Monday 8 April 2013

Duncan's Murder

           I think that, although Macbeth actually committed Duncan's murder, it was mostly the fault of Lady Macbeth and the witches. First, it was the witches who made the prophecy and who placed the idea of becoming King into Macbeth's head. After the prophecy was told by the witches, he admitted that he had "black and deep desires" and the idea of sickness was introduced. The reader gets the feeling that Macbeth was suffering from a sort of mental illness that leads him to kill Duncan, and we see it to develop until he hallucinates the dagger just before committing the murder. Lady Macbeth also played a big role in Duncan's murder. She pressured Macbeth into committing the murder which pushed his illness or "deep desires" much farther, calling him a coward. Not only this, but she also helped to set up and cover up the murder. In conclusion, Macbeth would never have killed Duncan if it hadn't have been for the witches and Lady Macbeth.

2 comments:

  1. I like your point about Lady Macbeth's role in murdering Duncan. Is it a legitimate defence to make the argument that Lady Macbeth's pressure overwhelmed Macbeth so much that he felt he had to do as she said?

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  2. I disagree with your point that the witches played a role in Macbeth`s actions because although they told him he was going to be king they never said that murder was the only way to achieve such a high title, thus I don’t think there was any pressure from the witches to kill Duncan. However I agree that Lady Macbeth was the reason Macbeth carried out the murder.
    In regards to Mrs. Le`s comment I do think Lady Macbeth`s pressure overwhelmed Macbeth to the point where he felt he had no control because Lady Macbeth says `` yet I do fear thy nature, it is too full o`th`milk of human kindness``. This quotation shows that Lady Macbeth knows Macbeth is too kind to carry out this murder and therefore she must encourage him to do it. An example of the pressure Lady Macbeth puts on Macbeth is when she says she would have ``dash`d the brains out`` of her own child had she promised Macbeth. With Lady Macbeth continuously pressuring Macbeth it is clear that Macbeth didn’t have much choice in the situation if he wished to please his wife and therefore I believe the pressure from Lady Macbeth was the reason Macbeth carried out the murder.

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