The Play Macbeth - Essay Example

 In 1603, James VI, the king of Scotland, succeeded Queen Elizabeth I on the English throne, becoming King James I of England. In August 1606, he was at Hampton Court, a palace near London, entertaining his brother-in-law, King Christian of Denmark. For their sake, a play- written by the best dramatist of that time, William Shakespeare- was enacted. This play was Macbeth. Shakespeare came across Macbeth's story in Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of Scotland (1577). An otherwise brave and noble man, Macbeth was ruined by his own over-ambition when, for the sake of gaining the Scottish throne for himself, he murdered Duncan, the king of Scotland. Shakespeare developed this historical story to write a play that would be fit for royal entertainment. The play opens at a time when Scotland is at war- on one hand countering Macdonald's rebellion, and on the other facing the Norwegian king Sweno and the traitorous Thane of Cawdor's combined attack. Macbeth's bravery as he faces his rivals is highly spoken of before the man actually appears on stage- in Act I, Scene II, an injured captain reports to Duncan and his entourage how “brave Macbeth” fought on the battlefield against the rebel Macdonald: “ Like Valour's minion carv'd out his passage/ Till he fac'd the slave / Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him / Till he unseam'd him from the nave to th' chaps/ And fix'd his head upon our battlements.” Shortly afterwards, the Thane of Ross enters and tells Duncan how Macbeth had confronted Sweno and the Thane of Cawdor, seeming as though he were the bridegroom of Bellona, the Roman goddess of war, till he won the battle for Scotland. Thus, the audience is told of Macbeth's great bravery, and of Duncan's complete trust in him. The audience is encouraged to think well of Macbeth- but we know something is amiss, for the three witches have planned to meet Macbeth, and it us wonder what Macbeth can have to do with the witches. This question is answered soon as the three witches meet Macbeth and Banquo as they return home from the battlefield. The witches greet Macbeth one by one: “ All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis”, “ All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor” and “All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter.” The witches' prophecies take Macbeth by surprise- he knows he is the Thane of Glamis, having inherited the title from his father upon the latter's death, but he cannot comprehend why the witches should greet him by the other titles. The witches, however, have brought to the forefront his deepest thoughts, and it is then that we get to see that Macbeth has indeed been harboring ambitions of becoming king. Shortly afterwards, when Ross greets him as the new Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth starts believing that the witches' prophecy must be true, saying, “Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor: / The greatest is behind.” However, much as Macbeth says “If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me/ Without my stir”, it can be seen that if things are allowed to take their natural course, Macbeth cannot be king, for Duncan names his eldest son Malcolm as his successor in Act I, Scene IV. Macbeth knows in his mind that murder is the only possible solution, but he is not prepared to actually commit the crime. Lady Macbeth, who knows her husband well, understands this : “...thy nature / It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness/ To catch the nearest way.” Lady Macbeth is even more ambitious than her husband- Macbeth's letter to her immediately sets her planning Duncan's murder, and she wishes her husband would hurry home to Inverness so she can instigate him to kill Duncan. When Macbeth comes home and tells her of Duncan's impending visit, she knows that this is the chance they must seize. However, Macbeth is hesitant. Duncan is a king of almost divine excellence, and it would be wrong to kill him. Furthermore, he has the duties owes to Duncan: “First, as I am his kinsman and his subject / Strong both against the deed; then, as his host / Who should against his murderer shut the door / Not bear the knife myself.” Macbeth considers the reason behind his intent to murder Duncan, and he finds only ambition: “ I have no spur/ To prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself/ And falls on th' other-” Macbeth decides then that he would not murder Duncan, telling his wife, “We will proceed no further in this business.” What he is not prepared for is his wife's scorn. She attacks his manliness, telling him that she would rather kill her baby while suckling it than break a promise in the way he has. Macbeth succumbs to her harsh words, agreeing to kill Duncan that very night. After Duncan's murder, Malcolm and Donaldbain, Duncan's two sons, driven by fear for their lives, flee Scotland. Macbeth has Banquo murdered- but that is not the limit for him. Upon ascending the throne, Macbeth becomes a tyrant, killing everybody who opposes him, along with their families. The brutal murder of Macduff's family, for no apparent fault of theirs, shocks the audience. On the exterior, Macbeth is a cruel king Scotland craves to be rid of, but on the interior, he is also a broken man, conscious of his crimes to the extent that his guilt never lets him sleep. To the end, he trusts the witches, which proves to be his undoing, and shortly before Macduff kills him, he realizes his mistakes, but it is too late to make amends. It is hard not to feel sorry for Macbeth at the end of the play, for inspite of all his crimes and tyranny, we know that in his heart he was a good man, and it was only his ambition- spurred on by the witches' prophecies and Lady Macbeth's harsh words- that led him down the wrong path. Macbeth is thus a tragic hero of the story of his life. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Although the story of this play by Shakespeare is historical, history is not the reason why Macbeth is a classic. This play is more of a moral lesson. To murder anybody is a crime, but regicide in the Elizabethan age was unthinkable. It was believed that a monarch was an embodiment of God on earth, appointed by Him to rule as His deputy; rebellion against a true and just monarch was a rebellion against divinity. By murdering Duncan, Macbeth gains the crown- but his relationship with his wife, friends and even the people of Scotland crumble into nothingness. From being regarded as a brave warrior and a noble man, Macbeth comes to be regarded as a villain on account of a crime that eventually costs him his life. The effects of uncontrolled ambition on a man who is otherwise noble in nature and has a full understanding of right and wrong is frightening. Although written basically for royal entertainment, Macbeth is entertainment for all those who love the suspense of a murder mystery. On the other hand, the play is a great work of poetry, written by the all-time genius of English Literature. Written in free verse, this play is undoubtedly one of the greatest works in the literature of the English language. Small wonder then that this is a classic. Read More