The Evil Plans of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, a Play by William Shakespeare
In The Tragedy of Macbeth. by William Shakespeare, Macbeth and his “dearest partner In greatness” (Act I, sc. V), Lady Macbeth, were indeed partners, but of anything but greatness, These two, as Malcolm stated, “this dead butcher and his fiend-like Wife” (Act V, sc. viii), are most definitely deservrng of these descriptions. They lied. cheated, and murdered people to satisfy their own selfish. unbridled ambition. Foremost, Macbeth was a brave and courageous man. He was one of Duncan’s most glorious generals. The key Word to take note of is “was,” this man was kind and brave but had become blinded by ambition and avarice. He allowed evil to permeate his mind and transform him into a butcher. In the beginning, Lady Macbeth fears that Macbeth is “too full 0′ the milk of kindness” (Act I, sc v) to take the necessary drastic measures that Will place them on the thrown of Scotland. The fact that she thinks this, implies that she too is being transformed by sinful ambition.
She “was” quite kind and motherly, until her ambition blinded her and led her to solicit the powers ofdarkness to take milk from her breasts as gall and to thicken her blood. thereby preventing any interfering pangs of consciousness. After knowing of the Witches’ propheCies. both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth start to change. They become more evil with every passing second letting their greed and selfishness take ove! r their entire beings. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth see Duncan’s murder as the quickest and easiest Way to reach their goal. Though Macbeth was initially the one to ponder killing Duncan, he later has second thoughts and Lady Macbeth is charged With reinstating these extremely negative feelings back into her husband‘s brain.
Lady Macbeth is certainly aware of her husband‘s fame as a fearless soldier, and she uses it against him to tempt her husband into killing Duncan. the king. She “dares” him to do “all that may become a man” (Act I, sc.ii). Macbeth, fearful of being seen as a coward in the eyes of his “dearest partner of greatness,” accepts the challenge: no one calls him a coward. He, With the help of his fiend-like wife, murdered his king, and his kin, out of pure ambition and greed. As if that were not bad enough, they also blamed and murdered his trusty, loyal guards. These types of things just are not done. One must be either excessively evil or desperate to conjure and carry out s! uch a deceitful, treacherous, and horrific deed. Macbeth had many chances to turn his back at the evil that lay before him, but he did not. Macbeth knew that the Witches represented evil, yet he was immensely pleased by “the two truths” they told him, He sees them as “happy prologues” (Act I. so II!) to his prophesied investiture.
The importance of this aside cannot be overstated, It shows us the nature of Macbeth‘s ambition for imperial power and, in addition, it shows us that his VIVId imagination controls his thoughts so completely that it seems to be reality itself. This was not the only moment in the play, at which Macbeth had the chance to redeem himself. When Macbeth is in Duncan‘s room looking down at him, he hesitates. At that moment he had the chance to make the right decision He hesitates for several reasons, the first being that he Wishes that the murder could be committed Without any aftereflects or results. If he could be absolutely sure of success and the end results, then he would have no qualms! But he has to consider aftereffects and consequences, one of which is a possible afterlife. “This bank and shoal of time,” (Act I, so. vii) he says, is a mere sandbank and Will soon be covered by the sea of eternity and murder is a mortal sin. But this latter threat does not frighten him terribly. He is Willing to risk the possibility of damnation for a chance at the throne.
Macbeth knows that if he succeeds in murdering the king. his offense Will later “return to plague”(Act I, SC.VIl) him. Therefore, he has no reasons for murdering Duncan except for his “vaulting ambition,” (Act I, sc. Vii) and his lust for power. Pan of Macbeth‘s actions. of course, can be traced to envy. Early in the play when Macbeth hears the Witches’ prophecies, he envies Banquo’s having heirs, as much as he fears. later. those same heirs as rivals to the throne. Being childless, Macbeth‘s greatness must lie Within himself. Thus, he murders Duncan. But before he slaughters his cousin, the king, and afterward, Macbeth is plagued by constant fear. In addition. he fears Banquo, tor Banquo is an honorable man, Furthermore. he recognizes Banquo‘s valor and Wisdom: in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be fear’di “Tis much he dares; And, to that dauntless temper of his mind.
He hath a Wisdom that doth guide his valour To act in safety. (Act III, sc. i) His fear, coupled With his overwhelming amount of greed and jealousy drive him to do the unspeakable. He arranges for Banquo to be brutally killed and all because of his blind ambition to achieve and keep the throne. By this time, Macbeth has slaughtered not one, not two. but four innocent Victims, hence the title Malcolm assigned him, “butcher.” Macbeth further proves to be a butcher when we hear of what happened to the Macduff household. This gratuitous slaughter is one of the most unspeakable horrors of the play. The audience is truly hit With the fact that all this is destruction for its own sake, There was no other reason for killing these poor victims except pure cruelty and greed. When the murderers find that Macduff is not around.
They proceed to kill his Wife, his son, everyone and anyone that crossed their paths. This scene is particularly felt by the audience because of the extreme ambiguity of motivation behind the murderers Since Macduft was actively trying to dethrone Macbeth by enlisting aid from King Edward, Macbeth is believed to be the brain behind the crime. This horrific scene shows how merciless this man is. and that he Will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. The evidence of treachery on both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth‘s part, is overwhelming and extremely supportive. They killed their king and his guards, Banquo, and a large number of women and children. By combining ugliness, evil, and power. they achieved chaos and murder. If one had these tWo living in their oWn neighborhood. they would definitely agree that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are deserving of being called “this dead butcher and his fiend-like Wife.”
