Macbeth Appearances Essay Research Paper Shakespeare

Macbeth Appearances Essay, Research Paper

Shakespeare’s Macbeth involves betrayal, frauds, and false appearances between

the characters. Nothing is what is seems to be. The characters’ ambitions grow

and evil controls their fate. As the story develops, the realities of the

situations become pure illusions. Everything starts to become an illusion after

Macbeth meets the three witches. Repeatedly, he begins to ponder on the idea of

becoming king. Knowing that this could be true, he and Lady Macbeth plan a

scheme to get rid of Duncan (the present king). At the banquet, Lady Macbeth

appears to appreciate Duncan by complementing him with meaningless phrases.

"All our service, In every point twice done and then done double,"1

This does not mean anything to Lady Macbeth. Her words are very different than

those from her thoughts. She was the one who in the first place persuaded

Macbeth in killing Duncan. After Duncan is killed, Lady Macbeth acts as if the

news shocked her, "Help me hence, ho!"2 In scene vii of Act 1, the

audience listens to Macbeth talking to himself. In this soliloquy he has doubts

in killing Duncan, he believes Duncan has been a good king and that it is safer

for him not to get into any danger. Lady Macbeth convinces him to do what was

planned by threatening his manhood. Macbeth talks with Banquo, who had dreamt

about the witches prophecies. After Macbeth is left alone, he sees a dagger. In

this other soliloquy we can now see what is going through his mind. The audience

now realizes that Macbeth is determined to become king while he describes how he

will "Moves like a ghost…Hear not my steps, which (way they) walk, for

fear"3 After he hears the bell the audience definitely knows that Duncan

will be killed. "I go, and it is done. The bell invites me."4 When the

news of Duncan’s death reaches Macbeth, the audience can tell that he is

different from the rest of the people. Everyone is shocked by the death and

talks direct and spontaneously, while Macbeth speaks poetically. "Who can

be wise, amazed, temp’rate, and furious, Loyal, and neutral, in a moment? No

man."5 This way Shakespeare informs the audience that Macbeth had already

practiced what he was going to say. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth create many

illusions in the story, but they are not the only characters who do this. Banquo

begins to suspect that Macbeth killed Duncan so that he could become king, but

does not say anything directly at him. Macbeth senses this and his ambition

grows. He does not want Banquo’s sons to become king the day he dies. As a

friendly gesture, he invites him to a feast, which in reality is a plan to kill

him. As well as Banquo, Lennox is suspicious of Macbeth. He does not say

anything to Macbeth and acts as if everything is normal. He acts as if Macbeth

is a good king, when in reality he is waiting for Macduff to return with help

from England to overthrow Macbeth from the throne. The notion of fate is clearly

portrayed in the story. Fate is introduced by the witches. At the beginning of

the play they plan to meet with Macbeth and they say "Fair is foul, and

foul is fair, Hover through the fog and filthy air."6 This line shows

foreshadowing; it makes the audience know that something unfair and evil will

occur. When they meet Macbeth, they greet him first as Thane of Glamis, then as

Thane of Cawdor and then as king. The moment Macbeth hears this, he is confused

but curious why these witches had called him king. After he knows that he became

Thane of Cawdor he believes that sooner or later he will be king. The three

witches suggested his destiny. Macbeth’s goal was not to become king until the

witches made him believe it was his destiny. In the play, destiny was paved out

by the witches. Destiny is not something that cannot be changed. A person has

control of his/her destiny. Macbeth’s destiny was suggested by the witches, he

listened to their suggestions and followed them. Macbeth is not controlled by

fate; instead he is the one who decided to listen and wants to meet the witches

again. He thought about becoming king, but was not totally sure of it. This

decision was encouraged by his wife, who controlled him in the decisions he made

so that these could benefit her. Macbeth controlled his life when he does not

want to kill his king. After he talks to Banquo the day he was supposed to kill

the king, destiny enters in his life. Macbeth sees a dagger and imagines that it

is a sign for him to kill Duncan. "Is this a dagger which I see before me,

The handle toward my hand? As this which now I draw…And such instrument I was

to use."7 Macbeth feels as if the dagger was placed as well as its handle

toward him because it was meant for him to become king. If the witches had not

met Macbeth, he would not have become king. His ambition grew more after they

told him he would become king of Scotland. The witches seem to have been

planning on meeting him because they knew he was going to the impossible in

order to become king. If they had never met him, he would remain being Thane of

Cawdor. Macbeth would have continued to be loyal and would have not betrayed

God, the king, Scotland and himself. Macbeth would not have acted paranoid and

see his life as an empty meaningless charade. Macbeth is filled with different

issues that were of great interest during Shakespearean times. Turning your back

towards the king must have been a shock to the audience as well as the death of

him. Fate was another thing that captured the audience’s attention because it is

a supernatural force that can not always be controlled. These two subjects were

the most appealing and most obvious throughout the story.