Commentary on Macbeth Essay

Macbeth Essay.

Macbeth is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its outcome. Initially, Macbeth is shown as an accomplished and brave warrior. Macbeths personality changes drastically. If at first he is shown as a good person, later he changes into a tyrant. His spouse, Lady Macbeth, is the one who plots the murder of King Duncan. Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to murder Duncan. When he does commit the murder, Duncans sons run away in fear and Macbeth is left as the heir to the throne. Shakespeare does not give a clear answer to the question, would Macbeth have killed Duncan even if Lady Macbeth had not urged him to do so. Looking closely at the evidence in the text, the more perspective point is, that Macbeth still would have murdered King Duncan, even without the push made by Lady Macbeth.

In the first act, Macbeth encounters the three witches. The three witches tell the prophecy to Macbeth. The witches predict that Macbeth will become the thane of Cawdore and later the king of Scotland. The witches might have been the first ones to plot the idea of murder in Macbeths head, in the first place. After the encounter of the three witches, Macbeth starts to think of becoming king, but decides to let fate decide for him, If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir. / Come what come may, / Time and the hour runs through the roughest day(I.iii.143). Since the prophecy, Macbeth starts to think about the killing more often, and more seriously. Shakespeare mentions that Lady Macbeth has already talked to Macbeth about the idea, but the question is, has Macbeth thought about the killing before, on his own. In some parts of the text Shakespeare hints that Macbeth does think about it before Lady Macbeth suggests it. At first he doesnt consider it as a possibility. Although Macbeth knows that murder is a sin, he still does it. If a person truly does not want to do something, it is very hard to persuade him to do it, but if a person, deep down, is considering doing something, with a little push he will do it. Which proves that Macbeth has already thought about the killing, and quite possibly still would have murdered Macbeth even without Lady Macbeth urging him to do so.

Shortly after the witches prophesies Macbeth admits that he has had those dark desires even before the encounter of the three witches, Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires: ?The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be ?Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.(1.4.52) While Macbeth is still a warrior; he is scared of his dark desires and knows that killing is a sin. That is why he doesnt murder King Duncan earlier. Macbeth sees the prophecy of the three witches and Lady Macbeth as signs, that it is his fate to become king of Scotland. Lady Macbeth is simply a nudge to the dark side of murder. The proof that Macbeth saw Lady Macbeth as a sign is when he does murder King Duncan he pushes his spouse aside, not letting her in on his ideas and plans. Macbeth is consumed with his ambitions in becoming king, although he knows that murder is bad he can only think that he soon will be king. That idea, that he will soon be king, is very luring and is what drives him to murder. The text does not give a clear answer to the question, would Macbeth have still committed murder without Lady Macbeth, but Shakespeare gives little hints throughout the text that he would have still murdered King Duncan without Macbeth.

Macbeth is a very ambitious man and is willing to do anything it takes to reach his desired goal, I have no spur? To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself? And falls on the other.(1.7.25) His desired goal is to become the king of Scotland. Does his ambition come from Lady Macbeth, or is it Macbeth himself who pushes himself to his goal? This question is very debatable. In Macbeths time, the man was the most important person in the family and women were barely listened to. A man would not do something simply because his wife tells him to do that. Surely Macbeth would not have murdered King Duncan just because his spouse told him to, he would not have committed sin because of Lady Macbeths asking, I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more, is none.(1.7.47) Which proves the thesis that Macbeth still would have murdered King Duncan even without Lady Macbeth. Maybe it would have been later in time, or earlier, but he still would have done it.

The tragedy Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, brings many debates because the author never gives clear answers to his characters actions. One of the debates is: would Macbeth have killed King Duncan even if Lady Macbeth had not urged him to do so. This is a very debatable question, because Shakespeare does not uncover the true trigger of Macbeths actions. Reading the text closely and analyzing it, it is said that Macbeth still would have committed the murder of King Duncan even without Lady Macbeth urging him to do so. The evidence to that statement is hidden cleverly in the text by the author; William Shakespeare makes his reader think outside of the line