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© CIAN HOGAN ENGLISH NOTES 2012 - 2013 1

MACBETH EASTER REVISION COURSE

CIAN HOGAN

2

Contents

Leaving Cert 2007 - macbeth and lady macbeth 3

Leaving Cert 1953 | The Witches 11

Macbeth | Ev i l 17

Macbeth Revison 22

The character and response of reader and sympathy 22

Macbeth’s act ions/cr imes – horr i f ic and horr i fy ing 22

Our response 22

Our Response 1: Interest and sympathy 23

Our Response 2: A f ree man/ his decis ion/responsibi l i ty 24

Our Response 3: Macbeth is not a completely ev i l man 25

Our Response 4: Macbeth’s understanding of what he has done 26

Our Response 5: Macbeth’s heroism 26

2. REVISION: LADY MACBETH’S CHARACTER! 28


LEAVING CERT 2007 - MACBETH AND LADY MACBETH


MACBETH – Wil l iam Shakespeare

( i ) “The relat ionship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

undergoes s ignif icant change during the course of the play.”

Discuss this statement support ing your answer with the aid

of suitable reference to the text.

Mark ex 60 by reference to the cr i ter ia for assessment using

the fol lowing breakdown of marks.

P 18

C 18

L 18

M 6

Candidates are free to agree, disagree or part ly agree with

the s ta tement . Expect cand idates to engage w i th the

relat ionship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and the

change/s in that relat ionship during the course of the play.

‘S ignif icant’ may be impl ied by the qual i ty of the candidates’

engagement with the change/s in this central relat ionship. In

out l in ing the change/s (or lack of change/s) , candidates may

employ focused narrat ive to i l lustrate the points they make.


Code CR for changing relat ionship.

Possible points:

- the plan to ki l l Duncan introduces tension into their loving/

shar ing relat ionship

- the murder alters the dynamic between them

- he acts alone, highl ight ing the ‘death’ of the partnership

- thei r re lat ionship dis integrates fo l lowing the banquet

scene

- they become increasingly isolated from each other

- the witches replace Lady Macbeth’s inf luence on his l i fe

- his response to her death i l lustrates the s ignif icant gulf

between them

- despite the apparent change/s, their love endures

Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” presents us with one of the

most memorable relat ionships in al l of l i terature. However,

in the course of the p lay, th is re lat ionship undergoes

s ign i f i can t change . To beg in w i th , Macbeth and Lady

Macbeth share a c lose and loving marr iage. However, the

murder of Duncan dr ives them apart unt i l they each go to

their deaths alone and isolated.

In order to understand the s ignif icant change that

t a k e s p l a c e i n t h e i r r e l a t i o n s h i p , i t i s i m p o r t a n t t o

acknowledge how close Macbeth and Lady Macbeth once

were. When we f i rst meet Lady Macbeth, she is reading a

letter f rom her husband. The letter is a marvel lous device


that a ffords us an ins ight in to the c loseness o f the i r

relat ionship. In the letter, Macbeth shares the news of his

encounter with the Witches. I t is c lear f rom the tone and the

content that Macbeth va lues h is wi fe ’s opin ion and is

passionately in love with her. Descr ibing her as his “dearest

partner in greatness ,” he outl ines his ambit ions and hopes

for the future. Important ly, i t is a shared future that contains

the promise of joint “greatness .” For her part , Lady Macbeth

is excited by what her husband has communicated to her.

She shares in his dream of an ambit ious future:

Glamis thou art , and Cawdor; and shalt be

What thou art promised:

Her react ion to what Macbeth outl ines demonstrates an

int imate understanding of his character. She recognises his

desire for greatness, yet acknowledges that he lacks “the

i l l n e s s t h a t s h o u l d a t t e n d i t . ” A s a r e s u l t o f h e r

u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e c o m p l e x i t i e s o f h e r h u s b a n d ’s

character, she determines to take control of the s i tuat ion.

However, this is no ordinary s i tuat ion. I f her husband is

to real ise his darkest ambit ions, she knows that she wi l l have

to help him, and in order to do that, she understands that

she wi l l have to change. She wi l l have to “Stop up the

access and passage to remorse” so that “no compunctious

vis i t ings of nature Shake [her] fel l purpose .” She is wi l l ing to

sacr i f ice her very identity as a woman in order to ensure that

she has the strength to help husband carry out the murder:


[ . . . ] Come, you spir i ts

That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,

And f i l l me from the crown to the toe top-ful l

Of direst cruelty!

While we r ight ly condemn Lady Macbeth for her murderous

intent, we must also recognise that she is in large part

motivated by love. Her real isat ion that she must become

crueler in order to support her husband places an awful

s t ra in on her, and tha t s t ra in cont r ibutes g rea t l y the

s ignif icant change that takes place in their relat ionship.

The Ki l l ing of Duncan marks the beginning of the end

for thei r re lat ionship. The way in which they react to

awfulness of what they have done exposes fundamental

di fferences in their characters that eventual ly dr ive them

apart . For example, on the night of the murder, Macbeth

fal ls prey to his overact ive imaginat ion. He sees a dagger

before him, “The handle toward [his ] hand” and he imagines

“wither'd murder Alarum'd by his sent inel , the wolf .” On the

other hand, Lady Macbeth responds to the night’s events in

a very di fferent manner. For her, the sounds that so disturb

Macbeth are l i t t le more than the “Owl[ ’s ] scream and the

cr ickets[ ’ ] cry .” Her imaginat ion is l i teral and r igid. I t lacks

the f lexibi l i ty needed to survive the unfolding horrors of her

husband’s cr imes and as a result the relat ionship quickly

becomes strained. Perhaps Macbeth senses this in his wife

because he no longer conf ides in her and, fol lowing the


Banquet Scene, she recedes, wretched and dejected from

the act ion.

F o r h i s p a r t , M a c b e t h ’s a t t i t u d e t o t h e

re la t ionsh ip i s a l te red d ramat i ca l l y fo l low ing Duncan ’s

murder. To begin with, he rel ies on his wife to provide him

with the courage and strength needed to carry out this

cr ime. And, she ful f i ls this role admirably. The scenes in

which she convinces her husband of the need to “screw [his ]

courage to the st icking place” are some of the the most

tense and sexua l l y cha rged in the p lay. Du r ing such

moments, she cal ls on her husband to prove to her that he is

man:

When you durst do i t , then you were a man

And to be more than what you were, you would

Be so much more the man

The power and passion of Lady’s Macbeth’s “undaunted

mett le” mesmerises Macbeth as he envisages their future as

King and Queen of Scotland. He murders Duncan not just to

sat isfy his own ambit ion but because he loves her. Yet, l ike

his wife before him, Macbeth f inds i t necessary to alter his

personal i ty in order to l ive with the consequence of his

cr ime. The changes that he forces h imsel f to undergo

impinge s ignif icant ly on his relat ionship with his wife.

The changes that occur in Macbeth’s character are seen

ear ly on in play. In an eloquent evocat ion of the horrors that


are happening to him, he makes an evi l plea in Act I I I , scene

i i for the suppression of any scruples he st i l l might have:

Come seel ing night,

Scarf up the tender eye of pit i fu l day;

And with thy bloody and invis ible hand

Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond

Which keeps me pale!

Macbeth’s f r ightening prayer is answered and very quickly

l i fe ceases to have any meaning for him beyond holding on

to power. Whi le his wife becomes trapped in the past, he

becomes obsessed with future. He keeps alone, “of sorr iest

fancies [his ] companions making” and, sensing his wife’s

di ff iculty in coming terms with the gr im real i ty of the world

that they have created for themselves, excludes her f rom the

decis ion making process. He plans the murder of Banquo

and the destruct ion of Macduff ’s cast le without her, eager

that she “remain innocent of the knowledge unti l [she] applaud

the deed .” As Lady Macbeth recedes from the act ion, she

makes repeated attempts to reach her husband but to no

avai l . The relat ionship is l i teral ly f ractured by the ki l l ing of

Duncan and the last meaningful role that she plays in his l i fe

occurs dur ing the Banquet scene in Act I I I scene iv. However,

even here, as she attempts to prevent him from making a

publ ic disclosure, we are reminded of the di fferences in their

personal i t ies. The l i teral ism of her imaginat ion resurfaces as

she reminds him that his :


f laws and starts, [ . . . ] would wel l become

A woman's story at a winter 's f i re, [ . . . ]

When al l 's done, You look but on a stool .

However, i t is too late. His fears have taken hold of him, and

instead of looking to her for comfort as he would have once

done, he turns to Witches for solace.

Fol lowing his second encounter with the Witches,

Macbeth becomes increasingly savage. He br ing f i re and

sword to his country and during this per iod we hear l i t t le of

Lady Macbeth. The couple, which was once so close now

face their doom alone and isolated. When news reaches

Macbeth that his wife is i l l , h is attent ion remains f ixed on

mil i tary matters. Seyton’s conf i rmation that she has died is

greeted by him with a cold acceptance of the inevitabi l i ty of

her fate. He offers us a nihi l ist ic v iew of existence when he

suggests that Lady Macbeth “should have died hereafter”. I t

is phi losophy that v iews:

“To-mor row, and to -mor row, and to -mor row,

[Creeping] in this petty pace from day to day to

the last syl lable of recorded t ime .”

T h e f u t u re t h a t t h e y o n c e d e t e r m i n e d t o s h a p e f o r

themselves has become a cold and empty present.

The relat ionship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth


"There is at once a grossness, a horr ible real i ty about the witches, and a

mystery of evi l inf luence."

In l ight of this statement, discuss, the role of the witches in “Macbeth”

with suitable quotat ion from the play.

The witches play a number of important roles in “Macbeth.” First ly,

and most importantly, they convey key aspects of Shakespeare’s v is ion of

evi l . Their grossness and the mystery of evi l inf luence that they exert is

also used by Shakespeare to create a dist inct ive atmosphere that has, in

many ways, come to define how we think of the play “Macbeth.”

Furthermore, the witches act as a catalyst in Macbeth’s downfal l ; they

tempt him and awaken in him dark and deep desires that lead to his

destruct ion. Final ly, the witches’ four appearances in “Macbeth” serve to

unify the act ion of the play and to intensi fy the drama.

We f irst meet the witches in Act I , scene i and from this highly

dramatic f i rst appearance we learn a great deal about these dark and

unsett l ing characters. The stage direct ions indicate that their arr ival

coincides with “thunder and l ightening.” So, the f i rst role of the witches

is to alert us to the disruptive and malign inf luence that evi l exerts on

the natural order. While we later learn that their powers are somewhat

l imited, they do possess the abi l i ty to control the elements, and when

they exercise this power, i t is to create unfavourable weather condit ions:

Leaving Cert 1953 | The Witches



When shal l we three meet again

In thunder, l ightning, or in rain?

Their disruptive inf luence is matched by the barren ster i l i ty that they

seem to embody. Their appearance on a “barren heath” underscores a

key aspect of Shakespeare’s v is ion of evi l . In the play, evi l is equated to

a type of destruct ive ster i l i ty and those that al low themselves to be

tempted by the Witches, face the horr ible real i ty of a l i fe that is barren

and empty. In one of the most shocking episodes in the play, Lady

Macbeth cal ls on those spir i ts of night, those “murdering ministers” that

we r ightly presume are in league with witches, to “unsex” her and to f i l l

her ful l of the “direst cruelty.” The witches are presented to us in a series

of unforgettable visual images that underscore this notion of evi l being

l inked to ster i l i ty. Banquo describes them as looking “not l ike the

inhabitants of the earth.” He lays emphasis on their “choppy f inger[s] ,”

“skinny l ips” and their disturbing androgyny is seen in his descript ion of

their “beards.” During this f i rst encounter, we witness the grossness, the

horr ible real i ty and mystery of evi l inf luence that they exert .

Yet, despite their obvious ugl iness, the witches do manage to

tempt Macbeth into violat ing his most deeply held bel iefs. They act as a

potent catalyst in his downfal l ; they tempt him and awaken in him “dark

and deep desires.” We see him struggle with the evi l that they represent

almost immediately. His react ion to the f i rst encounter is one of start led

“ fear,” and then, later in so l i loquy, as he begins to absorb the

s ignif icance of what they have said, he acknowledges the visceral effect

that these creatures have had on him:

I f good, why do I y ield to that suggest ion


Whose horr id image doth unf ix my hair

And make my seated heart knock at my r ibs,

Against the use of nature?

T h e w i t c h e s h a v e e c h o e d M a c b e t h ’s d a r k e s t i m p u l s e s a n d t h e

“suggest ion” that so upsets him is the murder of a kind and benevolent

king. However, they never mention ki l l ing Duncan; in fact , the witches

never mention Duncan by name. Yet, their presence acts a catalyst .

S h o rt l y a f t e r t h e i r f i r s t a p p ea ra n c e , t h e r h y t h m a n d c a d e n c e o f

Macbeth’s speech is noticeably al tered to the point that i t echoes the

witches.

Stars, hide your f i res;

Let not l ight see my black and deep desires:

The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be,

Which the eye fears, when i t is done, to see.

They never tel l him what to do, and they are not responsible for his

subsequent act ions, but they clearly have had the profoundest effect on

his thinking.

Later, in Act IV, scene i , we witness the witches prepare a spel l that

further highl ights their role as symbols of evi l . The ingredients of this

v i le concoction are nearly al l drawn from poisonous, dead or nocturnal

creatures and reinforce our sense that the witches are perverse beings.


In every sense of word, this spel l is a symbol for evi l . Among the

ingredients we f ind, “Root of hemlock digg'd i ' the dark, L iver of

blaspheming Jew,” and most disturbing of al l , the:

Finger of birth-strangled babe

Ditch-del iver'd by a drab,

This thick “gruel” provides us with an unequivocal representat ion of how

Shakespeare views evi l . In his eyes, evi l is repugnant, aberrant and runs

contrary to common standards of human decency.

Although less obvious than their role as symbols of evi l and

catalysts in Macbeth’s downfal l , the witches also serve an important

funct ion in creat ing a sense of unity within the narrat ive. Their four

appearances in Act I , scene i , Act I , scene i i i , Act I I I scene iv and f inal ly

in Act IV, scene i , serve to bind the act ion of the play and to maintain a

sense of narrat ive unity. Each separate appearance occurs at key

moments in the plot ’s development that serve to remind the reader of

events that have happened or wi l l happen. The witches also have a

choric funct ion that helps us gain a sense of perspective on events. They

pass comment on the act ion and remind us of what is happening in the

world of the play:

First Witch:

When shal l we three meet again

In thunder, l ightning, or in rain?


Second Witch:

When the hurlyburly's done,

When the batt le's lost and won.

Here, the witches provide us with important background information

about the batt le raging in Scotland. By mentioning Macbeth by name,

they alert us to the pivotal role that he is going in play in events as they

unfold. Their next appearance in Act I , scene i i i , conf irms for us that

Macbeth is l inked to them on a metaphysical level . The f i rst words that

he speaks in the play echo the witches’ opening pronouncement:

So foul and fair a day I have not seen.

While these l ines remind us of the paradoxical nature of evi l , they also

serve to provide the reader with a clear perspective on events. The

opening scenes are act ion packed and occur in quick succession. Such

repeti t ion of key l ines helps the reader to fol low events more closely.

Similar ly, their meeting with Hecate later in Act I I I , contains a short

summary of Macbeth’s evi l progress:

And, which is worse, al l you have done

Hath been but for a wayward son,

Spiteful and wrathful , who, as others do,

Loves for his own ends, not for you.

The witches’ f inal role in “Macbeth” is to remind us one last t ime of

the evi l that they symbolise. Having appeared presumably at Macbeth’s


behest, they yield to his demand that they provide him assurances about

his future. I t is precisely at this moment that we witness the ful l extent of

the mystery of evi l inf luence that they exert . The notion of equivocation

l ies at the heart of what they represent. And here, in their cavern, we see

this equivocation at work. They provide Macbeth with a series of

assurances that are designed to echo his inner desire for peace of mind.

However, these assurances are as empty and barren as the “blasted

heath” on which the Weird Sisters f i rst appeared to him:

Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn

The power of man, for none of woman born

Shal l harm Macbeth.

Not for f i rst t ime in the play, the horr ible real i ty of what they represent

is ignored by Macbeth as he becomes swept away by their evi l inf luence.

Much later, when al l is lost , Macbeth acknowledges that they are

“ juggling f iends” that “ l ie l ike truth.” By then, of course, i t is too late.

Macbeth has lost everything and witches have succeeded in their goal of

v is i t ing disorder and chaos on the world. Consequently, there is no need

for any further appearance.

Macbeth | Evil


On the face of i t , we have l i t t le in common with Macbeth . His pos i t ion as a

t r usted gener a l in k ing Duncan's army i s d i f f i cu l t to re la te to, and h i s cr ime of

reg ic ide , be longs to a long and d is tant past : a wor ld of Thanes , wi tchcr a f t and

spe l l s that seems far removed f rom our s . So, why has th i s p lay managed to

endure? “Macbeth” has gr ipped the imag inat ions of gener at ions of reader s

because Shakespeare 's account of the cor ros ive power of ev i l i s so be l ievable . In

th i s dar k and unsett l ing p lay, Shakespeare has managed to inter lace a profound

commentar y on the nature of ev i l wi th a gr ipp ing and tr ag ic examinat ion of the

e f fects of unbr id led ambit ion , remor se and loss on the human sou l .

As you prepare for the Leav ing Cer t i f i cate , i t might be usefu l to cons ider

the p lay f rom the point of v iew of Shakespeare ’s v i s ion of ev i l and how that ev i l

a f fects the p lay ’s centr a l char acter, Macbeth . The Witches are the most obv ious

and potent image of ev i l in the p lay. I f we take these char acter s as symbol i s ing

those malevolent forces intent on v i s i t ing chaos and d isorder on the wor ld , we

learn a great dea l about how Shakespeare intends us to v iew ev i l . The Witches

are presented to us in a ser ies of unfor gettable v i sua l images . Banquo descr ibes

them as look ing “not l ike the inhab i tants o f the ear th” . He lays emphas i s on the i r

“choppy f inger[s] ,” “sk inny l ips” and the i r d i s turb ing androgyny i s under scored by

h i s descr ipt ion of the i r “beards .” Later in Act IV, scene i , we witness them prepare

a spe l l . The ingred ients of th i s v i le concoct ion are near ly a l l dr awn f rom

poisonous , dead or nocturna l creatures and re in force our sense that the Witches

are per ver se be ings . The other aspect to the i r natures , the i r chaot ic and

d isorder ly ener gy, i s captured in the i r unfor gettable mantr ic re f r a in :

Double , doub le to i l and t roub le ;

F i re burn and cau ldron bubb le .


These are fou l and par adoxica l creatures who are bent on chaos and d isorder and

yet , desp i te the i r obv ious ug l iness , they manage to tempt Macbeth into v io la t ing

h i s most deeply he ld be l ie f s . Th is power of the “ i ns t ruments o f darkness” to “win

us to our harms ,” by tempt ing us to betr ay the bonds of fe l lowsh ip and soc iety i s

an essent ia l feature of Shakespeare ’s v i s ion of ev i l in the p lay.

In terest ing ly, i t i s not as i f Macbeth i s unaware of the e f fect that these

“ f i l thy hags” have on h im. He descr ibes h i s s t r ugg le wi th ev i l to us in near v i scer a l

terms :

[ . . . ] why do I y ie ld to that suggest ion

Whose horr id image doth unfix my ha i r

And make my seated hear t knock at my r ibs ,

Aga ins t the use of nature?

However, desp i te h i s awareness of the ev i l that the wi tches represent , Macbeth

does g ive in to th i s dar k “suggest ion .”

Once Macbeth k i l l s Duncan , the ev i l that descends on Scot land i s conveyed

to us in a ser ies of unfor gettable images . In Act I I , scene iv, Ross in forms us that

the “heavens have become t roub led wi th man’s act” and “dark n ight s t rang les the

t rave l l ing lamp .” Responding to what Ross has sa id , the o ld man descr ibes how

las t Tuesday :

A fa lcon , tower ing in her pr ide o f p lace ,

Was by a mous ing owl hawk'd at and k i l l 'd .

And then , Ross recounts how Duncan ’s hor ses broke f ree f rom the i r s tables and

“Contend ing 'ga ins t obed ience , as they wou ld make War wi th mank ind ,” went on to

eat one another. These d i s turbances both foreshadow Macbeth ’s cr ime and

h igh l ight for us the extent of the vast d i s turbance that he has v i s i ted on the

wor ld . However, a l l o f these supernatur a l events pa le into ins ign i f i cance when

compared to what happens to Macbeth per sona l ly. He becomes haunted by


n ightmar i sh v i s ions of ev i l that are conveyed to us in images of scorp ions , beet les ,

snakes and other venomous creatures of the n ight . Fo l lowing the murder of

Duncan , even the rhythm and the cadence of Macbeth ’s speech changes , unt i l he

beg ins to echo the speech patterns of the Witches :

[ . . . ] ere the bat hath f lown

His c lo i s ter 'd f l i ght , ere to b lack Hecate ' s

summons

As he puts h i s t r ust fur ther in the ev i l that they represent , he retreats into the

co ld centre of h i s sense of h imse l f as a war r ior. He murder s h i s c losest f r iend and

i s forced to confront the hor ror of th i s cr ime in the Banquet scene . The dream of

power and pr iv i lege qu ick ly turns to ashes , but Macbeth ’s sacr i f i ce has been so

great that he re fuses to g ive up the l i t t le that he has ga ined . In order to g ive any

meaning to what he has lost , he commits cr ime a f ter cr ime and , in the process ,

d ivests h imse l f o f any remnants of human fee l ings that he may have had . He

intones a pr ayer to the n ight to “cance l and tear to p ieces” the “great bond that

keeps [h im] pa le” and when news ar r ives that Macduf f has f led to Eng land , he

determines to :

Se ize upon F i fe ; g i ve to the edge o ' the sword

His w i fe , h i s babes , and a l l unfor tunate sou l s

That t race h im in h i s l ine .

His dec i s ion to s laughter Macduf f ’s fami ly i s an act of ch i l l ing ev i l that confi rms

for us that Macbeth i s no longer capable of human fee l ing .

Shakespeare reminds us on sever a l occas ions of the consequences of

Macbeth ’s ev i l re ign for Scot land . In Act IV, scene i i i , Macduf f repor ts that the

countr y i s su f fer ing ter r ibly, and that under Macbeth ’s r u le :

each new morn

New widows howl , new orphans cr y, new sorrows


Str ike heaven on the face ,

Macduf f ’s descr ipt ion makes i t c lear that Macbeth has brought f i re and sword to

Scot land and that th i s genoc ida l re ign of ter ror can on ly be ended by mi l i tar y

inter vent ion .

As oppos i t ion to h i s r u le mounts , Macbeth ’s re la t ionsh ip wi th h i s wi fe ,

which was once so c lose and lov ing , deter ior ates to the point that i t ceases to

have any meaning . Fo l lowing Act I I I , scene iv, they never aga in appear on s tage

together and the e f fect that th i s has on her i s s tar t l ing . Unable to move beyond

the events of the n ight of the murder, Lady Macbeth remains t r apped in a

n ightmare of re l iv ing the moment over and over aga in :

Out , damned spot ! out , I say !﹣One: two : why,

then , ' t i s t ime to do ' t .﹣Hel l i s murky ! ﹣F ie , my

l o rd , f ie ! a so ld ier, and afeard? What need we

fear who knows i t , when none can ca l l our power to

account?﹣Yet who wou ld have thought the o ld man

to have had so much b lood in h im.

When Macbeth ’s ser vant Seyton in forms h im that h i s wi fe i s dead , we witness one

of the most profound speeches in a l l o f l i ter ature :

She shou ld have d ied hereaf ter ;

There wou ld have been a t ime for such a word .

To-morrow, and to -morrow, and to -morrow,

Creeps in th i s pet ty pace f rom day to day

To the las t sy l lab le o f recorded t ime ,

And a l l our yes terdays have l i ghted foo l s

The way to dusty death . Out , out , br ie f cand le !

L i fe ' s but a wa lk ing shadow, a poor p layer


That s t ruts and f re ts h i s hour upon the s tage

And then i s heard no more : i t i s a ta le

Told by an id io t , fu l l o f sound and fur y,

S ign i f y ing noth ing .

In th i s dar k and powerfu l ly memorable speech in which he ar t icu lates the

destr uct ive e f fect of ev i l on h i s sou l , Macbeth of fer s us a despa i r ing and n ih i l i s t i c

assessment of the l i fe he has created for h imse l f . The rea l t r agedy of Macbeth ’s

l i fe l ies not in the fact that he has embraced ev i l and so ld h i s sou l but r ather in

h i s se l f -awareness of a l l that he has lost . Whi le he was at f i r s t confident that he

cou ld wi thstand a s iege , once he has been in formed of Lady Macbeth ’s death , he

comes to see l i fe as a meaning less i l lus ion , a ser ies of po int less ly repet i t ive

tomor rows that resu l t in death . The speech a l so embodies a br ie f synops i s o f

Macbeth ’s dr amat ic progress in the p lay. We see in i t h i s journey f rom confus ion ,

through imag inat ive dreaming , to h i s f ina l bloody determinat ion to see the ent i re

process through to i t s inev i table and tr ag ic conc lus ion .

The ar r iva l o f a messenger wi th news that the wood i s beg inn ing to move ,

forces h im to abandon h i s t r ust in the Witches and to “doubt the equ ivocat ion of

the f iend | That l i es l ike t ruth .” Desp i te h i s wear y despa i r, he i s s t i l l fue l led by a

maniaca l des i re to f ight to the b i t ter end and to see the “estate o f the wor ld

undone” but h i s mi l i tar y t r a in ing must in form h im that a l l i s lost . The f ina l

confrontat ion wi th Macduf f mere ly confi rms for Macbeth what he a l ready knows .

The Witches are not to be t r usted and h i s death i s inev i table .

Although Macbeth ’s in i t i a l cr ime ga ins h im the crown, i t qu ick ly robs h im of

h i s peace of mind and d ivests h im of a l l human fee l ing . In order to sur v ive what

happens to h im, Macbeth seeks to dr aw fur ther assur ance f rom the power s of

ev i l . However, these assur ances are as empty and bar ren as the “b las ted heath” on

which the Weird S i s ter s f i r s t appeared to h im. The sp i r i tua l empt iness that

Witches represent and that Macbeth embraces , costs h im h is ver y humani ty. Th is

i s jus t one aspect of Macbeth ’s char acter i sat ion but as you prepare for the

Leav ing Cer t i f i cate i t might prov ide you wi th some usefu l food for thought .

Macbeth RevisonThe character and response of reader and sympathy

Macbeth’s actions/crimes – horrific and horrifying

Macbeth’s cr imes are great: he murders Duncan, his king, kinsman and

guest, an ageing king who has lavished praise and honours upon him.

He is motivated by his own ambit ion. He murders the two sleeping

grooms, innocent men on duty, to protect himself . He hires ki l lers to

murder his c lose fr iend, Banquo; again to protect his securi ty. He

arranges for the murder of Lady Macduff and her chi ldren, al l innocent

vict ims. These act ions result in a reign of terror in Scotland.

Our responseA n d y e t s o m e h o w o u r s y m p a t h y f o r M a c b e t h i s s u s t a i n e d

throughout.

O u r r e a c t i o n / r e s p o n s e g o e s b e y o n d g o o d a n d e v i l , b e y o n d

conventional morality and moves in the deeper realm of human

instinct. We can feel pity for the latent nobility of Macbeth at the

end and at the same time recognise with horror the evil he was

responsible for. In the play we watch the growth of evil in a noble

soul.

(First impressions; Macbeth at top of social/polit ical hierarchy)


Shakespeare endowed Macbeth with all the qualit ies we expect of a

hero.

He is unquest ionably a brave soldier. When we f i rst hear of him in the

play he is lauded as “brave Macbeth”, “Bel lona’s bridegroom”, “valour ’s

minion”, “noble cousin”, “worthy gentleman”. He possesses outstanding

leadership qual i t ies and has been an inspirat ion to his fel low soldiers.

He is thus introduced to us as a general of extraordinary prowess who

has quel led a rebel l ion within Scotland and repel led the invasion of a

foreign army. “Everyone did bear his praises in his kingdom’s great

defence”.

Macbeth is not only a f ine soldier; his wife tel ls us he is a loving

husband “ful l of the milk of human kindness” and what “he would’st

highly, would’st hol i ly”.

It is the tension between this potential for greatness that we witness

at the outset of the play and Shakespeare’s depiction of Macbeth’s

horrifying crimes that makes this play so fascinating.

Our Response 1: Interest and sympathy

What is emphasised most of all throughout Act 1 is how difficult it is

for Macbeth to come to terms with the evil he is contemplating. He

h e s i t a t e s ; h e a g o n i s e s ; h e c o n s i d e r s t h e m o ra l a n d p o l i t i c a l

consequences of kil l ing Duncan.

After the meeting with the witches he confronts “black and deep

d e s i re s ” w h i c h h a d l a i n d o r m a n t w i t h i n h i m . H e b e l i e v e s t h e i r

“supernatural sol ic i t ing cannot be i l l , cannot be good”. He tel ls us the

thought of murder “shakes so my single state” and that to contemplate

yielding to his desires gives r ise to “a horr id image doth unf ix my hair

and make my seated heart knock at my r ibs against the use of nature”.


Macbeth has a f inely honed sense of moral i ty and in the early acts of the

play he is far from an amoral monster. He knows that ki l l ing the king is a

v iolat ion of God’s natural order and yet his ambit ion is such that he

decides to proceed. (This is what makes this play such a compell ing

piece of drama . ) Both before and after Duncan’s murder we are

shown Macbeth’s agonised conscience through his soli loquies which

are expressed in a poetic and emotive language. His descript ion of

Duncan’s v irtues is lyr ical when he claims the king “hath borne his

facult ies so meek… that his v irtues wi l l plead l ike angels, trumpet-

tongued against the deep damnation of his taking off ”. He describes pity

for Duncan as a naked new born babe str iding the winds of heaven. No

sooner has he committed the deed than he reaches the anguished

real isat ion that he has murdered his own peace of mind. “Methought I

heard a voice cry s leep no more, Macbeth does murder s leep”. He is

quick to real ise that his act ions have resulted in his “eternal jewel given

to the common enemy of man”. What makes Macbeth so interesting for

the audience is that he, the experienced soldier who “carved out his

passage with bloody execution” does not foresee the disastrous effect

on his own character of murdering his way to the throne. He is ignorant

to the impact o f c iv i l v io lence on h is consc ience . (2)Macbeth’s

powerful ambition to be king is balanced throughout by his powerful

imaginat ion and conscience. His sensi t iv i ty and sense of loss

expressed so movingly in poetic and lyrical language reveals his

suffering and arouses our sympathy.

Our Response 2: A free man/ his decision/responsibility

In responding to Macbeth and his act ions we must be clear that Lady

Macbeth can in no way be blamed for the murder of Duncan. While she

is a catalyst and supporter she does not make the grim decision to

kil l Duncan and Macbeth never tries to lay blame on her. He decides


t o d o s o i n t h e f u l l k n o w l e d g e o f t h e p o l i t i c a l a n d m o r a l

consequences of the deed. To portray Macbeth as a man guided by his

wife or control led by the witches would rob him of his freedom of choice

and deny him any status or standing in audience’s mind. These external

inf luences are not responsible for his dreadful cr imes.)

Our Response 3: Macbeth is not a completely evil man

Despite his crimes we remain aware that Macbeth is not a completely

evil man and that his goodness and his nobility have been corrupted.

T h u s o u r c o n f l i c t i n g e m o t i o n s o f h o r r o r a n d s y m p a t h y a r e

maintained. After the murder instead of hearing the cr ies of an old

king, we hear Macbeth’s heartfelt lament for what he has done: “ I am

afraid to think what I have done!” We are more aware of the conscience

of the cr iminal than the cr ime i tsel f or the suffer ings of the vict im;

Duncan’s murder is not shown on stage. Had Macbeth from the

beginning been a hardened criminal, had he undertaken the deed

without any conflict of mind or soul he would have lost the sympathy

of the audience. However i t is his conscience which now forces him to

murder many others. I ts agony drives him on to el iminate al l threats and

danger, innocence and remorse. He thus hires murderers to ki l l Banquo

whom he sees as a l iv ing rebuke to his act ions. Banquo’s valour and

wisdom serve only to remind Macbeth of everything that he has lost and

so Banquo’s death is arranged. Banquo’s ki l l ing is shown on stage but

because we see hirel ings i t does not destroy our sympathy for Macbeth.

Immediately after this murder we watch Macbeth’s tortured mind and

c o n s c i e n c e i n h i s v i s i o n o f B a n q u o ’s g h o s t a t t h e b a n q u e t , a

manifestat ion of his gui l t and fear. With the murder of the Macduff

household we almost lose sympathy but then Shakespeare presents us

wi th the madness of Lady Macbeth. The essential point is that

S h a k e s p e a r e p r e s e n t s t h e p e r p e t r a t o r ’ s s u f f e r i n g s a l m o s t © CIAN HOGAN ENGLISH NOTES 2012 - 2013 25

proportionate to his crimes and much more vividly than the crimes.

Each murder is followed by a scene of Macbeth’s suffering.

Our Response 4: Macbeth’s understanding of what he has done

I t i s not only Macbeth’s suffer ing but h is understanding and

r e c o g n i t i o n o f w h a t h e h a s d o n e t h a t i n v o k e s f u r t h e r

sympathy(interest/fascination/admiration) for the protagonist. The

vil lainous aspects of his behaviour are not stressed by lessening his

nobility. As Macbeth brings terror to Scotland and “each new day

widows howl” and “sighs and groans and shrieks” rend the air, he

becomes incapable of feeling. He is intell igent enough though to

understand that a l ife without feeling is simply not worth l iving: “My

way of l i fe has fal len into the sear, the yel low leaf , and that which should

accompany old age as honour, love, obedience, troops of fr iends, I must

not look to have”. The greatest evidence of this is when on hearing of his

wife’s death he proclaims: “She should have died hereafter ”. Despite the

apparent lack of feel ing in his words he understands the utter fut i l i ty of

al l his act ions. This is expressed in one of his greatest speeches:

“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from

day to day to the last syl lable of recorded t ime and al l our yesterdays

have l ighted fools the way to dusty death.” In this dark and strangely

beauti ful speech Macbeth sums up the emptiness underlying human

existence and at the same t ime captures the awful waste of human

potential in his own l i fe. This speech is central to sustaining our

sympathy for Macbeth.

Our Response 5: Macbeth’s heroism

Macbeth’s heroism is distinguished by his determination to fight “ti l l

from my bones my flesh be hacked”. In the dying moments of the

play we see gl impses of the great warrior that deserved our


admiration early in act one. He faces Macduff ful ly aware the the

witches are “ juggling f iends” who have “paltered with him in a double

sense”. Yet despite this knowledge he chooses to face Macduff in open

combat. His conscience is not entirely dead as he claims his “soul is too

much charg’d with blood” of Macduff . Our last picture of Macbeth

recal ls our f i rst image of Bel lona’s bridegroom, proud and fearless

“before my body I throw my war- l ike shield”. It is the clear-eyed

awareness of the futi l ity of his l ife coupled with his grim acceptance

of his fate that goes a great way to restoring Macbeth in our eyes.

We refrain from judging.


2. REVISION: LADY MACBETH’S CHARACTER

With ver y few except ions , no char acter in any of Shakespeare 's p lays

undergoes such a r ad ica l devolut ion as that which t r ans forms Lady Macbeth f rom

a near ly superhuman char acter in the f i r s t Act of “Macbeth” into a s leep-walk ing ,

ner vous parody of the confident woman she once was , by the s tar t o f Act V.

When we f i r s t see Lady Macbeth on s tage , she i s a commanding char acter. She

conveys her intent ion to rea l i se her dar k ambit ions in language that i s as

unfor gettable as i t i s f r ighten ing :

The raven h imse l f i s hoar se

That croaks the fata l ent rance of Duncan

Under my bat t lements . Come , you sp i r i t s

That tend on mor ta l thoughts , unsex me here ,

And f i l l me f rom the crown to the toe top- fu l l

Of d i res t c rue l ty ! make th ic k my b lood ;

Stop up the access and passage to remor se ,

That no compunct ious v i s i t ings o f nature

Shake my fe l l purpose , nor keep peace between

The ef fec t and i t ! Come to my woman's breasts ,

And take my mi lk for ga l l , you murd ' r ing min i s ter s ,

Wherever in your s ight less substances

You wai t on nature ' s misch ie f ! Come , th ic k n ight ,

And pa l l thee in the dunnest smoke of he l l ,

That my keen kn i fe see not the wound i t makes ,

Nor heaven peep through the b lanket o f the dark ,

To cr y "Hold , ho ld !"


But , a f ter her inef fect ive e f for ts to contro l Macbeth 's react ion to the Ghost of

Banquo in Act I I I , scene iv. , Lady Macbeth v i r tua l ly d i sappear s f rom the p lay. We

hear of her aga in at the s tar t o f Act V when a doctor and one of her lad ies in

wa i t ing d i scuss her insomnia , but th i s hard ly prepares us for the ghost ly f i gure

who next appear s . As Lady Macbeth enter s s leepwalk ing , ut ter ing words that are

laden with gu i l t and a pathet ic long ing for the comfor t of her absent husband we

are reminded of the just how cor ros ive the e f fects of ev i l are . Even before

Macbeth i s to ld by Seyton that Lady Macbeth i s dead (Act V, scene iv) , we

recogn ise that she i s no longer her se l f . She has become mere ly a shadow, a l i v ing

ghost , haunted by the memor ies of the n ight that changed her l i fe forever.

We fi r s t see Lady Macbeth in Act I , scene v, a lone and read ing a let ter f rom

her husband that speaks about h i s meet ing wi th the weird s i s ter s and the i r

prophecy that he wi l l become Scot land's k ing . Lady Macbeth i ssues no response

to Macbeth 's account of events . She focuses instead on the prospects for

Macbeth 's act ing to fu l f i l the pred ict ion and conc ludes that he may be “ too fu l l o f

the mi lk o f human k indness” to car r y out the requ i red deed of k i l l ing Duncan . Her

determinat ion to remove any obstac le that prevents h im f rom rea l i s ing h i s

ambit ion and potent ia l i s captured in her unfor gettable summons to h im:

"Hie thee h i ther, | That I might pour my sp i r i t s in th ine ear, | And

chast i se w i th the va lour o f my tongue | A l l that impedes three f rom the

go lden round , | Which fate and metaphys ica l a id doth seem | To have

thee crown'd wi tha l " ( I , v. , l l .25-29) .

Even at th i s ear ly s tage in her engagement wi th ev i l , her des i res seem congr uent

wi th the unstated a ims of the weird s i s ter s , but Lady Macbeth 's invocat ion i s far

more powerfu l and d is turb ing in i t s language than the inar t icu late (but cunn ing)

s tatements of the wi tches . However, Shakespeare prov ides us wi th a number of

subt le c lues to an under ly ing vu lner ab i l i ty in her char acter. Learn ing that K ing

Duncan i s coming to the i r cast le and thereby prov id ing an oppor tun i ty to k i l l h im,

she f inds i t necessar y to ca l l upon “sp i r i t s” to “unsex” her ;

"And f i l l me , f rom the crown to the toe , top- fu l l | Of d i res t c rue l ty ! Make th ic k

my b lood ; | S top up the access and passage to remor se , | That no


compunct ious v i s i t ings o f nature | Shake my fe l l purpose nor keep peace

between | The ef fec t and i t " ( I , v , l l .46-51) .

Whi le the speech resembles Macbeth 's "s tar s h ide your f i res " speech in the pr ior

scene , i t i s most memorable for the ins ights i t prov ides us into her char acter. In

par t icu lar, we not ice that Lady Macbeth fa i l s to cons ider that "compunct ious

v i s i tngs o f nature " might return to haunt her a f ter the cr ime has been committed ,

and that fur thermore her f r ighten ing subl imat ion of who she i s wi l l a l ter her

natur a l bond with Macbeth . F ina l ly, we should of cour se ask our se lves why i t i s

she needs to suppress her femin ine s ide in order to car r y out th i s cr ime .

After Lady Macbeth has ceremonia l ly dr a ined a l l femin ine k indness f rom her

sp i r i t , Macbeth enter s , and she te l l s h im that Duncan must be "prov ided for , " the

innuendo be ing that he must be murdered . He puts her of f , say ing that they sha l l

speak about the matter la ter, but s ign i f i cant ly Lady Macbeth does not use the

word murder , re fer r ing to i t ins tead as " th i s enterpr i se . " S ince she has a l ready

spoken openly about the p lot k i l l Duncan wi th her husband , some mora l

inh ib i t ion must be prevent ing Lady Macbeth f rom from actua l ly say ing the word

murder.

Of cour se , th ings do not go as p lanned . Not on ly does Macbeth fa i l to

car r y out her instr uct ions concern ing the p lacement of the murder dagger s , the

blame does not fa l l upon Duncan's guards but upon Malco lm and Dona lba in , the

k ing 's two sons , who have f led the scene . At the midpoint of the p lay, in Act I I I ,

scene i i , Lady Macbeth wor r ies a loud , asks a ser vant whether Banquo i s gone

f rom the cast le , and then sends h im with a message for K ing Macbeth . For the

f i r s t t ime in the p lay Lady Macbeth h ints at the extent of what the murder has

cost them,say ing in a so l i loquy :

"Nought ' s had , a l l ' s spent

Where our des i re i s go wi thout content ;


'T i s safer to be that wh ich we dest roy

Than by dest ruct ion dwe l l in doubt fu l joy " ( I I I , i i . , l l .4 -7) . When

Macbeth enter s , she chast i ses h im for leav ing her a lone and then adv ises h im to

"s leek over " h i s " rugged looks , " and be "br ight and jov ia l " a t banquet . ( I I I , i i . l l .

27-28) . He f i r s t adv i ses her to do the same and then says that she should remain

ignorant of h i s p lans to d i spose of Banquo and F leance . In the banquet scene

i t se l f , Lady Macbeth i s unable to re in in her husband's gu i l ty hor ror at see ing

Banquo's ghost , and a l though she i s under incred ible pressure her handl ing of the

guests does leave much to be des i red .

Lady Macbeth i s absent for most of the la t ter par t p lay and her reappear ance at

the opening of Act V i s foreshadowed by the wor r ied comments of her doctor

and one of her gent lewomen. As she enter s s i lent ly, the two re fer to her

behav iour as i f she no longer ex is ted . They note her compuls ive hab i t o f wash ing

her hands , and , cons i s tent wi th th i s d iagnos i s , the f i r s t words that she speaks are

"a spot . " We soon rea l i se that in her own mind , Lady Macbeth 's hands are unc lean

and that she s imply cannot command an imag ined "damn'd spot " to d i sappear.

Complete ly obl iv ious to those around her, she t r ans fer s th i s symptom of gu i l t to

Macbeth , say ing "Wash your hands , put on your n ightgown, look not so pa le . I te l l

you yet aga in , Banquo 's bur ied ; he cannot come out on ' s grave " (V, i . , l l .62-64) .

Macbeth , o f cour se , i s not present , for he has gone to the batt le f ie ld , but in her

f ina l speech , Lady Macbeth 's des i re for con juga l par tner sh ip comes for th , as she

says to her imag ined husband , "To bed , to bed , there ' s knock ing at the gate . Come ,

come , come , come , g i ve me your hand . What ' s done cannot be undone . To bed , to

bed , to bed " (V, i . , l l .66-68) . In Act V, scene i i i , Macbeth commands the doctor to

cure h i s wi fe , but the doctor wise ly rep l ies , "There in the pat ient must min i s ter to

h imse l f " (V, i i i , l .45) , and shor t ly thereaf ter Macbeth i s to ld of h i s wi fe ' s death ,

presumably as a resu l t o f su ic ide .

Look ing back , a f ter the murder of the K ing , Macbeth wi thdr aws f rom h is

mar i ta l re la t ionsh ip to Lady Macbeth and no longer re l ies upon h is wi fe ' s capac i ty

to interpret events for h im. He keeps h i s p lans to have Banquo and F leance k i l led

f rom her, say ing to h i s one-t ime par tner, "Be innocent o f the knowledge , deares t


chuck | T i l l thou app laud the deed " ( I I I , i i , l l .50-51) . By the banquet scene of Act I I I ,

Lady Macbeth i s no longer par t o f her husband's wor ld , he no longer needs her

as a spur to ambit ion . Depr ived of her funct ion in d i rect ing Macbeth 's act ions ,

Lady Macbeth i s le f t a lone and i so lated . Long before Macbeth conc ludes that “ l i fe

i s a ta le to ld by an id io t” , Lady Macbeth , no longer a wi fe nor even a natur a l

woman, has entered into a twi l i ght rea lm in which there i s no act ive ro le for her

to per form nor any means through which gu i l t can be ext ingu ished .


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