Pity for the Central Characters in Macbeth free essay sample

We see Macbeth and his wife through the eyes of many characters throughout the play but the one that strikes us the most is when Duncan praises Macbeth in Act 1 Scene 2 by saying â€Å"For brave Macbeth, well he deserves that name†. This is the first insight we get about Macbeth and with the King singing his praises life seems to be going well for Macbeth up until this moment. It is in Act 1 Scene 3 when Macbeth first interacts with the witches that his life takes a turn for the worse. Macbeth is intrigued by what the witches have to say about the future, and this is when we first feel pity for Macbeth We are already aware from the witches’ conversations, that they are pure evil and have no meaning to their actions. â€Å"Where hast thou been sister? † To which the sister replies â€Å"Killing swine†. We feel pity for Macbeth because of the course of action he takes after the witches, have not only been prophesised by the witches because of the interference with his life. Had they not visited him in the first place his life would not have become so tragic. Macbeth’s dark side is provoked not only when Duncan makes him the Thane of Cawdor, but also, when the king makes his son Malcolm the Prince of Cumberland, Macbeth’s ambition is awakened. â€Å"This is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’er leap, for in my way it lies. Lady Macbeth gives us a further insight into Macbeth when she reads a letter from him. In it he calls his wife his â€Å"dearest partner of greatness† which indicates his caring and loving side. Its Lady Macbeth who we initially don’t feel pity for, as it is she who calls upon evil to â€Å"Unsex me here, And fill me, from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty. In Act 1 Scene 7 during Macbeth’s soliloquy the moment before he murders Duncan, he expresses his fears and considers the consequences of committing such a crime. He realises that his only motivation is his ambition, something that â€Å"o’er leaps itself, and falls on the other. † Then Lady Macbeth enters and we realised that it is she who wanted the title of queen more so that he did king. Macbeth expresses his concern, â€Å"Will we proceed no further in this business? † , to his vicious wife, however this newly called upon evil that consumes his once â€Å"dearest partner of greatness† bullies and manipulates him into going ahead with the plan. Macbeth at this point isn’t evil, just under the influence of evil. When Lady Macbeth has to finish off Duncan’s murder herself it is clear that she and Macbeth don’t enjoy being on the same team, but now with such a sinister action committed, they’ve cemented their relationship until the very end. Unlike his wife, Macbeth has difficulty coping with the after affects of the crime he has committed. This is evident when we notice his conscious beginning to haunt him. His trust is beginning to disintegrate and he starts becoming extremely aware of peoples actions in relation to his life, most notably when Macduff doesn’t attend his banquet. Its uneasy to watch the character Macbeth like this and therefore we feel sympathy towards him. Macbeth’s mind just torments him more and more as time goes on. He feels the need to keep Banquo close to him and promises him â€Å"It shall make honour for you. † However Banquo, seemingly realising the truth in the witches prophesies, approaches Macbeth to inform him that he is aware that he isn’t as innocent as he makes out and also to remind him that his children will be king. Macbeth’s need to kill the only loyal friend he has just distresses him even more. He believes that if he doesn’t kill Banquo, everything he’s gone through to become king will be a waste of time. He decides to act upon this thought a hires two murderers to kill both Banquo and Fleance, but his complete lack of trust gets to him again and he hires a third murderer to ensure the other two do their job. Macbeth’s mind is further unsettled when the murderes return to tell him that Fleance has escaped the attack. His minds frustration causes us to support the off chance that hopefully things will get better for him, but it wouldn’t be a tragedy if it did. Lady Macbeth is left to pick up the pieces as her husbands mind continues to torment him with a haunting image of Banquo’s ghost at their banquet. Everyone is now aware of the tormented nature of their King’s mind. This scene marks Macbeth’s rapid spiritual ruin. Macbeth’s self destructing nature only grows when it is he who seeks out the witches. We feel pity for him, as we are aware from a previous scene that when Hecate meets Macbeth, she plans to â€Å"draw him on his confusion. † And this is exactly what she does. The frightening scene in which the witches show Macbeth three apparitions seems to ease his pain, as he has been tricked into believing that â€Å"the power of man for none of woman shall harm† him. The witches also remind us here that they are the true evil of the play and that Macbeth has just become a puppet fot their foul deeds. However this makes him feel indestructible and upon hearing that Macduff has betrayed him, he demands that everyone in Macduff’s castle is to be killed. This is the one point where we do not feel pity for Macbeth, but more for Lady Macbeth. The scene where Lady Macduff and her children are brutally murdered leaves an effect on us but also sends Lady Macbeth into a deep mental trance, where she cannot believe what has happened. Lady Macbeth speaks of all her guilt and regret, really making us feel pity for her. She and Macbeth are no longer a team but two separate identities defending themselves. Lady Macbeth’s inability to speak with anyone about the horrifying deeds she and her husband committed along with the absence of her self absorbed husband have left her to die alone in mental agony. Macbeth’s apparitions are finally taking place and his uneasiness and fear is beginning to show. He dies in battle, as a tyrant and as a man completely different from the first description we were given of him. For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name. † This is what re-awakens our sense of pity for Macbeth. So I think its fair to say that we feel pity for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Their lives take a complete turn for the worse, leaving them both to perish in guilt and unhappiness. Shakespeare reminds us throughout the play of the real evil that exists in the cultural context, and they a re Hecate and her sisters. Macbeth is a tragic hero, not a villain, and his wife is just as unlucky as he is.