Macbeth Monologue MACBETH: Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee! I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.…
The setting of this scene begins with Macbeth contemplating whether or not he should actually kill Duncan. This scene shows an ominous mood seeing as Macbeth might kill Duncan, but the audience contemplates if he will go through with it. This also ties to the theme of ambition because Lady Macbeth forces Macbeth to kill Duncan by questioning his manliness. Macbeth does not know how he feels about his actions. When Macbeth states “th’ assassination could trammel up the consequence” (Shakespeare 1.7.2-3) the audience becomes aware that Macbeth knows that the assassination will only effect his accession to the throne. With Duncan dead Macbeth would achieve his success and make is wife happy.When Macbeth says that the audience he knows for sure…
As the day of the deed approached, Macbeth began to doubt whether or not he should commit this act of treason, he is torn between two ways ‘’if it were done, when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well- it were done quickly; if th’assassination could trammel up the consequence’’ This demonstrates Macbeth as being confused and doubtful, Shakespeare has used euphemism to emphasis this. An example of this can be found in the previous quote, Macbeth refers to the act of murder as ‘it’ on numerous occasions, providing the impression that he is trying to avoid what he is contemplating on doing, not once does he actually use the word murder.…
Lady Macbeth is more evil than Macbeth, as illustrated through her speech and mischievous temperament. The first appearance of her attitude was after Macbeth’s soliloquy about his intentions of killing Duncan or not. Lady Macbeth states to Macbeth that if he does not kill Duncan, then he will “live a coward [in his own self-esteem]” (1.7.47). The connotation of the word “coward” said by Lady Macbeth emphasizes the cruel tone of Lady Macbeth. Her criticizing is unnecessary as Macbeth is deciding between a life changing inhuman action of assassinating his own king. The cruel tone indirectly characterizes Lady Macbeth to have a mischievous temperament and overall to be more evil than Macbeth, because Macbeth is emotional suffering about killing Duncan or not, while Lady Macbeth does not portray any grief over an action so relentless. Later during the same conversation after Macbeth’s soliloquy, Macbeth says “if we should fail,” and Lady Macbeth’s response to his question is “screw your courage to the sticking place/ And we’ll not fail” (1.7.68, 70-71). The dialect by Lady Macbeth in “screw your courage to the sticking place” means for Macbeth to not be hesitant in the kill. This indirectly characterizes Macbeth to be kinder than he appears, because Lady Macbeth is doubting that he will not kill Duncan, making her emphasize the murder by stating it directly to Macbeth.…
Directions: You will be taking a cumulative quarter test. This study guide will tremendously help you on that test.…
I should have been the one to confront Macbeth. I should have been able to figure out what Lady Macbeth and Macbeth did. I spent hours upon hours analyzing and scrutinizing the Lady’s strange speech from her sleep. If only I had realized it sooner, if only I had just put the pieces of the puzzle together quickly I could have been king. But no, Malcolm took over, and Malcolm got the power. But, I cannot think this way, just look at what happened to Macbeth and his wife. “Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.” But it was so obvious! The washing of her hands, her cries over the blood and her stained hands, her eagerness to hide or cover up what she had done. If only I had put the parts together I could have realized…
Lady Macbeth is greedy and ambitious. When Macbeth is considering not to go through with Duncan's murder Lady Macbeth says, “...Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valor as thou art in desire?” (1.7.42-44). Lady Macbeth is making Macbeth feel guilty and like a coward, because he is considering not to go through with the murder. She is going make Macbeth kill the king, because she…
As Macbeth transitions into power, the mood of the story transitions from a content state to a state of horror due to Macbeth’s killing sprees that are motivated by none other than, greed and power. When he is planning to kill King Duncan, Macbeth is overwhelmed with worry and almost abandons the plan, but it takes Lady Macbeth to convince him to go through with it. After the murder, however, Macbeth’s loyal personality deteriorates and he blames the murder on the servants because he does not want to ruin his reputation and be dethroned from being king. Following King Duncan's death, Macbeth lets his power go to his head and no longer wants Lady Macbeth to convince him to murder someone because, he just does it out of ambition to continue…
Structurally, Act3.4 is a key point in Macbeth; furthermore, it is the point in which Macbeth's character reaches a turning point. Up to this time, with all his hesitation and wild fancies and gloomy suspicions, he has had strength of mind and self-control enough to push forward to his objects and to hide from public view the bloody means by which he has obtained them. In this scene, however, we see a fatal collapse of his powers.…
Macbeth shares information as important as becoming king with his wife, which one can assume he most likely would not have done if he believed the Weїrd Sisters to be telling lies. Even though Macbeth accepts what the witches have told him as truth, he still struggles with his free will and means of fulfilling the prophecy. When speaking with Lady Macbeth, he rejects her plan to kill King Duncan, the reigning King, and tells her that they will, “proceed no further in this business”(1.7.34). Macbeth begins this scene by having new information about his future proposed to him, and questioning how, and if, it is to come to be. By the end of the scene, he has accepted the inevitable outcome, yet still holds on to the means by which it is to happen.…
Act 1, Scene 7, Shakespeare lets the audience know exactly what type of person Macbeth is, but also how he easily he can be drawn into committing a evil act. This scene starts of with another soliloquy, but this time from the man itself, Macbeth. His soliloquy starts off with him really worried. “If it were done when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well it were done quickly”. On this note, he starts off with; the audiences think that he has already been convinced enough from Lady Macbeth to carry out the evil act, as he is saying the work should be done quickly before Duncan leaves. Later on though in the soliloquy, Macbeth starts to rethink whether he has made the right decision to continue or shall he stop the act. The main reason for him to go against his wife’s is due to the consequences after his death and also during this life, how he will be punished to death. A quote to suggest this is when Shakespeare writes, “We’d jump the life to come.” What Shakespeare means here is that Macbeth is thinking about his afterlife. He is telling us that Macbeth doesn’t want to risk his afterlife by killing the king, because regicide, according to Victorians, had very dangerous penalties. “We still have judgement here that we but teach Bloody instructions, which bring taught, return To plague th’inventor”. This quote tells us that not only is Macbeth worried about the afterlife, but also is worried about his own death. In the Victorian times they used to believe that if someone does something bad, for example a murder, the same action will be done on him/her and that’s exactly what was stopping Macbeth. From these previous two quotes the audience also gets to know Macbeth better. What he said suggests that he is a very selfish person as all he thinks about is what would happen to him. Despite him having a bit of selfishness in his personality, Shakespeare also lets us know the…
Macbeth's soliloquy at the start of Act 1, Scene 7, introduces us to a side of Macbeth that has not yet been portrayed earlier in the play. Here, instead of being the courageous and valiant soldier, Macbeth reveals himself to be a man who is being slowly tempted by ambition and power, though not determined enough to take the risks in order to achieve his goal, thus resulting in the repetition of "ifs" throughout the beginning of Macbeth's soliloquy. Macbeth is also very much aware of the lack of reason for the murder of Duncan. The soliloquy effectively adds to our understanding of the internal conflict that plagues Macbeth as he struggles to determine whether or not he should kill Duncan, who is a virtuous man as well as his kinsman and king. He believes that it is against the nature of man to kill someone who is of such a status and relation to him and that it is immoral to do so, "he's here in double trust: first, as I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed" and that it would be a breech of Duncan's trust in him if he decides to go through with the murder. We see Macbeth's reluctance to murder Duncan himself as he is a guest in his own home. "…as his host, who should against his murderer shut the door, not bear the knife myself." Macbeth knows that his weakness is the desire he has to seize the crown. He knows that although he does not wish to murder Duncan but for the fulfillment of his own ambition, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition…" it is something that must happen in order for Macbeth to achieve what he wants. The audience sees the conflict within Macbeth and the horrible imaginings he has for his own downfall and his fate. He knows that he is drinking from a "poisoned chalice" which symbolizes Macbeth's yearning for moral desecration. Another aspect of Macbeth that the audience witness is the reluctance to mention the murder of Duncan. Instead, he uses euphemisms such as " it, assassination,…
The final scene of the first act opens up with a powerful soliloquy presented by Macbeth, If it were done when tis done (I.7.1-28). Shakespeare uses various literary techniques to express the ideas rushing through Macbeths mind prior to the murder of Duncan in his home. In previous scenes, Macbeth has been told prophecies of his future predicting him as king of Scotland, Duncans current position. Macbeth, with the aid of his wife, sees this task accomplishable only by the murder of the current king. This soliloquy presents itself at a crucial point of decision, only hours before the opportune minute of attackThe soliloquy opens with Macbeths ideas on how he would hope the murder to be. If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well / It were done quickly (I.7.1-2). These two lines show how indecisive Macbeth is about committing the crime. He is saying that if the murder be done, it should be done fast. The if shows that Macbeth is unsure that he wants to follow through with the initial plan. Shakespeare also shows that Macbeth wishes to get it over and done with, showing haste and not thinking it out properly.…
From the beginning Lady Macbeth is viewed as very controlling, strong, and certain. “First, she has very little regard for her husband's humanity and actually derides him for being "too full o'th' milk of human kindness” (Thompson 1). This shows how cold Lady Macbeth is, as milk is the food of new born children, she is implying Macbeth is too much like a kind child to murder anyone. Once Macbeth has the courage to tell her he does not want to continue with the murder she rallies, calling him a ‘coward’, saying that if he could murder Duncan ‘he were a man’. This to Macbeth, a proud and mighty warrior is a deep insult, and he soon is convinced that he will carry out the murder.…
In the opening of the play, Lady Macbeth acts as an extremely manipulative individual who essentially controls her husband's actions. This is evident through the plot and ultimately the death of King Duncan. From the beginning, as soon as she has word of the witches’ prophecies, she starts plotting Duncan’s murder. Lady Macbeth targets Macbeth’s weak mind and his lack of initiative, “Art thou afraid to be the same in thine own act and valor as thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would. (3.7.35-44)” Through intimidation and criticism , Lady Macbeth orchestrated Macbeth’s transformation into a monster. Initially Macbeth was portrayed as a noble person and an independent thinker. He was a loyal subject of Duncan and a friend to Banquo. However, his desire to be king proved to be another flaw that Lady Macbeth exploited. His ambition was his downfall as he would do anything, including committing murder, to become king. In essence, the quote introduces a pivotal theme of the play:…