He is happy to commit murder if that was to be the end of it but he fears the consequences and is concerned that the same fate will befall him, “Bloody instructions, which being taught, return To plague the inventor”. He is moral man, loyal to the King who has recently honoured him. Macbeth tells himself that he cannot escape the consequences of assassinating Duncan yet ‘only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself And falls on the other”. This suggests that his own motivation is ambition, which he understands makes people rush ahead of themselves and ends in a downfall. This is a prophetic reflection of the final denouement of the play.
Macbeth does this because he is afraid that Banquo will get in the way of his new title and Fleance, because he is prophesied to be king. Macbeth chooses to do this deed with no regard, although he knows better than to kill the innocent, showing Macbeth’s transformation and the
Macbeth’s wrongdoings are amplified by the kindness and loyalty of Macduff and the legacy Duncan left as a great king. Macbeth and Macduff are almost complete opposites. Macduff’s sincerity and loyalty helps expose how bad Macbeth actually is. Macduff’s character shows that even though Macbeth is the main character, and in the beginning he doesn’t seem that bad, but in the end he seems like a really horrible person. Macbeth seems like an even worse person after he kills Macduff’s family for no apparent reason.
Macbeth is so caught up in his ambition, where he is willing to do anything that he desires and feel is appropriate. He states, “I wont let my eye look at what my hand is doing, but in the end I’m still going to do that thing id be horrified to see.” Metaphorically speaking, even though is hand doesn't want to commit the crime, his mindset overpowers the fear he posses in doing the thing he’s horrified to see, which is kill the king. “It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly” In Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s manhood, and constantly puts an image in his head that he must do whatever she says. In the quote she states, “You are too full of the milk of human kindness to strike aggressively at your first opportunity.
There is a long monologue of Macbeth: “… He's here in double trust; First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself….” —1.7.15-19 Here, Macbeth tells us the double trust of Duncan. From Macbeth’s words, it is easy to find that he is the last possible person to murder Duncan. Therefore, theoretically Duncan is very safe in Macbeth’s castle. But the irony is that the safest place becomes the most dangerous one. Duncan’s trust on Macbeth gives Macbeth the chance to carry out the murder.
Consequently, nobody will forget what has happened with Duncan, and public opinion along with what people might think will always disturb him. As for the emotions, Shakespeare makes us feel sympathetic towards Duncan, we agree with every argument Macbeth has against killing his King and reject any possibility of the murder actually happening. We can sense the goodness in Duncan and believe in his greatness as a King, for what we deeply desire Macbeth could realize the madness he wants to perform. We also feel sorry for the crossroad Macbeth is in, for he does not really want to do what he is about to but is pressured by Lady Macbeth. As for the imagery, he fist describes a poisoned goblet to convey the idea of divine justice, of how the actions we commit come back to us in the future.
Macbeth has just finished a powerful soliloquy in which he considers his earlier plans to murder the King. Now that he is closer to the time, he is more conscious of the potential consequences which could follow this act. He realizes that there are many reasons for which he shouldn’t kill Duncan, and only one reason to kill him; his own ambition, which is not always reliable: such an ambitious leap, he says, could only result in a very nasty fall. When Lady Macbeth enters, he announces to her that he has dropped the idea of killing the King. He explains that he is glad enough with the honors he is currently receiving and with the knowledge that he will almost certainly be appointed King at Duncan’s death, so sees no reason to rush the procedure and run the risk of getting caught.
<br> Macbeth will be the first one discussed, since he was the <br>main character. The play’s problems start when he kills Duncan. <br>This is done because he has a flaw; he is too determined. He <br>doesn’t let anything in his way of the goal, to be king, proven <br>here: <br> The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step On <br> which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, For <br> in my way it lies.
However, Macbeth’s indecision on whether he should kill Duncan or not shows us that ruthless aggression does not come that easily to them. When the witches predict that he shall be king, Macbeth does not think he should do anything to make the prophecy come true “If Chance will have me king, why Chance may crown me without my stir”. However when Duncan announces that his son, Malcolm, will become the next king, Macbeth soon realises that he must kill Duncan if he is to become king. “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down, or else oerleap for in my way it lies.
Macbeth involves the downfall of a military hero, Macbeth. However, he is not to blame for his own fate – the downfall of Macbeth is the result of the actions by those around him controlling his actions. Three evil withes foretell that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and even King of Scotland. Macbeth dismissed their prophecies, but after he is promoted to Thane of Cawdor for military action, Macbeth wonders if he shall not be King, too.Macbeth is a good and loyal kinsman who would never harm his King. Were it not for outside forces, he would have lived happily as Thane of Cawdor, an illustrious title in itself.