Shakespeares treatment of evil in Macbeth Essay Example for Free

Shakespe ars intervention of evil in Macbeth EssayIt is clear right from the radical of the play that the witches play a trace role in the play. The opening scene shows the witches planning their meeting with Macbeth. Not solely does this scene earn suspense and capture the earreachs attention from the start of the play, it sets the atmosphere in like manner. They meet on a moor in thunder and lightening, this portrays an evil image. This is how Shakespeare portrays evil at the start of the play. Shakespeare used rhyming couplets for make l everywheres and magical characters, as hearty as at the end of a scene to round it off. The enthr all in alles speak this certain way to sieve their mysteriousness and sense of confusion. Some of their lines contradict each other and this can be very effective and ruling. entirely Fair is foul, and foul is fairHover by dint of the fog and filthy air. (1.1)This is to emphasise the witches hate for good, and love for evil. Also, thi s would hand caused tension among an Elizabethan audience. Witches were believed to be associated with the evil motives of Hell, and that they had diabolical powers and could take demonic power over anybody they chose. The image of them being able to fly would frighten them. In the Royal Shakespeares Companys production, starring Anthony Sher and Harriet Walter, the witches are shown as extremely mentally unhinged and deranged.They run around Macbeth and Banquo as they tell them their prophecies. Their evil is portrayed by the camera shots used, and fuzzy effects that a stage performance could not achieve. This gives them a sense of mystery. The area production I saw did not have a very effective or powerful opening. The witches seemed disturbed unless I felt they spoke too quickly, this could have been connected with evil forces, but I feel that if the audience did not know the script very well, it could be confusing. grammegh I felt the parts of the witches were not acted ver y well, they did depict their power over peeress Macbeth very well. This was achieved in the unsex me here speech in wager One, Scene Five. The witches were shown behind lady Macbeth in honey oil light, which both getd an eerie atmosphere but showed that perhaps they were the evil behind all of Macbeth and lady Macbeths plans. peradventure they had some control over what was happening. In the witches foul is fair and fair is foul speech, it was sung in a way that make them sound very mentally disturbed. They also did mysterious movements with their arms. Both of these actions made the scene more powerful and interesting for the audience, and also created a feeling of evil and the unknown.The witches were not only in the play to put emphasis on evil Shakespeare had intended to please queen regnant mole rat pile I, which Macbeth was performed before. The king was very fascinated by witchcraft at the time, but witches were feared by close to everyone during the loom of Eliz abeth I, as England was a Christian country, that believed literally in Heaven and Hell and as they thought that witches were associated with Hell, witches must(prenominal) have been evil, and if they were anything to do with them, they were to be condemned to eternity in Hell. Hundreds of people, many women were convicted as witches and tortured and executed.Towards the beginning of the play, King Duncan, his sons, and Lennox meet a captain who was wounded from a battle. Macbeth is well spoken of, and even though the audience have not yet seen Macbeth himself, they are given the impression he is a noble and honest man. The captain tells of Macbeths victory in having captured the Thane of Cawdor, a traitor to the king. Hearing this, Duncan is overjoyed with Macbeth and gives Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor for himself.For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)Distaining Fortune, with his brandishd steel,Which Smokd with birthy execution,(Like Valours minion) carvd show up his passage. Captain (1.2)Macbeth therefore has good qualities at the beginning of the play that makes his abrupt miscellanea terrifying. He is simply a human being with human weaknesses, particularly his dream, which makes him vulnerable when it take afters to being tempted be the mood of having power He does not seem evil at all at the beginning of the play, infact he seems very far from it. He is a man who, as Lady Macbeth saysToo ample o th milk of humane kindness to catch the nearest way. (1.5)From the opening scene, Macbeth is chosen as a target for temptation by the witches. This invokes that perhaps he was not an evil person, but fair a victim of his ambition and moral weaknesses. He is tempted when he first meets the three witches when they say that he was to be king. But when Macbeth is told that he had been made Thane of Cawdor, he asksThe Thane of Cawdor pop offs, why do you dress me in borrowed robes? (1.3)This seems to suggest that at the stage, Macbeth want s no honour that is not rightfully his? At first, Macbeth does not want to murder Duncan, as his fears were that he would be eternally damned, especially as Duncan was a good king to his country. But eventually, ambition takes over and he does not let his thoughts get in the way.The witches are not the only evidence for why Macbeth becomes so unhinged and obsessed with the idea of becoming king. Lady Macbeth was very responsible for Macbeths last to kill Duncan it was she, who mocked Macbeth when he did not want to feed on with their plans to kill him. Lady Macbeth saysWhen you durst do it, consequently you were a manAnd to be more than what you were, you wouldBe so much more the man. (1.7)Lady Macbeth is an extremely strong and power craving woman. She is tremendously ambitious for herself and who is astute enough to recognise her husbands strengths and weaknesses, and also ruthless enough to make the most of them, this is shown when as she mocks him when he did not want to mu rder. The idea of becoming queen is incredibly tempting to her, and she realises that without her, he will never win the Crown. She therefore calls on the powers of darkness for his and her sake. exercise you spirits,That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,And fill me from the crown to the toe, top-fullOf direst cruelty (1.5)Lady Macbeth describes in vehement terms what she herself would be prepared to do in this situation, she explains how willing she would be to kill for the Throne, by stating that she would go as far as murdering her own child if necessary.I would, while it was smiling in my face, stir plucked my nipple from his boneless gums,And dashd the brains out, had I so swornAs you have done to this. (1.7)The idea she expresses here certainly fits perfectly with the fair is foul and foul is fair speech. This shows that appearances may be deceitful. Lady Macbeth seemed like a very feminine, weak lady. This is shown when the murder of Duncan had just been discovered, Ma cduff says to Lady MacbethO gentle Lady,Tis not for you to hear what I can speakThe repetition in a womans ear,Would murther as it fell (2.3)She is also a very cautious criminal she remembers details well such as in Act Two, Scene two, when Macbeth had just murdered Duncan, he forgets to leave the daggers back to the scene of the crime. Macbeth, at this point, is shocked by and by what he had just done. He is frightened, and very guilty, he is not in the state to return the daggers. So Lady Macbeth does it for him to cover their tracks. Not only does she influence Macbeth to such actions, but she is ambitious enough to decision off any things he had begun. At this stage, Macbeth still has a conscience, he panics subsequently he had sinned. reverse go no moreI am afraid, to think of what I have done go to ont again, I dare not. (2.2)But as time passes, he realises he will have to carry on killing people to cover up the truth that it was him who murdered Duncan. One of those people was his friend, Banquo, who knew about the witches prophecies. Banquo was suspicious, as he had always thought the witches were misleading Macbeth in some way. If anyone knew who had killed Duncan, it would be Banquo. Macbeth therefore essential to rid of him, and also his son, Fleance, as it was said by the witches that he would also become king.First Witch Lesser than Macbeth, and greater.Second Witch Not so happy, yet much happier.Third Witch Thou shalt get Kings, though thou be none. (1.3)This is the point where Macbeth gets carried away with his ambition. He tries to stop what the witches said would happen. This is be impossible when Fleance flees from the murders, leaving his father, dying. Macbeth carries on murdering guiltless people including Lady Macduff and her son. Macbeth returns to the witches to hear more of what was going to happen, in Act Four, Scene One. His ambition had already taken over by then. He is obsessed with retentivity the throne. The apparitions o ne by one tell him bad news, but Macbeth is over confident and is now almost certain he would not be defeated.The power of man for none of woman bornShall price Macbeth.Macbeth shall never vanquishd be, untilGreat Birnam Wood, to high Dunsinane HillShall come against him. Apparitions two and three (4.1)Again, not all things are what they seem. This is again, another example of the half-truths that Shakespeare uses. They play a large role in Macbeth, and are what was used to operate Macbeth into doing evil exertions.Evil is also emphasized by clothing in productions and films. In the production that I saw, and in the RSC production, the actors were wearing mostly black all of the time. Lighting was very effective in the do it performance green lighting was used for the witches which gave a supernatural atmosphere. Smoke was also used to create a feeling of mystery in the opening scene.The consequences of evil develops drastically throughout the whole play, commencement off with doubts and indecisions, and ending with empty, ruthless cruelty. If Macbeth is viewed as a psychological study of a murderers mind, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both show symptoms of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is defined as a psychotic disorder characterised by leaving of contact with the environment, by noticeable deterioration in the level of functioning in everyday purport, and by disintegration of personality expressed as disorder of feeling, thought, and conducts.They may also hallucinate, and can not give away between what is real and what is not. Macbeth imagines Banquos ghost at the dinner. This scene was done very effectively in the live performance. Banquo appeared onstage, and slipped in and out of the stage through the iron gateways, which normally, the actors would have to open to walk through. Stepping through the gate broke the boundaries and gave a very supernatural edge to the scene. Some schizophrenics withdraw emotionally, for example, their out understand on life is deadened and they show little or no warmth. This is exactly what happens to Macbeth near the end of the play.I have livd long enough my way of lifeIs falln into the sear, the yellow leaf.I have almost forgot the taste of fears (5.5)Lady Macbeth is so mentally disturbed by what she and her husband have done that she cannot rest peacefully, resulting in her sleep walking. This signifies that she can not get it out of her head, and she is beginning to become crazy because of it. She is even re-acting some of the outgoing out, including the letter writing, which symbolises the letter that her loving husband wrote to her to inform her of the news that he was to be king. She feels unclean after touching the daggers and the transmission line of the king. She has hallucinations that her hands are covered in agate line and that she cannot remove the smell of blood from her hands either.Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him.The Thane of Fife, h ad a wife where is she now? What will these hands neer be clean?Heres the smell of blood still all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. (5.2)She also knows her husband is getting out of control, and she feels that it is all getting unbearable. This is first shown when Macbeth is planning to kill Banquo. Lady Macbeth tries to discourage him, but failsLady Macbeth You must leave this.Macbeth O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wifeThou knowst, that Banquo and his Fleance lives. (3.2)It is towards her death, when she is seriously psychologically damaged by the events. Shakespeare shows this through the way that she speaks. While throughout most of the play, Lady Macbeth spoke in unrhymed iambic pentameter. At the end when she was sleep talking, she spoke in prose, which showed how disjointed her mind wasWash you hands, put on your nightgown, look not so pale I tell you yet again Banquos buried he cannot come out ons grave. (5.1)In conclusion, I think Macbeth was extremely influenced by the witches. They were the main reason for spread of evil. there is certainly with little doubt, without the witches, and their prophecies, Macbeth would not have murdered Duncan. Though the witches were the main reason, the others was also his ambition, his weakness to temptation, and the power his wife had over him to tempt him to do what his conscience knew was wrong. Lady Macbeth is incredibly determined, and powerful, and eventually, the two of them lost their hotness they had for each other because of their evil deeds and desire for controlYour hand, your tongue, look like th innocent flower,But be the serpent under t. He thats coming,Must be provided for and you shall putThis nights business into my dispatch,Which shall to all out nights, and days to come,Give solely sovereign swat, and masterdom. Lady Macbeth. (1.5)Upon the sightless couriers of the air,Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spurTo prick the sides of my intent, but onlyVaulting ambition, which oerleaps itself,And falls on th other. Macbeth (1.7)