Hidden Consequences Of The Play 'Macbeth'
Hidden consequences Page 1
In the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth’s decisions are heavily influenced by Lady Macbeth and the witches. Lady Macbeth encourages Macbeth to kill Duncan, and the witches predict Macbeth’s future life by showing him. Therefore the decisions that the other characters make are crucial because they really shape out the life of Macbeth during and after he obtains the throne. The advice he takes will eventually lead to his demise due mainly because he couldn’t say no or see future problems arise.
One of the characters who likes to tell Macbeth what to do is Macbeth’s wife Lady Macbeth. She is the one who wanted Macbeth to kill Duncan so he could
take the throne of Scotland, “When you durst do it, then you were a man,/And to be more than what you were, you would/Be so much more the man (I,vii,49-51).” In these lines, Lady Macbeth is telling Macbeth to be a man and kill the King and then become even more of a man by becoming the King of Scotland. She also is always trying to get Macbeth to relax and not worry about what they did because everything will be alright; “Where our desire is got without content./‘Tis safer to be that which we destroy/Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy (III, ii, 5-7).” Lady Macbeth is really just telling her husband that he should be happy because if he isn’t happy he won’t gain anything. The murder brought up unsuspected feelings for Macbeth leading him to hallucinations
Page 2 and remorse. One can see Lady Macbeth likes calling the shots and having control over her husband. The witches, who fool Macbeth into listening to them, influence Macbeth to take fate into his own hands. He first becomes confused and suspicious of what they have to say because after the war between the Scots and Norweyans, when Banquo and Macbeth are marching back, they meet the witches and one of them says, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter (I,iii,50).” This quote After becoming King, a position obtained after listening to his wife, Macbeth understands the witches can see into the future and will want to get advice out of them later. On page 225 you can see that Macbeth journeys out to see the witches again for help. He then becomes arrogant and forces the witches to show him his future, in which he laughs about. The witches were right though in what they show Macbeth and that is what lead to his demise one act later. This is why Lady Macbeth’s and the witches decisions are the most important in the story; because they affect his life so much. Their decisions are more important because Macbeth listened to them and was influenced by what others told him. He acted upon other characters’ beliefs, and that got him tangled up in a mess that that results in Macbeth’s death at the end of the play.
Bibliography Shakepeare, William, Macbeth, Adventures in English Literature. Orlando: Idarcourt Broce, 1989. 179-249
In the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth’s decisions are heavily influenced by Lady Macbeth and the witches. Lady Macbeth encourages Macbeth to kill Duncan, and the witches predict Macbeth’s future life by showing him. Therefore the decisions that the other characters make are crucial because they really shape out the life of Macbeth during and after he obtains the throne. The advice he takes will eventually lead to his demise due mainly because he couldn’t say no or see future problems arise.
One of the characters who likes to tell Macbeth what to do is Macbeth’s wife Lady Macbeth. She is the one who wanted Macbeth to kill Duncan so he could
take the throne of Scotland, “When you durst do it, then you were a man,/And to be more than what you were, you would/Be so much more the man (I,vii,49-51).” In these lines, Lady Macbeth is telling Macbeth to be a man and kill the King and then become even more of a man by becoming the King of Scotland. She also is always trying to get Macbeth to relax and not worry about what they did because everything will be alright; “Where our desire is got without content./‘Tis safer to be that which we destroy/Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy (III, ii, 5-7).” Lady Macbeth is really just telling her husband that he should be happy because if he isn’t happy he won’t gain anything. The murder brought up unsuspected feelings for Macbeth leading him to hallucinations
Page 2 and remorse. One can see Lady Macbeth likes calling the shots and having control over her husband. The witches, who fool Macbeth into listening to them, influence Macbeth to take fate into his own hands. He first becomes confused and suspicious of what they have to say because after the war between the Scots and Norweyans, when Banquo and Macbeth are marching back, they meet the witches and one of them says, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter (I,iii,50).” This quote After becoming King, a position obtained after listening to his wife, Macbeth understands the witches can see into the future and will want to get advice out of them later. On page 225 you can see that Macbeth journeys out to see the witches again for help. He then becomes arrogant and forces the witches to show him his future, in which he laughs about. The witches were right though in what they show Macbeth and that is what lead to his demise one act later. This is why Lady Macbeth’s and the witches decisions are the most important in the story; because they affect his life so much. Their decisions are more important because Macbeth listened to them and was influenced by what others told him. He acted upon other characters’ beliefs, and that got him tangled up in a mess that that results in Macbeth’s death at the end of the play.
Bibliography Shakepeare, William, Macbeth, Adventures in English Literature. Orlando: Idarcourt Broce, 1989. 179-249