How does Shakespeare demonstrate the power of the mind in Macbeth? Essay

Macbeth is a tactic nonable for murder and its references to blood. It is usu ally associated with bad luck and brutal how incessantly, in that respect is ace chief(prenominal) issue that appears time and time again force let on-to- block up the play what is it that look ats the characters to do the things that they do? Shakespe are explores and pre moves the actor of the estimate in galore(postnominal) interesting vogues. These include soliloquies and slight changes in characters such as the route they talk, act or present themselves.The main character affected by the power of his mind is, of course, Macbeth. What happens in his mind basically provides the plot for the unit of measurement play. Once the witches wee-wee told Macbeth that he will be king he stooge either choose to ignore this piece of information or do something almost it to gravel it come around faster. Macbeth chooses to do the latter(prenominal) and he carry offs the current king, Duncan. c hick Macbeth becomes so caught up in the serial of events and excited at the prospect of world Queen that she urges Macbeth on, encouraging him to fulfill his apparent destiny and become King. In the end, the way that Macbeth presents himself and talks is alone contrary to the character we are introduced to at the beginning of the play. This is all collectable to the effect his mind power has everyplace him. We likewise bump into changes in lady Macbeths character such as paranoia and slight changes in the way she talks and thinks.The first evidence we see of mind power is in sham 1, Scene 3 where Macbeth meets the witches. Why do the witches prophecies in this perspective nonplus such power over Macbeth? Although Macbeth and Banquo hear the aforementioned(prenominal) thing, Macbeth is oft more moved by the talking to, and I think the main reason for this is that the witches are speaking Macbeths innermost, dangerous thoughts. Once the witches scan Hail to thee, Tha ne of Glamis (Macbeths current title) it becomes apparent to Macbeth that the witches are humpl borderlineable and are capable of predicting the future. Shakespeare constructs the plot cleverly here. The dramatic irony of the au clog upnce knowledgeable he has been cr stimulateed Thane of Cawdor ensures that the audience are already aware of what the witches can do before Macbeth puddles.The disaster is often blamed on the witches because they torment Macbeth by speaking his thoughts in riddles and they bear Macbeth think that his greatest look upon is near. However, the witches could only keep spine so ofttimes power over Macbeth if he already had these thoughts in his head. Therefore, Macbeth himself could be blamed for the tragedy of the play. If he had already thought about killing Banquo, hardly thought slide fastener of it until the witches had corroborate the idea, you could blame him entirely for the murder. The witches know what to think and exactly how to say it, which implies that they know what Macbeth is thinking. An another(prenominal) line in this scene which suggests that Macbeth had already thought about becoming King or killing Duncan is when he pleads with the witches toStay you light speakers. Tell me more.The fact that he was willing to listen to more of what the witches had to say suggests that he had thought of becoming King before and was reassured by the idea that it could really happen.Once the witches have vanished, Macbeth and Banquo visit Duncan at a elbow room in his palace. Here, Duncan appoints Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. It is here that Macbeth begins to fully realise the impact the witches speech communication are having on him. He also sees that they knew what was going to happen to him because they had said, in all hail Macbeth Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor in the previous scene. In a ruling soliloquy, Macbeth reveals his thoughts to the audienceStars, hide your firesLet not light see my saturnine and hidd en desiresWith let not light see my black and deep desires Macbeth confirms that he has thought of becoming King before, barely does not neediness to show it. When he was speaking with the witches he wasnt sure whether to count what they were seeing and although he did think about the idea of becoming King, he never really pursued it. Once the prophecy of Macbeth becoming Thane Of Cawdor comes true, Macbeth realises that he will be king.In Act 1, scene 7 Macbeth is considering murdering Duncan but says there are existencey arguments against it. Some of the lines in this scene make me wonder whose initial idea the murder was and whether Macbeth really necessitateed to kill Duncan. Macbeth says he is enjoying the feeling of cosmos famous and flop but maam Macbeths persuasion quickly works on himI am settled and bend up each corporal agent to this fearful feat.In the second act when Macbeth decides he is against the idea, the more persuasive chick Macbeth is towards him, the m ore Macbeth submits to her taunting When you durst do it, then you were a manAnd, to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man.By the end of the scene, Macbeth has been made to feel so inferior by Lady Macbeth that he has taken over the homework himself. Macbeth plans to blame the murder on the devil guards in Duncans chamberWill it not be receivd,When we have markd with blood those sleepy twoOf his own chamber, and usd their very obelisks,That they have donet?Temporarily, Macbeth has lost his question and fear in the excitement of planning the murder.Perhaps the most famous act of mind power in this play, is the dagger Macbeth sees in Act 2, Scene 1. It is late at night in the castle and Macbeth meets Banquo and Banquos son Fleance. Banquo wants to talk about the witches prophecies to Macbeth. Banquo says that he has dreamt of the sisters and seems to be annoyed because they have showed Macbeth some truth. Just as the tether Weird Sisters predicted, Macbeth s wishes and secret dreams of power have all come true. But along with these, so have his darkest fears.Throughout the play Macbeth continues to struggle against the images his mind conjures up against his own conscious will. Although technically, he has won the crown and been successful, he cannot enjoy himself because of the grand guilt he feels over how his mind has been poisoned by the Weird Sisters. The dagger scene is an extremely decent example of mind power. Shakespeare uses metaphors, imagery and other dramatic cues to express Macbeths emotions and fear. Probably the most well know line in the play, upon seeing the dagger Macbeth says to himself,Is this a dagger I see before me,The handle toward my hand?Macbeth realises that the dagger is only a vision created by his mind, in this question he is questioning his mind asking himself whether what he is seeing is real or a fable of his belief. He continues,art thou butA dagger of the mind,The way Shakespeare has written Ma cbeths speech make it seem so much more realistic. Because this play would first have been performed in a Jacobean field of honor, there would have been no special effects in the theatre to emphasise the visions Macbeths mind were creating throughout the play. The actors would of course had to have been clever to pull off such acting without props, but the choice of words Shakespeare uses it what makes it so much more believable.Act 2 Scene 3 is the morning after the murder. In this scene Macbeth shows a variety of different emotions so it is difficult to tell what he is feeling about the murder. Also, what Macbeth says in this scene is quite ambiguous so it is quite hard to predict out what he soakeds. When Macbeth says Twas a rough night it could either mean that he is shocked by the nights events or that he fears being found out. And when Macbeth saysHad I but died an hour before this run a risk I had lived a blessed time it is relatively easy to see that he feels guilty an d regrets the murder. Another change in Macbeths speech is that his statements seem to be shorter and more formal. This suggests that he is on edge and is worried about being found out. In this scene, Macbeth also decides to appear acting secretly, and does not communicate his plans with Lady Macbeth Be innocent of the knowledge till though applaud the deed.Another major display of mind power in the play is when Macbeth conjures up the image of Banquos go at the banquet in Act 3, Scene 4. idea about why Macbeth is so tense and anxious when he enters the room helps you to witness how his mind could have conjured up the terrible image of the ghost. Macbeth is evidently worried and guilt-ridden about Banquos murder, he saysI had else been consummate(a) but now, I am bound in to saucy doubts and fears.Banquo was Macbeths best friend, and Macbeth had ordered him to be killed. He needed both Banquo and Fleance to be killed, but Fleance escaped. Macbeth excluding his wife from the plans is putting extra pressure on him, not to mention the relationship between the two. The banquet is the first function that Macbeth organises when he is appointed King. Therefore, he inevitably his guests to feel that he is a dangerous King and is control of the banquet. When Macbeth sees the ghost and everything starts to go wrong, Macbeth is desperate to calm his important guests so that they do not think of him as not being a fitting King.The ghost in Act 3, scene 4 has an extremely powerful effect on Macbeth. He goes through different stages of acceptance, first cowering from it, then challenging it and finally, confronting it.the time has been,That, when the brains were out, the man would die,And there an end but now they rise again,With twenty mortal murders on their crowns and displace us from our stoolsMacbeths fear of the ghost is completely natural. He cannot understand how Banquo could have reappeared, especially after having just been informed of his death. He ch allenges the ghost, Hence, dreadful shadow Unreal mockery, hence Macbeth confronts the ghost,Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is gelidThou hast no speculation in those eyes,Which thou dost glare with.The ghost disappears at these words and Macbeth seems to have won by confrontation. Macbeth returns to his guests. Macbeth doesnt realise that no one else in the room can see the things he is imagining he assumes that they saw the ghost and is surprised by their apparent failure to react to it,now I think you can behold such sights, ands keep the natural ruby of your cheeks, when exploit is blanched with fear.The somnambulate scene is one in which Shakespeare demonstrates mind power through actions very well. Lady Macbeth is subconsciously ridden with guilt over the deaths. When she sleepwalks we see her vigorously washing her turn over to scrub Duncans blood from her manpower and asking no one in particularwho would have thought the oldman to have had so much blood in him?Of course, Lady Macbeth does not notwithstanding have Duncans blood on her hands it is only her imagination making her think she needs to scrub her hands clean all the perfumesof Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.Lady Macbeth is usually seen as dominant over Macbeth, she tries to seem stronger than Macbeth and hides her fear, guilt and shame as much as possible. The way that Lady Macbeth weakens when asleep creates a very powerful image of mind power. By scrubbing her hands over and over again we can guess that, rather than seek to rid her hands of blood, she is actually trying to rid her mind of the memories of the night of Duncans murder. The restitute who has been called to help Lady Macbeth says that the disease is beyond his practice and that more needs she the divine than the physician. meaning that she has more need for a priest than a doctor to rid her of her evil disease. Lady Macbeth leaves the room concisely after muttering that whats done cannot be undone and r epetition that she must go to bed. The doctor continues trying to analyse Lady Macbeths disease and confides in her gentlewoman, telling her thatFoul whisprings are afieldinfected mindsTo their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets.The doctor knows Lady Macbeth is covert something when he says deaf pillows it suggests that people reveal their secrets to pillows because they are deaf and therefore cannot hear or repeat what they have done. Shakespeares use of vocabulary is just as important as the actions of the characters in showing how powerful their minds are.Macbeth seems weary when he is told of Lady Macbeths death She should have died afterlifeThere would have been a time for such a word.It is a strange reaction he is suddenly quiet, thoughtful and almost subdued. His drive and motivation disappear. Macbeth no longer sees any point in trying to hold on to the kingship, and does not understand why he ever wanted it.life is a taleTold by an idiot, full of sound and fur y,Signifying nothingMacbeth also thinks that his time is coming to an end and he will die soon. He says that his actions in the past have lighted the fools way to cold death.It seems as though, no matter what happens from this point on in the play, Macbeth can no longer return to being the person he was before the Witches poisoned and taunted him with ambition. On the battlefield, Act 5, Scene 8 Macbeth dares each man on the battlefield to kill him in the face of his seemingly requisite prophecy.Why should I play the papistic fool, and dieOn mine own sword? Whiles I see lives, the gashesDo better upon them.Roman generals in defeat would commit suicide to avoid the disgrace of capture, but, in this speech Macbeth says that while he can see living enemies, he will do his best to kill them. He continues taunting his enemies until Macduff kills him. Macbeth finds out that Macduff was from his mothers womb untimely ripped which is what the Witches told Macbeth earlier in the play. At this point, Macbeth realises his life has come to an end and knows that he will not travel the interlocking with Macduff, however he is brave enough to fight on to the end.An interesting idea is to think about who was truly responsible for the tragedy in Macbeth, other than the witches. Macbeth himself had already thought about the kingship before being told by the Witches that he could achieve it and listens willingly to what the Witches tell him. However, when the plan has been hatched, Macbeth begins to spine off until Lady Macbeth taunts him enough to convince him to take over the planning again, which he eventually does. Also, many of Macbeths speeches are filled with threats, evil and darkness. Mind power plays a large part in Macbeths character having already thought of the kingship, he was really only waiting for confirmation from someone else before acting on his thoughts.Lady Macbeth also plays a major role in the tragedy. She becomes obsessed with the news she is sent by Macbeth, and immediately hatches a plan to achieve the goal. Her speeches, not confused to Macbeths, are also full of darkness and double meanings. When Macbeth seconds down and is not so sure about the plan, she taunts him until she finally persuades him to continue. It is also Lady Macbeth who takes the knives back down to the servants after the murder and tried to make everything normal again. Lady Macbeth is greatly affected by her mind, which we see particularly in the sleepwalking scene where she continually washes and rubs her hands in an attempt to scrub off what she believes to be Banquos blood.At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a great man. by and by meeting the Weird Sisters he begins to make bad choices and gets everything wrong. The effect the three Witches have on Macbeths subconscious mind is astonishing they make him see things, hear things and do things he doesnt really want to do. Along with Lady Macbeth, the Witches taunting and riddles possess Macb eth and turn him into a power-obsessed, ambition-crazed monstrosity. However, Macbeth redeems himself at the end of his life and does not die as the baddie of the play. Macbeth is a tragic hero possessed by evil thoughts, but able to redeem himself by being brave enough to fight on to the end, even though he knows he cannot win back his sanity and/or peace of mind.