Destruction of Macbeth
Destruction by Darkness
As the famous saying goes, “You cannot judge a book by its cover”; the purest of people could come along with the deepest mind. The forces of wicked darkness in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, reveal the immoral intentions of characters’ minds and deterioration of their souls. Mysterious witches, full of supernatural power, use their evil instincts to bring chaos over Scotland. Macbeth is adequately disturbed by the sinful night, slowly turning him away from sanity. The corruption of Lady Macbeth is instigated by her hidden villainous thoughts shining through her. The beastly qualities presented by Macbeth result in light being displayed by Banquo. The deaths of characters distinctively show their fate brought upon them.
One of the main causes of the corruption of Macbeth is the “secret, black and midnight hags”. Shakespeare illustrates the witches as being evil creatures with a mind full of mischievous plans. When the first witch asks, “When shall we [the witches] meet again?/ In thunder, lightening or in rain?” (I, I, 1-2), it shows pathetic fallacy and creates a musky, uneasy atmosphere. Every solitary time the witches appear in the play, it is thundering. They use their malevolent powers to bring disorder to the country and manipulate Macbeth’s mind. After Macbeth and Banquo have their first encounter with the witches, Banquo is very troubled about their prophecies and does not know if he
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should believe them or if it is all just an illusion. When they find out that Macbeth is actually Thane, Banquo utters, “And often times, to win us to our harm,/ The instruments of darkness tell us truths” (I, iii, 122-123); because he still believes these “weird sisters” cannot be trusted. Although, Macbeth’s feelings are not the same, he is intrigued by what he hears and his power hungry ambition is show: “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,/shakes so my single state of man that function/Is smother’d in surmise.” (I,
As the famous saying goes, “You cannot judge a book by its cover”; the purest of people could come along with the deepest mind. The forces of wicked darkness in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, reveal the immoral intentions of characters’ minds and deterioration of their souls. Mysterious witches, full of supernatural power, use their evil instincts to bring chaos over Scotland. Macbeth is adequately disturbed by the sinful night, slowly turning him away from sanity. The corruption of Lady Macbeth is instigated by her hidden villainous thoughts shining through her. The beastly qualities presented by Macbeth result in light being displayed by Banquo. The deaths of characters distinctively show their fate brought upon them.
One of the main causes of the corruption of Macbeth is the “secret, black and midnight hags”. Shakespeare illustrates the witches as being evil creatures with a mind full of mischievous plans. When the first witch asks, “When shall we [the witches] meet again?/ In thunder, lightening or in rain?” (I, I, 1-2), it shows pathetic fallacy and creates a musky, uneasy atmosphere. Every solitary time the witches appear in the play, it is thundering. They use their malevolent powers to bring disorder to the country and manipulate Macbeth’s mind. After Macbeth and Banquo have their first encounter with the witches, Banquo is very troubled about their prophecies and does not know if he
2
should believe them or if it is all just an illusion. When they find out that Macbeth is actually Thane, Banquo utters, “And often times, to win us to our harm,/ The instruments of darkness tell us truths” (I, iii, 122-123); because he still believes these “weird sisters” cannot be trusted. Although, Macbeth’s feelings are not the same, he is intrigued by what he hears and his power hungry ambition is show: “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,/shakes so my single state of man that function/Is smother’d in surmise.” (I,
Cited: Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Print.