly contributed to one murder. Macbeth’s character begins as an extremely respectable and an extraordinary soldier. All the men respected him and praised him, the Captain told King Duncan of his valor in battle:
“For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—disdaining fortune, with his
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Within one act of the play, Macbeth falls from being a respectable man to a murderer of three. Lady Macbeth seems confident that they will not be caught nor feel any guilt because they will be lavished as king and queen. At first, she stated that water would wash the blood off of their hands, yet her guilt over the murder of one man was enough to drive her to insanity. Lady Macbeth begins to sleepwalk and the doctor overhears her muttering to herself, “Out, damned spot! Out, I say! What, will these hands ne'er be clean? (Act 5, Scene 1, Line 25, 31).” This quote shows that she never could escape the guilt of murdering sleep and it troubled her even during her slumber. After many sleepless nights, Lady Macbeth eventually commits suicide before the fall of Macbeth from power. Because of her tortuous last days and obvious regret, it is believed that Lady Macbeth was adequately punished for her actions. Macbeth is left alone after his wife’s stoic attitude disintegrates and she is swallowed by guilt. He no longer has his partner-in-crime or the brains of the operation, so he rushes into everything, not thinking of the repercussions. He is not longer revered by the community, Macduff even goes so far to state, “Not in the legions of horrid hell can come a devil more damned in evils to top Macbeth (Act 4, Scene 3, Line 57-58).” Macbeth orders anyone he believes
When doctor visited Lady Macbeth because she is sleepwalking. Doctor ask how is condition of Lady Macbeth to Gentlewoman who is taking care of Lady Macbeth. Gentlewoman said that Lady Macbeth often rubs her hand as if she is washing something. Lady Macbeth is talking to herself and trying to get spot off her hand. Lady Macbeth says, “What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?—Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him” (V.i.27-30). Lady Macbeth calculated that Macbeth will not kill anyone after he becomes king. She never thought Macbeth will become bloodthirsty and keep killing people.All the killings Macbeth did leads Lady Macbeth to be guilty of her provoking Macbeth to kill the king at beginning. Lady Macbeth also says to doctor “The thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?—What, will these hands ne'er be clean?—No more o' that, my lord, no more o' that. You mar all with this starting” (V.i.30-33). Lady Macbeth is also guilty because Macbeth killed Macduff’s family. Macbeth does not listen to her like he used to. She was the one who initiated Macbeth to kill someone at beginning which is why Macbeth started killing people. Lady Macbeth did not want any more blood on her hands. All the guilt driven her to insanity which eventually leads her to suicide. Lady Macbeth is portrayed as weak person at the end of the play because she isn’t strong enough to make her husband listen to her like she used and loses into insanity due to
Shakespeare's "Macbeth" holds many hidden themes within its already exuberant plot. The first of these surrounds the murder of Duncan and the role that both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth himself played. However, the true guilt of the murder can fall on either character. Although Macbeth physically committed the crime, it was Lady Macbeth that pushed him to his limits of rational thought and essentially made fun of him to lower his esteem. With Macbeth's defenses down, it was an easy task for Lady Macbeth to influence Duncan's murder and make up an excuse as to why she could not do it herself. The guilt of Duncan's murder can be placed firmly on the head on Lady Macbeth.
Macbeth is confused as he is arguing with himself on what he should do. He states reasons not to kill Duncan, because Macbeth is his noble kinsmen and the act would bring dishonor. However, he also states reason why he should kill him, because Macbeth will then become king and fulfill the witches ' fortune. Lady Macbeth, who appears in the beginning as the driving force for the murder of King Duncan, also develops internal conflict. At first, Lady Macbeth seems to be a woman of extreme confidence and will. But, as situations become more and more unstable in the play, guilt develops inside her. For instance, she exclaims; "Wash your hands. Put on your nightgown. / Look not so pale. I tell you again, Banquo 's / Burried; he cannot come out on 's grave" (Shakespeare V, ii, 65-67). Lady Macbeth sleepwalks and frets about her evil wrongdoings because she is extremely guilty of her influence on Macbeth to commit the murder. Lady Macbeth reacts emotionally and dwells on her actions as guilt eats at her soul.
A deadly combination of ambition and guilt poisons both Macbeth and his wife and leads to their deaths in the end. Ruined by her desire for power, Lady Macbeth’s descent into madness is more vivid and guilt seems to affect her more than her husband, even though he is responsible for more crimes. Her request to the spirits to “unsex [her] here,/ And fill [her], from the crown to the toe, top-full/ Of direst cruelty!” is contrasted as the more guilty she feels, the more weak and sensitive she become, a polar opposite of her usual masculine and bold self (1.5.44-46). As a result, she is unable to cope with the guilt and meets her ultimate demise by taking her life. This has an immediate effect on Macbeth: the almost always apparent tension of ambition and guilt disappears. He does not seem interested in living and is ready to face death in a manner more relatable to his former self rather than the murderer he has become. Moreover, Macbeth’s final remark is “Arm, arm, and out!”,
Once guilt begins to overtake Lady Macbeth, she looses control of her emotions and actions, sending her onto the fast track to death. In a way, Shakespeare has Macbeth and Lady Macbeth change roles. In the beginning it seems as if Macbeth is more emotionally affected by the killing of Duncan. However, once Banquo is killed Macbeth is perfectly fine with it, and Lady Macbeth becomes vulnerable and lets the guilt overrule her. She begins to repeatedly pretend to was her hands and sleep walk. “Here’s the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of/ Arabia will not sweeten/ this little hand”
Guilt is a very strong and uncomfortable feeling that often results from one’s own actions. This strong emotion is one of the theme ideas in William Shakespeare, “Macbeth”. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth feel guilt, but they react in different ways. Guilt hardens Macbeth, but cause Lady Macbeth to commit suicide. As Macbeth shrives to success guilt overcome’s Macbeth where he can no longer think straight. Initially Macbeth planned was to kill Duncan but it wasn’t enough he also had to kill Banquo and Macduff’s family. On the other hand Lady Macbeth had to call upon the weird sister to unsexed her so she had no true feeling towards anything as if she was a man. However, the true guilt of the murder
Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’ is about the leading male protagonist succumbing to his ambition and need for power. Though Macbeth is liable for his own actions, he is not solely responsible for the events that eventually result in his downfall. Macbeth is corrupted by his wife, Lady Macbeth, as well as the three weird sisters. Macbeth’s contribution towards his downfall is his strong ambitious nature. Lady Macbeth is the person who induces Macbeth to assassinate King Duncan. The three weird sisters (witches) play with Macbeth’s ambitious nature and sense of security. Macbeth’s downfall is due to himself and two external factors.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy in which the plot evolves in great accordance to the guilt that the individual characters feel. The guilt starts with the planning and execution of the murder of King Duncan. To this event Lady Macbeth and Macbeth react in different ways. They both become guilty in some way or another but the guilt they feel is comprised of different reasons. It is due to their differences in character that they react in the ways they do. While it might not seem like both of them become guilty after this event, when explored their actions show clearly the guilt they feel.
In the play, “Macbeth”, the character that stands out the most is Lady Macbeth. Her role in this story is significant, she is an evil, ruthless, and ambitious person. She is responsible for the murders that her husband commits because she was bloodthirsty for the crown. In fact, she then becomes more eager to get the crown than Macbeth himself and soon realizes that once you commit one violent act, there is almost no way of ever turning back. An analysis of Lady Macbeth reveals that she is a powerful character who adds complexity and depth to a play about murder, madness, and revenge.
In the play Macbeth by Shakespeare I found at the beginning the character Macbeth was a portrayed as a noble, honest and brave man. As said by the captain in the second scene, ‘For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that title’ (I.2.16). This gives the audience an indication that Macbeth was highly respected by the king’s men and the king himself. His desire for power grew throughout the play from when he had his first encounter with the witches.
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
Although William Shakespeare created the play, Macbeth, to be a tragedy, the tragic hero can hardly be considered to be one. For the entirety of one of Shakespeare’s most magnificent works, Macbeth is controlled and manipulated into committing atrocious acts that the witches and his wife desire. He is powerless to their tricks and through their sorcery/cunning words and his own morals (or lack thereof) “sustain[s] the central paradox–the heroic murderer” (Cusick). Despite the fact that he laments the loss of his king, Duncan, he still continues down his path of evil that only has one ending: his death. Although Macbeth gains a few insights on his inner self, his lack of ability to resist manipulation, willingness to kill, combined with his
In Act 4 Macbeth has taken another turn for the worse. He has become barbaric, ruthless and calloused. The witches have given Macbeth visions and caused him to become confident to a fault in his power. He believes that nobody can stop him. He heartlessly orders the killing of all of Macduff’s family because Macduff has fled to England. “Seize upon to Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line” (IV.i.158-160) Macbeth has passed the point of no return. His desire to have power has won. His good side is no more.
There is no doubt that Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a moral play as it focuses on the dangers and consequences of blind ambition. Justice is served to Macbeth, but not for the other characters who were murdered by him. Macbeth’s death marks the end of the play and shows that he finally got what he deserved as a result of his greedy, impulsive and prideful personality. As for the other deceased characters, such as Banquo and Duncan, they represent the good morals that Macbeth lacks. Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife, also lacks good morals as well. She has also received justice for being Macbeth’s accomplice, her motivation was driven by her manipulative and power hungry personality. This paper will evaluate the words, actions and thoughts of the Macbeth,
One first learns of Macbeth through the eyes of a wounded captain, reporting on what has happened on the battlefield. Macbeth is portrayed foremost as a couragious warrior, who has fought well and won for his king and country.