The Tragedy of Macbeth

The Tragedy of Macbeth

Characters’ Opinions of Macbeth In Act I, Scene ii

In Act 1, Scene 2, the Scottish army is on the battlefield with the Norwegian army. Duncan, a reputable king of Scotland, meets with a Sergent who’s returning from battle. The captain explains to Duncan about Macbeth’s bravery and exceptional performance in battle. The captain that reports to Duncan about the battle explain Macbeth as a brave man, “disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel…like valour’s minion carved out of his passage.” (1.2.18,21). Although the rebellion was supplied with fresh soldiers who would replace the dead or the injured, Macbeth and Banquo continued fighting for long. From line 21 to 24, the sergeant explains that Macbeth remained courageous and steadfast, and fought hard until he slew all his enemies. “For brave Macbeth, well he deserves that name…till be unseamed him from the nave to the chaps, and fixed his head upon our battlements.” Macbeth shoved his sword through Macdonwald’s belly and jerked it upward until he cut him open from the nave to the chin, after which he decapitated him and hung his head on the spike as a sign of warning to the rest (1.2.21-24). From this scenario, it is evident that Macbeth is brave, ruthless, and extremely determined in his ventures.

Inferences from Scenes iii, iv, and vii about Macbeth’s loyalty to King Duncan?

Macbeth loyalty to King Duncan when he spares his life causes him to be seen as an upright, loyal, and faithful servant in the beginning. This positive inference is backed by the fact that he portrays a brave and loyal personality in battle, which causes the captain to describe him as a brave person, “for brave Macbeth, well he deserved that name.” (1.2.18). The captain explains that Macbeth is a loyal servant in that he carved his way through the soldiers to reach Macdonwald, the traitorous servant. The manner in which Macbeth kills him, “till he unseamed him from the nave to the chaps” (1.2.21) is a gruesome manner shows his fury against the Macdonwald’s treacherous act. Macbeth’s loyalty to the king was rewarded with a new top after the old one. Although Duncan had been deceived previously by his servants, he had good reasons to believe that Macbeth was a good and loyal servant.

In scene three, Macbeth meets the three witches and prophesy that he will become king. Together, the witches hail Macbeth as the thane of Cawdor, a title that is delivered to him shortly by one of the messengers, Ross. The message from the witch baffles him in that he has not received any message from Duncan, the king. Baffled by the prophecy, Macbeth talks to his friend who affirms that he would be king. “You shall be king” (1:3:38). Macbeth is surprised by the news because of his loyalty to the king and wonders how he will become king.

In scene three, Duncan expresses his gratitude towards Macbeth and Banquo, who in turn profess their gratitude and loyalty to the king. To express his loyalty, Macbeth shows his loyalty to the king by declaring his joy on the king’s plans to name Malcolm as his heir. He says, “the service and loyalty I owe you, …and to your throne and state children and servants.”

Macbeth plot to kill the king with his wife lady Macbeth. However, Macbeth in scene vii tells his wife that he is not planning to proceed with the plan against the king and that they should not proceed with the business any further. He says, “first, I am his kinsman and his subject…not bear the knife myself, against this Duncan (1.7.15).” He explains that the king believes in him and has sworn his loyalty to him “We will proceed no further in this business, he hath honoured me of late…and I have bought golden opinions from all sorts of people.” (1.7. 31-33).

Meaning and Contrasting Connotations of the words, “So foul and fair a day I have not seen.”

Macbeth states his first words when he says, “So foul and fair a day I have not seen.” The words match the witches’ words from the scene where together they say, “fair is foul and foul is fair.” Macbeth’s line presents a paradoxical nature that introduces the theme of deceptive appearances and duplicity, which means that everything is not as it seems. These words are essential in they introduce the aspect of paradox and the theme of equivocation. This statement engenders a contrast of two conflicting ideas that are conveyed in the same scenario as ‘foul’ and ‘fair’. The words showcase the situation that will confront the brave man throughout the play.

The witches present a paradoxical statement when they say ‘fair is foul, and foul is fair’ is an expression intended to showcase a scenario of duplicity. The sisters plan to deceive Macbeth whom they perceive as gullible in order to drive him towards the achievement of his ambition. In the process, he commits a heinous crime showing that his ambition is a good thing and thus fair. However, his overriding ambition is malicious and causes him to engage in malevolent acts of killing the king, thus foul. His desire to become king and achieve the golden round causes him to become a remorseless killer without any mercy for anyone.

In the end, Macbeth realizes that the situation has been represented by his words, “so fair and fair a day I have not seen” after he realizes that his desire to achieve his ambitions has caused the death of close servants, Banquo who was innocent and Macduff’s family that was slain in entirety. In his words, “so fair and foul a day I have not seen” meant that the day was fair that he had won the war and foul that many lives had been lost and there was unpleasant stormy weather.

An attitude of the world about the words, “Fair is foul and foul is fair.”

In Act 1, Scene 1, the witches echo the words “fair is foul, foul is fair,” to act as a summary of what is awaiting in future. Shakespeare has adopted the phrase to illustrate the possibility in the world that what is good could be bad and what is known as bad could actually be good. The opening remark is prevalent in the case of Macbeth and in the present world. After meeting the witches, Banquo and Macbeth’s attitude change after they are impacted with the power of deception when Macbeth is told that he will become king. In the contemporary world, the coupling of foul and fair helps to explain that events, people, and things need careful examination as they are likely to turn out to be different from how they seem. The statement explains that appearances are deceptive, especially in the contemporary world, and that things could be different from how they appear in reality. Although the statement presents a complicated idea, it is evident that one can never be sure an object represents a dagger, an apparition, or a mirage.

Most time, this paradox is often applied in political speeches, media, and literature to criticize the aspect of dual personalities and double standards that tend to contradict reality and appearance. The usage of this scenario is most evident in politicians and public servants who are fond of presenting their dual personalities before the public.

Impact of Specific Word Choices on Tone: Lady Macbeth’s second soliloquy (lines 38–54)

In line 38-54, Macbeth talks to his husband in a mood that sets a tone for horrible events that are awaiting in future – the murder of Duncan that causes the death and murder of many other people including Banquo and Macduff. Her words such as, “And live a coward in thine own esteem” prepare the audience for the forthcoming events by teaching them about the lady’s character and her capability. This tone also reveals Macbeth’s true character and loyalty for the king and how the wife persuades him to turn his heart to Duncan in order to achieve his ambitions.

This scene presents Macbeth as a free man with the option to choose between good and evil for the last time. At this point, Macbeth is afraid of committing murder and has been overtaken by feelings of loyalty, kinship, extreme admiration for the king’s kindness, moral character and hospitality. However, this conflict of thoughts diminishes when Lady Macbeth enters and causes him to become engulfed by the lust of power and evil motives. She introduces her influence that is backed by the decision to contemplate for the quick necessity of action. Although he wavers at first, he gets stuck by the wife’s urges and plunges into the crime headlong. The wife denies Macbeth of his freedom and his actions are directed by the necessity of crime that has been planted by his wife.

At this point, one is able to describe Macbeth as an ambitious and malicious individual who is working hard to turn her husband’s heart from one full of kindness, as she described him the beginning saying, “too full of the milk of human kindness,” to kill the king. The scenario portrays Lady Macbeth as the strong one and more ambitious than her husband, who is perceived as very loyal and kind.

            Shakespeare choice of structure portrays an aspect of foreshadowing in that the main character only appears after scene 3. Instead, the author starts the play with witches who open the scene, such as to generate tension, suspense, and conflict. This aspect leaves the reader with suspense, wondering what will happen next and how things will turn out after the witches have been brought into the picture. Shakespeare introduces the scene with a point of contention to avoid the get-go in order to keep them rapt until the scene is closed. Introducing the scene with the protagonist would not have given the play a unique or interesting aspect. Unlike other plays of the time that started with the protagonist, Shakespeare introduces Macbeth in the third scene to avoid the aspect of getting the audience uninterested in the beginning.

Effect of Author’ choice of Structure on the Aesthetic Impact

The structure of a particular text affects how it is perceived and interpreted by the audience. In the play “Tragedy of Macbeth,” Shakespeare opens the scene by establishing the main character in absentia through the witches. This aspect informs the audience that the witches will meet the witches later at a battle, which gives the play an ominous tone.

The introduction of witches in the first scenario generates tension, conflict, and suspense to the audience who are left wondering about the next scenes and how things are likely to turn out after the introduction of witches. Begin the play with an aspect of controversy introduces an aesthetic aspect and suspense that keeps the audience engaged until the end. From the first speech, the audience learns that there is danger in the waiting when the witches say that they will meet “When the battle’s lost and won,” (1.1.3). Although this is a paradoxical statement, it introduces an aspect of war and loss which becomes evident when Macbeth wins the battle to become king but loses his wife, values, and his own life in the end.

Works Cited

Glaspell, Susan. “Trifles: A Play in One Act.” Los Angeles, CA: Baker’s Plays, 2010. Print.

Luo, Jiao, Aseem Kaul, and Haram Seo. “Winning us with trifles: Adverse selection in the use of philanthropy as insurance.” Strategic Management Journal 39.10 (2018): 2591-2617. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2935