MACBETH

BACKGROUND
William Shakespeare is arguably the most influential and most popular writer in all of English
literature. He was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He attended a grammar school where he attained
formal education but didn't proceed further. He married an older woman, Anne Hathaway in 1582 and
had three children with her.
Shakespeare is viewed as the author of 37 plays and 154 sonnets. The legacy of this body of work
is immense. A number of Shakespeare's plays seems to have transcended even the category of brilliance
as it has become influential to the extent that it affects Western literature and Culture ever after. His
books are still widely read today and they are masterpieces.

SUBJECT MATTER
Macbeth, one of Shakespeare's darkest, bloodiest, and finest tragedy, tells the story of a brave
Scottish general Macbeth, who received a prophecy from three witches that he will become the King of
Scotland one day. Consumed by ambitious thoughts and desires he was spurred by his wife to act.
Encouraged by his wife, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth decides to accelerate his rise to the throne by murdering
King Duncan, the current monarch. After committing regicide, Macbeth is plagued by guilt and paranoia.
He becomes increasingly ruthless, eliminating anyone he perceives as a threat to his reign. Lady Macbeth,
too, suffers from guilt and descends into madness.
Macbeth's violent actions spark a cycle of bloodshed as he attempts to secure his position as king.
He orders the deaths of Banquo, a nobleman and friend, and Macduff's family, among others. Macbeth's
tyranny and cruelty alienate many of his former allies and subjects, causing unrest in Scotland.
Meanwhile, Macduff, a nobleman loyal to Duncan, suspects Macbeth's involvement in the murders and
joins forces with Malcolm, Duncan's son and the rightful heir to the throne. Together, they raise an army
to overthrow Macbeth and restore peace to Scotland.
In a climactic battle, Macbeth confronts Macduff, believing he is invincible due to a prophecy that
states he cannot be killed by anyone "of woman born." However, Macduff reveals that he was delivered
by Cesarean section, making him not technically "born of woman." In their final duel, Macduff kills
Macbeth, fulfilling the witches' prophecy. As the play concludes, Malcolm is crowned the new king of
Scotland, bringing an end to Macbeth's tyrannical rule. The play explores themes such as ambition, fate,
guilt, the corrupting nature of power, and the consequences of unchecked ambition.

CHARACTERS
Macbeth:
The titular character in William Shakespeare's play "Macbeth," Macbeth, is a sad and complex
person. A group of witches’ prophecy that Macbeth would become the Thane of Cawdor and ultimately
the King of Scotland to the valiant and obedient Scottish general at the play's outset. Macbeth's character
undergoes a significant alteration as a result of this prophecy as he is obsessed by ambition and the need
for power. Throughout the course of the play, Macbeth commits progressively horrific deeds due to his
ambition. He kills King Duncan to take the throne with the help of his ambitious wife, Lady Macbeth,
who encourages and manipulates him. After the act, Macbeth's remorse and paranoia worsen, and he
begins to order other violent crimes, including the murders of Banquo, Macduff's family, and other
possible rivals.
Macbeth experiences internal tensions for the duration of the play. He battles with his moral
conscience as he considers the gravity of his choices and the repercussions they have. As a result of his
relentless quest of power, he suffers from hallucinations and is racked by guilt. Shakespeare examines
themes of ambition, guilt, fate, and the repercussions of moral corruption via the sad voyage of Macbeth.
It is important to keep in mind that different performances of the play may highlight particular facets of
Macbeth's intentions or personality. But at its core, Macbeth's character serves as an example of the
disastrous results that result from the quest of power at any costs.

Banquo:
At first, Banquo is depicted as a valiant and obedient commander battling alongside Macbeth
against rebels in King Duncan's army. He is portrayed as a courageous and gallant soldier who has won
the respect and adoration of his fellow soldiers. Banquo is renowned for his intelligence and vision, as
seen by his doubt about the witches' prophecies. The witches predict that Banquo's descendants will
inherit the throne, while Macbeth will rise to become Thane of Cawdor and ultimately the king. This
sudden information ignites Macbeth's ambition and launches the play's plot.
The play's moral compass is personified in the figure of Banquo, who emphasizes the perils of
uncontrolled ambition. Banquo, in contrast to Macbeth, resists the temptation of power and stays true to
his values. His appearance highlights the terrible results of Macbeth's decisions and contrasts Macbeth's
character. Overall, Banquo plays a significant role in Macbeth as a noble and honorable character,
highlighting the themes of ambition, morality, and the supernatural. His character serves as a foil to
Macbeth, emphasizing the tragic nature of the play.

Duncan:
King Duncan has a crucial role in William Shakespeare's well-known tragedy "Macbeth." Although
he only has a small part in the play, his personality is crucial to the story as a whole. Duncan is portrayed
as a smart, kind, and honorable monarch who is well-liked and revered by his subjects. Scotland
experienced peace and political stability throughout Duncan's rule. He is depicted as a benevolent ruler as
well as one who loves to reward his loyal subjects for their display of valor and strength in battle where in
the play, he gives the position of Thane of Cawdor to Macbeth.
Despite his good intentions and qualities, Duncan has a certain amount of innocence and
susceptibility. Easily deceived by the illusion of loyalty, Duncan's fatal fault is his faith in other people.
Unaware of the sinister intentions Macbeth and his wife are harboring, Duncan chooses to spend the night
in Macbeth's castle in Act 1. Duncan dies tragically as a result of this choice. Duncan is assassinated in
his sleep by Macbeth, who is motivated by his own ambition and coerced by Lady Macbeth.
Despite Duncan's character having a limited role in the play, his good character serves as a contrast
to the darkness and moral decay that arise from his murder. His passing serves as a stark reminder of the
perilous state of social order and stability as well as the catastrophic effects of unbridled ambition.
The Three Witches:
The three witches, also known as the weird sisters play a key role in William Shakespeare's play
Macbeth. They are enigmatic, supernatural beings that have a significant impact on the play's plot. The
witches first appear in the play's opening scene and later return, frequently in gloomy or unsettling scenes.
In the play, the witches are seen as bringers of disaster and mayhem. They may have supernatural abilities
and are linked to unethical and occult activities. They are frequently described as having hideous features,
beards, and skin that has seen better days. They use rhymes and riddles when speaking, which adds to
their mystique and enigma.

Act 1, Scene 3's confrontation between Macbeth and Banquo leads to a prophecy from the three
witches. While telling Banquo that he will produce a dynasty of kings even though he will not be a king
himself, they predict that Macbeth will become the Thane of Cawdor and ultimately the King of Scotland.
These predictions ignite Macbeth's ambition and play with his desires and instill in him traits of ambition
and avarice. Their forecasts stir up Macbeth's inner evil and motivate him to carry out their predictions in
order to achieve their fulfillment and his throne.
The witches keep popping up throughout the play to make new prophecies and push Macbeth
farther down his fatal path. They can also create illusions and apparitions, which further distort Macbeth's
understanding of reality. The presence of the witches is described to signify vileness, impurity,
unnaturalness and womanhood negativity. Wherever they go, calamity and destruction is sure to follow.
Their nature is nothing short of foul itself that even good words seem to change their nature around them,
when the First witch thanks the second Witch for her generous donation of wind, "Thou'rt kind."

Lady Macbeth:
She is presented as ambitious, ruthless and strong, even manlier than Macbeth, her husband. We see
as she urges Macbeth that they should kill Duncan in order to make the witches prophecy come true. She
wishes that she is not a woman so she can kill Duncan herself but since she cannot do it, she pushes and
helps her husband into committing the murder. Her character gives the impression that women are as
cruel and ambitious as men but because of the social constraint they cannot show such characteristics.
When Macbeth objects to murdering Duncan, she questions his manhood and urges him to prove himself
by murdering the king. However, after the murder has been committed, she is plagued by guilt which
slowly drives her into madness and eventually causes her death.
Although it is an undeniable motion that her acts and intentions were set towards ungodly ambition
and nefarious purpose, we see the part of a true companion and wife in her regarding her entangled
relationship with her husband. Her resolve to support her husband in his hideous ambition is so evidently
brazen and sharp that she manages to compensate for her husband's failed show of willingness and
masculinity throughout the whole course of action. She seeks very well the promotion of her husband to
the highest status of kingship but fails to advise and goad her husband to attain such position in the most
candid manner possible.

Lady Macduff:
Although she is a minor character and only has a small part, she is crucial in emphasizing the
impact of Macbeth's oppressive rule. The personality of Lady Macduff contrasts with that of Lady
Macbeth. Lady Macduff depicts a more conventional character of a loving mother, in contrast to Lady
Macbeth who is childless, only aggressively pursuing power and manipulating her husband. She is a
moving representation of the misery caused by Macbeth's despotic tyranny because of her innocence and
vulnerability especially as she has been abandoned by her husband. She is displayed to highlight the cruel
challenge of one spouse neglecting and abandoning the family to fend on its own.
Shakespeare illustrates the effects of Macbeth's relentless pursuit of power by illustrating the
destruction it causes to innocent lives through Lady Macduff's murder. Her persona serves to draw
attention to the human cost of ambition and to remind us of the catastrophic outcomes that follow
Macbeth's ambition and brutality.

Hecate:
It's crucial to keep in mind the scholarly argument on and interpretation of Hecate's role in the
play. Act 3, Scene 5 is the only scene in which she appears, Hecate, a goddess of witchcraft and the
supernatural in Greek mythology, reprimands the three witches in this scene for getting involved with
Macbeth without first consulting her. She charges them with interfering in people's lives without her
consent and states her desire to manipulate Macbeth's destiny by creating illusions and leading him astray.
The character of Hecate in Macbeth is noteworthy because it deviates from the play's conventional
sources. Shakespeare may have used Hecate, a renowned primordial goddess of witchcraft and magic in
the narrative, to underline the idea of fate vs free will and to heighten the supernatural element.
Other Characters: Macduff, Ross, Angus, Malcolm, Donalbain, Doctor, Fleance, Sir
Sidward among others.

DRAMATIC DEVICES IN MACBETH

Macbeth contains several dramatic elements and techniques that contribute to its overall effect.
These elements include the development of plot and characterization while the techniques used include
the use of dramatic irony, use of soliloquies foreshadowing, among others.

Characterization:
As generally expressed by dramatists in the composition of their literary pieces especially to give
the audience more space and control to determine the qualities embedded in these embodiments of
cognitive and affective materials, the characters are not given a direct and explicit analysis and
summation of their character traits to be portrayed in the play, but are left to be revealed by their own
thoughts, speech and action as well as what other characters say about them, relate to them and generally
act around them. If the dramatist does reveal the traits and set-up of the characters, there will not be a
need to even question or bother to want to understand the character by its manner of carrying out action
but by what the narrator has dictated alone (Imagine the author adding before the play begins "Macbeth is
the hero of the play.")
The manifold personalities of characters, each made up of a plethora of many qualities probable to
be brought to light also shed light on the conflict or issues they bear to seek change. Macbeth, for
example, can be examined to be a character who exhibits a lot of devotion and zeal to matters surrounding
him if it is demanded of him. It tells from his former position as just the thane of Cawdor when he is to
battle for his king against the neighboring war forces of Ireland and Norway, outnumbered and worn out
by his assailants, he still perseveres the situation at hand and leads his army to unexpected victory against
all odds. He again depicts this sense of devotion and zeal when he usurps Duncan from his throne not
peacefully but bloody and grotesque and erases any chance for anyone to make a comeback or point an
accusing finger to him as a murder and traitor. He wipes out any opposition to his throne and any links or
relations close to them in order to cement his reign.

Plot:
Aristotle expounds on the categories of plot that may be utilized by an inspired dramatist in his
treatise "Poetics". He makes known that there are the simple and the complex plots in arranging the
integral events of a play and shaping the initiation, causal connection and the end of action. The play
Macbeth can be well ascribed with the presence of the complex plot. The change of Fortune starts at the
very beginning when the three Witches appear before Macbeth and Banquo to tell them of their future yet
to come. It triggered the attraction of Macbeth towards inordinate ambition and desire. His tragic flaw
begins the moment Macbeth develops ideas on stealing the throne for himself though the high regards his
fellow kin view him because of his loyalty to his king and friends, and reaches its peak when he kills
Duncan and attains kingship himself.
The peripeteia (reverse of fortune) occurs when the witches once again make a trio of predictions
to be able to avert death which Macbeth blindly believes and the anagnorisis (recognition) comes in to
give a very sharp and fulfilling end to the undesirable actions and situation of the protagonist/tragic hero,
when Macduff reveals that he is not "born of woman" and Macbeth realizes that his own end must be
around the corner and he cannot escape it.

Aside:
The constant use of aside has a very noticeable appearance in the play and is employed to reveal the
innermost desires and thoughts of characters towards the development of the plot and so as to keep the
audience informed of the motives of different characters and aware of the different personalities
embedded in each character. In the play itself, it seems to involve a lot of scheming and actions
committed in the dark, appearances to deceive others and the writer does not waste to make use of
important revelations through the means of these asides and soliloquies.
The character most attributed with use of aside is none other than the protagonist, Macbeth, who is
a very noble and heroic character as presented at the start. However, after his meeting with the three
Witches in Act 1 III in which Banquo was also present, he can't discuss his mind's thoughts with his
close partner-in-battle as mere disclosing such ideas to his friend will lead to chiding from Banquo who is
resolute and expressive on ignoring the prophetic revelations of the Witches.
In Act 1 IV, another aside is made by Macbeth when Duncan proclaims an announcement that his
son, Malcolm, that he will be the next king after himself. Macbeth reacts to this,
"The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars…"
He further reveals his resolve to either totally remove the heir or simply overpower him in such a
way that he seizes possession of the throne and to achieve his ambition, he beckons on stars to dim their
lights so no one will see and know his 'black and depp desires.'

Soliloquy:
 Soliloquy also involves communication between the actor and the audience revealing their most
innermost thoughts and feelings. The most significant soliloquies were said by Macbeth at the beginning
of Act 1 VII, and Banquo at the beginning of Act 3 I.
In Act 1 IV, Macbeth is yet to make a conclusion whether he must kill Duncan to become king or
not. Even the consequences of bringing such an act to fruition are enough to discourage him and there's
no just reason for him to murder Malcolm who he refers to as a good-natured man and king increasing the
difficulty, he faces at arriving at such a conclusion. He ends, saying
"I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
And falls on the other”.

At the beginning of Act 3 I, Banquo recalls the prophecies of the witches concerning Macbeth and
himself, and now Macbeth has been installed as the new king of Scotland as predicted by the Witches. He
discloses his thoughts on how unsettling the link between events so far have come and gone. He even
begins to suspect that Macbeth had played unfair in making himself become king but immediately decides
against it anyways. This is significant as the hidden evils committed by Macbeth is finally taken note of
and hinted by someone outside Macbeth and his wife.

Dramatic Irony:
This situation takes form when the audience know certain things which some character(s) in the
play are not aware of and their ignorance causes their actions or inactions concerning that particular event
or situation. The meeting between Macbeth, Banquo and the Witches only takes place in Act 1 III after
King Duncan has already appointed him (Macbeth) as the new thane of Cawdor and the former thane to
be executed in Act 1 II. So, the awakening of inordinate ambition in Macbeth due to Ross's relay of the
message of Macbeth's new appointment is more or less something that is only due to ignorance as the
event has already happened and has come to the notice of the witches already who just seem to enjoy
pleasure in bringing ruin to the life of others.
It can also be referred to in the kind of relationship between the King, Duncan and Macbeth.
Duncan relies on Macbeth as a very loyal and trustworthy companion and cousin, "worthy gentleman",
"valiant cousin" and renders him many praises and honors for his many victorious exploits in war and
loyalty. Macbeth on the other hand, sees Duncan as a good man, he makes the statement himself,
"Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office, that his virtues
Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against
The deep damnation of his taking-off;

But even with this view of Duncan, Macbeth is still devoted to his own ambitions even though he
will have to resort to dubious wicked methods to dethroning and stealing the right to the throne from
Duncan's lineage and even making efforts to wipe out any kind of potential opposition to his reign by
committing series of murder.
The visit of Duncan to Macbeth's castle and his entrance gives off a very disturbing vibe to the
audience with the atmosphere filled with bloodlust and deception. Macbeth beforehand has sent a letter to
his wife of the prophecies of the witches of his soon-to-be kingship and his plan which involves the
murder of Duncan. His wife plays the part of the hospitable and caring wife and host of Duncan and his
group of officials and attendants ushering them into the comfort and warmth of the palace in her
husband's absence. Little do they know that they will be witnesses to the devilish craftiness of their fellow
man and see the events to come that have never happened most unfortunately taking the life of the good
Duncan.

Irony:
This occurs where there is a contrast between what happens and what is expected to happen. It is used to
depict ignorance generally among characters and even extends to the audience, such show of ignorance or
unawareness could be quite costly at the end when such person becomes enlightened of the situation one
finds oneself within.
The Witches played a part in Macbeth's demise by taking advantage of his gullibility and overconfidence
by setting him up in an ironical end filling him up with newer prophecies that he will remain undefeated if
he ever comes to battle with any man born of a woman and that as long as Birnam forest does not come
near Dunsinane hill, he will remain unvanquished.
This set of prophecies renews Macbeth's showoff and confidence that he truly cannot be defeated, after all
he thinks that every man is definitely born from a woman and that Birnam forest cannot develop legs to
begin moving to Dunsinane hill. However, the irony unfolds when the battle between the army of
Macbeth and the army of the group of former nobles, Malcolm and Macduff, led by Sir Siward
commences. The army instructed by Siward carry branches and march forward in unison from Birnam
forest to conceal their numbers, but to Macbeth, it seems as if Birnam forest is indeed moving towards
Dunsinane Hill. At the final of battle, Macbeth faces Macduff with whom a conversation springs and in
this, Macbeth reveals that a man born by woman cannot kill him while Macduff drops the bomb on
Macbeth that he wasn't born through the normal birth process but by knife instead. Macbeth realizes the
play on words used by the witches and their apparitions but it is already a time too late to avoid his fate in
the hands of Macduff.

Foreshadowing:
Foreshadowing is aptly known to be a literary device whereby an author drops hints or symbolic
representations of plots developments to come later in the story, was strongly used in "The Tragedy of
Macbeth”. In Act 1 III, the witches were holding a meeting right before their appointment to meet
Macbeth where a discussion on the behavior of the sailor's wife which contributed to the sailor's bad
voyage. This bears a foreshadowing to the presence of Lady Macbeth indirectly and blinding setting the
path to the destruction of her husband at the end of the whole play as the witch has admitted that she will
only persecute the husband and not bring his death, that he will be deprived of his sleep, living a weary
life.

As well after the murder of Duncan, Macbeth makes mention of the voice which says,

Still it cried 'Sleep no more!' to all the house:

'Glamis hath murder'd sleep, and therefore Cawdor
Shall sleep no more; Macbeth shall sleep no more.'
The voice foreshadows the unrest and unease of mind that is to befall Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
Macbeth cannot be free from the unbinding guilt that ties him with the death of Duncan and the future
deaths of so many others including the death of Banquo, his good friend and partner-in-battle. Lady
Macbeth is haunted by nightmares which continue to attack her in her sleep, she starts sleepwalking and
re-acting the events of the past, washing her hands as if to absolve herself from the heinous crimes she
has helped. The Doctor comments on her severe condition.,
"More needs she the divine than the physician.
God, God forgive us all! Look after her;"

Symbolism:
In Act 2 IV, The conversation between the Old Man and Ross ensues and the old man refers to an
event which he has just seen some days ago, when a falcon is attacked and killed by an owl which only
preys on small game in the middle of the night.
"A falcon, towering in her pride of place,
Was by a mousing owl hawk'd at and kill'd."
The falcon and the owl can be said to be symbolically connected to the upturn of events that lead
to the death of Duncan, who is in a far more superior position than Macbeth, yet it happens that Macbeth
is able to usurp him from his position and even take his life. The owl which normally strikes at night
denotes the use of night and darkness by Macbeth to perpetrate evil acts and consummate thoughts which
he cannot share with other characters apart from his wife who is even a more passionate advantage to his
ambition.
Some of the most significant symbols/motifs in Macbeth include: Blood, Darkness, sleep and dreaming,
nature, clothing and appearance etc.
Blood is a pervasive symbol throughout Macbeth. It is used to represent guilt, sin, and violence,
particularly in the aftermath of murder. Macbeth is haunted by the guilt of his actions and is unable to
escape the bloody consequences of his ambition. Darkness is used to represent evil and deception in
Macbeth. It is often associated with the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, who are willing to do
whatever it takes to achieve their goals. The darkness in the play is also symbolic of the moral decay of
the characters, as they fall further into depravity.

Imagery:
The scenes in which the witches act are described with words that require imagination to bring
about the full comprehension of the nature of these supernatural characters. The witches refer to
themselves as "weird sisters" and Banquo adds more, in his loss at describing them at the first meeting,
"What are these
So wither'd and so wild in their attire,
That look not like the inhabitants o' the earth,
Prior to the meeting with Macbeth and Banquo, one of the witches is killing swine, another is
planning the torment of the sailor because of his wife's selfishness while the other two are only happy to
help and assist her.
Nature imagery in Macbeth is often used to reflect the moral and political order of the world. For
example, the disruption of the natural order, such as the strange behavior of animals and the unpredictable
weather, is symbolic of the chaos that arises from the characters' actions.

Pathos:
 This device resorts to appeal for pity and empathy from the audience to bring about optimum
dramatic experience. This is exemplified in the play on the occasion of Macduff's flee to England to save
himself from the tyrannical rule of Macbeth who is also after his life. He abandons all that hold dear and
important to him, most especially his wife and young son who are left piteously alone undefended against
the cruelty of Macbeth, which proves to be his own folly (error in judgement) as a character. It causes one
to wonder the foolishness of his actions and neglect of spouse and parental duty to protect his wife and
son from the evil he himself tries to run away. Later, his castle is plundered by Macbeth's men and his
wife and children murdered.

THEMATIC PREOCCUPATIONS IN MACBETH

A theme is an underlying message within a literary work. It is the overarching idea, subject or
discourse that is consistently discussed throughout the play. In Macbeth, several themes are brought to
the fore by the actions and inactions of the characters. From the greediness of Macbeth, the supremacy of
external beings, the intoxicative nature of ambition and power, violence and bloodshed, to guilt and the
need for redemption, the ancient play touches diverse aspects of life of the common man.

The Overpowering Nature of Ambition and Greed:

In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to denote the extent to
which greed can wreck a man. Macbeth, fueled by the prophecy of The Witches, nurses a growing
ambition to bring the prophecy to fruition. This unhinged ambition soon goads him to commit heinous
acts which he acknowledges as evil in Act 1 Scene 4.
"Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires."
Macbeth, a good general and good man, allows himself to be corrupted by the witches' prophecy
and becomes a murderer who ends the life of the king and achieves his goal settled on blood and
treachery. Macbeth's path depicts that unchecked ambition can never be fulfilled and eventually grows
into a monster that will destroy everything and anyone who gives into it. In the modern world, we rather
admire ambition but Shakespeare saw it more as a corrupting force and Macbeth comes to sticky ends
while pursuing it. And in Macbeth’s case, once he gives way to ambition, he is transformed from a good
to an evil man. He recognizes his ambition as being overwhelming – ‘vaulting ambition’ he calls it – but
he knows that he doesn’t have the strength to resist it.

The presence of the supernatural in Earthbound Affairs:

The entire play is hinged on the supremacy of supernatural beings over man. The play depicts the
edge that they have over mortal man in their ability to cause man to act in a certain way. In Macbeth, this
is highlighted in the actions of the Three Sisters. It is not strange to conceive the idea that there is more to
the world than the ordinary, hence, the acknowledgement of supernatural forces in the world

The constant battle between fate and freewill:

A pertinent theme of Macbeth is the role of fate and how it battles with free will. Some believe that
humans have their destiny written and preordained before their existence, hence, their actions only help in
fulfilling such a destiny. We are faced with the role of fate in Macbeth. From the very beginning,
Macbeth is heeding to a false prophecy that the witches conjured and presented. The questions posed here
goes thus, is he fated to kill Duncan? Or does he simply believe it is his fate and use his free will to make
it happen? In Act 1, Macbeth states that he thinks if fate has plans for him, it will require no action from
him: "if chance will have me king, why chance may crown me, without my stir".

However, as the play proceeds, Macbeth takes a more involved role in making his own destiny, as
he continually makes ruthless choices in the service of ambition. In other words, the actions, inactions,
and consequences of both usually lead to the actualization of fate.

Guilt:
Macbeth could almost be seen as a dissertation on guilt. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth suffer
the most torturous guilt as a result of their regicide. Modern English has an idiom to describe the state of
someone who is guilty of great violence. They say they have blood on their hands. Shakespeare has these
two characters literally covered in blood then uses the blood on their hands to carve out his theme,
equating blood with guilt. The word ‘blood’ appears quite often in the text, and, using it, or referring to it.
After the murder, Macbeth stares at his red hands in horror and says “What hands are here? Ha!
They pluck out mine eyes/Will all great Neptune’s Ocean wash this blood/Clean from my
hand? No, this my hand will rather/The multitudinous seas incarnadine, /Making the
green one red.” We see such images all the way through.

As his guilt grips him Macbeth begins to imagine things – the ghost of Banquo, the friend he
murdered – those hallucinations begin even before the actual killing when he imagines a dagger hanging
in the air in front of his eyes. His guilt is already evident. Lady Macbeth’s guilt expresses itself in
nightmares, also featuring blood, in which she relives the killing of Duncan. The whole text is a
dramatization of guilt. The couple do not live to enjoy the fruits of their misdeed: from the moment of the
murder until their deaths their lives are intolerable, made so by the anguish of guilt.

Tyranny Against Kingship:

In the play, Duncan is always referred to as a “king,” while Macbeth soon becomes known as the
“tyrant.” The difference between the two types of rulers seems to be expressed in a conversation that
occurs in Act 4, scene 3, when Macduff meets Malcolm in England. In order to test Macduff’s loyalty
to Scotland, Malcolm pretends that he would make an even worse king than Macbeth. He tells Macduff of
his reproachable qualities among them a thirst for personal power and a violent temperament, both of
which seem to characterize Macbeth perfectly. On the other hand, Malcolm says, “The king-
becoming graces / [are] justice, verity, temperance, stableness, / Bounty,
perseverance, mercy, [and] lowliness”
The model king, then, offers the kingdom an embodiment of order and justice, but also comfort
and affection. Under him, subjects are rewarded according to their merits, as when Duncan makes
Macbeth the Thane of Cawdor after Macbeth’s victory over the invaders. Most importantly, the king must
be loyal to Scotland above his own interests. Macbeth, by contrast, brings only chaos to Scotland
symbolized by the bad weather and bizarre supernatural events and offers no real justice, only a habit of
capriciously murdering those he sees as a threat as the embodiment of tyranny.

PROJECT CONTRIBUTORS
1) NAME: Philip Grace Tolulope - Background and Subject Matter
MATRIC NO: 228761
2) NAME: Odeniyi Temitayo Ayomide - Subject Matter
MATRIC NO:229068
3) NAME: Quadri Ayokunle Oluwatimilehin - Dramatic Devices
MATRIC NUMBER:230365
4) NAME: Aderinola Kehinde Temitope - Dramatic Devices
MATRIC NUMBER: 230263
5) NAME: Obadeyi Olufisayo Victor - Dramatic Devices
MATRIC NUMBER: 230327
6) NAME: Jaja Charles David - Characterization
MATRIC NUMBER: 230314
7) NAME: Odiachi Anna Chukwufumnaya - Characterization
MATRIC NUMBER: 230328
8) NAME: Modiu Quazim Olamide - Themes
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9) NAME: Goodluck Akinlawon Ihuoma - Themes
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10) NAME: Amodu Monsuru Adeshola - Themes
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