9/11/2015 Macbeth Essay
Compassion,
Contempt or Both? by Faith Coladarci William Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, features the ever ambitious Macbeth and his even more ambitious wife, Lady Macbeth. The play begins with Macbeth, a Scottish general and the Thane of Glamis, returning from defeating two invading armies. As a reward for his defeat of Scotland's enemies, the King, Duncan, awards Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor. This fulfills the three witches' prophesy for Macbeth that he will become Thane of Cawdor in addition to Thane of Glamis. The witches have also prophesied that Macbeth will become King of Scotland. For the ambitious Macbeth, and his ambitious wife, this is the dream they most want fulfilled, and the one they will do anything …show more content…
What hands are here! Ha, they pluck out mine eyes. Clean from my hands? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red" (2.2.7680). As he sinks further into mental illness, he becomes less and less able to remain rational and correctly sense the world around him. Noises he hears in the night increase his paranoia: he believes the sounds he hears are presumably God knocking on the door, a signifier that He is witness to the murder, and knows of Macbeth's guilt. Macbeth also feels too guilty to be able to pray in good conscience, "But wherefore I could not pronounce 'Amen'? I had most need of blessing, and 'Amen' stuck in my throat" (2.2.4244).
Macbeth's mental well-being starts to deteriorate greatly when he confronts Banquo's ghost. "Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake thy gory locks at me" (3.4.5557). Macbeth denies his guilt, and talking to himself, tries to reason with his conscience. However, Macbeth's conscience punishes him for committing the bad deeds.
Throughout the play, Macbeth recognizes and rationalizes a lot of the bad things that he's done. However, this recognition does not stop him, and he carries on with his plot, seemingly in denial of the full horror …show more content…
Just before he murders Duncan, Macbeth recognizes his failure to live up to his responsibilities in planning the assassination of the King, who he should be protecting from killers instead of killing: "He's here in double trust: first, as I am his kinsman and his subject. Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, who should against murderers shut the door, not bear the knife myself" (1.7.1215). Macbeth has an inner dialectic of right and wrong; the good part of him recognizes the bad of what he's doing and the bad part of him rationalizes and justifies his behavior. He almost seems resentful of the fact that Duncan no longer has to suffer through the process of dealing with normal mortal issues. In an effort to make himself feel better, and justified in his murderous act, Macbeth rationalizes that Duncan is better off dead than going through the pain of living. "Duncan is in his grave. After life's fitful fervor he sleeps well. Treason has done his worst; nor steel nor poison, malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing can touch him further" (3.2.2529). Macbeth's reasoning shows that he isn't completely devoid of compassion because he understands how he's betrayed Banquo and Duncan by breaking his loyalty to them, and he displays denial by rationalizing his behavior.
Despite Macbeth murdering to satisfy his own ambitions, the reader may still feel compassion for him when he expresses empathy towards those whom
Compassion,
Contempt or Both? by Faith Coladarci William Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, features the ever ambitious Macbeth and his even more ambitious wife, Lady Macbeth. The play begins with Macbeth, a Scottish general and the Thane of Glamis, returning from defeating two invading armies. As a reward for his defeat of Scotland's enemies, the King, Duncan, awards Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor. This fulfills the three witches' prophesy for Macbeth that he will become Thane of Cawdor in addition to Thane of Glamis. The witches have also prophesied that Macbeth will become King of Scotland. For the ambitious Macbeth, and his ambitious wife, this is the dream they most want fulfilled, and the one they will do anything …show more content…
What hands are here! Ha, they pluck out mine eyes. Clean from my hands? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red" (2.2.7680). As he sinks further into mental illness, he becomes less and less able to remain rational and correctly sense the world around him. Noises he hears in the night increase his paranoia: he believes the sounds he hears are presumably God knocking on the door, a signifier that He is witness to the murder, and knows of Macbeth's guilt. Macbeth also feels too guilty to be able to pray in good conscience, "But wherefore I could not pronounce 'Amen'? I had most need of blessing, and 'Amen' stuck in my throat" (2.2.4244).
Macbeth's mental well-being starts to deteriorate greatly when he confronts Banquo's ghost. "Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake thy gory locks at me" (3.4.5557). Macbeth denies his guilt, and talking to himself, tries to reason with his conscience. However, Macbeth's conscience punishes him for committing the bad deeds.
Throughout the play, Macbeth recognizes and rationalizes a lot of the bad things that he's done. However, this recognition does not stop him, and he carries on with his plot, seemingly in denial of the full horror …show more content…
Just before he murders Duncan, Macbeth recognizes his failure to live up to his responsibilities in planning the assassination of the King, who he should be protecting from killers instead of killing: "He's here in double trust: first, as I am his kinsman and his subject. Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, who should against murderers shut the door, not bear the knife myself" (1.7.1215). Macbeth has an inner dialectic of right and wrong; the good part of him recognizes the bad of what he's doing and the bad part of him rationalizes and justifies his behavior. He almost seems resentful of the fact that Duncan no longer has to suffer through the process of dealing with normal mortal issues. In an effort to make himself feel better, and justified in his murderous act, Macbeth rationalizes that Duncan is better off dead than going through the pain of living. "Duncan is in his grave. After life's fitful fervor he sleeps well. Treason has done his worst; nor steel nor poison, malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing can touch him further" (3.2.2529). Macbeth's reasoning shows that he isn't completely devoid of compassion because he understands how he's betrayed Banquo and Duncan by breaking his loyalty to them, and he displays denial by rationalizing his behavior.
Despite Macbeth murdering to satisfy his own ambitions, the reader may still feel compassion for him when he expresses empathy towards those whom