Macbeth

A detailed Summary of Macbeth

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are basically good people who make an ill judgment. It is unfair for Malcolm to describe them as "this dead butcher and his fiend - like queen". In the beginning they are respected people who share a loving relationship. Their downfall is caused by their ambition for Macbeth to be great, sparked by the witches' prophecy, and not because they are evil. Macbeth's indecision on whether or not to kill Duncan, and Lady Macbeth's begging of the spirits to take away her feminine qualities, show that ruthlessness does not come easily to them.

Macbeth is a Scottish nobleman and important kinsman of King Duncan, whose devising and heroic leadership of a winning tactic in a battle show his talent, courage and loyalty to his country. He is well respected, and after his feat of braveness, Duncan believes him worthy to receive the title of Thane of Cawdor, which is a huge honor to Macbeth. The problem with this, though, is that it helps to spark his ambition, which, we find later, is his tragic flaw.

Lady Macbeth is a loyal wife with ambitions for her husband. She believes that Macbeth deserves to be King, but thinks that he is too nice to do anything about it. She does not think that he could kill Duncan on his own

When the witches predict that he shall be king, Macbeth does not think that he should do anything about making the prophecy come true: "If Chance will have me king, why Chance may crown me/ Without my stir." (I.iv.43-44). However, when King Duncan places an extra obstacle in his way by naming his son, Malcolm, as his successor, Macbeth realizes that, if he is to be king, then he must kill Duncan: "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." (I.iv.49-52).

Although Lady Macbeth is supportive of her husband, and tries to persuade him to murder Duncan, she does not force him to do it. Macbeth decides to kill Duncan on his own, with his tragic flaw, ambition, as the main influence of his decision. For Macbeth to be a tragedy, as Shakespeare intended it to be, no one must force him to make the decision that ultimately brings him down. He must make the decision, based on his tragic flaw, on his own.

Although Macbeth wants to be king, he does not wish to kill Duncan, and he thinks aloud to himself of his reasons: "First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, / Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, / who should against his murderer shut the door, / Not bear the knife myself." (I.vii.12). Macbeth does not want to kill Duncan because he is his king and close relation, and because it is his duty as host to protect him. This shows that he is not evil. If he were, his kinship and duty to the king would offer no hindrance to his decision to murder him.

Where, before he was king, Macbeth was acting according to his ambition, by the beginning of Act III he is fighting for survival. He realizes that he has come too far and killed too many people to turn back: "I am in blood / Stepped in so far, that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er." (III.iv.136-137).

Soon after the murder of Duncan, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's relationship begins to change. During the planning of the murder, Lady Macbeth is in charge, instructing her husband on what to do. After hiring the murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance, Macbeth tells his wife to "Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, till thou applaud the deed." (III.ii.45-46), showing that he is beginning to take control, plotting on his own and not even telling his wife what he is planning to do.

. She is supportive of Macbeth, and is willing to do what she can to help him get what he wants. She is basically a caring and loving person, though, so she pleads with the Spirits to take away her tenderness and femininity and make her ruthless: " Come, you spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, /And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top full/ Of direst cruelty." (I.v.38-41). This evidence on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth proves that, at the beginning of the play, they are both good, virtuous people.

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Approximate Word count = 1996
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English