One of the main messages he is trying to deliver to us is to always weigh what you achieve to what the consequences will be. This especially holds true for Macbeth, as when first contemplating if he should kill Duncan, not once did he think of how he could be punished. Also, when Macbeth first hears the witch’s prophecy of him being a king, he jumps directly to the idea of murder. This kind of thinking is exhibited in Macbeth’s monologue in scene 5 act 5, where he discus’s the uselessness of living, and this attitude towards life made him go mad. This also points to how unintelligent Macbeth really was.
One of them being his fatalism described the witches. The witches informed Macbeth’s of him becoming Thane and afterwards the King; however, Banquo’s son was prophesized to become the king after Macbeth. Macbeth feared that part of the prophecy and it was an additional explanation for his downfall. He became paranoid and he reacted only how a threatened individual would: by eliminating the threat. His paranoia reached the point to where he was mentally unstable.
Estela Diaz Mr. Oster English 10 Honors 19 February 2009 Study Guide Questions: Macbeth Act 2 Scene I 1. Macbeth is uneasy while speaking to Banquo, suffering from premeditated stress at the murder he knows he will be committing in mere moments. He desires to steer his mind away from the dark deed that digressed from the prophecy and its source. At the mention of the weird sisters, he says “I know not of them” (II. i.
Next, before Macbeth and Lady Macbeth carry out the act of killing Duncan, Macbeth is weighing the pros and cons of going through with the murder. He has extreme doubt about this and thinks that if fate shall make him king, then there is nothing he has to do. He says to himself, “but only/ Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself/ and falls on th’ other” (I.vii.26-28). The only thing that is motivating him to kill Duncan is his ambition, but as he knows, people rushing ahead of themselves for ambition can prove to be disastrous. He knows that his desire may destroy him, which in fact
In order to protect his country from this terrible occurrence, Brutus decides to murder Caesar. He acknowledges that "If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. "(Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 21-24) Brutus, as stated in the play, is a very honorable man, and he has put some good reasoning and thinking behind his plans. Macbeth, on the other hand, was more unpredictable than Brutus and even reluctant at some times. He did not want to take action, and was too “people loving” to make a move on King Duncan.
However, it does not take long for Macbeth to question the matter, “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion,” (I, iii, 144), he says in a state of confusion. Macbeth is Duncan’s kinsman and his subject, and therefore should be constantly striving to protect him. He is also his host, and so should be closing the door in his murderer’s face, not attempting to murder him himself. Macbeth knows in his heart what is right, but is allowing his vaulting ambition to get the better of him. Again Macbeth’s conscience comes into play when he says, “We still have judgement here; that we but teach / Bloody instruction, which being taught return / To plague the inventor: this even-handed justice,” (I, vii, 8-10).
Macbeth also develops as a character a little bit in Act One. In the beginning when Macbeth gets the prophecy about becoming king. He is excited at the idea that he will become king. His ambition is leading to good things, but he is horrified at the idea that he would have to murder Duncan to get the position. Macbeth’s ambition has not effected him negatively yet.
Macbeth is deceived by his ambition, his power, and most of all by his fear. In Act II, Scene I, he sees a dagger before him. This is just as he is about to kill King Duncan. He sees it floating, but he cannot feel it. As stated, “Thou marshalest me the way I was going and such an instrument I was to use” (Shakespeare, 1997, 2.1.50-51).
Macbeth betrays King Duncan because the witches told him he will become king. He also betrays his friend Banquo because the witches gave him predictions that can affect Macbeth. The three weird sisters betray Macbeth because he wants things to go his way. In “Macbeth”, Shakespeare demonstrates that betrayal is lead by unreasonable decisions that cause bad consequences. Macbeth
They then go onto call him the Thane of Cawdor, and then finally king. Macbeth's curiosity kicks in, and he tries to find out how he will become king. Macbeth then starts to show his lack of loyalty. When the king names Malcolm as his heir, Macbeth sees this as an obstacle. He has resolved himself not only to kill the king, but to also remove Malcolm.