Analysis of Macbeth's Soliloquy

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Analysis of Macbeth's Soliloquy

I have chosen one of Macbeths soliloquys from Act 1 Scene 7. This

scene follows Lady Macbeth welcoming Duncan into the castle to have a

banquet to celebrate the sucess of the battle earlier that day.

Macbeth has left the banquet to ponder the idea of murdering King

Duncan.

Macbeths first lines suggest

“If it ‘twere done when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well it were done

quickly”

In these first lines there are many elisions making it very quickly

spoken, Macbeth cannot bear to stay on the subject of murder for very

long. Here Macbeth is saying, if only his troubles would end with

Duncan’s murder, then he would go ahead and do the murder, quickly. He

just wants to get it over and done with. The use of 'it' shows Macbeth

using neutral, non-specific language to disasociate himself as far as

possible from the murder.

Macbeth fears the consequences of the murder and implies that he would

go ahead with the plan for the murder, if he were sure that this would

be the “be-all and the end-all, here” .

Macbeth goes onto visualise himself as a fisherman we see this in the

lines:

'But here upon this bank of and shoal time'

He is 'netting' the consequences as he stands on the shoal of time,

perhaps in an unspoken sea of eternity. This is a very powerful image.

He then suggests that he would risk being damned to become king:

'We'd jump the life to come'

There is a sort of recklessness and instability in the word 'jump', as

if to jump off a cliff. 'Life' is a vague euphemism, for hell, Macbeth

uses these a lot to avoid associating himself with the act of murder

and its spiritual consequnces. The 'we' in this line could be seen the

royal 'we' which would show he is already beginning to think of

himself as king.

Macbeth also fears the consequences of killing Duncan in this world:

'We still have judgement met here'

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