Malcolm then retracts the lies he has put forth about his supposed shortcomings and embraces Macduff as an ally. When the doctor leaves, Malcolm explains to Macduff that King Edward has a miraculous power to cure disease. Ross enters. He has just arrived from Scotland, and tells Macduff that his wife and children are well. He urges Malcolm to return to his country, listing the woes that have befallen Scotland since Macbeth took the crown.
Malcolm says that he will return with ten thousand soldiers lent him by the English king. Then, breaking down, Ross confesses to Macduff that Macbeth has murdered his wife and children. Macduff is crushed with grief. Malcolm urges him to turn his grief to anger, and Macduff assures him that he will inflict revenge upon Macbeth. The witches are vaguely absurd figures, with their rhymes and beards and capering, but they are also clearly sinister, possessing a great deal of power over events.
Are they simply independent agents playing mischievously and cruelly with human events? Perhaps their prophecies are constructed to wreak havoc in the minds of the hearers, so that they become self-fulfilling. It is doubtful, for instance, that Macbeth would have killed Duncan if not for his meeting with the witches. The witches stand outside the limits of human comprehension. They seem to represent the part of human beings in which ambition and sin originate—an incomprehensible and unconscious part of the human psyche.
In this sense, they almost seem to belong to a Christian framework, as supernatural embodiments of the Christian concept of original sin. If so, however, it is a dark Christianity, one more concerned with the bloody consequences of sin than with grace or divine love. Perhaps it would be better to say that Macbeth is the most orderly and just of the tragedies, insofar as evil deeds lead first to psychological torment and then to destruction.
The nihilism of King Lear, in which the very idea of divine justice seems laughable, is absent in Macbeth —divine justice, whether Christian or not, is a palpable force hounding Macbeth toward his inevitable end. The crowned child is Malcolm. He carries a tree, just as his soldiers will later carry tree branches from Birnam Wood to Dunsinane.
Finally, the procession of kings reveals the future line of kings, all descended from Banquo. The mirror carried by the last figure may have been meant to reflect King James, sitting in the audience, to himself. The murder of Lady Macduff and her young son in Act 4, scene 2, marks the moment in which Macbeth descends into utter madness, killing neither for political gain nor to silence an enemy, but simply out of a furious desire to do harm.
It is a political approach without moral legitimacy because it is not founded on loyalty to the state. Their conversation reflects an important theme in the play—the nature of true kingship, which is embodied by Duncan and King Edward, as opposed to the tyranny of Macbeth. In the end, a true king seems to be one motivated by love of his kingdom more than by pure self-interest.
Macduff and Malcolm are allies, but Macduff also serves as a teacher to Malcolm. Malcolm believes himself to be crafty and intuitive, as his test of Macduff shows. Macduff shows that manhood comprises more than aggression and murder; allowing oneself to be sensitive and to feel grief is also necessary.
This is an important lesson for Malcolm to learn if he is to be a judicious, honest, and compassionate king. Ace your assignments with our guide to Macbeth! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook.
Are the Witches in Macbeth real? Did Macbeth always want to be king? While the Witches have prophesied great futures for both Macbeth and Banquo, Banquo is less inspired and intrigued than Macbeth and would rather leave the matter safely alone.
However, when Macbeth hears Duncan declare his intention to make Malcolm his heir, Macbeth becomes convinced he needs to take matters into his own hands and kill King Duncan himself. Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill King Duncan by preying on his sense of manhood and courage. When Macbeth reveals that he has had a change of heart and is no longer willing to kill King Duncan, Lady Macbeth becomes enraged. The plan goes well until Macbeth fails to leave the bloody daggers by the drunken men.
Macbeth is notably rattled and has ostensibly murdered the chamberlains out of fear of being caught and in horror for what he has chosen to be a part of. While such a move would seem logical given the circumstances, some view it differently.
Some characters view their escape as a symptom of guilt and wonder if Malcolm and Donalbain are actually the murderers. Macbeth kills Banquo because he sees Banquo as another threat to the throne. Macbeth, never fully understanding how the prophecy would manifest, once again takes matters into his own hands. Even though Banquo is his close comrade, Macbeth is now on a single-minded mission to protect himself and his position, and he kills Banquo to maintain the throne.
Macbeth might be emotionally numb at this point in the play, beyond the point of sadness or even regret, especially for a wife who has helped bring him to ruin.
Macbeth interprets such prophecies literally. Ace your assignments with our guide to Macbeth! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Are the Witches in Macbeth real? Did Macbeth always want to be king? Why does Macbeth think the Witches want to help him? Does Lady Macbeth commit suicide? How did Birnam Wood move and why was Macduff able to kill Macbeth? What convinces Macbeth that the Witches' prophecy is true? Why does Banquo not trust the Witches?
Why does Macbeth believe he needs to kill King Duncan? Why does Macbeth kill King Duncan's two chamberlains? Why does Macbeth kill Banquo? How does Lady Macbeth's death affect Macbeth? What convinces Macbeth that he is invincible over Macduff's army?
0コメント