MACBETH Literary Analysis (ROUGH)

   How far would you let greed take you? Would you let it take you far enough to take away innocent lives? Or far enough to let it drive you to your insanity? What happened to having an ambition and putting the effort into working to achieve it? Like many of the plays written by Shakespeare, you can tell that Shakespeare really focuses on lessons of human nature. The story of Macbeth focuses a whole lot on how the desire to be something so badly and the desire to want something so badly can drive someone [in this case, Macbeth] over the edge. Macbeth was first known as and introduced to be a brave and capable soldier in the battlefield, but eventually the corrupting nature of an unchecked ambition to become king led Macbeth to his downfall and left him known to be a "bloody tyrant." You are able to see how he evolves throughout the book as his ambition to become king begins to take over his mind. Shakespeare uses Macbeth to show the terrible effects that ambition and guilt can have on a man who lacks strength of character. Macbeth is a strong example that reflects a theme regarding fortune, fate, free will, and centers on how ambition and greed can overpower morality and go beyond human nature.

   Throughout the book you are able to really see the kind of person Macbeth truly is. He might be strong and he might be brave on the outside, but his weak character contradicts. In the beginning, most readers could get the idea that Macbeth was once a very strong man, or so he seemed, and was one who fought for all the right reasons, namely in defending the king’s kingdom. Macbeth once was one who actually put work and effort towards his success. As stated in the book by a loyal noble named Ross when he met up with Macbeth, “The king was pleased to hear of your success, Macbeth. When he read of your valor against rebels, wonder silenced him. He was speechless with admiration.” (1.3.35) Macbeth was a very good man and he was recognized as a courageous and dependable soldier. Also stated by Ross, “Later that same day, he finds you foremost among Norwegians! Death – and you did some killing! – held no fears for you. Thick as hail, reports poured in, praising your part in the defense of Duncan’s kingdom.” (1.3.35) After defending Duncan’s kingdom, Macbeth began to rise up very high in his callings. Three witches heard about Macbeth’s success in defending King Duncan’s kingdom, and when he ran into them, they approached him as, “All hail, Macbeth. Hail to you Thane of Glamis! / All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, Thane of Cawdor! / All hail, Macbeth! You’ll be king one day!” (1.3.31) and that is where the fortune came in. Fortune, which is another word for chance, in ancient times, was a view of human interaction often referred to as the "Wheel of Fortune." The Wheel of Fortune stated that human life was something of a lottery, meaning one could rise to the top of the wheel and enjoy the benefits of dominance, but only for a while, and that is what happened to Macbeth. When the three witches prophesied to him that he would one day become King, nothing could beat the feeling of what it would be like to have all of that power. That was the beginning of Macbeth’s journey to his edge. The feeling of superiority, for Macbeth, only lasted for a while. He rose up to the top, but it did not last for long.

   After hearing that he would become king, Macbeth knew that without being blood related to King Duncan, there was no way it would happen, especially considering the fact that King Duncan still had two more sons of his own that were the normal heirs to the throne after him. Considering all of this, because Macbeth’s desire to become king was so great and because him and his wife were so power hungry, they created a plan to get rid of Duncan first and his sons second, in terms of murdering all of them. Macbeth and his wife’s planning of the murder of King Duncan began in Act 2, Scene 1. Although Macbeth’s desire to become king was very strong, it was not strong enough to push him to the point where he was as willing as his wife to kill King Duncan just to claim the throne. Macbeth was the one that handled the dagger, but he did not kill the king on his own intentions. He tries to stand up for himself, but his wife was very intelligent when it came to manipulating the emotions of other, especially Macbeth’s. Macbeth mentions to his wife, “We’ll go no further in this business. He has honored me recently and I’ve won great respect from all sorts of people. This is to be enjoyed while it’s new, not cast aside so soon.” (1.7.57) His wife had very clever schemes in order to get into the minds of others. Lady Macbeth manipulated Macbeth’s emotions and tempted him to take on the action of killing Duncan by saying, “Was the hope drunk that made you determined before? Has it been sleeping since? And has it woken up to look queasily upon what it did when tipsy? From now on, I know what your love’s worth. Are you afraid to match your acts with your ambitions? Can you want that glittering prize – the crown – yet be a self-confessed coward: ‘I’d like to, but I daren’t,’ like the poor cat in the proverb that wanted fish, but wouldn’t get its feet wet?” (1.7.57) Because of this, Macbeth lost his mind and ended up murdering Duncan because his wife manipulated his emotions and was able to get in his head. He did not kill Duncan on his own intentions. Macbeth somewhat went against his morals because he didn’t want to kill Duncan, but his wife convinced him that it was the only way to become king, thus, he did it so easily. Of course, for a moment in time, Macbeth did especially considering the guilt and remorse he could not stop feeling after he murdered King Duncan. Macbeth was not known to be one to kill for the wrong reasons, and he was one that believed that killing for the wrong reasons was very inhumane. However, when he got into the situation himself, when the throne was “calling his name,” that is where all of his morals and beliefs were acted against, leaving him in search for excuses to justify his actions. That is where Macbeth felt his “fate” came into play. Fate, aside from fortune is fixed. In a laid-back universe, the time span and outcome of one's life is predetermined by outside forces. In Macbeth, the three witches were the ones to work up the influence with their prophecy to Macbeth. With killing Duncan, Macbeth had his share of time where he felt guilty and remorseful, and dwelled in hope that he could take the horrible action back, however, it did not last for long. Macbeth felt that even though he committed a very horrible deed, this was his “fate,” and what he was meant to become. Eventually, no matter how bad the deed was, becoming king was an ambition that Macbeth was going to do anything for, in order to achieve it. Nothing mattered more to him than becoming king.

   The play outlined an important feature regarding the fact that fate may order what will be, but how that destiny comes about is a matter of chance, and in a Christian world such as Macbeth's, a matter of man's own choice or free will. Macbeth is told he will become king, but he is not told how to achieve the position or what he should do in order to achieve the position of king. That much was up to him. No one could blame Macbeth for becoming king hence, it was his destiny, but everyone had the right to blame him for the way in which he chose to get there. After Duncan’s death, even his sons fled in fear that they were going to be next laying in their death beds, so Macbeth was immediately chosen to be the next to take on the throne. However, he had to watch out for other people such as Banquo, one of his closest acquaintances. He feared Banquo the most. As Macbeth stated when he was ordering the two murderers to kill Banquo before he returned to supper, he says, “To be thus – a king – is nothing. I must be safely thus. I fear Banquo deeply. In his regal nature, there’s a ruling element to be feared. He’s daring; and with that fearless quality of mind, he has a wisdom which guides his courage to act in safety. I fear no one but him. While he’s around, I feel constrained… / Banquo scolded the sisters when they first told me I’d be king and ordered them to speak to him. Then, like prophets, they hailed him as the father of a line of kings. / Rather than that, I challenge fate to the death!” (3.1.97) With Macbeth’s free will, he knew that Banquo would be the one to put all the pieces together, and eventually have the power to overthrow him as mentioned with the prophecy from the three witches. Therefore, with his free will, Macbeth chose to kill Banquo just to stop him from interfering with who and what he believed he was “destined” to be.

   The story about Macbeth has the power to catch the attention of it's readers, considering the fact that it outlines the corruption in human nature based on greed and doing anything it takes for someone to get what they want. One can mention their morals and what they value in this lifetime and continue to live by it. One can also judge another if their actions go against one's own beliefs. However, at any point when one is put in the situation of wanting something so bad and needing to do all it takes to get what they want, even though it means going against what they believe, they will always try to find a way to justify what they do and why they do it. Whether it be for the good or for the bad, that is the reality of it.