Analysis of Macbeth's Soliloquies

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Analysis of Macbeth's Soliloquies

We have studied all 4 of Macbeth's soliloquies during the course of

the play 'Macbeth'. I will now be analysing the different soliloquies.

With each soliloquy, I will observe each of them, compare them with

each other and evaluate them.

In this soliloquy, Macbeth is feeling very indecisive about killing

king Duncan. Macbeth struggles with whether to kill Duncan-a good king

and a brilliant man- to become king himself or not to kill the king

and live the rest of his life wandering 'what if'. Macbeth has reason

not to kill the king. One of the reasons is that he thinks heaven will

avenge the murder if it was to happen. Macbeth is very troubled at

this point in the play and starts to show it in "line 16-22" but then

at the end, his ambition to be king overrides any guilt/cowardice he's

feeling. Between the 1st and 2nd soliloquies, there are a number of

similarities and also a number of differences. In both soliloquies,

Macbeth seems to be in a battle with his mind about one thing or

another. The difference is that in the first soliloquy, Macbeth is

anticipating whether to kill the king but in the second, he thinks his

mind is playing tricks on him "line 33-41". Another difference is in

the 1st soliloquy when he's not sure what he's going to do but in

"line 62-64" (2nd soliloquy) Macbeth is quite certain of what he is

about to do. In the 3rd soliloquy, Macbeth is almost panicking at the

thought of Banquo's children overtaking him in his position of being

King. Macbeth is analysing his problems and then trying to figure out

a solution. The 1st soliloquy is in a way similar to the extent that

both the ...

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... that this is the end of the line for him. Because he doesn't have his

support (Lady Macbeth) he feels he can't cope anymore. This is shown

in the way Macbeth uses the last word of every line to sum up his

lifestyle at the moment. Macbeth has certainly learnt his lesson and

he knows it "Line 21-23". In "line 23-25" Macbeth describes life as

being a play on stage that when the actors part is over, he will be

heard no more (death). I almost feel sorry for Macbeth because it is

as if he is lost in a world without any friends and actually looking

forward to the time of death. In "line 18" he mentions the word

'tomorrow' as if the word has lost its meaning. However Macbeth has

certainly got his just desserts because of what he has done to other

people. Macbeth knows that he will die soon without Lady Macbeth by

his side.

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