Cambridge VCE English Units 1&2

The play, Macbeth, explores the effects of guilt and evil. Discuss. William Shakespeares tragedy, Macbeth, explores many different themes including loyalty, betrayal, ambition but is it the powerful theme of evil and the consequent guilt that have the most devastating effects on the plays protagonist, Macbeth and his loyal wife. Shakespeares language and imagery constantly reinforce the theme of evil. The opening scene introduces the themes of evil and disorder as the three powerful hags, personifications of evil, plot Macbeths downfall, amid a stormy setting. Murders are committed at night and Lady Macbeth calls on the dark forces to help her. The valiant and noble Macbeth is a mighty warrior, one of the leaders in King Duncans army. When he hears a prophecy from the witches that he will one day be king he says in an aside that this supernatural soliciting / Cannot be ill, cannot be good reflecting his inner conflict about the awakening of his own evil desires. This is contrasted to the steadfast Banquo who is not tempted at all by the witches words. Macbeths innate propensity for evil and his and Lady Macbeths desire for power, cause them to commit the heinous murder of a king and to descend down a path of evil destruction. Shakespeare creates dark settings to mirror their evil acts and their dialogue shows them to feign goodness while secretly harbouring dark desires evinced by Lady Macbeths words, Look like thinnocent flower, but be the serpent undert. Once Duncan has been murdered, Lady Macbeth attempts to free herself and her husband of guilt, declaring a little water clears us of this deed. She initially believes that by washing her hands she will be wiping away the guilt forever. Macbeth is a victim of his own flawed evil nature rather than a victim of external forces beyond his control and this is revealed to the audience in his soliloquies when he says that his mind becomes full of scorpions. He suffers guilt as he seeks to fulfil his vaulting ambition in the form of apparitions and internal conflict. He is haunted by apparitions, is this a dagger which I see before me? In contrast to Macbeths anxiety Lady Macbeth is calm and determined. She is bold and confident in her support of the regicide. Lady Macbeth pours scorn on Macbeth accusing him of cowardice. When Macbeths conscience continues to torment him when he becomes agitated by an apparation of the ghost of Banquo at a banquet, and pleads, Avaunt! And quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee! Lady Macbeth still remains calm enough to cover up her husbands incriminating performance, by explaining my lord is often thus, and hath been from his youth: pray you keep seat. Although awakened to the consciousness of guilt Macbeth continues his journey of destruction as he is driven by a lust for power that overrides all other feelings. He exhibits little emotion at his wifes derangement and becomes fixated on the slaughter of his enemies. In the first Act, Lady Macbeth forms a pact with the evil spirits to take away her tender, womanly qualities and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst

Andrea Hayes 2006

Cambridge University Press

Cambridge VCE English Units 1&2

cruelty. This is to ensure that she will have the strength to carry out whatever deed are necessary for her husband to ascend the throne. By the end of the play, however, the repercussions of her evil acts are clear and she is incapable of ignoring her guilty conscience. She grows fully aware of her actions and knows that all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand and descends into babbling madness, culminating in her suicide. Without the reassuring guidance of his wife, Macbeth increasingly turns to the witches for advice. The witches represent all that is vile and evil. Murderous thoughts were first triggered by the witches and Macbeths belief in their prophecies perpetuates his murderous path. I will try the last the once valiant warrior fights to his inevitable death. The innate evil and resultant guilt in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth destroy them. Once they succumb to the forces of evil within themselves their actions and tormenting guilt commit them to a path of self destruction. Throughout Macbeth the effects of guilt and evil are thoroughly explored. We are witness to the tragedy of the house of Macbeths downfall, where the once loyal and honorable Thane of Cawdor is reduced to an immoral tyrant whose lust for power consumes him and his wife descends into madness. (725 words)

Andrea Hayes 2006

Cambridge University Press