Macbeth IOC
Act 1, Scene 7
Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play follows the life of a fictional Scottish Thane Macbeth to show the themes of treason, supernatural and witchcraft. Furthermore, this play is considered as a propaganda player to please King James the first who was originally born in Scotland.
In previous scenes, Macbeth defeated the enemies who threatened King Duncan’s kingship. Shortly after the battle, he met three witches who gave him prophecies alongside with his close friend Banquo. Macbeth wrote a letter to lady Macbeth to explain what has happened to him, which ignited her faulty ambition of overthrowing King Duncan. She persuaded Macbeth to murder King Duncan but Macbeth was unsure whether he had to commit this sin or not. Therefore in Act 1 Scene 7, the main conflict is based on Macbeth’s mental confusion. This scene serves as a turning point to the plot and signifies Macbeth’s indecisive mindset before committing the murder, which highlights his complicated personality, and therefore the readers will have a better understanding of the character.
Shakespeare starts off the scene using an example of second conditionals “were…were”, which highlights that Macbeth is debating the murder over in his head. This quote emphasises Macbeth’s indecisiveness and confusion at this stage of the play, which reminds the audiences his complicity of the character. This inner conflict within Macbeth’s head also adds on dramatic elements to the play, which engages the audiences’ attention. The adverb “quickly” implies Macbeth’s fear towards the murder as he doesn't want this bloody memory to stay permanently in his mind. However, this line is quite ironic as the murder has a huge impact on Macbeth and completely changes his character. Considering the context of this play, Shakespeare might try to remind the people who scheme to threaten the King’s reign the harm evil does to the criminals themselves. The metaphor “trammel up” provokes an image of capturing fish into the net, which implies that Macbeth wants to capture and take control of all the possible consequences. On the other hand, this line reflects that Macbeth is actually worried about the potential consequences of committing the murder, which links to the idea of the Great Chain Of Beings that has strong influence at that point of time. In people’s common belief, everyone has a fixed position, or order on earth that can’t be changed. King is the representation of God on earth, and hence committing sins to the King equals to violate God’s will. Once the chain is broken, nightmares will be falling and the earth will be in chaos. Macbeth addresses “consequences” to these undesired problems, which shows his fear of committing the murder, highlighting his confusion on hesitation. The notable sibilance “surcease success” makes the phrase hard to say, which delivers a sense of uncomfortableness to the audiences, signifying Macbeth’s mental conflict over the murder. His fear arises even more as the phrase “teach bloody instructions…even handed justice” suggests. The literal meaning of this line is if Macbeth commits the murder, the same tragedy will happen on him, which reflects on his fear and terror. Furthermore, it emphasises how difficult it is for him to make the decision when taking account in these “consequences”. The first section of the soliloquy dedicates to show Macbeth’s indecisiveness when it comes to murder the King caused by his fears over potential consequences, the audiences will hence have a more comprehensive view of the character.
The turning point of the soliloquy comes after the phrase “To our own lips”, and on the following part of the soliloquy, Macbeth states why it would be the right move to end King Duncan’s life tonight. As his “Kinsman”, “subject” and “host”, Macbeth’s main responsibility is to protect the King himself, which contrasts to his scheme of murdering the King, arising dramatic effects to the play, engaging audience’s interest. Moreover, it illustrates how does the evilness and faulty ambition corrupt the character’s mind, warning the audiences don’t lured by the supernatural power. The fact that King Duncan “hath borne his faculties so meek” shows King Duncan trusts Macbeth deeply, and hence it makes Macbeth’s betrayal more vicious and unforgivable. Furthermore, this phrase helps to establish a positive imagery of King Duncan indirectly, highlighting his virtues such as humble and loving. The audiences will really feel that there’s no reason to kill such a reputable king, which makes Macbeth a completely evil figure whom should be condemned. Even Macbeth himself agrees that Duncan is a virtuous man who deserves all the best from the heaven. The phrase “his virtues…angels” brings out the religious connotation of after life, which resonates with the theme of “the Great Chain Of Beings”. Perhaps Shakespeare also implies that Macbeth’s biggest fear is his afterlife if he murders the king. The simile “like a naked new born baby” compares the King to the babies, which highlights the purity within his character. The audiences, hence, will have more pity towards the King and more condemnation towards Macbeth for planning to kill such an innocent figure.
Lady Macbeth’s appearance later in this scene contributes to persuade Macbeth to commit the murder. Shakespeare uses a rhetorical question “why have you left the chamber” to highlight her determination of overthrowing the King, the phrase also enhances her domination in their relationship, which helps to establish her independent, manipulative character. When Macbeth confesses to her that he doesn't want to discuss this topic any further, lady Macbeth attacks him for the sake of changing his mind. Shakespeare uses rhetorical questions repetitively to show how badly she wants to get the murder done, which contrasts to Macbeth’s indecisiveness, arising tensions and adding dramatic elements to the play. Lady Macbeth uses the colour imagery “green and pale” refers to Macbeth as a coward in order to provoke the anger within him. She knows that once Macbeth unleashes his anger and follows his ambition, he could be the relentless warrior on the field and commit the murder. Her persuasion of power and domination in relationship really make her an unique character, or an exception of the stereotypes during Shakespearean time. The audiences might regard her as the main villain who causes the series of tragedy at this stage of the play.
The major purpose of this scene is to highlight Macbeth’s confusion while emphasising lady Macbeth;s role in the murdering incident. The audiences might get a deeper understanding of the characters and the plot. Overall, it serves as the bridge to link up the “scheme” and the “action”.
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