Macbeth Analysis Essay, Research Paper

Macbeth In Shakespeare?s lifetime he wrote many plays. Many of them were

critically acclaimed and others cast aside. The crowd always wanted to be more

thoroughly entertained and Shakespeare always tried to keep up with the

people?s needs. In 1605, Shakespeare was being hounded for another work of

genius. Hamlet and King Lear had just been completed and the people of England

begged for more. He knew not of what to write and like many playwrights did some

research. He found two stories from Hollinshed?s Chronicles of England,

Scotland and Ireland. Shakespeare had already taken some ideas from there for

his plays like Henry IV and Henry V. William decided to combine the reign of

Macbeth and the murder of King Duff by Donwald and his wife, altering both to

suit his needs. Macbeth is by far the shortest play that William Shakespeare

wrote. The main reason why this is so is not because Shakespeare did not have

much to say, but because King James was so impatient. Macbeth was written

basically for the king. In fact, the emphasis on witchery was because King James

so heavily believed in sorcery. Shakespeare worried very much about the evil

powers insulting the king. After all was said and done, Macbeth was another

barrier to be broken in the great scheme of performances. It was an instant

success. King James and the court loved it along with England. No offenses were

made from Malcolm needing help from England. Shakespeare feared that James would

be offended by that. From that moment on Macbeth would be known by all. Yet the

people begged for more and hoped Macbeth would be out done by another astounding

play. Shakespeare wondered how such a task could be accomplished. What was it

about Macbeth that made it loved by everyone? Shakespeare?s style has been

analyzed by many and some still can not figure it out. His poetry has influenced

his plays immensely. Apart from the fascinating characters of the two leading

roles, the play?s chief attraction is it wonderful poetry. Scarcely a word is

wasted, and vivid images tumble after each other in a stream of color and ideas

(Ross 43). Shakespeare put great thought into what he wanted to write and his

feelings expressed themselves through the stylistic devices of tone,

characterization, and symbolism. Shakespeare?s characterization of Macbeth

exonerates the impact he had on the play. The tone in Macbeth remains sinister

and depressing throughout the play. Symbolism, on the other hand, kept the

tragedy in tact, and if understood, revealed the whole play in the very

beginning of her pages. The character of Macbeth profoundly effects the play, by

means of transpiring his actions to hurt others. If looking at the

characteristics of good and evil, it makes the reader wonder what makes a person

good or evil. Evil is not born into people, but it is the only option they have

left. Three features we have seen stand out clear in the general conception of

Macbeth. There is his eminently practical nature, which is the key to the whole.

And the absence in him of the inner life adds two special features: one is his

helplessness under suspense, the other is the activity of his imagination with

its susceptibility to supernatural terrors…His practical power develops as

capacity for crime…his mind is as scorpions; it is tortured in restless

ecstasy. Suspense has undermined his judgment and brought on him the gambler?s

fever…The third feature in Macbeth is the quickening of his sensitiveness to

the supernatural side by side with the deadening of his conscience…In the

reaction from the murder of Banquo the supernatural appearance-which no eye sees

but his own-appears more real to him than the real life around him. And from

this point he seeks the supernatural, forces it to disclose its terrors, and

thrusts himself into an agonized vision of generations that are to witness the

triumph of his foes. (Moulton 335-337) Moulton knows what he is talking about.

Macbeth was heavily influenced by supernatural forces. In fact, were it not for

them he might be living a happy and content life. The witches had a profound

affect on him. He soon found himself in a world where he wanted to know more and

more and the weird women were the only ones who could satisfy his hunger.

Macbeth went from a man who served everyone but himself to a man who served only

himself. The one thing that Macbeth had that meant the most to him was his wife.

Lady Macbeth is his world. For a man who shows so much hate, gives a lot of

love. They are one of the greatest pairs of lovers that ever existed. There is a

spot where the reader can obviously pick up the dramatic change Macbeth went

through. ?Seyton: The queen, my lord, is dead. Macbeth: She should have died

hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word ?(Shakespeare, Act V,

Scene V). His wife, his love, his world had died and he did not even care. The

way he just disregarded her lets the readers know that he is a changed man, and

not for the better. His desire to be unstoppable and all powerful was what

killed him. His ambition clouded his once clever mind to where he could not look

past the apparitions prophecies. From the very first words, the tone reveals

itself as drab and murky. It is thundering and lightning in the very beginning

and rainstorms automatically give the readers an eerie feeling. A.C. Bradley

states Darkness, we may even say blackness, broods over this tragedy. It is

remarkable that almost all the scenes which at once recur to memory take place

either at night or in some dark spot. The vision of the dagger, the murder of

Duncan, the murder of Banquo, the sleep-walking of Lady Macbeth, all come in

night scenes (Bradley 266). Bradley is merely stating that the atmosphere

remains uniform. There are a few places where the dreary mood is blanketed by

things that appear to be happy. When Macbeth arrives home, Lady Macbeth seems so

enthusiastic to see him. She really is excited to see him, but beneath her

happiness is a plot of deceit and murder. Lady Macbeth: Your face, my thane, is

as a book, where men may read strange matters:-To beguile the time, look like

the time; bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue: look like the

innocent flower, but be the serpent under it (Shakespeare, Act 1, Scene III).

She is telling him that his face can easily be read and that he needs to act

like normal, but underneath to be cunning. This passage takes an almost cheery

moment and takes it back to a world full of betrayal. Another place where gaiety

is almost achieved is toward the very end of the book. ?Malcolm: We will

perform in measure, time, and place: So thanks to all at once, and to each one,

Whom we invite to see us crown?d at Scone? (Shakespeare, Act V, Scene VII).

All seems merry, but if thought about it, the reader can easily see that trouble

awaits. Malcolm has just defeated Macbeth. However, he did not do this all on

his own.. He had help from England in defeating. England would not send troops

in to help fight a war all for nothing. They will soon try to recapture

Scotland. Therefore, the ?happy ending? is not really going to end

?happily ever after.?