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The story of Macbeth, based on historical facts from Scottish history, is a tale of murder, greed, corruption, violence, and treachery all the things Shakespeare held near and dear to his heart. Enraged with King Duncan's announcement that his son, Malcolm, would be automatic successor to the thrown, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth begin entertaining murderous thoughts of taking over the Scottish Kingdom. This marked the beginning of their pitiful downfall from respected royalty to tormented tyrants. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth go through ironic character changes at different points throughout the story, as they commit the horrid acts of murder and are haunted by their crimes. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's lives were forever changed when greed and jealously gave way to murder. Knowing that Duncan was soon to pay a visit to Macbeth's castle, Macbeth, momentarily entertains the idea of killing the king, but trembles at such sinful thoughts.
Frightened, he says, Present fears (Shakespeare 136) Are less than horrible imaginings (Shakespeare 137). Lady Macbeth falls in with Macbeth's plot with greater energy than Macbeth himself. She vows adamantly that, He thats coming / Must be provided for (Shakespeare 62 - 63), implying that Duncan must be killed. Driven by fear of suspicion by day, and terrible dreams by night, Macbeth becomes completely paranoid with everyone, including Banquo, his right hand man. At this time Macbeth takes control and realizes that he must kill Banquo. He decides that Banquo must die tonight, and says, Banquo, thy souls flight, / If it find heaven, must find it out tonight (Shakespeare 141 - 142).
When Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth about his plan, she is reluctant and says, You must leave this (Shakespeare 36), wanting him to get rid of the murderous thought. Tired and weary, she eventually gives in to her husbands newest treachery and asks, Whats to be done? (Shakespeare 44). At this point in the story, Macbeth takes a sinister turn, and now seems to be in full control of his and Lady Macbeth's dark future. The last scene of the tragedy involves Macduff, Malcolm, and their army fighting against Macbeth, who has killed Macduff's wife and son in cold blood.
By this time in the story, Lady Macbeth is so ride with guilt she is constantly rubbing her hands as if she were washing them. Showing her deeply disturbed conscious, Lady Macbeth says, all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand (Shakespeare 39 - 40). With constant feelings of guilt and suffering of Lady Macbeth's horrid past, her life crumbles. These events eventually dominate her soul and ultimately lead her to suicide. In Macbeth's last hour, he is filled with confusion, fear, pride, and remorseless thoughts.
Knowing that he is about to die, Macbeth refuses to yield in battle to Macduff. Macbeth calls out and says, Lay on, Macduff, / And damned be him that first cries (Shakespeare 33 - 34), showing off the crazed and unrepentant character he has become. Attempting to kill all that get in his way without regret, Macbeth's life comes to an end, bitterly fighting to his death. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's characters completely changed throughout the saga as they allowed envy to take control of their lives. Starting out as a brave and courageous man, Macbeth, was one of Duncan's most extraordinary generals. In contrast, the terror and panic he suffered following the murder of Duncan changed him from a fearless soldier into a man of psychological anguish.
Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, didnt share the qualities that her respected husband possessed. Her delicate outward appearance was contrary to the thoughts of her heart. She seemingly suffered no pains of conscience. Only after Lady Macbeth has suffered a mental breakdown is it evident of how deeply her crimes have haunted her. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the character roles of Macbeth and his wife were ultimately reversed in the end after months of mental torture from compromising their lives because of their lofty ambitions and envy.
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Research essay sample on Macbeth And Lady Macbeth Macbeth Takes
