Response to the Character of Macbeth

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My response to the character of Macbeth

In the first scene the three witches meet upon heath. It is here that they plan to meet Macbeth and it is in their very first conversation that the audience discovers the major theme in the play appearances can be deceiving. Lady Macbeth later echoes this when she says, 'False face must hide what the false heart doth know'. Throughout the play the line, 'foul is fair' is often repeated to bring us back to the main point of the play.

In the opening scenes of the play Macbeth is described as a brave and valiant soldier. It is clear from this that he is a highly respected man and it is said that he has very admirable qualities. We know this because a bloody soldier tells the King of his fierce fighting with Banquo. They both fought like they were possessed; 'cannons overcharged with double cracks', at one point Macbeth is even described to have killed Macdownald by 'unseeming him from the nave to th' chops'. When both Lennox and Ross return from Fife, both of them also comment on the fighting and the battle. In Ross' speech he describes how the Thane of Cawdor was seen fighting Bellona's Bridegroom. Both Ross and Angus have come from Fife and so it is easy to interpret that as Macbeth. However the Thane of Fife is Macduff and so it would seem more logical that he would be fighting there. Instead it is reported that Macbeth was the bravest and the most courageous. This highlights another of the plays themes, loyalty. Here Macbeth is rewarded for his bravery and Macduff is not, despite that fact that he too fought in the battle.

Once we see Macbeth and Banquo together, the audience can understand that he, as well as being a brave soldier, also has a friendly personality and is capable of getting on with everyone. When they meet the witches though, it is easy to see how easily he can be led into temptation. The witches tell Macbeth that he will be King in the future and they tell Banquo that his descendants will be Kings. This is rather surprising information for both the soldiers but they eventually laugh it off saying that it would never happen. However Macbeth does consider the prospect of being King and Banquo reflects on this saying, 'What, can the devil speak the truth?' when Macbeth finds out that he is the Thane of Cawdor. This is a crucial part in the play because both Thanes' have been told their future. It is up to them to decided whether or not they should act upon it and if so, how they do it. It is clear that Macbeth and Banquo chose two very different ways to follow their prophecies. Macbeth is influenced and corrupted by his ambition, his wife and the witches, whilst Banquo leaves his future to chance.

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The audience can begin to see that Macbeth is already thinking his future over when he finds out that the King's son, Malcolm, is going to be crowned the 'Prince of Cumberland'. This automatically triggers off thoughts in Macbeth's mind and he says aside,

'The Prince of Cumberland that is a step

On which I must fall down or else o'erleap,

For in my way it lies. Stars hide your fires;

Let not light see my black and deep desires'

From this speech we can immediately see that Macbeth is being driven by his ambition, (also his fatal flaw) to achieve what has been predicted. The scene ends and Duncan, the King decides to spend the night in Macbeth's home.

Another main influence is that of his wife. Upon reading his letter telling her all about the witches, she begins to plan how he can fulfil the full potential of it. She knows that she has to persuade Macbeth if he wants to gain all that there is to claim, because she describes his nature as 'too full of the milk of human kindness'. This contradicts almost everything that we know about Macbeth because the audience has only seen him as a spirited soldier. After her careful persuasion it is Macbeth who finally agrees to murder the King. It is important to see that although Macbeth is driven by his ambition, he didn't start out evil. He does have second thoughts about the murder and raises questions like is it dishonourable to murder a king who has honoured him? Who is a guest in his house? And perhaps even more important, someone who is also his cousin?

'He's here in double trust

First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,

Strong both against the deed.'

Still, despite these points, he does agree to commit the murder and realises that this may be his only chance to gain the throne.

In the play there are many symbolic references. Just before Macbeth is going to carry out the murder, Fleance and Banquo are seen having a conversation. Fleance notices that it is a very dark night and that there is no starlight, 'the candles are all out'. The candles represent the stars and this reference refers to Macbeth's previous speech about the Prince of Cumberland. Macbeth discovers the two and makes polite conversation with Banquo, admitting that he hasn't thought about the weird sisters. This is an obvious lie and it appears he is carrying out previous advice, 'False face must hide what the false heart doth know'.

One of the most important scenes is that where Macbeth begins to hallucinate and claims that he sees a bloody dagger. This shows the audience that he does have a conscience and the crime he is about to commit will haunt him. He says some very influential things such as; 'wicked dreams abuse the curtained sleep'. I think this is important because later on in the play both Lady Macbeth and her husband have problems sleeping. Macbeth believes he has murdered sleep and ends up having very bad nightmares whilst Lady Macbeth is traumatised and begins to sleepwalk.

After the murder the audience can notice a dramatic change in character. He is unable to say 'Amen' at the end of the prayers and he is also not thinking clearly because he brings the daggers back out with him. This shows that he is already tormented by what he has done and because of this feels he has to confess. When everyone else realises what has happened to the King, Macbeth stands there and says, 'O, yet I do repent me of my fury that I did kill them'. Macbeth is very close to letting the others know what he has done so Lady Macbeth takes it upon herself to divert their attention and save her anguished husband from anything further. This is not the only time she has to protect Macbeth and it becomes apparent that she has a much stronger character than Macbeth. However, in defence of Macbeth, he was the one who actually carried out the murder.

It is fair to say that Macbeth was driven to insanity by his ever-growing ambition. At one point in the play, he is upset that his offspring will not be King. Yet why it effects him is unclear because he does not have any children and all through the play he does not refer to wanting them either. It seems as though minor things are now capable of bothering him and he is becoming paranoid. This is why he ends up killing Banquo and Fleance (although Fleance does escape). He is worried that Banquo might say something to someone about the witches' premonitions and they would then believe that Macbeth murdered the King.

There are two very different explanations to the downfall to Macbeth. The first is that he brought it upon himself. That it was because of his ambition, curiosity and weakness that led him to his death. Others think that it was his destiny to die. This is because the supernatural plays a fairly significant part in the play. After their first meeting, Macbeth becomes instantly attracted to the witches' predictions and goes about trying to make them all come true. It may be for this reason that he returns to them a second time. Here he demands to know what the future has in store for him and so the witches use his curiosity and his desperateness to trick him into believing he is safe. In Act four, scene one, the witches discourage Macbeth from knowing anymore than he does.

'Witches Seek to know no more.

Macbeth I will be satisfied. Deny me this,

And an eternal curse fall on you. Let me know.'

In many adaptations it has been interpreted that the witches trick him purposely, as if they knew that he was going to return to them. I think that this is a good interpretation because it makes the audience think better of Macbeth. It is like he cannot control the future and what is going to happen because the witches decide his fate. Even thought the witches tell him to seek to know no more, they know that in the end, his curiosity will drive him to the point of insanity and then he would truly fall. They use this against him and it is almost through teasing him that they tell him what is going to happen in the future. However one chooses to interpret it, we still are able to see a false confidence build inside Macbeth because of these predictions. He believes he is invincible and actually describes himself as 'leading a charmed life'. This is why when the battle begins at Dunsinane, we see him bold and confident. He is so dependent on the predictions to be true that he doesn't take the time to stop and think through everything he has heard.

It is in the end scene, when he finally realises what has happened, that the audience sees the gallant Macbeth for one last time. They see that despite the odds, he is still willing to die honourably and all the qualities come back to him. He has reached a stage in his life when he realises that all of his pretences that he was relying on have been torn in two. These pieces of information were the only things keeping him together because everything else has gone wrong. I think that despite the fact he has committed some severe sins, the audience is capable of feeling sympathy for him. He was not evil, he did not believe in hurting his friends, but as times got desperate, he felt he had to do what he did. In the last scene we see how far he has fallen. What was once a brave, chivalrous soldier, has now become a broken man with nothing to live for. His best friend is dead, his wife has committed suicide and his own army turned their backs on him. It is here that we finally see what kind of man he truly was.

Even though he does die and his head is stuck on a pole, like that of the Thane of Cawdor, the audience are able to sympathise with Macbeth. I think it is interesting to see how different directors portray Macbeth. In some productions, I have felt that it was his fault and he did deserve death because he had caused so many other problems for other people. No matter how he is portrayed it is still clear that he did commit some terrible actions. For example when he sent murderers out to try and kill both Banquo and Fleance.

However in other productions I have felt that he was led to his death by so many factors that he wasn't in control of. He was a victim of his own ambition and that one flaw was fatal. I think that in the end, he was also driven by his own insanity. It had been previously said that he couldn't sleep and I think that in the end he needed a way out. It was the best solution for everyone because this way Macduff gets his revenge, Macbeth will not be able to suffer from his ambition anymore and Fleance will ultimately be King (although this is not mentioned in the text it is very likely that this comes true as all the other predictions did).

It is important to note that Shakespeare was writing for a specific audience and therefore he probably would have distorted the truth to please his audience. He was writing for a living and so he finished his play in a way that would be deemed acceptable by the King and the rest of the audience. The ending is perhaps the most important part of the play because it is the last thing witnessed by the audience before they leave the theatre. In order for a tragic hero to work as a theme, the audience has to be moved to both pity and fear. The audience is able to connect with both these things because not only can they sympathise with Macbeth, but also with other characters and they can also feel fear because Shakespeare creates a situation that can easily be related to people's everyday lives. He describes a downfall that can be associated with the average male. It just happens to be more interesting when it happens to a person of Noble position, which is why Shakespeare chose to write about it.

From just reading the text I find it hard to solely sympathise or fear Macbeth's character. I think that both of these emotions play a part when I reflect on what has happened throughout the play. These feelings can either be emphasised or played down depending on how the director chooses to portray the character of Macbeth.

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