reaction

Based on my classmates blogs I feel like the ending to Macbeth is easily misunderstood. It can be seen that Macbeths not running away at the end of the play was an act of manliness and bravery. It could be seen that he decided to stay and fight when in fact it is just the opposite. In earlier lines in the play we see Macbeth contemplating life and we see him almost decide that life is worth nothing and is a pointless story that we fill with anger, rage and passion, when in the end it all means nothing. He sees how corrupt life is and once his wife commits suicide he really steps back and examines his motives to live. He firsts decides to stay out of false confidence, thinking no man could harm him. He was comfortable and secure and let his guard down and didn’t take action to protect himself. Also throughout this whole play Macbeth's actions were fueled out of weakness and insecurity. When Macbeth realizes Macduff is the one who is not woman born I think Macbeth’s deciding to stay and fight was purely out of rage and spite against his fate. He was already contemplating that life is pointless and a basic waist of time. Macbeth staying was almost an act of committing suicide. He had given up and was just filled with rage.

masculinity

Throughout the play Macbeth’s masculinity was a recurring topic. Lady Macbeth constantly questioned Macbeth on his masculinity to manipulate him into taking the actions she wanted throughout the whole play. She manipulates Macbeth into committing murder and killing the king by making comments about him not being a man. She also brings up his masculinity when he is very upset and feeling emotions after committing the murder. She makes many comments about how she has the heart of a man and wished she could be unsexed. This is showing how she feels powerless as a woman but she feels she is more masculine than her husband who is actually a man. Manhood is associated with being strong and with violence in this play. It also really struck me what the true meaning of masculinity means in this play when Macduff hears that his wife and child were killed. Malcolm tells him to take the news like a man. What he means by this is to get revenge and kill Macbeth instead of feeling sad about this. You can see that in the play Macbeth the meaning of masculinity is not to have emotion, but to feel your emotions through violence.

Imagery

In the play Macbeth, the use of imagery in one of the lines in act 5 painted such a strong picture it actually got the reader to momentarily feel the same as Macbeth. "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing." This line created such imagery, you can see the lonely actor passing back and forth on the stage, and see how in our lives we spend so much time just walking back and forth worrying and wondering about the future, and once we stop worrying its over. It makes the reader step back and think. In our lives we are always being pushed to look at the positive and how beautiful life is and how it is all worth it. Most people follow this way of life, which it is why it is so shocking when Macbeth shows his true emotions and thoughts about how he thinks life is a pointless story that we fill with so much anger and rage and passion when in the end it all means nothing. The imagery in these lines is so strong that it carries the reader into this dark place where Macbeth is and for a few minutes we can truly understand how Macbeth is viewing life.

Reaction --> Joe

I think Joe is correct in believing that at this point Macbeth has accepted death. When Macbeth kills the soldiers that first find him in his castle, he is fighting without fear, because of what the witches have told him. When Macduff and Macbeth have their final showdown and Macbeth learns that Macduff was born of a c-section, his quote about life fully hits him. Macbeth realizes that he was an idiot who let his rage consume him and so he "fret his hour upon stage" and will no longer be remembered.

Blood as a symbol

Throughout this play, blood has been a symbol that has been recoccuring. Blood is significant in this play because when blood comes into contact with clothing or some sort of cloth, it stains and cannot be removed. This is exactly how is is described with Lady Macbeth. At the beginning of Act V, Lady Macbeth is seen sleepwalking with a candle in her hand. As she is walking, the images of the slain Lady Macduff and Banquo appear into her mind. Blood then appears on her hands and she claims that nothing will be able to wash it off, very similar to a stain. The image of a stain goes hand in hand with the "unwashable" blood on Lady Macbeth. It appears to be permanent and it always brings back a memory of the event. It can bring back very depressing and mordant thoughts as well. 

motif

The motif of sleep appears and reappears throughout the play. in the beginning Macbeth Doth murder sleep, Duncan is murdered in his sleep and then Lady Macbeth sleep walks in a disturbed sleep. The way that the characters are sleeping shows the mood of the scene, the murder by Macbeth shows how the play is about to go and then when Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking it shows a turning point in her gilt where she and Macbeth switch roles.

Internal conflict

In Act IV Lady MacBeth starts to have an internal conflict that progresses as the play goes on. She can't seem to get over the guilt of having MacBeth kill the king, even though she thought it was exactly what she wanted. She constantly washes her hands to try to wash away the blood only she can see but it never works because she can't undo the act. The guilt quickly takes over her life to the point where she goes crazy and kills herself. This woman is a very different person from the Lady MacBeth of acts I and II. She felt no remorse and made fun of MacBeth for feeling bad about what he had done. She also expressed that she thought it was better to commit an act and feel guilty than to not do it at all. By act IV she finally realizes how strong an emotion guilt can be.

Raction- Tommy, Grant, Brendan, and Matt

In Act five of the play Macbeth, Macbeth has to make one of the most challenging decisions of his life. He has to either fight to his death, or run. I would like to believe that I too would die fighting. I believe that if I ran away I would feel like a coward. I also believe that I would regret it for the rest of my life and live with that burden of running away instead of learning to face my problem head on. This may be easier said than done but I feel like it would ultimately be the honorable, brave and right thing to do. This situation reminds me of the show 24 where Jack Bauer makes decisions like this more than once, more than two times, and actually more than three times per season. He recently had to decide quickly whether to sacrifice his own life in order to save the president, or let Juma make the President read a letter and murder her. Even though his friend ended up doing the deed to save the president because he believe that Jack would be able to protect her better than he could, that decision Jack made to give up his life is extremely similar to that of Macbeth. I would like to say that if I were put into that situation I would be brave enough to stick to it and fight to the end and not give up.

Language Appreciation & Interpretation

"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing."

Macbeth, Act V Scene V Lines 24-28

There are many important and powerful lines throughout Macbeth, but none are quite as powerful as this, spoken by Macbeth during the concluding act of the play. The line by itself has a powerful and wonderful sense to it, but also carries great meaning for Macbeth and for the rest of the play. In this line, Macbeth is coldly referring to the death of his wife, and within it reveals a great amount of change within his own character.
It is important to realize how much this quote reveals about the state of Macbeth's mind in just a few short sentences. Throughout the play he endures a maelstrom of emotions, ranging from rage, nervous fear, guilt, shame, and regret, but by this point he has reached rock bottom. Just moments before finding Lady Macbeth's corpse, he even dwells upon the fact that he had almost forgotten what fear felt like! He has changed and devolved so much from the great and noble person he was to the point where he can no longer feel emotion. It can be said he is suffering from ennui or even severe depression. He has mentally and emotionally reached a point where he just doesn't care anymore, a point where he believes life and death are meaningless, rolling around and crashing into each other, purposeless and empty. It is in this state of mind where he faces the armies of Malcolm and Macduff, and in part lends him strength in the face of overwhelming odds, at least for a time. But in truth, this line means nothing more than the end of Macbeth; he has reached the very limit of his own sanity, and in breaking through his feelings of guilt and remorse, he has come out empty, a shell of his former self. All he can do at this point is fight, and ultimately, face death.

Peer Reaction-Tommy, Grant, Brendan

In Act 5, Macbeth is faced with a life or death situation. He has the option to either fight to his death or try to run. He honorably chooses to fight to his death. In reading previous posts, I completely agree with Grant, Brendan, and Tommy. If I were ever faced with a life or death situation, I can only hope that I would be brave enough to stand up to whatever is in front of me. Most people think that they can comfortably say that they would be brave enough, but I am unsure of anyone (including myself) that says that without ever being in that situation. One character that exhibits this bravery is one that we all know. William Wallace shows tremendous courage when leading the Scots against their enemy. I think that if we were faced with a similar situation we would all hope that we are as brave as Wallace. Macbeth actually does stand up against his enemy in a comparable way and salvages what little honor he has left at this point in the story.

Stages of the Hero Journey- Approaching the Inmost Cave/ Ordeal

In Act V, Macbeth faces his final stages of the hero journey, approaching the inmost cave, and the ordeal. Approaching the inmost cave, is when the hero has survived being in the special world, and it leads to the central ordeal in the play. Macbeth approaches the inmost cave after he has been crowned King, and when he realizes that Macduff and his army are coming towards the castle. Macbeth still feels that he cannot be harmed by any man at this point in the play due to the prophesy of the witches, “Laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.” Macbeth is still feeling secure about his positions and doesn’t show any signs of fear from the approaching army. His ignorance is what leads him into his greatest ordeal, fighting Macduff. During the ordeal, the hero faces a life or death crises where if he succeeds he is given insight into his journey,but if he fails the penalty is death. Macbeth doesn’t not realize he is facing his greatest ordeal until Macduff reveals that, “Despair thy charm, and let the angel whom thou still hast served tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped.”In that moment Macbeth understand the witches prophesy completely and know of his fate. Instead of running he faces the ordeal and dies as “hero”. Even though most people in the play would see him as a villain.

Reaction to Grant's post who reacted to Tommy's

Alongside Grant and Tommy on this topic, I too would have chosen to stand my ground and face death in the face with honor, with hope that somehow I could overcome the obstacle. Macbeth faces 2 options in this life or death situation. He could either choose to run and think of himself as a coward or stand his ground and fight to the death. This concept of either running from the problem or standing and fighting it with honor is a problem we all face every single day. Every day you come upon a problem that you can either choose to keep your dignity and pride and fight for what you believe in or you can choose to coward out and let the other person win. Although it may not be as serious as what Macbeth faces, the general concept of the idea is the same. In the movie "300" King Leonidas could have chosen to accept the peace conditions and surrender land so there would be no war. But he chose to stand his ground and fight for his honor and for what he believed in instead of accepting and giving in. If I was proposed to such a decision, although extreme difficulty in making it, I believe I would choose to stand and fight.

Reaction to Tommy's Post - conflict

When I read act 5, I couldn't help but to come back and think about the conflict that presents itself to Macbeth. The conflict of whether or not to flee from ones death is a tough one. I can honestly say that if I were faced with this situation I would be just as likely to flee rather than stay. I don't think I could bare staring death in the face and knowing that it is constantly gaining on me. On the other hand, I do not think that I could live with myself knowing that I am a coward for running away. This conflict reminded me of the memoir "The Things They Carried" because the main character is also faced with a possible life or death choice. The choice was whether or not to flee from the war and live in Canada. The ultimate choice was to go to war, where the odds of death where very great. This situation is not an easy one and I hope that if I was ever faced with this decision, I would choose to be brave instead of a coward.

Act V: Line Interpretation--> Lady Macbeth

In the opening scene of the final act Lady Macbeth is in a state of disbelief for what she has done. Her once ruthless character has changed as she reflects on her fate. She is at a loss for words as she sits in a trance trying to understand her role in the numerous murders. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have "switched roles" at this point because each of their personalities has transformed to the other. She was originally the instigator of killing the king which led to the other murders. "Here’s the smell of the blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, oh, oh!"-Lady Macbeth (scene i, line 20.) Lady Macbeth thinks that their devilish acts will always be associated with them even with time. She will never be able to forget the deaths and turmoil she caused. She speaks about how no perfume or amount of water can get rid of what they did. The murders are in the past now and it will continue to inhibit her daily living in guilt. "What’s done cannot be undone." - Lady Macbeth (Act V, scene 1) You can't bring someone back to life and Lady Macbeth is in denial of her future. She also speaks of a "murky hell" which her and Macbeth are already living in for their actions and guilt. This also imposes that she is already aware of her fate.

Blood

Blood is a symbol that Shakespeare uses throughout the play to show bravery, death, and gloominess. It starts with Macbeth on the battlefield slaying opposing soldiers from the "nave to the chops". His bravery is shown through the blood of his enemy. After we start to see Macbeth in a darker light. He and his wife murder King Duncan and in the play there is a great stress on the amount of blood that is in this scene. First when he kills the king, and later when Lady Macbeth places the daggers on the guards. When she takes the daggers it gives the image of blood flowing off the tips like a faucet. Also blood is seen on a dagger when it comes back to haunt Macbeth in one of his hallucinations. He sees the blood ridden dagger in front of his face after he has "done the deed." Once blood has entered the play it starts to make a gloomy scene to the reader.

Peer Reaction

I agree with Lauren about Lady Macbeth. When lady Macbeth in the beginning of the play she was cold and did not really care about killing king Duncan, then we see that she really feel bad about killing him. While she is sleepwalking she try to wash her hands to get ride of the blood of Duncan and talks about killing him. Lady Macbeth does care about what happen even if she does not show it.

Conflict

In act V macbeth endures an internal conflict. Macbeth's internal conflict i believe is similar to a famous Clash song written in 1981 titled, "should i stay or should i go." Macbeth needs to decide whether to stay and die or possible run when he realizes that the birnam woods are literaly comming towards his palace. Most of the people fled while Macbeth stays valently to his death. This really represents Macbeth's character. I can estimate that most people would have decided to run knowing that they were destined to die. Would anybody really want to stick it out knowing fate wasnt on their side. I hope that if i ever face a situation where i had to decide on running away from the issue or facing the issue that i would face the issue going down in blazing glory.

Act V Motifs

Act V begins with Lady Macbeth sleepwalking. This is not the first time the idea of sleep has been brought up in the story. Not only is the idea of sleep repeated, but disturbed sleep. We first see this in the beginning of the play when Macbeth states "Methought I heard a voice cry, Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep”. Macbeth has realized that by murdering Duncan in a state of peaceful sleep, he himself will no longer have peaceful sleep. Now this has come upon Lady Macbeth. Although she seems umremorseful at first, her true guilt is soon exposed by her sleepwalking. She wanders around at night trying to wash the blood from her hands, but cannot. By playing a part in killing Duncan she has lost her own ability to sleep peacefully as well, just like Macbeth. Sleep is definately a motif in Macbeth and helps develop the theme that you will pay for your mistakes. In using sleep to represent a pure state of innoncence, Shakespeare contrasts that idea with being so deeply remorseful that you can no longer regain such a state.

symbols- bloody hands, hallucinations

Hallucinations

When Macbeth was at the dinner that night he started having some crazy hallucinations. He was seeing that Banquo, his former best friend was right in front of him. Shakespeare mentions a lot about all of these hallucinations. It has gotten to the point that even the hallucinations in the story have truly affected the main character deeply and is making him feel more uncomfterable than he actually should feel. Because of these hallucinations Macbeth is in a state of a mental prison. The guilt of everything he has done is actually causing him these hallucinations. It goes to show you that maybe shakespeare had some personal experiences with these crazy hallucinations.......

Conflict

There is growing external and internal conflict in Macbeth now. Internally both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are having struggles. Macbeth is starting to have hallucinations of guilt over what he has done, he sees the ghost of Banquo and talks to it. He made a choice but he has not accepted the consequences. Lady Macbeth is the same way too, and she has to deal with the consequences of her actions that she now regrets and harlot like Janie Starks. Also in Their Eyes Were Watching God Janie is discriminated against by society the same way that Macbeth is felt towards by Duncan's sons and McDuff. MacDuff and Duncan's heirs plan to take out Macbeth the same way he did to Duncan and the same way Janie did to Teacake.
In TEWWG, Janie kills Tea Cake when he is plagued with rabies. After his death, Janie is free from marital complications and finally liberated. In Macbeth, Macbeth kills Duncan so he can assure his place as king, for his own gains. While both had their reasons for murder, they both experienced the guilt for killing loved ones.

*contributed by Kelsey Stafstrom for 4th webblog post

Blood- Symbol

In Macbeth, blood is a consistent theme throughout the play. The symbol of blood occurs in every act that has been read so far. It starts in act one where Macbeth kills Duncan and blood is everywhere. It then leads to almost being permanent on his hands and he can not seem to wash it off and get rid of it. Blood is then shown again on the daggers and on Lady Macbeth's hands which is then transferred to the guards faces. Lastly, it is seen all over Banquo's face where he was stabbed twenty times and covered. Blood will remain a reoccurring symbol throughout the play.

Setting - The Witches' Gathering

Through out the three acts thus far into the tragedy of Macbeth, witchcraft and sorcery has played a reoccurring role in play. When the weird sisters, the three witches whom prophesies the fate of Macbeth, appear with the same setting that reflects both the mood and tone of their role. Such as in Act three the sisters enter following a clash of thunder. Meeting during, following or prior to the coming storm. Shakespeare often uses the weather to reflect the setting of the scene. The sisters appear during a storm, foreshadowing the violence and tragedy to come. Much like the thunder, the lightning and rain that comes with it. The storm then breaks, ushering in the the both fair and fowl weather that greets the mortal characters of Macbeth.

motif- weather

Readers of MacBeth might notice there is not once was there a day when there is nice weather. It is mentioned numerous times that it's stormy, always at a time of intense action and suspense, like when MacBeth kills Duncan or the weird sisters appear. Bad weather creates a uncofortable and nervous mood about what is happening and what is going to happen. Shakespear uses this reaction to the weather as a tool to foreshadow and create suspense. The fact that the bad weather always comes up when the weird sisters appear is probably has something to do with the fact that MacBeth's future is not good and are working against him.

Motif: Hallunicinations/Ghosts

Throughout the play Macbeth has encountered several hallucinations and ghost-like figures that remind him of the murders he has committed. Macbeth's initial hallucination is when he is on the verge of killing King Duncan and he "sees" a dagger in front of him. Macbeth's guilt overtakes his mind as he deals with these hallucinations. Even though Macbeth kills several people and claims he is ready to move on, he can't because of the constant reminder of his actions. It is like he is trapped inside his guilt and remorse and cannot escape. Just as Macbeth kills off a few more characters he feels less and less attached to his guilt and appears to be copping better he encounters the ghost of Banquo at the feast at the end of Act III. Banquo was a dear friend, and initially was an alie to Macbeth until Banquo served as a threat to Macbeth's power. Banquo was an innocent man who meant no harm and Macbeth ordered him to be killed so he could "rest assure" that his throne wouldn't be harmed. This reasoning wasn't enough for Macbeth to feel okay with his actions and once again he is reminded of his wrongdoings as he sees the ghost of Banquo. It is impossible for Macbeth to forget and move on because of these hallucinations that stop him in his tracks continuously remind him of his guilt.

Macbeth and Banquo

During act three Macbeth undergoes a hallucinatory mind set. He is so overwhelmed with the guilt of killing Banquo that he sees the dead man with a bloody face at his dinner. He is given a seat that he thinks Banquo occupies, but in actuality there is no one there. This shows how awful he really feels and that his mind suffers the same fate as a prisoner, he is trapped. Everyone at the dinner is suspicious of Macbeth and this foreshadows events to come. The possibility of Macbeth being overthrown has risen. Macduff expressed his inability to attend Macbeth's dinner from his suspicions. Macbeth will continue to suffer as long as he hides his inner turmoil and lives his life of lies.

reflecting B-Scholt

I can safely say i agree with everything my fellow classmate Brian Scholten pointed out with the recurring hallucinations that plague Macbeths world. While i was reading i thought about what it would be like if i were to be in Macbeth's shoes. How could one hallucinate so commonly and believe in reality? Thats why I dont blame him for killing all those people. I dont agree or condone with what he did but i dont blame him. Imagine never knowing whether or not anything brought forth apon you is actually real or not. People would become moving motives. They would be characterized as processes without any human life behind it. Duncan is simply an object of more power that is in the way of you. The guards were simply jail time versus freedom so they're definetly getting kicked to the curb. Thats a no brainer. Lady Macbeth, the lovely wife that was once on your side, is now so far removed that she places better as a parasite feeding off your riches and power than her role as a wife. Now to top it off Banquo, your homeboy, is eating dinner in your newly aquired seat with blood still dripping from the slashes in his troat. At that point i would lose it because nothing would be real. No doubt i would think it to be a great idea to go to the witches and demand answers. Thats why from this point on i am going to expect nothing but erratic, unexpected behavior from Macbeth.

Motif --> Hallucinations

Throughout the play Macbeth has many visual and auditory hallucinations. These hallucinations often seem to be related to his doubt about doing something or his guilt for what he has done. In act III he encounters the most severe hallucination he has had at this point in the play, and it could not be at any worse of a time. When he is about to sit down for dinner he sees the the ghost of Banquo, who was killed by the two peasants, in his chair. Macbeth sees the blood covered Banquo and proceeds to flip out. This is very bad timing because he has just become king and is now showing everyone he rules that he is mentally weak, but Lady Macbeth is there and is able to cover up for him. This hallucination is also unlike the previous ones because it is from something he directly did, and also it is the most intense one he has suffered.

Symbol of Blood

Throughout the play blood is a reccuring symbol. It starts in the first act when Macbeth has to kill King Duncan. When he kills Duncan Shakespeare paints a picture of blood and gore in the Kings' sleeping quarters. After he kills the king he is too nervous to put the daggers back and he cant seem to get the blood off of his hands. He tries washing them and the blood seems to be permanent. His Queen, Lady Macbeth, decides that she is strong enough to plant the bloody daggers on the guards in the Kings' quarters. Once everyone inside Macbeth's castle finds out that the king has been murdered, they find the servants with the daggers on them. Macbeth has to show that he has nothing to do with it so he kills the two in a bloody massacre. Now Macbeth is really freaked out because he starts to hallucinate. First he sees a bloody dagger in front of his face. Then later he sees Banquo at his celebration dinner sitting in his seat. Banquo had just been killed by two men and now his bloody ghost has come back to haunt him. This shows that Macbeth has remorse for what he has done.

Macbeth - Characterization

When someone asks who Macbeth is, they would probably give a rough physical description followed by some of his basic dilemmas in the self-titled play Macbeth. However, to truly characterize a persona one must ask not "what" a character is but "who."
Macbeth is truly unique in this sense in that, while he's by far the most dynamic character, he also has the least control over his own actions and destiny. Since the very beginning he lacks control, since he fights for his king and country. This may seem like it's out of his own accord, but being a nobleman of the time he would have no choice but to fight. His lack of control only becomes more obvious as the play continues, starting with the meeting with the Weird Sisters, to his murder of Duncan and the behest of Lady Macbeth, to the enraged killing of the guards, to Banquo's own murder. In fact, many of the actions he takes in the early middle to middle of the play are spurred on by Lady Macbeth, and that she has far more power than him. It would be interesting to see this play from her perspective, rather than Macbeth's.
As mentioned earlier, Macbeth is also one of the few, if only, dynamic characters in the play. What it means to be "dynamic" is that he changes over time; he isn't a flat character, but rather, one that can undergo change in his thoughts and behaviors. An easy to understand example of something being dynamic can be found here. These changes very obviously coincide with different "control points" throughout his life. Under the power of King Duncan, he fights as a loyal and noble thane of his kingdom. Under the influence of the Weird Sisters and Lady Macbeth, the steeliness he once used to slay his foes on the battlefield is used to slay Duncan in his sleep, and so on. His personality is constantly changing in the face of new conflicts, which creates an interesting story and allows Macbeth to grow and develop as a character and as a person.

Symbol of The Ghost

The Ghost in Act 3 is representative of Banquo and the guilt that comes along with the murder of Banquo. While hosting a dinner party, Macbeth has hallucinations of a ghost sitting in his chair. To him, it is the ghost of Banquo and it is coming back to haunt him for the murder. He does frenetic things like yelling at the ghost and telling it to vanish. This ghost is a symbol of Banquo's death, and the anger towards the ghost represents the guilt that is stirring in Macbeth's head. It is obvious that this guilt has been wearing on him and he is slowly but surely breaking down more and more. He feels like his is incarcerated in his own mind. Once he starts to have these hallucinations, his true feelings come out and are shown to all that witness them. This ghost is an outlet for Macbeth's emotions. The psychotic behavior that he is displaying shows how much this whole mess has indubitably enervated him.

Language Appreciation & Interpretation- Dramatic Irony

In Act III Lennox is speaking with one of the Lords and expressing to him how sympathetic he is for Macbeth. In their conversation he gives examples of how brave Macbeth has been since he has lost two very important people in his life, King Duncan and Banquo. In admiration Lennox states “How it did grieve Macbeth! Did he not straight In pious rage the two delinquents tear That were the slaves of drink and thralls of sleep? Was not that nobly done Ay, and wisely too, For ‘twould have angered any heart alive To hear the men deny ’t .” I was amused by this quote because Shakespeare is using dramatic irony to describe Macbeth through Lennox’s perspective. At the moment Lennox believes that Macbeth is internally suffering from the death of Duncan and bravely killed the two guards in an act of anger to revenge his King. However the audience knows that Macbeth is responsible for the death of Duncan and Banquo while suffering from guilt and not for the loss of his friends. Shakespeare was able to portray a scene that showed the public’s perspectives and made you feel sorry for them while using dramatic irony.

characterization of Macbeth

The reader is first introduced to Macbeth when the captain speaks of his bravery and we are lead to believe he is a strong warrior. The reader later can start to see a pattern that allows his self doubt and insecurities to start to show. Macbeth is so easily swayed by different people and situations. When Macbeth had talked himself out of the murder he then was easily talked back into the crime by lady Macbeth. All she had to do was call him a coward and a woman to convince him back into committing this murder. Whatever Macbeth focuses on he is great at. When he was focusing on being a soldier he was amazing and strong. Macbeth uses inspiration and motivation and channels it all into one task which is why he is so easily swayed. Macbeth also gets swayed by the three witches. Macbeth was so pleased with his accomplishments but once he had reason to believe the witches’ prophecies he was consumed with desire for more. Before Macbeth heard the prophecy he had no thoughts of killing the king to gain power. He was focused on his duties to the king but as soon and the seed was planted in his head he needed more. It is hard to tell if this was actually his destiny or if it was just the saying of it that made him act on it, thus making it his destiny. I think Shakespeare made Macbeth have this weakness with the intention of making him relatable and human. It makes the reader question what would I do in this particular situation. This characteristic of weakness and insecurities are in all of us. Macbeth’s doubt and need to follow what is expected of him is what causes him to be so powerful and made him so successful but it is also what made him carry out actions that were not ok with him and I believe will eventually lead to his downfall.

External Conflict

In Act iii of Macbeth the conflict shifts mostly from internal to external as Macbeth's focus moves to maintaining his throne. The main conflict is with Banquo and Fleance both of whom he has hired murderers to kill by convincing them to seek revenge. Macbeth has led them to believe that Banquo is the source of their misfortune in life, and that he must pay for it. Banquo, once Macbeth's friend, is now his worst enemy. The dramatic irony of the situation is that the audience knows that Banquos poses no real immediate threat to Macbeth, besides his knowledge of the prophecy, which only he knows, and still Macbeth wants to take his life. Not only does Macbeth want Banquo dead, but his son Fleance as well. Although the conflict is external in the sense that it is Macbeth versus Baquo, the conflict truly lies internally within Macbeth because he has formulated a possible threat in his mind which has become completely real to him. Banquo has not yet done anything that would cause harm to Macbeth or threaten his throne, but the potential that lies there is reason enough for Macbeth. I believe the conflict in this rises from a fear within Macbeth as well as the poison of power.

location

In act three we see that Macbeth has sent people to go and kill Banquo and his son. We see that they are in the wood and it is dark and gloomy. Then the killers just show up and start to kill them with. Banquo does not see them so there is no way he can defend himself or his son from them of then to sent his son away hoping that he will be safe from danger. The location in this play is a big part when they are going to kill someone.

Foreshadowing

Throughout the play objects of the mind have been attacking Macbeth. Before Macbeth murdered Duncan, he saw floating daggers in front of him. These daggers, of course were not real. They were simply hallucinations that symbolized how Macbeth had second thoughts about murdering Duncan and how he was letting the assasination get to his head. Also, when eating dinner, Macbeth sees Banquos ghost sitting in the chair next to him. Macbeth, out of surprise, starts talking to it. Nothing is there however, and he just makes a fool out of himself. Lastly, unwashable blood appears on Lady Macbeths hands which symbolize that she cannot be forgiven for what she did to Duncan.

All of these apparitions and hallucinations help to show that what Macbeth and Lady Macbeth did will eventually come back to haunt them. They can also help to foreshadow their respective futures. It is now known that Macduff and Malcolm are planning the assasination of Macbeth. A similar murder could take place in comparison to Duncans death. I think that SHakespeare put these hallucinations in the play to do just that, foreshadow what will happen to the Macbeth and his wife.

Macbeth's Inner Conflict

In Act III of this play, Macbeth has taken the throne however he is still uneasy. Macbeth still believes that in order to prevent his throne from being taken from him, he must murder his companion Banquo and his son Fleance (Fleance being the one in the prophecy who is supposed to become king some day). When telling his wife that the deed has been done he displays a sense of fearlessness yet, despite his displays of fearlessness, Macbeth is full of guilt and doubt, which he expresses when he makes reference to the “scorpions” in his mind and in his declaration that in killing Banquo they “have scorched the snake, not killed it.” This inner conflict that Macbeth has is almost ironic due to the fact that becoming king is supposed to bring happiness and virtue. Instead, the throne has brought nothing but guilt and a series of sleepless nights.

Interpretation of sleep

Throughout the play Macbeth sleep is referenced many times. For example right after Macbeth kills king Duncan he states, “me thought I heard a voice cry, sleep no more! Macbeth douse murder sleep- the innocent sleep, sleep that knits up the ravaled sleave of care, the bdeath of each days life, sore labor’s bath, balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, chief nourisher in life’s feast. This quote struck me for some reason. I thought it was interesting how the quote talks about sleep. It is saying Sleep soothes away all our worries, Sleep puts each day to rest, Sleep relieves the weary laborer and heals hurt minds. Sleep, the main course in life's feast, and the most nourishing. It talks about how Macbeth murdered sleep because he murdered the king, which killed comfort and trust and the purity of feeling safe while you sleep for all of their society. When one sleeps you get to loose all of life's dilemmas and problems you get to escape into a place of peace and comfort and avoidance. When Macbeth killed king Duncan who happened to be asleep he killed the society’s comfort and peace and trust. I think it is meaning that sleep also resembles helplessness and purity. When lady Macbeth is trying to get Macbeth to man up and go back to king Duncan’s room and put the blood on the guards she says "the sleeping and the dead are but as pictures" meaning they are harmless and defenseless. She implies that only a child would be scared of this picture, basically implying that Macbeth is not being a man because he is scared to go back even though the guards are asleep and therefore defenseless. Finally, Macbeth also says a line after he has committed this murder which shows the meaning of sleep. "to know my deed 'twere best not to know myself would rather be unconscious". This I found interesting because he is saying that instead of thinking and accepting what he just did and who he has become, he would rather just be unconscious or in a sleep like state so he could avoid everything that just happened and run away from the truth. I think this is also why Macbeth has trouble sleeping because in order to enter that place of purity and peace you can not have the amount of guilt he has on his shoulders. He is being punished by not being allowed to enter this place of innocence and comfort that he craves to have again but has lost because of this murder. For some reason the meaning of sleep keeps popping out to me. I find it interesting how this meaning of sleep can be interpreted so many different ways. It is the peace and purity that Macbeth uses to kill king Duncan but than looses the privilege of having it for himself and it is also innocence, weakness or avoidance and not owning responsibility.

charaterization of the porter

Although the porter in act II only appears once in the play MacBeth, he is a very significant character. The porter acts as comic relief right after the intense murder scene of Duncan. His drunken banter is funny so it lightens the mood a bit but at the same time creates tension because it is a delay in the real plot of the story. This rambling is also ironic because he is imagining himself as the gatekeeper of hell replying, “Who’s there, i’ th’ name of Beelzebub?” (II.iii.3) to the knocking at the door, dispite the fact he is unaware of the murder of the king. Shakespear compares the castle to hell because of all the evil occurances going on.