MACBETH

Macbeth



Macbeth

Introduction

Macbeth is one of the most famous tragedies written by Shakespeare between the years of 1603 and 1607. (Morley, 1996, 350-354) 

Macbeth is a story of usurper and murder and the extreme evil that one can resort to, when driven by relentless greed. It is a tragedy based on betrayal and greed.

Suspense and Evil:

The theme of evil is prominent in the play. The essence of evil is manifested the way man characters behave and is evoked by this play very clearly. In Act2, Scene 2, the evil thoughts of Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to perform such an act. Her evil intentions are sensed strongly when she successfully manages to convince her husband to scheme deceptive plots to capture the throne. The evil elements make their presence strongly felt right from the beginning in the play where the three Witches give their prediction. The presence of supernatural forces intensifies the tragedy and deception in the play. Number of supernatural forces throughout the play intensely affects the character, and finally the evil power ultimately overcomes Macbeth and finally destroys the morality of the character. Macbeth is terrified at the idea of killing the king but then he surrenders to the avarice and greed implanted by his wife that eventually leads to his own destruction. (Chamberlain, 2005, 72-91)

By the time Act 5 comes, the suspense reaches new heights as the instances of hallucinations and haunting also multiply. The suspense intensifies as the ghost of Banquo appears, thus intriguing both the characters and the audience alike.(Jackson, 1994, 400-405)

The Relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth:

As the play progresses, the audience can see the changing relationship of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth starts feeling that the kindness of her husband is making him a weak person. She feels that her husband is getting under the influence of guilt that might prevent him from being successful. So she begins to manipulate Macbeth and distracts him from feeling guilty for killing the king. After the death of the king, Macbeth becomes totally absorbed in his feelings and starts withdrawing the love relationship with his wife. By the end of the play, Macbeth is so possessed completely by his remorse feelings that he does not even notice the sufferings of Lady Macbeth.

The relationship between Macbeth and his wife is observed to very strong in the starting of the play. But as the play moves on, the relationship turns out to be quite vulnerable and fragile.

Contrasts: the way guilt affects the couple In Act 2 Scene 2

It is seen that Lady Macbeth is the one who provoked Lord of Glamis to commit murder, who helps him get to the titles that the prophecies of the witches had predicted for him. (Jekels, 1992, 115-130)

She ended up committing more crimes than Macbeth, but not to the same extent of importance which was shown as a homicide after the man tends to have strange or unusual reactions that lead to insanity or just continues to commit ...