User:Funkychic

How Macbeth has changed as a character between Act 2 scene 2 and 3 - Act 5 scenes 3,4 and 5.

Macbeth is a very complex character, who has many layers. He changes a lot throughout the play;

 How he relates to his wife.  The choices he makes.

Macbeth’s thoughts and feelings are portrayed through all of these subjects, however the change that is most prominent is the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In Act 2, Macbeth is undecided on weather to kill Duncan, his confusion is shown in a monologue in Act 1 scene 7. Where he decides not to kill Duncan. “He’s here in double trust: First I am his Kinsman and his subject, Strong both against deed; then, as his host. This shows that Macbeth feels he should not kill Duncan because he has been kind to him the past few days. We can now tell that Macbeth is very compassionate for the people in his life and feels for them strongly. He also has high morals because he believes killing a relative is wrong and a king is even worse because God makes people Kings and if you disrupt the harmony then bad thing’s will happen to you. In Macbeth’s whole speech he shows that love is stronger than power.

However Lady Macbeth is the more ambitious and powerful character from the both of them and soon persuades him to kill Duncan. We know that Macbeth loves Lady Macbeth very much because on the success of his battle he wrote to tell her the good news. In Act 1 scene 7 Lady Macbeth uses this love to emotionally blackmail him into the murder. “From this time, such I account my love.” This is showing that Lady Macbeth is willing to do anything to get into a position of more power.

In Act 5 there position of power changes and their relationship is much weaker. Lady Macbeth has been driven mad by the guilt of Duncan’s death, even though she said, “Go get some water and wash this filthy witness from your hands.” This is showing that she believes anything can wash right of someone and that there is no need to lose sleep over this particular deed. Whereas in Act 5 she is sleepwalking and trys to get the blood of her hands. “Out damned spot! Out, I say!” This is a hallucination but it symbolises, the guilt she is experiencing and feels that Duncan should not have been killed. Overall Shakespeare is showing how she thought she was strong but it became to much to handle.

Macbeth however was contemplating over his first murder. When he realised how far the death of one person had got him, he started to kill other close friends. He did this because he was covering up for his first murder. However his next few murders were barely spared a thought and he did not confide them to Lady Macbeth. This shows how far a part they have grown and that Macbeth’s compassion has been replaced by power. To reinforce this Shakespeare has directed Lady Macbeth to die so he could show Macbeth’s reaction. Even though she is his wife he is to preoccupied with the forthcoming battle that he can barely spare her a thought. “should she have died hereafter, there would have been time for such a word.”

Overall Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have switched roles and his compassion has been replaced by power, so he no longer cares when it is time for him to grieve his wife’s death. Will anybody be mourning him when his time comes? Rebecca Smith