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Malcolm calls Macbeth a butcher, someone who kills without a conscience and without a reason. He also describes Lady Macbeth as a fiend like queen which means one with only evil in her character. Neither Macbeth nor Lady Macbeth fit these descriptions. These descriptions are too simplistic but both characters are more complex. Macbeth at the beginning of the play was not a butcher.
He killed many enemies in the war but not one in cold blood. Macbeth was a highly regarded kinsman and Thane. For brave Macbeth, well he deserves that name. O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman.
In the war against Norway, Macbeth presented himself as noble Macbeth, brave Macbeth and valiant cousin to King Duncan. Clearly at this point, Macbeth was not a butcher. Many would regard Macbeth as a butcher because of his murder of Duncan, the two servants and Banquo. But Macbeth had reasons for these murders.
He did not kill without any reason like a butcher would. Unlike a butcher who would not have a conscience, Macbeth suffered from his conscience. Macbeth's conscience persuaded him no to kill Duncan, but his wife and his ambition over drove his conscience. However, Macbeth still suffered from his conscience. Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle towards my hand? Would a butcher have such doubt?
After Duncan was dead, Macbeth felt remorse. Wake Duncan with thy knocking, I would thou couldst. Obviously Macbeth had regrets about what he had done. Would a butcher have regrets? He was clearly doing something that was alien to his nature.
He was a killer and its despicable what he had done, but he was not a senseless butcher. In his mind, Macbeth had a reason. Macbeth killed the servants brutally, but again he killed them for a reason. For Banquo, he only killed Banquo out of the fear he had.
Our fears in Banquo stick deep. The ghost of Banquo has also shown that Macbeth had a conscience. Would a butcher have a conscience? Clearly Macbeth was not a butcher. However the death of Lady Macduff and her family was an act of butchery, but again it could be argued that there was a reason for his monstrous act. Macbeth couldnt get hold of Macduff because he was in England, so the only thing he could do to hurt Macduff was to kill his family.
When Macbeth met Macduff at the end, say says I have too much blood of thine on my hands already. Isnt this an indication of him conscience? Macbeth did commit some horrendous acts, but he does not exactly fit the description of a butcher. At the beginning, Lady Macbeth seemed not totally wicked. There was indication of softness in her. If he had not resembled my father as he slept, I had done it.
Kind Duncan reminded Lady Macbeth of her father, from this was can obviously tell that there was a conscience in Lady Macbeth. And we can tell that wickedness was not her nature. Unsex me here. And fill me from the crown to the toe, to full of direst cruelty. The sleep walking scene showed that there was a conscience in Lady Macbeth. And clearly, her conscience was bothering her.
Heres the smell of the blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. O, O, O. Committing suicide showed that she has long suffered from conscience and she couldnt stand it anymore. Lady Macbeth was definitely not the fiend like queen Macduff described.
Macduff's judgement was too simplistic but the two characters were more complex. At the beginning Macbeth was praised as brave Macbeth, noble Macbeth, valiant cousin. But during the middle of the play, Macbeth did kill brutally. However he had reasons for his acts, he did not kill without a reason like a butcher would.
His conscience also indicated clearly that he was not a butcher. Lady Macbeth's nature was not like Macduff had described. There was definitely a sense of softness and conscience in her. Both the characters were more complex than Macduff had described.
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Research essay sample on Fiend Like Queen Lady Macbeth