Macbeth's Connection To The Audience

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{. By feeling the pangs that we would feel if we were in his place, and by passing our judgments upon himself, Macbeth attaches us to him and consequently to himself to us. We cannot view him with cold objectivity as something strange and apart.} Shakespeare’s Macbeth invokes compassion and empathy for the plays most sanguinary character, Macbeth, who endures his wife’s (Lady Macbeth) insults to his integrity and strength as he struggles with betraying his own values in order to gain status and power (Crowther). Macbeth is introduced as a dutiful subject who quickly becomes known as a tyrant due to the influences of the determined Lady Macbeth, who deeply desires power and status. Macbeth is persuaded by his bellicose wife after becoming entranced by three witches’ psychic premonitions. Lady Macbeth encourages Macbeth’s temptations to ensure the witches’ premonitions become realities by assaulting what she perceives are weaknesses; however, these are the same qualities he has received honors for. Macbeth’s resistance to his wife’s intentions fade as he is manipulated (Sheinberg) into following her plan to assassinate the King, an act Macbeth can hardly imagine undertaking. Macbeth sends news of the witches prophecies and his coming fortune, which sparks an unscrupulous attack on his morality by Lady Macbeth, and the audience begins to feel compassion for the scorned hero. Macbeth’s letter to Lady Macbeth describes the honor received for his valiant battle and tells of the witches’ prophecies. The message ends with affectionate words and asks that she celebrate with him. Instead of rejoicing (Crowther) she immediately begins an assault on his masculinity and values, implying that he is not strong enough to pursue the King’s crown: …Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great,

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