This makes Macbeth feel regret right away for killing Duncan. Macbeth truly believes he has been cursed and this begins a mental barrier for Macbeth. As a result, later in the book Macbeth
As shown the word” Awake, Awake” Is used, which ironically foreshadows that Macbeth will sleep no more, just like the voice had told him just after he had killed King Duncan. Macduff is devastated and alarmed, with the words “ring the alarm bell”. It foreshadows Macbeth’s decline into madness when he kept on hearing a bell just after he had killed King
He is seen, in part, as a victim of Lady Macbeth’s ambitions. Another characteristic of the tragic hero is Macbeth’s guilt. At the end of Act 2 Macbeth greatly regrets the murder of King Duncan. “Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!” This shows that Macbeth has a conscience which is typical of a tragic hero, as it is usual that the
He then goes on to elaborate, commenting, “Well he deserves that name”. The respect granted by this line enables Macbeth to feel powerful- the first degree of a Tragic Hero. To add, ‘brave’ creates a plosive sound, pursuing a noble feel to the scene. Despite this, there is a sharp contrast in Act 1; Scene 7 as Lady Macbeth and Macbeth plan to arraign the guards using the blood buried daggers that would be used in the murder. Macbeth hatches the plan, as he is in conversation with Lady Macbeth, he states, “When we have marked with blood those sleepy two”.
Macbeth State of Mind after Killing Duncan Immediately upon returning after he has committed the crime, it is obvious that he is highly disturbed by the crime that he has committed. He tells Lady Macbeth that he cannot pronounce the word “amen.” This implies that he is now unholy. In addition, this begins the insomnia that drives him to madness. He says that he heard someone say “Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor/ shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more” (II.2.55-57).
In this scene, Macbeth’s over analysis of the situation in combination with his mind boggling guilt caused him to see this dagger that was not really there. The quote from the play informs the reader what kind of mental state Macbeth must have been in. All the stress to become king and to get rid of Duncan to do so really got to his head. The vision of the bloody dagger before him was the first mental awakening to Macbeth’s dark road ahead, and instead of turning the other way Macbeth followed as he saw it as a sign to what he should do. In addition to seeing things, Macbeth also
Shakespeare does a magnificent job by using Macbeth to show the terrible consequences that can result from an unchecked ambition and a guilty conscience. Those elements, combined with a lack of strong character, distinguish Macbeth from Shakespeare's other tragic heroes, such as King Lear and Richard III, both of whom are strong enough to overcome their guilty conscience. Before Macbeth murders Duncan, he is plagued with anxiety and almost does not go along with the plan. It takes his wife, Lady Macbeth's persuasion in order to complete the plot. When is about to kill Duncan, Macbeth sees a dagger covered in blood floating in the air, representing the bloody course he is about to take.
Macbeth responds, in brief, as a loyal thane to the Scottish king, but the prospect unnerves him. * The audience could see Macbeth’s ambition leading him to cursed thoughts which has been greatly *enforced and twisted* by the* malicious* witches. *The caution from the first apparition causes Macbeth to start a bloody massacre across England, killing families of people who may threaten his position. After this point in the play, we see *that *Macbeth* has* turn*ed* into a ruthless tyrant* in the hope of avoiding fate*, so desensitized to humanity that even the suicide of his wife *could not arouse grief from him. * All he could muster was* “She should have died hereafter”.
Motifs in Macbeth Motif is a recurring element that gains significance as a literary work continues. In the book Macbeth, by William Shakespeare there are numerous motifs such as blood, sleeplessness, and darkness. Blood is a sign of evil and wrongdoing. After Macbeth kills Duncan he says, “He can’t wash the blood off his hands.” Macbeth says this because he has this feeling that he will always have that blood stained knowing how he feels guilty for killing Duncan. Macbeth describes Duncan as having had "golden blood," which contrasts with his own.
As the play goes on, Macbeth slowly looses his morality as he strives for more control whilst Lady Macbeth steps into a frantic stage of guilt. After killing the king, Macbeth starts to plot other evil undertakings as he becomes nervous that someone will take away his power. At one point he goes from wanting to needing the sovereignty, which makes him loose sight of his integrity. As Macbeth begins to immorally act in order to achieve what he hungers, the line between good and evil starts to fade. “I am in blood / Stepp’d in so far, that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er.” (3.4.136-138) In this quote, Macbeth is telling himself that because he has stepped into evil so deeply, it will be hard to go back to morallity because he will never be able to rid of this guilt brought onto him.