Transformations Of Macbeth And Lady Macbeth
Shakespeare's Tragedy of Macbeth is a play analyzing evil in people, and the nature of that evil. It also shows the struggle that people have when deciding on a certain action to take, or a struggle with a decision already made. In the play, Shakespeare uses Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to portray some of the different types of evil that can manifest in a person.
Macbeth begins the play as a celebrated war hero, Thane of Glamis, and a man who had slain Macdonwald and fought off an attack by Norway. For this, Macbeth was titled Thane of Cawdor, the title previously held by Macdonwald. However, after the visit to the witches in which Macbeth is told he will be king, a secret fire ignites inside Macbeth. He contemplates killing King Duncan, especially after being further pursuaded by his deranged wife, Lady Macbeth. This is when Macbeth's gradual change from noble hero to possessed killer begins. Evil has dawned within him, but at this early stage of his transformation Macbeth is ashamed of his evil urges. He says, "Stars, hide your fires;/ Let not light see my black and deep desires;/ The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be,/ Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see." (I, iv, 50) Soon, however, Macbeth is overcome by his ambition and his fall begins. He says, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself/ and falls on the other." (I, vii, 25) As soon as the descision to murder Duncan is made, and until his death, Macbeth is a vessel relentlessly filling with evil. Evidence of this is the killing of Banquo, which Macbeth orchestrated. His evil is one of action, decisions without much thought behind them. With that in mind, one can see the pattern, where killing Duncan led to killing Banquo (because the witches said he'd have kings in his family and Macbeth felt threatened by them). This led to the attempted assassination of Macduff (which failed, but led to the slaughtering of his entire family).
In direct
Macbeth begins the play as a celebrated war hero, Thane of Glamis, and a man who had slain Macdonwald and fought off an attack by Norway. For this, Macbeth was titled Thane of Cawdor, the title previously held by Macdonwald. However, after the visit to the witches in which Macbeth is told he will be king, a secret fire ignites inside Macbeth. He contemplates killing King Duncan, especially after being further pursuaded by his deranged wife, Lady Macbeth. This is when Macbeth's gradual change from noble hero to possessed killer begins. Evil has dawned within him, but at this early stage of his transformation Macbeth is ashamed of his evil urges. He says, "Stars, hide your fires;/ Let not light see my black and deep desires;/ The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be,/ Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see." (I, iv, 50) Soon, however, Macbeth is overcome by his ambition and his fall begins. He says, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself/ and falls on the other." (I, vii, 25) As soon as the descision to murder Duncan is made, and until his death, Macbeth is a vessel relentlessly filling with evil. Evidence of this is the killing of Banquo, which Macbeth orchestrated. His evil is one of action, decisions without much thought behind them. With that in mind, one can see the pattern, where killing Duncan led to killing Banquo (because the witches said he'd have kings in his family and Macbeth felt threatened by them). This led to the attempted assassination of Macduff (which failed, but led to the slaughtering of his entire family).
In direct