|
English 11 Honors Paper on MacBeth Due Feb 22nd “The tragedy of MacBeth” is a
story of courage and honor. It gives an interesting mix of love,
Machiavellianism, and has a good storyline. MacBeth is a loyal subject to his
king, Duncan, but goes terribly wrong when he listens to 3 witches that tell him
he will rule someday. MacBeth wishes to get to power quickly with the help of
his wife, Lady MacBeth, he kills Duncan, and everyone else in his way. He takes
his throne but is soon overturned by his former subordinates. In MacBeth,
Shakespeare creates characters who parallel other characters either through
their words and actions, or through similarities in characters lives. Each
character in the story has a double, through either their similarities, or
through their differences. Each character also has something about them that
makes them unique. MacBeth and Lady MacBeth are the epitome of an interesting
parallelization.
At the beginning of the story, the two characters are complete
opposites. MacBeth takes the feminine role, while Lady MacBeth is masculine:
Lady MacBeth “Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And
fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full Of direst cruelty! Make thick my
blood, Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse That no compunctious visitings
of nature Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between Th’ affectand it! Come
to my woman’s breasts, And take my milk for gall, you murd’ring minis- Ters,
Wherever in your sightless substances You wait on nature’s mischief! Come thick
night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife not see
the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, To Cry
‘hold, Hold!”
(I,v,41-54) Lady MacBeth basically states here that she wants the
gods to make her a man. She wants to kill Duncan herself. On the other hand when
MacBeth hears of Lady MacBeths seriousness in her actions he comes back with:
MacBeth “We will proceed no further in this business: He hath honored me as of
late, and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people, Which would be
worn now in their newest gloss, Not cast aside so soon.” (I,vi,31-34) Nearing
the end of the story, Lady MacBeth and MacBeth switch roles. Lady MacBeth
becomes feminine and MacBeth becomes masculine. Lady MacBeth becomes week and
pitiful while MacBeth, carry’s out his plans to help him remain king: Lady
MacBeth “Out damned spot! Out I say! One: two: why, then ‘tis time to do ‘t.
Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear
who knows it, when none can call our pow’r to accompt? Yet who would have though
the old man to have had so much blood in him?” (V,I, 36-41) MacBeth is now fully
masculine and trying to keep the kingdom together. When Lady MacBeth commits
suicide near the end of the story, he pushes it off and continues with his plan
to remain king: MacBeth “She should have died hereafter; there would have been a
time for such a word. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in this petty
pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out,
brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That strits and frets
his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an
idiot, full of sound and fury Signifying nothing.” (V,v, 17-28) The second pair
is also interesting. This pair deals with time frames during the story (i.e.
MacBeth from the Beginning, Macduff throughout). MacBeth from the beginning of
the story is the loyal thane of Glamis. He protects the king and is awarded a
second territory called Cawdor. The king trusted him, and MacBeth was a loyal
servant. Then, he met the three witches, which pumped prophecies or, “seeds of
evil” into his head. These prophecies are very tempting but are ultimately
destructive.
|
