In Act 5 Essay, Research Paper
`Macbeth has, with the aid of
his wife, committed the murder of Duncan and he has claimed the throne of
Scotland for himself.? During his reign
as king Macbeth has created a tyranny in Scotland.? He has continuously been dragged further and further into the
world of evil, visiting the witches during his reign.? He is suspicious of everyone and has spies in the homes of the
thanes of the country; he became so paranoid that he had his best friend,
Banquo, murdered because he knew of the witches? prophecies.? Macbeth and his wife have grown further
apart, he is no longer dependant on her for piece of mind and it is not she
that he turns too.? We have already
learnt that Macbeth is suffering from insomnia and nightmares when he does
sleep, suggesting that despite his outward appearance of strength he is feeling
the repercussions of his actions.?
Macbeth is so detached from people now, and so cold and calculated; that
he had the wife of Macduff and his children brutally murdered for no other
reason than that he could.? It is this
act of pure brutality that sends the audiences estimation of Macbeth to rock
bottom, and it is by the beginning of Act 5 that the audience will feel some
kind of hatred towards Macbeth because he has become so heartless.? Their murders were motiveless and cannot be
justified in any way.? However the play
is a tragedy, and so there needs to be a sense of loss created, that because of
his bad judgements Macbeth has ruined his life. In order to achieve this
Shakespeare creates some kind of sympathy for him, so that there is a sense
that yes Macbeth should have died, it is what he deserved, but that it is
tragic, it should and could have been avoided.Throughout the play it has been
Lady Macbeth who is the stronger of the two partners, she was the initiator of
the murder of Duncan and it is her who helps Macbeth with his instant guilt and
the problems he has initially due to the crime.? In Act 5 Scene 1 we see that she is not as strong as we thought,
he conscience is catching up with her.?
The scene is a visual enactment of her conscience, she is sleepwalking
and in her dreams she re-enacts the murder, she dreams of her and her husband
killing Duncan.? ?Yet here?s a spot?
this shows that she is feeling guilty and repaying the murder over and over
again in her dreams, the spot is blood on her hand.? When Macbeth murdered Duncan he didn?t take the daggers with him,
and she had to go back to put them at the scene of the crime.? In doing so she got blood on her hand, but
dismissed it as being nothing and as being easily washed away.? However we see here that it was more to Lady
Macbeth and it is playing on her mind, it is as if although she has washed the
blood away it is still there.? The
audience should be able to see how distressed Lady Macbeth is at this point,
that despite her appearance of calm and composed she is going mad inside.? The way that this will be acted should
convey this idea; Lady Macbeth is finding it difficult to hold onto her sanity
and keep strong and together.However we can see that Lady
Macbeth had a strong relationship with her husband, as she is feeling guilty
for his actions that didn?t involve any interference from her.? ?The Thane of Fife had a wife: where is
she now?? her she is referring to the murder of Lady Macduff and her
children.? The audience can see that she
feels her husbands? guilt, she had nothing to do with the murder of Lady
Macduff yet she has this playing on her mind. She is also feeling the
consequences of the murder of Banquo ?Banquo?s buried; he cannot come out
on?s grave.?? Although the actions
that Macbeth took after the murder of Duncan had no contribution from her she
feels as if it is her fault.? This is an
indication that Lady Macbeth feels responsible for the way things have turned
out, she was the one who pressurised Macbeth into the murder of Duncan and so
consequently feels as if what has happened to herself, Macbeth and Scotland is
her fault.In seeing how everything is
effecting Lady Macbeth, it helps to create sympathy for her and Macbeth, this
is because we can see her suffering and link it to that of her husband.? This is aided by the fact that Lady Macbeth
uses language similar to what Macbeth used after her had murdered Duncan.? ?All the perfumes of Arabia will not
sweeten this little hand? when they had committed the murder Macbeth said
that all the water in the ocean would wash the blood from his hands.? Lady Macbeth is saying that a lot of perfume
would not take the stench of blood away from her hand.? Due to the fact that Lady Macbeth uses
language that is similar to that of Macbeth allows the audience to link Macbeth
with her suffering.? Lady Macbeth has
crumbled, we see now how weak and vulnerable she is, she has always been the
strong one but she is now acting like Macbeth was.? Lady Macbeth is afraid of everything, the audience can in some
way sympathise with Lady Macbeth because her suffering is clear.? The sleepwalking is a way of Shakespeare
physically showing the effect of her conscience and how everything is effecting
her.? Lady Macbeth is not sleeping and
when she does she has these sleepwalking sessions and nightmares, this
associates with Macbeth, as we already know that he is suffering from sleepless
nights and terrible dreams too.? The
physical enactment of Lady Macbeth?s conscience allows Shakespeare to create
sympathy for Macbeth because the audience knows, despite the fact that he has
not shown recently, that Macbeth is feeling the same as his wife.? The audience has always seen Lady Macbeth as
the strong person in the relationship, she is the one who kept Macbeth going
and tried to decrease his pain and suffering.?
She has never let anything bother her, but now we see how things have
truely effected her.? The implications
of this are that if Lady Macbeth is suffering so greatly Macbeth must be
suffering so much more as he is the one who has always shown the remorse for
the murder of Duncan.? Also he has done
far much more than Lady Macbeth has he committed the murder of Duncan and
ordered the deaths of Banquo, Lady Macduff and Lady Macduff?s children.Shakespeare uses the suffering
of Lady Macbeth to have the knock on effect of making the audience think about
Macbeth and how he is being effected by the situation that he is in.? When the doctor has seen Lady Macbeth he
tells Macbeth of what he thinks is medically wrong with her.? The doctor has already said that he cannot
do anything of Lady Macbeth ?This disease is beyond my practice? what is
wrong with Lady Macbeth is too serious for him to deal with. All he can suggest
is that Lady Macbeth should not be exposed to anything that she may use to kill
herself with.? When the doctor tells
Macbeth if the situation Lady Macbeth is in Macbeth doesn?t seem too
bothered.? He makes some little enquires
about his wife but they are more related to his own suffering then hers.? ?Cure her of that? it appears that
Macbeth is worried about his wife but he is also making enquires about himself.
We know that there used to be love in the relationship between Macbeth and his
wife so it is fair for the audience to presume that there is some concern for
his wife there but it is mainly for himself.?
He wants to be free from the way he is feeling and as his wife is
feeling the same as him and so if she can be cured he too can be.? ?Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow,
Raze out the written troubles of the brain? Macbeth wants the doctor to
make the memories he has disappear.?
From this initial reaction the audience can see that Macbeth is too
suffering, just as we saw his wife do so.?
He wants the cause of suffering to be removed from the mind of himself
and Lady Macbeth, he has had enough and is clutching onto the hope that the
doctor will be able to make him better.?
He is looking for way out.?
However the doctor explains to Macbeth that there is nothing he can do
for Lady Macbeth ad so consequently for him.?
At the news of this Macbeth is angered and lashes out at the doctor ?Throw
physic to the dogs; I?ll have none of it? Macbeth is infuriated by the fact
that the doctor hasn?t got a miracle cure for his guilty conscience.? Macbeth says that the doctor is useless and wants
nothing to do with his advice.? The hope
that Macbeth had, that the doctor would help, has been taken away from him with
the diagnosis of the doctor.? Although he is at first angry,
his temperament changes into sadness.? ?The
water of my land, find her disease? because Macbeth realises that he cannot
be cured he looks at his country and the state she is in.? His tyranny across the land has left a shell
of what the country used to be and it as at this point that Macbeth realises
what he has done to the land that he loved so much and fought for against all
the odds.? He wants the doctor to bring
the country back to health.? This is the
first time that the audience has seen Macbeth think about what he has done to
the country and how his actions have effected her.? We see the loyalty for his country that Macbeth had at the
beginning of the play.? He comes to the
conclusion that he has not got what he wanted.?
He has been reduced to going through his daily life, all the tedious
tasks he thought would make him happy, and he also has to put up with his guilt
and regret also with a country in turmoil. ?He wants to get the country back on track and being the solider
that he is Macbeth feels that the best way for him to do this is to get rid of
the English, which are threatening him.?
?Would scour these English hence? Hear?st thou of them?? Macbeth
is ready to take his country into war because of the threat of the English, who
are helping the Thanes of Scotland who are grouping together against Macbeth
and the way he is running the country.?
This helps to create sympathy for Macbeth because this is the first time
that we have seen him take a look at his actions and how they have effected his
country.? By seeing this different side
to Macbeth the audience can some way remember the Macbeth at the beginning of
the play who was loyal to his country and fought to the best of his ability for
it and for his king.? This helps to
crate a felling of waste, because the Macbeth at the start of the play has
gone, he has changed into the horrible ruler that Scotland has now.Lady Macbeth is so consumed
with guilt that in Scene 5 she commits suicide.? Macbeth reacts to the news of the death of his wife in a cold and
unfeeling manner.? ?I have almost
forgotten the taste of fears? when he hears the screams of a woman, not
knowing who it is, he shows no reaction.?
We can see that Macbeth has become so used to horror and death that he
can no longer be shocked.? It is as if
it is a common occurrence for him.? His
senses have become chilled; he has lost all emotion.? This illustrates that Macbeth has actually suffered because of
what he has done and he has become detached form everything and nothing will
stir him, not even the screams of a Lady.?
This makes us think that Macbeth is now just a shell, he feels nothing
and so really has no life.? He goes
about doing the things that he has to but he is not there emotionally.? When Macbeth learns that the screams where
those of his wife he is not upset at all ?She should have died here after?.? He simply says that Lady Macbeth would have
died anyway and it is best that she is out of life, it is the easiest and best
option for her.? It almost seems that
Macbeth cannot feel sad because he is envious of her death.? She no longer has to live with the guilt and
suffering but he does, it is not that easy for him to get out of it he has to
live with his conscience everyday and he cannot feel sad at her death because
she has been set free.? There is
monotony in his speech, ?To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow?.? Macbeth is summing up his life, it is a
repetition and he doesn?t get a break.?
His life is the same all the time, he has no escape from what he has
done.? Macbeth has given up on life to
him it is meaningless.? ?The way to
dusty death.? Out, out, brief candle!?
Macbeth sees life as just being something to fill the gaps in and that
everything leads to death.? Life is
short and at this moment in time he can see no meaning to it ?Signifying
nothing? he is empty of his soul and wonders what the point in life
is.? He sees those who expect something
out of life as being fools.? Macbeth is
showing here that he greatly regrets his actions and has to live with what he
has done everyday of his life and there is no escape from himself, it is
getting him down greatly.? The audience
can clearly see that Macbeth is severely depressed.? This aids the creation of sympathy because the audience is now in
touch with how he is feeling and just how badly his actions have effected
him.? It doesn?t take away the fact that
what he has done is unforgivable but it does help the audience to see Macbeth
in a different light.? We can see how
much he is suffering and it has made him anxious, alone, depressed and
afraid.? It is not until now that it
becomes apparent that Macbeth has reached the point of desperation and life has
lost all meaning for him.? He is in such
desperation that he has come to envy the dead.?
His guilt is tearing him up inside leaving only a fraction of the man
that used to be.? Macbeth deeply regrets
what he has done and we can see that the way he has acted, the things he has
done have turned Macbeth into a manic-depressive.Shakespeare makes the audience
feel closer to Macbeth through his soliloquies.? It is the only way in which the audience can get inside his head
and so understand what he is going through.?
When Macbeth is alone he lets his defences down and so allows himself to
become vulnerable and open to the audience.?
?I have liv?d long enough: my way of life is fall?n into the sere?
Macbeth feels that he has lived long enough and his life is now a wreck.? This is the first time that the audience
sees how much Macbeth is suffering.? He
just wants out, he cannot cope any more.?
Shakespeare uses imagery to convey the feelings and attitudes of
Macbeth.? ?Yellow leaf? Macbeth
has, in himself, come to the autumn of his life and it will soon be over. ?He is accepting that he is near the end of
his life and sees life now as more of a tedious task rather than something to
be enjoyed and embraced.? ?As honour,
love, obedience, troops of friends, I must not look to have?.? Macbeth knows that people hate him, he has
noting left any more, no honour, no love, no obedience and no friends.? His only left with hatred and guilt, he has
nothing any more.? He feels as if he has
betrayed his own life, he has nothing left any more.? This is a heartrending show of emotion from Macbeth; he has given
up on life.? Macbeth has accepted
eternal damnation.? He is showing an
almost regret for what he has done.?
Macbeth would end it all but he has to carry on ?which the poor heart
would fain deny, and dare not? although suicide seems like the perfect way
out for Macbeth.? However he cannot take
this option because it is not in his nature to just give up on things, although
this is what he has done privately to the rest of the people he doesn?t want to
be seen that way.? He has become
desperate and his mental state of mind is unstable, he is showing just how
things are getting to him.? From the way
Macbeth talks we can see that he is becoming more and more fed up with life,
his guilt is so overwhelming that he just cannot see himself living any
more.? This helps to create some kind of
sympathy because we see that Macbeth is so consumed by what he has done and the
repercussions of his actions that he cannot see anyway out, he contemplates
suicide, as this is the only way out he can see.However in public Macbeth is a
completely different person.? He is
almost split in two, the private and public ?faces? of him.? Around people Macbeth keeps up this pretence
of being confident and he puts on a brave face.? He wants to get on with everything, ?Till famine and the ague
eat them up; were they not forc?d with that should be ours? Macbeth wants
to get rid of the English from Scotland and so allow the country to go back to
what it was like before.? He feels that
if he can get rid of the English then he will be able to put things right.? In front of people Macbeth is full of