M AC B E T H
E S S AY PA C K O N E
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© CIAN HOGAN ENGLISH NOTES 2012 - 2013
© Cian Hogan 2013
Table of Contents
E SS AY W RI TI NG GUIDELI N ES
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P A ST LE AVI NG CER T Q UE STI ONS
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© CIAN HOGAN ENGLISH NOTES 2012 - 2013
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EXAMINATION TECHNIQUE May 2012
Leaving Certificate English
Single Text 60 Marks
Exa min a t i on Tec hnique & Sam ple Answe r s
Accordi ng to the Ch ief -E xa mine r f or
used liberally, but no t alw ays
English:
accurately or judicious ly.
Examiners noted that the
Examiners
reported
that
best answers in the Si ng le
candi dates gene rally seem ed
Text Section were ancho red
well prepared fo r ans wer ing
in a careful and assured
o n S i n g l e Te x t q u e s t i o n s .
examination of all aspects of
Although
the
most
answers
question.
While
displayed a close knowledge
unfocused narrative remains
of
a
the
studied
unfocused
texts,
minor
problem,
most
narrative
candidates
displayed
an
re m a i n e d a f e a t u re o f t h e
admirable
flexibility
in
less success ful at tem pts.
adapting their knowledge to
the demands of the questio n
Successful
avoided
candidates
simple
character
sketches and wrot e c og ent ly,
using focused na rra tive , o n
both
aspects
of
the
question. Quotations were
The Key to
success is
writing as
many essays
as possible.
© CIAN HOGAN ENGLISH NOTES 2012 - 2013
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EXAMINATION TECHNIQUE December 2011
“Yo u r an swer n eeds to be well
th o u gh t ou t . You m u s t u s e
para grap h s, s u p po rt wh a t you
are s ayi n g wit h q u ot ati o n f rom
th e tex t a n d a bo ve al l an swer
th e qu es ti on as ke d.” D o n’t
f org et PQE !
Leaving Certificate English Macbeth
Past Leaving Certificate Questions
1 953
and gr andeur of evil influence ." Discuss,
"Macbeth has physical cour age , but mor al
w i th su i ta bl e q uo ta ti o n fr o m t he pl ay.
weakness, and is subject to excited
1 96 2
i m a g i n a t i ve fe a r s. " Di s c u s s t h is e s t imate
o f Ma cb et h , q u oti ng fr e e ly f ro m t h e pl ay.
"We find in “ M acbe th” r apidity of
movemen t, gr ea t di ver si t y of c ha r a ct er,
Or
and many spectacular scenes." Discuss
"There is at once a grossness, a hor r ible
this estimate of the play and quote in
re al it y a bo u t t he wi tc h e s , a n d a my st er y
sup po r t o f th e p oi n ts yo u make .
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scor ned thei r pr opheci es, nor the ma n
Or
"Lady Macbeth dominates the play up to
the murder of Duncan; after that her
i nfl u e nc e gr a d ua lly di mi ni sh es , w hi le he r
h u s b a n d ' s p owe r fo r e v i l g r ow s e ve r
greater." Discuss with relevant quotation
f r o m t h e p l ay.
w ho pr ayed to be del i ver ed fr om
temptation. He is a man whose pr inciples
h ave b e e n d e e p ly c o m p r o m i s e d . " D i s c u s s
this view, suppor ting the points you make
by referen ce to or qu otation f rom th e
play.
Or
1 97 5
In “M a cb e t h ,” S h akespeare does n ot
present Macbeth as a mere villain, but
s uc ce e ds in a r o usi ng a mea s ur e o f
s y m pa thy fo r hi m. D is cu ss t he c ha r acter
o f M a c be t h i n t he l i gh t o f t h is st a t e men t,
s up po r ti ng yo ur an s we r by r el ev a n t
D i s c u s s t h e w ay i n w h i c h t h e l a n g u a g e o f
the play Macbeth contr ibutes to the
cr eation of the atmosphere of evil and
violence that per vades the play. Suppor t
your ans we r by r e le vant quotation or
r efer ence .
quotation and reference .
1995
Or
Discuss the cour se and nature of the
In “M a cb e t h ” the inner self is conveyed,
not through the ideas expressed, nor
through the actions perfor med, but by
r esi stance to Macbeth's r ul e in the pl ay.
S u p p o r t yo u r a n s we r by q u o t a t i o n f r o m
or r efer ence to the pl ay.
m ea ns of an e labo r at e pa t t e r n o f i mager y O r
and symbolism. Test the tr uth of this
s tat em en t by co n s id er in g a ny t wo o f th e
play's char acter s and the images and
s y m bo l s a ssoci a te d wi t h t h em. Su ppor t
you r an s wer by r ele van t qu o t a t i o n or
re fe r e n ce .
"Kingship, with all its potential for good
or evil, i s a maj or theme in the play,
Macbeth. Discuss this view, suppor ting
your ans we r by quotati on fr om or
r efer ence to the pl ay.
2003
1 98 7
"T h e Ban qu o Mac be th h as ki ll ed is n ot th e
i nno cen t s ol d ier who me t t he wi t c he s an d
"We feel ver y little pity for the centr al
char acter s of Macbeth and Lady Macb eth
i n Shakespear e's pl ay." To w hat extent
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would you agree with the above view? Suppor t your answer by
re fe r en ce t o th e play.
Notes
Or
"In Macbeth, Shakespeare presents us with a powerful vision of
e vi l ."
Wr ite your response to the above statement. Textual suppor t may
i nc l ud e r e fe r e nc e to a pa r t ic u la r pe rfor mance of the pl ay you have
s e e n.
2 0 09
(i ) “M ac be t h’s murd e r o f D u n c a n h a s hor r ibl e consequences both
fo r Mac be th h i m s e l f an d fo r S c o tl an d.”
Wr ite a response to this statement. You should refer to the play
i n you r a ns we r.
OR
(i i) “Ma cb et h ha s a ll th e in g re die n t s o f compel l i ng dr ama.”
Wr ite a response to this statement, commenting on one or more
o f the in gr e die nt s wh ic h , in yo u r o pinion, make Macbeth a
c o mp el li ng dr a ma.
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1 98 7
‘The Banquo Macbeth has Killed is not the innocent soldier who met
the Witc hes and scorned their prophecies , nor the man who prayed
to b e d el iv ere d fro m tem p ta tio n . H e is a m a n w h o se p r in cip les h a ve
b e e n d e e p l y c o m p ro m i s e d .’
When we fir st meet Ba nquo h e a ppear s ke en, obs er v ant
an d above all impe r viou s to th e temptation th at th e Witch es
re pr es en t. H owe ve r, by Act III scen e ii , Ban qu o’s pr in ciples h ave
be e n dee ply c o mpro mised an d we ju stifiably feel th at h e is n ot th e
innocent solider who met the Witches and scorned their
prophecies.
The fir st re p o r ts we rec e i ve of Ba nquo in bat tle s how
th at h e i s br ave an d loyal, th ou gh n ot perh aps possessin g th e
s tre ng t h o r c ha r i sma o f Ma c be t h . His i nn er cour age is emphasi sed
wh en he m e e ts th e Wit c h e s . Un like M acbe th, w ho is “ ra pt ” by wh at
they have to say, Banquo neither fear s nor “ b e g [ s ]” th e i r “fa vo u r s
n o r [ t h e i r ] h a t e”. T h is play examin es th e w ay in wh ich evil tempts
e ven th e m o s t loyal an d most br ave in to committin g u n speakable
c r i me s. We kn ow f ro m th e previou s scen e th at th e Witch es are
l imi ted i n th e i r powe r s. T h eir petty an d vin dictive pu r su it of th e
“m a s t e r o ' t h e T i ge r” demonstr ates to us just how circumscr ibed
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th ey ar e i n th e i r abi lity to in terfere wi th th is u n for tu n ate man ’s
f a t e . A l t h o u g h t h i s s a i l o r ’s “b a r k c a n n o t b e l o s t”, th e Witch es are
able to “ d ra i n h i m d r y a s h a y ” by preven tin g h im f rom sleepin g.
S l e e p, w ith al l i ts c o n n otation s of rest, in n ocen ce an d peace , is on e
o f the ch ie f m e an s by wh ic h t h e Wit c h es in ter act w i th thei r victims.
A nd , w h en we ne x t me e t B a n qu o, he h as been having gr eat
difficulty in sleeping. His mind is troubled by unspecified, disturbing
thoughts and “ a h e avy su mmon s lies like l ea d u p o n ” h im. D espite h is
pr ofo u n d s e n s e o f wear in ess, h e can n ot sleep. H is respon se to
these “ cur sed thoughts ” th at h ave preven ted h im f rom rest is to
pr ay to the “ m e r c i f u l p ow e r s” to come to his aid. At this stage in
th e pl ay, Ban qu o is n ot yet mor ally compr omised, alth ou gh we do
s e e cl e ar si gn s th at h e h as been af fected by h is en cou n ter with th e
Witches.
This is confir med t o us in the s a me sce ne w he n Macbe th
e nte r s t h e s ta ge . T he ma n wh o o n c e war n ed his close fr iend that:
of tent imes , to wi n us to o ur h ar m,
The in st ru ments o f dar kne ss tell us tru ths ,
Win us with ho ne st tr ifl e s , to be tray's
In d eepes t conse que nce .
n ow s p e a k s o f t h e t r u t h t h a t t h e W i t c h e s h ave s h ow n . T h e r e t h e n
follows an awkward exchange , dur ing which Macbeth quite
obviously
suggests
an
underhanded
and
even
treasonable
e nte r pr is e th at w il l b e t o Ba n qu o ’s be n efit:
I f y o u s h a l l c l e a v e t o my c o n s e n t , w h e n ' t i s ,
It s ha ll make ho no ur fo r yo u .
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Ban qu o’s r e ply re ve al s th e fir st sign s of mor al compromise . H is
re f u s al to be c o me involved in anyth in g u n derh an ded is of cou r se
al s o a s u btle ac kn owledgemen t th at h e se es Macbeth ’s proposal
fo r w h at i t i s . Ye t, de s pi te th i s , h e agr e e s to th e m e e ti n g.
O n t h e m o r n i n g o f t h e mu r d e r, B a n q u o a r r i ve s fo l l ow i n g
th e e x it of Mac du f f an d L en n ox; in itially in credu lou s, h e becomes
s u s pi ci ou s af te r h e h as h ear s Macbeth ’s explan ation of why h e
killed the grooms. In public , he says nothing about his suspicions,
bu t vow s in th e s tro n gest possible ter ms to stan d u n equ ivocally
against “ treasonous malice ”. H e a s s u res the assembled T hanes that
h e i n t e n d s t o fi g h t t h e “a g a i n s t u n d i v u l ge d p re t e n c e” th at n ow
c o n ce al s D u n c an ’s mu rderer. T h e man n er in wh ich h e moves f rom
u s i n g t h e i n c l u s i ve “u s ,” to stressin g th at h e alon e stan ds in th e
“r ig h t ha n d of G o d ” s u g g e s t s t h a t h e i s aw a r e t h a t h e h a s a
different per spective on this ghastly cr ime . When we next meet
Ban qu o o n h is own , in soliloqu y, at th e star t of Act III, h e voices
h i s su s pi ci o n s to u s c o n cer n in g Macbeth ’s gu ilt - su spicion s th at h e
h a s m o s t o bv i o u s ly f a i l e d t o r a i s e i n t h e o f f - s t a g e c o u n c i l m e e t i n g
that saw Macbeth named as Duncan’s successor :
T h o u h a s t i t n ow : k i n g , C a w d o r, G l a m i s , a l l ,
As t he weird wom en promise d, and, I fear,
Thou p lay'dst mos t fo u l l y fo r' t:
Banquo’s king has just been murdered and the social hier archy that
h e fo u g h t s o v a l i a n t ly t o p r o t e c t a g a i n s t t h e N o r we g i a n i nv a s i o n
h as be e n th r own in to ch aos, yet h e ch ooses to ign ore h is
s u s pi ci on s th at Mac beth is respon sible for th is h or r ific cr ime . H e
c o m pr om is e s h is pr i n cipals even f u r th er by br u sh in g aside h is
fe ar s in f avo u r o f an an alysis of wh at th e Witch es’ proph ecies may
h o ld fo r h i m . T h is kin d of u tilitar ian , self -ser vin g approach to
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mo r a li ty i s c o mple te ly a t o dds wit h the mor al confi dence that
Banquo exudes in the ear ly scenes of the play.
In fact, one o f the mo st st a r t l i ng as pe ct s of the cha ng e
th at takes plac e in Ban qu o’s ch ar acter, is th e man n er in wh ich h e
begins to resemble Macbeth. His hope that the Witches’
prophecies may become his “orac les as well,” is str angely
re m in is c en t o f Mac be t h ’s e a r lie r de s ire to tr ust in “ c hance . ” T h e
Banquo, who once war ned his fr iend to guard against tr usting in
th e tr u th of th e pro ph ecies, n ow scan s th e proph ecies in order to
ascer tain what they may hold for him:
Why, by the ver ities on thee made good,
Ma y t hey n ot be my o rac le s a s we l l ,
An d s et me u p i n ho pe ?
T h e w ay i n w h i c h S h a ke s p e a r e j u x t a p o s e s B a n q u o ’s s o l i l o q u y,
w h i c h i s f u l l o f m i s g i v i n g s a b o u t M a c b e t h ’s i n n o c e n c e , w i t h
Ban qu o’s n e ar s y c o ph an tic reaction to Macbeth ’s ar r ival is ver y
i n te re s ti n g. I n a man n er th at recalls Macbe th ’s eager expression s
o f loyal ty to D u n c an , Ban qu o assu res h is n ew Kin g th at h e may
f r e e ly “Command upon [him]; to whic h [his] duties | Are with a most
i nd i ss ol u b le t i e | For ever Knit ”. A t t hi s s tage , we ar e justifi ed in
fe e l i n g t h a t B a n q u o h a s c o m p r o m i s e d m a ny o f h i s p r i n c i p l e s .
In te r e st i n g ly, i n hi s fi n a l e x c h a n g e wit h Macbeth, Banquo speaks of
becoming a “ b o r row e r o f t h e n i g h t | Fo r a d a r k h o u r o r t wa i n”. I n a
pl ay w h e r e n i gh t h o lds su ch clear association s with evil, th e reader
r ightly feels that Banquo’s words may hold significance beyond
their liter al meaning.
The re is no denyi ng tha t Banquo fa i l s t o live up to his
pr omi s e fi gh t again s t th e evil th at h as been visited on th e
Kingdom. In death, he does succeed in unmasking Macbeth’s guilt:
h owe ve r, h i s s e l f - i n t e r e s t a n d r e l u c t a n c e t o t a ke t h e t y p e o f h a r d
de ci si on s th at s e e c h ar acter s like Macdu f f sacr ifice ever yth in g for
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th e cau se of go od, mu st lead to u s to qu esti on h is in tegr ity. In th e
e nd , we a r e fo r ce d t o a c c ept t ha t t h e Banq uo Macbeth has Killed
i s no t t h e i n n o c en t s o ldi er w ho met th e Witches and scor ned
th e ir pr o ph e c i e s , n o r th e man wh o pr ayed to be deli vered f rom
temptati on . H e i s a man wh o se pr in cipl es h ave been deeply
c o m pr o m i se d .
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1 99 1
“Th e e te rn a l s tr u ggle b etw een go o d a n d evi l – a stru ggle in w h ic h evil
co m e s v e r y c l o s e to victo r y – is th e cen tra l th em e in th e p la y
Ma c b e t h .”
Di scu s s th i s v iew a n d sh ow h ow th e str u ggle is illu stra ted in th e
i ma ge r y i n t h e p lay. Sup p or t your answ er by quo tati o n o r re ference .
Shakespeare’s Macbeth encompasses a complex fabr ic of
imager y th at ar ti c u l ate s th e e t e r n a l s t r u g g l e b e t w e e n g o o d a n d ev i l.
In n e ar vi sc e r al te r ms , S h akespeare h igh li gh ts th e f r igh ten in g power
th at e vi l h as fo r s u f fe r in g an d destr u ction . At th e same time , h e
o ffer s u s a v is io n o f th e po t e n t ia l t h a t hu man bei ngs hol d for good.
T h e c o n f l i c t b e t we e n g o o d a n d e v i l t a ke s p l a c e o n t wo l e ve l s i n
th is pl ay. Fi r s tly, we are presen ted with a ser ies of in ter n al str u ggles
wh e r e c h ar ac te r s wre stle with th eir con scien ces an d attempt to
re s is t t h e i m p ul se t o do wro n g . A t t h e same time , we ar e pr esented
wi th t h e phy si c al st r u g g le be t we e n g ood and evil - a str uggl e in
wh ic h e vi l c o m e s ve r y c lo s e t o v ic t o r y.
Perhaps the most obvious and potent image of evil in play is
that of the Witches. If we take these char acter s as symbolising
wi c ke d n e ss, th e n we le a r n a g re a t a bou t Shakespear e’s vision of
e vi l. T h e Witc h e s are presen ted to u s in a ser ies of u n for gettable
visual images. Banquo descr ibes them as looking “ n o t like th e
i nh a b i t a n t s o f t h e ear t h .” H e lays emph asis on th eir “c hoppy finger ”
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and “ s k i n n y li ps .” T h eir an drogyny is u n der scored by h is descr iption
o f the i r “ b e a rd s” wh ich forbid h im to “ i nte r pret ” th at th ey are
“w o m e n .” T h e s e are vi le an d par adoxical cr eatu res. Yet, despite th eir
o bvi o u s u gli n e s s , th e y man age to tempt Macbeth in to violatin g h is
mo s t d e ep ly he ld be li e f s . Th is a bilit y o f evil to “w i n u s t o o u r h a r m s”
i s an e ss e n tial fe atu re of S h akespeare’s pr esen tation of th e eter n al
s tr u ggle be twe e n go o d an d evil. As soon as Macbeth h as met th ese
c re atu r e s, h e be gi n s to str u ggle with h is con scien ce . As h e attempts
to resist the lure of evil, he descr ibes to us in near viscer al ter ms,
the effect that it is having on him:
[...] w hy d o I y i e l d t o t h a t s u g ge s t i o n
Whose horr id image doth unfix my hair
And
r ibs , | Against the use of nature?
m a ke
my
seated
heart
knock
at
my
H owe ve r, M a c b e t h d o e s y i e l d t o h i s e v i l i m p u l s e s , a n d a s a r e s u l t ,
Scotland is plunged into a living nightmare.
Once Macbeth kills Duncan, the evil that has descended on
S c o tl an d is c o nve ye d in a ser ies of distu rbin g images. T h e play
c o ntain s seve r a l re fe re n c e s t o t h e s upe r n atur al consequences of
Macbeth’s cr ime . The str uggle between good and evil is fought
i n i tial ly o n a s u pe r n atu r al plan e . In Act II scen e iv, R oss in for ms u s
that the “ h e a v e n s h a v e b e c o m e t ro u b l e d w i t h m a n ’s a c t.” T h e evil
that Macbeth invokes ear lier in play results in “dark
night
s t ra n gl [ i n g ] t h e t rav el ling lam p .” T h is str an ge occu r ren ce is match ed
by u nu su al be h avi o u r in th e an imal wor ld. R espon din g to wh at R oss
h as s ai d, an o ld man in for ms u s th at D u n can ’s h or ses became
u n r u ly a n d “ a t e e a c h o t h e r.” Alth ou gh Macbeth loses h is str u ggle
with e vi l e ar ly o n in play, vestiges of h is con scien ce con tinu e to
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re j e c t th e de pr avity th at h e h as con sciou sly embr aced. H e becomes
h au n te d by n i gh tmares an d vision s of evil. H is th ou gh ts are
dominated by images of “ s corp ions ” an d oth er ven omou s creatu res
o f th e n i gh t. H owe ve r, followin g th e mu r der of D u n can , th e rhyth m
an d th e c ade n c e o f Macbeth ’s speech ch an ges u n til h e begin s to
e c ho t h e s pe e c h p at te r n s o f t h e Wit c h es :
e re th e b at h ath f low n
H i s c l ois t er ' d f li g h t , ere to blac k H eca te's
s ummons | Th e s ha rd -b o rne b eetle with h is
d row s y h um
T h e c o m bin atio n o f visu al imager y an d th e sou n d of Macbeth ’s
words h i gh l igh t fo r u s th e f act th at Macbe th h as lost h is str u ggle
wi th e v i l .
If Macbeth loses his soul to evil, other char acter s in the play
re j e c t tem ptatio n an d oppose th e forces of dar kn ess. Ban qu o’s
s tr uggl e w i th e vi l i s c a pt u re d in h is h e ar tfe lt pr ayer to those:
merciful power s to | Restrain in [him] the
cur sed thoughts that nature | Gives way to in
repose .
T h e i m age r y o f s l e e p, wh ich is so cen tr al to Macbeth ’s str u ggle
wi th e vi l r e tu r n s h e re a n d is s e e n els ew her e i n the play. Later,
wh en t h e fo r c e s o f g o o d h ave be g u n to r al ly, an unnamed Lor d
pr ays that “N or t humberland ” and “ wa r l i ke S i wa rd” will gr an t th em
deliver ance from Macbeth’s tyr anny. His hope is that “ sl e e p ” will
re t ur n o nc e ag ai n t o t h is c u r s e d c o u n t r y.
F r om th is p o in t o n in t h e play, the i mager y associ ated w i th
th e s tr u ggle be twe e n good an d evil ch an ges sh ar ply. T h e in n er
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s tr u ggle th at we witn ess in Macbeth an d Ban qu o n ow becomes
l iter al . I n o r de r to c o nvey th is, S h akespear e relies on blood, n atu re
and clothing imager y. Caith n ess explain s th at h e is willin g to of fer
h i s l i fe bl o o d a s a “m e d i c i n e” to be u sed in th e “ countr y’s purge .”
H is fee l i n gs ar e e c h o ed by L en n ox wh en h e speaks of th e n eed to
“d ew t h e s ov e re i g n f l ow e r a n d d row n t h e w e e d s.” T h eir willin gn ess to
di e fo r Mal c o l m is , in par t, a recogn ition of th e poten tial th at h is
ki n gs h i ps h o lds fo r go od. Macbeth h as brou gh t fire an d sword to
Scotland and the evil that he represents has resulted in genocide:
[ . . . ] go o d m e n ' s l i v e s
Expire before the flower s in their caps ,
Dying or ere they sic ken.
T h i s p owe r f u l i m a g e , d r aw n f r o m t h e n a t u r a l wo r l d , h i g h l i g h t s n o t
o nly t he e x te nt o f M a c be t h ’s e v il bu t also the necessity of opposi ng
h i m . R o s s c o n fi r m s w h a t h e h a s j u s t s a i d by p r ov i d i n g u s w i t h
f u r th e r i m age s o f Mac beth ’s tyr an ny. H e tells Macdu f f an d Malcolm
that under Macbeth, “ Eac h minute teems a new [gr ief]. ” T h e n eed to
re s is t M ac be th ’s r ul e is u ppe r mo s t in R oss’ mind. Dr aw i ng on
c l ot hi n g i m ag e r y, h e in fo r ms M a lc o lm that his pr esence i n Scotland
“w o u ld cre a te s o l d ie r s , m a ke o u r w o m en fi gh t | To d o ff th eir d ire
d i s t re s s e s” . O n c e Malcolm agrees to oppose Macbeth on th e
battlefield, his decision is given divine sanction. He tells us that ten
thousand soldier s await his command and that “ the power s above |
P u t o n t h e i r i n s t r u m e n t s”.
Although the rebels’ final victor y is, according to Siward,
“c heaply bought, ” th e play’s imager y su ggests th at th is is simply on e
e ve nt i n t h e e te r n al s t r u g g le be t we e n good and evi l – a str uggle in
wh ic h e vi l c o m e s ve r y c lo s e t o v ic t o r y.
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1 99 5
D i sc u s s th e c o u r s e an d th e n atu re of r esistan ce to Macbeth ’s r u le
i n the p lay.
The murder of Duncan leaves Scotland in a state of shock. It
re s ul t s i n a g ha st ly “ b re a c h i n n a t u re” t h a t s t r i ke s a t t h e ve r y h e a r t
o f th e c o u n tr y ’s po l itical system. In itially, resistan ce to Macbeth ’s
r ule i s mu t e d an d th e T h a n e s a c c e p t th e ne w status quo. However,
ove r t h e c ou r s e of p l ay, re s i s t a n c e to Macbe th’s tyr anny gr ow s ,
u n t i l S c o t l a n d i s p l u n g e d i n t o a s t a t e o f c i v i l w a r.
The fir st faint signs of resistance to Macbeth’s r ule can be
s e e n on th e m o r n i n g of th e discover y of D u n can ’s body. Macbeth ’s
fe ve re d de fe n s e o f h is in explicable decision to mu rder th e on ly
m a t e r i a l w i t n e s s e s t o t h e K i n g ’s a s s a s s i n a t i o n i s g r e e t e d by
Macduff with genuine astonishment:
“ Wherefore did you so? ”
It i s obvi ou s to th e a s s e mble d me mbe r s of Duncan’s cour t that
th e mu r de r e r o f th e i r Kin g is in th eir midst. H owever, for th e
m ome n t, th e y are u n able to direct th eir misgivin gs an d su spicion s
at any on e i n di vidu al. Ban qu o speaks for all th e T h an es wh en h e
promises to “ s t and ” “ I n t h e g re a t h a n d o f G o d” and to “ figh t”
“Aga i ns t t he u n di vul ge d p retence.” T h e r igh tf u l h eir s to D u n can ’s
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th ro n e , Malc o l m an d D on albain realise th at open resistan ce to
their father’s murder is not possible at this point. They under stand
that:
“There's
daggers
in
men's
blood, | The nearer bloody .”
smiles: the
near
in
A s r e s ul t, t he y d e c id e t o f le e Sc o t la n d i n or der “ to avoid the aim ”
o f the “mu rd e ro u s s h a f t s h a f t th a t’s s h o t.” S cotlan d h as become so
u tte r ly cor r u pt th at th e on ly h ope for a mean in gf u l ch allen ge to
th e e vi l th at h as be en visited on th e kin gdom, lies ou tside its
boarder s.
I f r e s i s tan ce to th e evil th at Macbeth embr aces is
i n i tial ly mu te d i n th e h u man wor ld, th e n atu r al wor ld is seen to be
c o nvu l se d by Du nc an ’s mu rde r. A c c o rdin g to Lennox:
The night has been unruly: where we lay,
Our c himneys were blown down; and, as they say,
Lamentings heard i' the air ; strange screams of death,
And prophesying with accents terr ible
Of dire combustion and confused events
It i s as i f M a c be th ’s c r ime is be in g re si sted on a natur al and
s up e r na tu r a l l e ve l. A n o ld ma n c o n fir ms th at “this sore night | Hath
tr ifled former knowings ” a n d R o s s e x p l a i n s t h a t “Du n ca n ’s h o r ses
b ro ke th e ir s ta l ls , fl u n g o u t, Co n ten d in g ' ga in st o b ed ien ce , a s th ey
w o u l d m a ke | Wa r w i t h m a n k i n d ”. H owever, s u ch attempts by n atu re
to resist the evil that Macbeth represents are , in the fir st half of
the play, ineffectual. “ Dark night ” descends over Scotland and
re s is tan c e to th e in e vitability of Macbeth ’s ascen sion to th e th ron e
appear s futile .
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It falls to Macduff to resist Macbeth’s tyr anny. He refuses to
to be present at the coronation at Scone , and in an obvious rebuff
to Macbeth’s legitimacy as r uler of Scotland, he refuses to attend
the royal banquet. Macduff ’s resistance to Macbeth’s r ule does not
go u n n otic e d. A c c o rdin g to L en n ox, Macbeth h as taken all of th is
ver y per son ally an d “ Macduff [now ] lives i n di sgrace .” O n ce th e
po ten tial dan ge r th at Macdu f f represen ts is con fir med by th e
Wi tc h es , Mac be th deter min es to er adicate any resistan ce . H e
decides to:
S e ize up on F ife; g ive to t he edge o ' the swo rd
His wife , his babes , and all unfor tunate souls
That trace him in his line .
T h e s av a g e r y o f M a c b e t h ’s t r e a t m e n t o f M a c d u f f ’s f a m i ly i s
m atc h e d by th e br u tality with wh ich h e con f ron ts resistan ce to h is
r ule . H e b r in gs fire an d s wo rd t o h i s coun tr y and under Macbeth
S c o t l a n d “w ee p s , i t b l eed s; a n d ea c h n ew d a y a ga sh I s a d d ed to h er
w o u n d s .” A ny r e s i s tan ce u n der su ch circu mstan ces is vir tu ally
i mpos s ibl e . I t i s fo r th is reason , th at in th e fin al two acts of th e
pl ay, E n gl an d o f fe r s th e on ly h ope of opposition to th e savager y
that Macbeth has visited on his countr y.
Malcolm’s promise to tread upon the tyr ant’s head is only
ma de p os s ible be c au se “gracious England ” h as of fered th e ser vices
“Of goodly thousands ”. As th e forces of good begin to r ally, th eir
a t t e m p t s t o r e s i s t M a c b e t h ’s e v i l a r e g i ve n d i v i n e s a n c t i o n .
A c c o r di n g t o M al c o lm , “Ma cb eth | I s r ip e fo r sh a kin g, a n d th e
p ow e r s a b ov e | P u t o n t h e i r i n s t r u m e n t s.” Malcolm h as lear n ed f rom
h i s f a t h e r ’s m i s t a ke s a n d h e u n d e r s t a n d s t h a t a ny a t t e m p t t o fi g h t
Macbeth must include deception. In the final movement of play,
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re s is t a n c e to M ac be th ’s r u le is h e av ily depe ndent on the abi l i ty of
th e re be l ar my to c o n ceal its nu mber s. Mal colm order s h is of ficer s
to cu t dow n bo u gh s f rom Bir n am wood. As th e rebels prepare to
fi g h t M a c b e t h , t h e y a r e a c u t e ly aw a r e o f t h e n e e d t o l ay d ow n
their own lives for the greater good. Caith n ess explain s th at h e is
wi ll i ng t o o ffe r h is l ife -blo o d a s “m e d i c i n e” in th e “ countr y’s purge ”.
H is fe el i n gs ar e e c h o ed by L en n ox wh en h e speaks of th e n eed to
“d ew t h e s ov e re i g n f l ow e r a n d d row n t h e w e e d s”. T his i s a star tling
re m in de r o f t he pr i c e t o be pa id by resi sting evil.
Per ha ps th e mo s t impo r t a n t featu re of the r esistance to
Macbeth’s r ule , is that it is ultimately successful. T h e rebels’ fin al
victor y is, according to Siward, “ c heaply bought ”. Mal col m is hai l ed
as King and it falls to him to call home the “ exi l e d fr iends ” wh o
“fl ed t h e s n a re s o f watc hful t yranny .“ Alth ou gh th e fin al victor y is
e as i er th an it c o u l d h ave been , S cotlan d’s political system is
vi r tu al ly de s tr oye d, an en tire gen er ation of S cottish n obles h ave
e i th e r be e n e x il e d o r mu rdered an d a for eign ar my n ow occu pies
the countr y.
This play pre s ent s u s wi t h a power ful and me mor able
ac co u n t o f th e n atu re an d th e cou r se of resistan ce to Macbeth ’s
ty r an ny. R e s is tan c e to th e evil th at Macbeth represen ts, takes
pl ac e on two le ve l s i n th e play. O n a su pe r n atu r al level, th e ver y
f abr ic o f n atu r e its e l f is tor n apar t by w h at Macbeth h as don e . T h e
de ad w alk th e n i gh t, th e cou n tr y is pl u n ged in to per petu al
dar kness and the animal wor ld is thrown into chaos. Although at
fi r s t mu t e d , t h e h u m a n r e s p o n s e t o M a c b e t h ’s c r i m e g a t h e r s i n
i n te n s i ty u n til e ve n tu ally h e is defeated. At ever y poin t in th e
play’s development, we are reminded of the heavy pr ice to be paid
fo r r e s i s ti n g e vi l .
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1 995
“Kingship, with all its potential for good or evil, is a major theme in
the play, Macbeth.” Discuss this view suppor ting your answer by
q u o t a t i o n f ro m o r re fe re n c e t o t h e p l a y.
S h a ke s p e a r e ’s “ M a c b e t h ” e n c o m p a s s e s a c o m p l e x f a b r i c o f
el e m en t s t h a t a r ti c ul a t e t h e po t e n t ia l th at Kinship hol ds for good
or e vi l . I n th e pl ay, we are presen ted wi th fou r Kin gs: D u n can ,
Macbeth, Edward the confessor and finally Malcolm. In the case of
th re e o f th e s e Ki n gs , S h akespeare demon str ates th at th e lawf u l
m onar c h h a s e no r mo u s po t e n t ia l fo r good. T he Ki ng can be a
so urc e o f i n sp i r at io n, le a de r s h ip a n d mor ality for the w i der public .
H owe ver, S h ake s pe are also stresses th at, in th e wron g h an ds, th e
m onar c hy h a s t he p o t e n t ia l t o v is it h or re ndous pai n and suffer i ng
on a c ou n t r y.
When we fir st meet Duncan it is clear to us that he is
love d an d r e s pe c te d by h is kin smen . H is Kin gdom h as ju st come
u n de r th r eat f r o m No rway an d f rom a fif th colu mn in th e for m th e
T h an e o f Caw do r. D u n can f aces th is th reat an d with h elp of h is
loyal ge n e r al s h e re s tores peace to S cotlan d. D u n can ’s fir st words
in th e pl ay de mo n s tr ate to u s th at h e cares deeply abou t h is
Kingdom and his subjects. Once the bleeding captain has finished
h i s s itu ati on r e po r t, D u n can is eager th at th e man ’s wou n ds receive
m ed ic a l a t t en t i on:
S o w e ll thy w ords becom e t hee as thy wo unds;
They smac k of honour both. Go get him surgeons .
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The care and attention that Duncan demonstrates here, is matched
by a decisive r u th lessn ess in h ow h e deals with th e T h an e of
Cawdor’s treacher y. He pronounces a death sentence on the man
wh o ha s de c e i ve d h is “b o s o m i n t e re s t.” If th e poten ti al th at th e
m on ar chy h o lds to do good is to be r eali sed, order n eeds to be
res to r e d i n S c o tl an d. An d, wh en we n ext meet D u n can , th e n eed to
ree st abl is h h is au th or it y is fo re mo s t in h is mi nd. I n a subtle manner,
D u n can ’s lan gu age h i n ts at th e poten tial th at Kin gsh ips h ol ds for
good. He uses words like “ trust, ” “h o n o u r, ” “ thanks ” an d “l ove .” H e
al s o s peaks o f th e poten tial for grow th an d prosper i ty th at h i s
s te ward s hi p o f th e c o u n t r y pro mis e s :
I have begun to plant thee , and will labour
To make thee full of growing.
An d h e o pe n ly ac kn owledges th e debt of gr atitu de th at h e owes
Ban qu o an d Mac be th . T h is is th e mon ar chy as it was in ten ded to
f u n c t i o n . I t i s s y s t e m t h a t r e w a r d s v a l o u r a n d o f fe r s t h e h o p e o f a
s table an d pr o s pe ro u s f u tu re; it is th e ver y an tith esis of th e evil
that Macbeth embr aces.
If Duncan represents growth and prosper ity, the Witches and
the evil they espouse , represent a bar ren ster ility. When Macbeth
al l ows h i m s e lf to f al l u n der th eir in f lu en ce h e open s h i s h ear t to
th e dar kn e s s th at th ey symbolise . Macbeth kn ows th at D u n can ’s
ki n gs h i p h as be e n be yon d reproach an d h e u n der stan ds perfectly
wel l th at D u n c an i s th e lawf u l Kin g of S cotlan d. O n th e n i gh t of th e
mu r de r, as Mac be th wrestles with h is con sci en ce , h e presen ts u s
with a ve r y ac c u r ate accou n t of th e poten tial th at D u n can ’s
mo narc hy h ol ds fo r g oo d:
Besides , this Duncan
Ha t h b or n e h is facu lti es so me e k , hath b e e n
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So c l e a r i n hi s gre a t o ffi ce , th at h i s vi r tue s
Will plead like angels , trumpet-tongued, against
The d ee p d amn ati on o f hi s ta k i ng-o ff;
T h i s ve r y ac c u r ate de piction of th e good th at D u n can represen ts, is
ma de a l l t h e m ore po ig n a n t be c a u s e it is deliver ed by the man that
kills him.
O n c e M a c b e t h a s s u m e s o f fi c e , we s e e i n g r a p h i c a n d
di s tu r bin g de tai l th e poten tial th at Kin gsh ip h ol ds for evi l . T h e
c o u n tr y i s plu n ge d in to per petu al n igh t an d th e bal an ce of n atu re
i s d is tu r b ed . B a nqu o t e lls u s t h a t “Th ere's h u sb a n d r y i n h e a ve n ; Th ei r
candles are all out .” T h is is con fir med by R oss wh en h e remin ds u s
that “ d a r k n i g h t s t ra n g l e s t h e t ra v e l l i n g l a m p .” T h is metaph or ical
dar kn e s s i s m atc h e d by a ver y real an d palpable evil . U n der
Macbeth, Scotland exper iences the most ter r ible suffer ing.
As K ing M ac bet h bec o mes o bses sed wi th secur ing his thr one ,
h e vi ew s kin gs h i p as a veh icle for per son al gain an d easi ly ju stifi es
the need for all other “ causes [to] give way .” H e becomes fixated
o n “s l a u gh t e rou s thoug hts , ” an d in an in san e act of mean i n gless
br utality, he order s that Macduff ’s castle in Fife be given:
to the edge o' the sword
Hi s wi fe , h is ba be s , a nd al l unfo r tu nate so u l s
Th a t t ra c e h im i n hi s li n e .
In a w ay t h a t pe rh aps t h e mu rde r s o f Banquo and Duncan fai l to,
this cr ime forces us to recognise the ter r ible consequences that
Macbeth’s tyr anny holds for Scotland.
Un de r Ma c be th, S c o tl a nd li ter ally becomes a g r aveyar d
an d we n ow s e e th e f u ll poten tial th at mon archy h olds for evi l . It is
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place where “ e a c h n ew m o rn | New w id ow s h ow l, n ew o rp h a n s cr y, ”
and “n ew s o r row s | S t r i ke h e a v e n o n t h e fa c e.” Any an d all
o ppo si ti on i s m e t with deadly force . In Act IV scen e iii, R oss
i n fo r m s Malc o l m an d Macdu f f of th e ter r i ble toll th at Macbeth ’s
r ule i s t a k in g o n Sc o t l a n d . H e s p e a k s of how “go o d men ' s l i ves |
Expire before the flower s in their caps , | Dying or ere they sic ken . ”
T h e aw f u l n e s s o f t h i s i m a g e i s r e i n fo r c e d by L e n n ox mu c h l a t e r i n
A c t V, w h en h e de sc r i be s t h e re be l a r my as contai ning many:
u n roug h y outh s th at eve n now
P rot es t t he i r fi r s t of ma nh oo d
T h e i m p l i c a t i o n i s s h o c k i n g l y c l e a r. M a c b e t h ’s t y r a n n y h a s
e l imin a te d a n e nt ire g e n e r a t io n o f Sc o ttish nobl es.
De spit e the fac t t ha t Ma c bet h decimate s thei r r anks , the
fo r ce s th at as s e mbl e to f ace h im at D u n sin an e recogn ise th e
po ten tial th at th e mo n archy still h olds for good. Caith n ess explain s
that he is willing to offer his life blood as a “ m e d i c i n e” in th e
“countr y’s purge ”. H is feelin gs are ech oed by L en n ox wh en h e
s p e aks of th e n e e d t o “d ew th e sovereign flow er a n d d row n th e
w e e d s .” T h e i r w i l l i n g n e s s t o d i e f o r M a l c o l m i s , i n p a r t , a
re c ogn i ti on o f th e po ten tial th at kin gsh i p h olds for good. Malcolm
e m b o d ie s th e “k i ng- becom ing g races” such as:
“ j u s t i ce , ve r i ty, te mpe ra nce , stableness ,
B ou nty, pe r s eve ra nce , me r c y, l owliness ,
D evo ti on, pa t ie n c e , coura ge [ a nd] fo r titude ,”
In hi s ow n wo r ds, M a lc o lm re ma in s a t th e “command ” o f S c o t l a n d .
H i s a t t i t u d e t o k i n g s h i p i s t h e ve r y a n t i t h e s i s o f t h e e v i l t h a t
“Devilish Macbeth ” re presen ts. In th is r espect, Malcolm resembles
h i s E n gl is h c o u n te r par t, E dward th e Con fessor wh om L en n ox
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descr ibes as being “ mo st pio us” an d wh ose goodn ess exten ds to
being able to cure a disease known as “ the Evil .” T h e poten tial th at
this king holds for good is also seen in his “ h ea ven ly gift o f
p ro p h e c y” a n d i n t h e “s undr y bles s ing t hat hang abo ut his thro ne .” In
th e cl o si n g m o m e n ts o f th e play, as Mal colm prepares to assu me h is
r ightful place on the throne of Scotland, he speaks of gr ace , growth
an d l ove . T h e s e wo rds recall h is f ath er ’s speech followin g th e
i nvasi on of th e No rwegian forces in Act I, an d in doin g so, th ey
re m in d u s o f g r e at po t e n t ia l t h a t k in g s hip sti l l holds for good.
“M a cb et h ” ar ticulates the potential that kingship holds for
bo th go od an d e vil . D u r in g Macbeth ’s reign as Kin g of S cotlan d we
are afforded a vision of what it is to live under a “ b u t c h e r” and a
ty r an t. H owe ve r, th e play balan ces th is view of mon archy by
pr es en ti n g u s w ith an equ ally powerf u l depiction of th e poten tial
that kingship holds for good.
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20 0 9
MACBETH – William Shakespeare
(i) “Ma cb e t h’s mu rder of D uncan has horr ible co nse que nces bo th fo r
Ma cb e t h h im se lf and for Scotland.” Wr i te a respo nse to thi s
s ta te me n t . Yo u sho uld refer t o the p lay i n y o ur answer .
OR
(ii) “M ac b e t h h a s al l t he ing redients of com pe l l i ng drama.”
Wr ite a response to this statement, commenting on one or more of
the ingredients whic h, in your opinion, make Macbeth a compelling
d ra m a .
MACBETH – William Shakespeare
(i ) “M ac b e t h ’s murder of D uncan has horr i bl e co nse que nces bo th fo r
Ma c b e t h h im se lf and for Scotland.” W r ite a re spo nse to this
s t ate m e n t . Yo u sh o uld refer t o the p lay in yo ur answe r.
Mar k ex 60 by reference to the cr iter ia for assessment using the
fo l l ow i n g br e akdow n
o f m ar ks .
P 18
C 18
L 18
M 6
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Expect
candidates
to
identify
and
discuss
the
horrible
c o n se qu e n c e s r e s u l tin g f rom th e mu rder of D u n can . Can didates
s ho uld cl e ar ly fo c us o n t h e e x t e n t o f the h or r or for both Macbeth
and Scotland, though not necessar ily with equal emphasis.
Code CM fo r h o r r i bl e c o n s e qu e n c e s fo r Mac be th an d CM – fo r n o t
h o r r i bl e c o n s e q u e n c e s .
Code CS for hor r ible consequences for Scotland and CS– for not
h o r r i bl e c o n s e q u e n c e s fo r S c o t l a n d .
Po s si bl e co ns equ en ce s :
Ma c b e t h
- p sy c ho l og ic al – g ui lt , re mo r s e , t r a u ma, con fusion
- v io le n t – p ar an o id ki llin g s o f Ba n qu o, Macd uff ’s family
- m o r a l – “ s up pe d fu ll wit h h o r ro r s ”, relian ce on the w itches
- s oc ial – i so la ti o n, a li e n a t io n f ro m La dy Macbeth
- s p ir it ua l – so li lo qui e s , awa re n e s s o f f ai lu re , despair, futi l i ty
Sc o tla n d
- s oc ial – b an que t d is o rde r, fe a r a n d s uf fe r ing, “w idow s how l , new
o r p han s cr y”
- n atur al – d ar kn e ss , “ n ig h t h a s be e n u nr u ly”
- p ol i t i c al – t y r a nny, “A la s ! Po o r c o u n t r y”
- future – “the time is free”, new order
When we fir st meet Macbeth, he is introduced to us as a
gener al of extr aordinar y prowess who has won the respect and
admir ation of his kinsmen. However, Macbeth’s murder of Duncan
h as h or r ibl e c o n s e qu en ces both for Macbeth an d for S cotlan d. For
Macbeth, the murder mar ks a fr ightening tur ning point in his life . At
fi r s t, h e beco m e s wr acked with gu ilt an d r emor se . T h en , as th e play
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pro gr e s se s, h e be c o mes in creasin gly deh u man ised. As resu lt, h e
visits the most appalling suffer ing on his countr y. Fur ther more ,
fo llow i n g th e mu rde r of D u n can , S cotlan d’s political an d social
sy ste m s a r e i r r evo c ably a lt e re d.
One of the most obvious ways in which Macbeth changes
fo l l ow i n g th e mu r de r o f D u n c an i s to be s e e n i n h i s r e l ati o n s h i p
w ith L ady Mac beth . H is love for h is w ife is seen in th e tr u st h e
pl ac e s i n h e r. F o l lowin g th e en cou n ter wi th th e Witch es, Macbeth is
ea ge r t o sh a r e ne ws o f t h e pro ph e c y wi th his “ d e a re s t p a r t n e r i n
greatness .” F r o m Mac beth ’s poin t of view, th e Witch es’ proph ecy is
a s o u r ce po te n ti al joy for both of th em, an d in h is letter to h is
w i fe , h e st r esse s t ha t h e do e s wa nt he r “to lo se th e d u es o f
re j o i c i n g , by b e i n g i g n o ra n t o f [ t h e ] g re a t n e s s [ . . . ] p ro m i s s e d” h er. As
th e n i gh t of mu r de r approach es, Macbeth re lies h eavily on h is wife’s
en co u r age m e n t an d o n h er deter min ation to see th e gr im bu sin ess
through to its awful conclusion. When speaking of the murder,
Macbeth consistently uses the per sonal pronoun “ w e ”. F or Macbeth,
th i s i s a j o i n t e n te r pr ise to be car r ied ou t by both th em for th e
ben efi t o f bo th . Al th o u gh , in th e immedi ate af ter math of D u n can ’s
murder, Lady Macbeth remains committed to her husband, Macbeth
begins to distance himself from her. He plans the murder s of
Ban qu o an d th e de s tr u ction of Macdu f f ’s castle with ou t h er an d is
ea ge r t h a t sh e “re m a in in n o cen t o f th e kn ow led ge u n til [sh e]
a p p l a u d t h e d e e d”.
As sh e recedes f rom th e action , sh e makes
r e p e a t ed a t t em pts to re a c h h im bu t t o n o avail:
H ow n ow, my l o rd ! W hy d o y o u ke e p a l o n e ,
O f sor r i e s t fan c i e s y our compa nio ns mak ing
w h a t ’s d on e i s done
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T h e r e l a t i o n s h i p i s l i t e r a l ly f r a c t u r e d by t h e k i l l i n g o f D u n c a n .
Macbeth becomes obsessed with clinging to power and with killing
all dissenter s, while his wife retreats into a fr ightening wor ld of
waki n g n i gh tm ar e s . Wh en n ews reach es h im th at sh e is ill, h is
attention remains fixed on militar y matter s. And when Seyton
c o n fi r m s th at L ady Macbeth h as killed h er se lf , Macbeth sh ows ver y
li tt le r e a l e m o ti o n. In s t e a d, h e o f fer s u s a ni hilisti c view of
e x is te nc e w h e r e Lad y M a c be t h “s hould ha ve di e d hereafter .” It is
philosophy that sees:
“ To - m o r r o w , a n d
to-morrow, and
to-morrow,
[ Cree pi n g] i n t hi s pe tty pace fro m d ay to d ay to th e
l a s t s y l l a bl e of re cord ed t ime .”
S o, o n e o f t h e m o s t o bv i o u s c o n s e q u e n c e s o f t h e mu r d e r o f
D u n can is th e way in wh ich it dr ives a on ce ver y lovin g cou ple
apar t. As a result of the murder, Macbeth becomes isolated and
dehumanised. In the end, he is liter ally incapable of exper iencing
human emotion.
T he c ha ng e tha t oc c ur s i n Macbet h’s cha r a ct er i s not
c o nfi ned t o h is r e la ti o n s h ip wit h h is wi fe . Fol l ow i ng the mur der of
D u n can , Mac be th ’s relation sh ip with h is kin smen an d S cotlan d is
a l t e r e d r a d i c a l l y. A s h i s p a r a n o i a c o n c e r n i n g t h e W i t c h e s ’
pr oph ec i es m o u n ts , h is atten tion is dr awn to th e th reat th at h is
fo r m e r f r i e n ds an d al l i e s pr e s e n t to h i s s e c u r i ty. H i s “ fe ar s i n
Banquo | Stic k deep ” an d h e comes to believe th at h is for mer
f r i e n d ’s “roya lt y of n ature ” implies a direct th reat to h is r u le .
Macbe th ’s gr ow i n g par an oia h as th e di res t of con sequ en ces for
Banquo. Hir ing two murderer s, he stresses to them the ur gency of
h av i n g h i s f r i e n d k i l l e d :
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[. .. ] ever y minute of his being thrusts
A ga in s t my n ea r' s t of l i fe [...]
The killing of Banquo mar ks the beginning of a series of shocking
c r im e s t h a t se e s Mac be t h a t t e mpt t o mu rder hi s w ay to peace of
mi nd . As h e su ps “ full w ith horror s ,” Macbeth becomes fixated on
“sl a u g h t e rou s t h oug hts .” In an in san e act of mean i n gless br u tal i ty, h e
o rd er s t ha t M a cdu ff ’s c a s t le in Fife be give n:
g ive to t h e e dge o ' the swo rd
Hi s wi fe , h is ba be s , a nd al l unfo r tu nate so u l s
Th a t t ra c e h im i n hi s li n e .
U n l ike th e mu r de r s o f Ban qu o an d D u n can , th is cr i me forces u s to
re c ogn is e th e te r r i ble con sequ en ces th at Macbeth ’s tyr an ny h ol ds
fo r S c o tl an d.
Un de r Ma c be th, S c o tl a nd l i ter ally becomes a g r aveyar d.
It i s p la ce w he r e “e a c h n ew m o rn New w id ow s h ow l, n ew o rp h a n s
cr y, ” a n d “n ew s o r row s | S t r i ke h e a v e n o n t h e fa c e.” Any an d all
o p p o s i t i on i s m et wi th blo o dy h a n de d br utality. I n Act I V scene i i i ,
R o s s i n fo r m s M a l c o l m a n d M a c d u f f o f t h e t e r r i bl e t o l l t h a t
Macbeth’s r ule is taking on Scotland. He speaks of how the “ go o d
m e n ' s l iv es | Exp ire b efo re th e flow er s i n th eir ca p s , Dyi n g o r ere th e y
s i c ke n ” . T h e aw f ul ne s s o f t h is ima g e is r ei nfor ced by Lennox much
l ate r i n Ac t V w he n de s c r ibe s t h e re be l ar my as containi ng many:
u n roug h y outh s th at eve n now
Prot es t t he i r fi r s t of ma nh oo d
T h e i m p l i c a t i o n i s s h o c k i n g l y c l e a r. M a c b e t h ’s t y r a n n y h a s
e l imin at ed an en ti re g e n e r a t io n o f S cottish nobles. I n fact, as a
re s ul t of w h at Ma cbe t h h a s do n e , the politi cal landscape of
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S c o t l a n d i s a l t e r e d fo r e ve r. W h e n t h e fo r c e s o f g o o d fi n a l ly w i n
th r o u gh an d Mac beth is beh eaded, th e cou n tr y th at D u n can o n ce
r u le d n o l o n ge r ex is ts . H is son Malcolm an n ou n c es th e death o f th e
o ld Sc o tt is h cl a n sy st e m:
H e n cefor t h b e e arl s , t he fir st that ev e r S c o tl and
I n s u c h a n h on ou r na me d.
The political consequences of Macbeth’s decision to murder
D u n c a n a r e m a t c h e d by a s e r i e s o f f r i g h t e n i n g s u p e r n a t u r a l
o c cu r r e n ces . Be fo re th e mu rder, Macbeth i nvo kes dar k su per n atu r al
powe r s to i nve st h im with th e stren gth h e n eeds to car r y ou t th e
c r i m e . F ur t h e r m ore , he c a lls o n t h e “S tar s ”, to “h i d e [ t h e i r ] fi re s”;
s o tha t l i g h t w i ll n o t s e e h is “ b l a c k a n d d e e p d e s i re s.” T h en , in th e
af ter m ath of th e mu rder, h e reiter ates th is di stu rbin g i nvoc atio n to
e vi l:
Come , seeling night,
Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day;
I n e x p l i c a b l y, s o m e t h i n g a n s w e r s M a c b e t h ’s p r a y e r s . T h e p l a y
c o nta i n s s eve r a l r efe re n c e s t o t h e su pe r n at ur al c on sequ enc es o f
Mac be th ’s c r i m e . In Act II scen e iv, R os s in fo r ms u s th at th e
“h e a v e n s h a v e b e c o m e t ro u b l e d w i t h m a n ’s a c t”. T he d ar k ness th at
Macbeth invoked has resulted in a situation where , “ by th e c l o c k , ‘ tis
d a y, A n d ye t d a r k n i g h t s t ra n g l e s t h e t ra v e l l i n g l a m p”. S u ch a str an ge
o c c ur r e n ce i s mat c he d by u nu s u a l be havi ou r i n t he an i mal wor l d .
R e s p o n d i n g t o t o w h a t R o s s h a s s a i d , a n o l d m a n i n fo r m s u s t h a t
D u n c a n ’s h o r s e s b e c a m e u n r u ly a n d “a t e e a c h o t h e r”. O n a per son al
l eve l, Ma c be t h b e c o me s h a u n t e d by ni gh tm ar es an d v i si on s of ev i l .
H i s m i n d i s “f u l l o f scorp ion s” an d h e m akes co n ti nu al refer en ces to
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the venomous creatures of the night. Following the murder of
D u n can , th e r hy th m an d th e caden ce of Macbeth ’s speech ch an ges
until he begins to echo the speech patterns of the Witches:
ere t he bat hat h f l own
H i s c l ois ter ' d fli g ht, ere to blac k H eca te's
s u mmon s T he s h ard- bo rne b eetle with h is
d row s y hu m
A lth ou gh th i s i s a s u btle con sequ en ce of Macbeth ’s cr ime it is
n e ve r t h e l e s s a n i n t e r e s t i n g o n e .
The
Murder
of
consequences. For
Duncan
has
Macbeth, it
profound
results
and
in
his
troubling
gradual
dehumanisation. He ceases to feel emotions and br ings fire and
swo rd to S c o tl an d. T h ese action s resu lt in ter r ible su f fer in g for th e
pe ople o f h i s c o u n tr y. In th e en d, S cotl an d’s political order is
fo r e ver al te r e d an d th e way of life th at D u n can defen ded is
r e p lac ed by a fo r e ig n s y s t e m.
(ii) “M a c b e t h h a s al l the ing redient s of co mp el l i ng drama.”
Wr ite a response to this statement, commenting on one or more of
the ingredients whic h, in your opinion, make Macbeth a compelling
d ra m a .
Macbeth has all the ingredients of a compelling dr ama. Over
the length of the play’s five Acts, Shakespeare presents us with an
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u n for gettable j o u r n e y th at ch ar ts th e n atu re an d cou r se of on e
m a n ’s d ow n f a l l . T h e p l ay ’s r e a l i s t i c a l l y d r aw n c h a r a c t e r s , t h e
i nte n s it y o f it s i mag er y a n d it s t h o u ght pr ovoki ng pr esentati on of
u n i ve r s a l t h e m e s a l l a d d t o i t s e n d u r i n g a p p e a l .
Perhaps one o f t he m o st co m pe lling as pe cts of “Macbe th” i s
to be found in Shakespeare’s presentation of the relationship
be twe en Mac be th an d L ady Macbeth . Wh en we fi r st meet L ady
Macbeth, she is reading a letter from her husband. The letter is a
m ar ve ll ou s dr amatic device th at af fords u s an i n si gh t i n to th ei r
r e l a t i o n s h i p. I n t h e l e t t e r, M a c b e t h s h a r e s t h e n e w s o f h i s
e n c ou n te r w i th th e Witch es. It is cl ear f rom th e ton e an d th e
c o n te n t th at Mac be th valu es h is wi fe’s opin i on an d th at h e i s
passionately in love with her. Descr ibing her as his “ d ea rest p a r tn er
i n gre a t n e s s” , h e ou tlin e s h is a mbit ions an d hopes for the futur e .
Im po r t an tly, i t i s a s ha re d f u t u re t h a t con tai ns the pr omise of j oint
“greatness”. What follows is a compelling por tr ayal of the
di s i n te gr ati o n o f th i s on ce lovin g an d cl ose rel ati on sh ip. T h e
mu r de r o f D u n c an dr ives th em apar t u n ti l th ey each f ace th eir
s e p a r a te d oo ms a lo n e a n d is o la t e d . Th e changes that occur in
Macbeth’s char acter are seen ear ly on in play. In an eloquent
e vo ca ti on of th e h or ro r s t h a t a re happe ning to hi m, he makes an
e vi l pl ea fo r th e su ppre s s io n o f a ny mor al scr uples he sti l l mi ght
h ave :
Come seeling night,
Scarf up t he t e nd e r e ye o f pi ti ful d ay;
And wi t h thy bloody and invisib l e h and
Can ce l an d tear t o p iece s th at g re at b o nd
Whic h kee ps m e pale!
T h i s i s d r a m a a t i t s m o s t c o m p e l l i n g b e c a u s e , i n M a c b e t h ’s
f r i g h t e n i n g p r aye r, we w i t n e s s a l e ve l o f p s y c h o l o g i c a l i n s i g h t fo u n d
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i n few o th er pl ay s . We s e e why li fe , and e ven his r elationshi p w i th
h is w i fe , c eas es to h ave mean in g for h i m. For h er par t, L ady
Macbeth reacts to her husband growing violence and distant
behaviour by receding into the shadows of her memor ies of that
dar k night. Following Act III scene iv, Lady Macbeth never again
appear s on stage with her husband. And, when we next see her in
A ct V sc e n e i, we wi tn e s s a n u t ter ly compel l i ng tr ansfor mation i n
h e r c h a r a c t e r. S h e h a s b e c o m e a n i g h t m a r i s h p a r o d y o f t h e wo m a n
sh e o nc e w a s:
Out, damned spot! out, I say!--
[...]Hell is murky![...]
Yet who would have thought the old man
to have had so much blood in him.
T he pl ay c o nt a i ns ma ny other mome nts of hei ghte ne d and
u n fo r g e t t a bl e d r a m a t i c t e n s i o n . O n t h e n i g h t o f t h e mu r d e r,
S h a ke s p e a r e p r e s e n t s u s w i t h a c a r e f u l ly o r c h e s t r a t e d s e r i e s o f
dr am ati c vign e tte s th at cen tre on Macbe th an d L ady Macbeth ’s
r e ac ti on to th e e ve n ts as th ey ar e u n fol din g. As Macbeth walks
tow ar ds h is Ki n g’s bedch amber, th e en or mi ty of wh at h e is abou t to
u n d e r t a ke we i g h s h e av i ly o n h i s i m a g i n a t i o n . A “d a g ge r” m a r s h a l s i n
the way that he “ wa s go i n g ” and on its blade he sees the “ d u d ge o n
gou t s of b lo o d ” th at w ill later stain h is sou l. T h e rhyth m an d caden ce
o f h is sp eec h , i s a ud ibly a lt e re d a s h e imagin es:
wither'd murder,
Alarum'd by his sentinel, the wolf,
Whose howl's his watch, thus with his stealthy pace.
With Tarquin's ravishing strides, towards his design
Moves like a ghost.
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T h is i n c r e di bly dr amatic an d evoc ative depiction of Macbeth ’s in n er
thoughts is punctuated by the sound of a r inging bell. It is difficult
to i m agi n e a mo re dr amati c scen e . T h en , in real time , S h akespeare
takes us to Lady Macbeth. The liter alness of her mind is in shar p
c o n tr ast to h e r h u s ban d’s fevered imagi n in gs. S h e h ear s an owl for
w h a t i t is a nd is mo r e c o n c er ne d w ith the pr acticality of the deed
than any implications it may hold for her mor tal soul. By employing
e l i s io n S h a ke spe are d en ie s u s a c c e ss to D uncan’s bedchamber, and
i n so doi n g, h e h ei gh ten s th e dr ama of th is scen e even f u r th er. As
Mac beth stan ds be fo re u s, vi sibly sh aken an d covered in blood, we
are forced to imagine the hor ror that he has just exper ienced.
S h a ke s p e a r e ’s l a n g u a g e c o n t r i bu t e s g r e a t ly t o c r e a t i o n o f t h e
h i gh ly dr am atic atmo sph ere of evil an d violen ce wh ich per vades
Macbeth . The play contains a number of carefully wor ked out
i m a g e r y p a t te r ns th at c a pt ur e t he f ul l in ten si ty of the hor r or s that
are happening to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. One of the most
di s tu r bi n g, ye t at th e same ti me c ompellin g, patter n s of imager y to
be fou n d i s th at as so c iated wi th ch i ldren an d breast feedin g. T h eir
fi r st appear an c e i s i n L ady Mac beth ’s i nvocation to th e evil spir its
to take owner ship of her :
Co m e to my w o m a n 's b rea sts ,
And take my milk for gall,
you murd'r ing minister s ,
T h e i m age r ei n se r ts i tself in to th e l an gu age of play wh en sh e
i n ci t e s h er h usba nd t o t he mur der of Duncan. I n a distur bi ng
m om e n t o f co mpe lli ng dr a ma , s he tel ls Macbeth that she has “given
s uc k , a n d k n ow[ s] | How te nd er ' tis to love the babe that mi l k s ” her.
In u n for g et ta bl e t er m s, sh e a s su re s h er husband that she woul d
h ave pl u cke d h e r baby f ro m h er n i pple wh ile it was smilin g in h er
face:
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And dash'd the brains out, had [she] so sworn
T h e s h o c k i n g n a t u r e o f t h e s e l i n e s t a ke s u s d i r e c t ly t o t h e d r a m a ,
ten si o n an d h o r r o r of wh at th ey are con templatin g. T h en , on h is
own in soliloquy, Macbeth admits that if he kills Duncan, “ P i t y l i ke a
n a ke d n ew - b o r n b a b e [ . . . ] Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
That tears shall drown the wind.” T h is image of a vu ln er able ch ild captu res
the reader’s imagination and compels us to see , in Macbeth’s vision
o f a w h o le wo r l d we e pin g a t t h e i n huma nit y of innocence betr ayed
an d h on o u r vi o l ated, ju st h ow distu r bi n g th is cr ime is. Wh ile th e
i m age al so provides u s with a dr amati c for esh adowin g of Macbeth ’s
fi n al f ate at th e h an ds of a man wh o was r i pped f rom th is moth er’s
womb, it is the insights it affords us into his soul that are most
co m pel l i n g. Mac be th fear s th e ju dgemen t of th e wider commu n ity
an d so, in th is si n gle i mage , we gli mpse h i s ear ly realisation th at th e
mu r der o f D u n c an will resu lt in h i s deh u man isation ; th at it will
c on de m n h im t o a l ife o f de s pai r and t ake fr om hi m ever ythi ng
h u m a n b e i n g s n e e d i n o r d e r t o b e h a p py — sleep, f r ien dsh ip, war mth
and love .
T h e play relies on many oth e r c o mpe l l i n g an d h i gh ly dr am ati c
i mager y patter n s. In m any respects, Macbeth i s s te e pe d i n bl o o d f r o m
begi n n i n g to en d. Blo od imager y fo r m s an es s e n ti al par t o f th e pl ay ’s
dr amatic fabr ic; f ro m th e appear an ce of th e bloody ser gean t in th e
se co n d s c en e o f th e play, to Macbeth ’s even tu ally beh eadin g, we
h ave a c o n ti nu al an d u tter ly com pel lin g vision of blood. Macbeth ' s
swo r d i n t he ba ttl e smo ke s 'w i t h b l o o d y e xe c u t i o n' an d h e i s ai de d
i n h i s s tr u g gl e a g ain s t t h e No rweg ian King by Banquo w ho, i s seen
i n Act I sc e n e i i , to 'b a t h e i n re e k i n g w o u n d s' . O f cou r se , th e stor y
o f t h e ir bl o o dy e x pl oit s is n a r r a te d to u s by a man w hose “ga sh es
cr y for help ”. A s we s w i tc h l o c ati o n to th e Wi tc h e s , we l e ar n th at
o n e o f th ei r nu mbe r h a s c o me fr om the bl oody task of ki l l i ng
sw in e . A nd , as th e pl ay pro g re s s e s , image s of blood continue to set
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the tone and mood of Macbeth. On the night of the murder,
Macbeth envisions his guilt as a type of indelible bloody stain that
w i l l n eve r be wa she d c le a n :
W il l a ll g re at N e ptune ' s o ce an wash th i s b l o o d
C l ean f rom my h an d? N o , this my h and will ra ther
T he mu lti tu di n ou s s eas i n inca rnadine ,
M a ki n g th e g re e n one red .
T h e e n or mity o f wh at Macbeth h as don e is u n der scored by
f r e q u e n t r e fe r e n c e s t o D u n c a n ’s bl o o d . D o n a l b a i n i s t o l d t h a t “th e
fountain of [his] blood is stopped ” an d Macbeth h imself emph asises
bo th th e n o bil i ty o f h is victim an d th e h or ror of h is cr ime wh en h e
descr ibes Duncan’s “ s ilver s kin la ce d with hi s go lden bl o o d ”. It is
difficult not to be at once captivated and shocked by these images.
I n t he se c o n d ha lf o f t h e play, a s Ma cbeth’s cr imes i ntensify,
S h a k e s p e a r e c o n t i n u e s t o r e l y o n b l o o d i m a g e r y. B a n q u o ’s
gr uesome fate is related to us in a ser ies of compelling and almost
fo r e n s i c i m age s . T h e “twenty trenc hed gashes on his head; The least a
d e a t h t o n a t u re” are late r appo s ed w ith the u n for ge ttabl e image of
Ban qu o’s gh o st w h o s e “gor y locks” remin d Macbeth of ju st h ow f ar
he has descended into evil.
In it ’s d epict ion o f a man w h o mu r d er s h i s k i n g a n d k i n s m a n i n
or der to g ai n th e crown , o n ly to lo s e eve r y th i n g t h a t we s e e m t o n e e d i n
or der to be h appy— sleep, n ou r is h men t, f r i e n ds , l ove — S h ake s pe ar e ’s
Macbeth h a s a l l t h e i n g r e d i e n t s o f c o m p e l l i n g d r a m a .
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