How Is Violence Presented In Macbeth Act 4

By the end of the play, although Lady Macbeth tries to sway us other wise the audience is convinced by the characters that in order to be masculine, you don’t have to be violent as such but show leadership and loyalty. This message is conveyed in Act 4, scene 3 when Ross reports to Macduff the death of his family. Malcolm, Duncan’s son, suggests to Macduff that he should take to the news in a ‘manly fashion’. “I shall do so;/But I must feel it as a man…” This quote made by Macduff suggests that to take something like a man, doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be violent. Another theme explored in this part of the play is “Appearences often hide reality”. This theme suggests that people are not always who they seem to be. “To beguile the time/Look like the time, bear welcome in your eye,/Your hand, your tounge; look like th’innocent flower,/ But be the serpent under’t.” When Lady Macbeth says this to her husband, she is telling him he must not give away their scheme to kill Duncan.
By the end of the play, the masks that both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth wore become their permanent and irreversible state which leads Macbeth into boastful madness and Lady Macbeth into insanity and eventual suicide. The message depicted by this theme is that one should stay loyal and not be persuaded to do selfish things by putting ones desires before the people around them. Lady Macbeth is the main contributor to both themes in this scene as she not only has the largest role but the biggest opinion. As well as themes, Shakespeare also included many drama and language techniques in the play