Violence. blood and decease. The quintessential features of war. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is based on a war. but non your typical one. The existent war in the drama and the underlining factor taking to Macbeth’s decease. is non fought on a battleground. there are no blades. and no soldiers to swing them. The existent war is fought in Macbeth’s head. Macbeth’s scruples and overleaping aspiration surrogate in commanding his actions throughout the drama.
Many critics of the drama believe that from the first scene to the last. Macbeth’s character is unchanging. and that he is ever governed by his greed. selfishness and immorality. This is non so. Right from the beginning of the narrative. Macbeth’s indecision is apparent. In act I. Macbeth struggles a great trade in make up one’s minding whether or non to slay the male monarch and take his throne. When Macbeth is foremost given the prognostication that he will be king. he dreads the idea of killing a adult male that has been like a male parent to him. This shows that Macbeth has a scruples. and that deep down indoors. he is a good individual. When he arrives place to his land though. he is greeted by Lady Macbeth who reveals her program to do her hubby King when she says:
“I will pour my liquors into thine ear.
And chastise with the heroism of my lingua
All that impedes thee from the aureate unit of ammunition. ”
( Iv. 24 – 26 )
Macbeth’s scruples attempts to contend the changeless onslaughts by his married woman who insists that he should kill the male monarch. Finally. Macbeth decides his destiny. listens to the poisoned words of his married woman and putting to deaths Duncan.
Immediately after the decease of Duncan. Macbeth is wholly overcome by guilt. For the minute. he forgets about the now empty throne. and can’t grok what or why he has done what he has done. When Lady Macbeth realizes that in a province of confusion he has forgotten to take the stickers from the King’s room. she tells him to travel back and acquire them. He replies by stating “I’ll go no more. / I am afraid to believe what I have done. / Look on’t once more. I dare not” ( II two. 50 – 52 ) . This transition outlines the fact that one time once more. his scruples has taken over control of his head. Macbeth feels dreadfully about what he has done to his King. When Macbeth tries to rinse the blood from his custodies he comments:
“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean and jerk from my manus? No. this my manus will instead
The countless seas incardine.
Making the green one red”
( II two. 60 – 63 )
Macbeth believes that what he has done will ne’er be washed off from his scruples. He will ever hold the decease of King Duncan hanging over his caput.
Unfortunately. this is the last we see of Macbeth’s scruples. Tormented over the likeliness of being unmasked as Duncan’s liquidator. Macbeth continues his evil ways in an effort to remain on the throne. His overleaping aspiration has surfaced one time more to subvert any topographic point of good left in him and he shows no more compunction for Duncan’s slaying. Desiring to go “safely” male monarch. Macbeth plots out the slaying of one of his best friends Banquo. the merely other individual besides Macbeth and his married woman. who is cognizant of the three enchantresss and their prognostication. Again. this shows that his demand to win in life is dominating his scruples. Macbeth’s last. and most evil title is the murder of Macduff’s household.
Macbeth puts guiltless adult females and kids to decease in an effort enticement Macduff back to Scotland so he can hold him murdered every bit good. At this point in the drama. it seems as though Macbeth doesn’t have a good bone in his organic structure. The small voice of ground inside his caput has been snuffed out. and he decides that the lone manner to be a good King is to do drastic and rash determinations. Macbeth unravels before our eyes and is eventually beheaded by Macduff in retaliation for the murder of his household.
The war between Macbeth’s scruples and his overleaping aspiration is non fought on a conflict field but still had all the model properties of one that is. Violent Acts of the Apostless were carried out. blood was shed. and people died. The battle traveling on In Macbeth’s caput was eventually over. his aspiration the master. and Macbeth himself the defeated. When the hurly-burly was done. the war in Macbeth’s head was both lost and won.
