Conscience In Macbeth

In Macbeth, the playwright known as Shakespeare expresses that life is governed solely by one’s own conscience of right and wrong through his main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. This enlightenment approach of conscience means that everyone gets to decide their own fate, rather than letting fate choose for them. In the beginning of Macbeth, Shakespeare writes Macbeth to decide to let fate chose his path. “If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me, without my stir” (1.3.157-159), this line that Macbeth says is a paradox the play’s main idea of choices. Macbeth is making his own choice to let “fate” make a decision in his life. Saying that if the Witches are correct about his reign as king then he shouldn't have to do anything to

become king; it will just happen. Yet, he still makes a conscience decision to not take action.

Although, later on Macbeth does take action on becoming king. If he had not his life would have been very different. In the final act of Macbeth, Macbeth makes his a final life altering decision that is valiant, but does not change his morality. Macbeth is being cornered by a huge army, and he has a choice to either stay and fight or flee. Ultimately he makes the decision to stay and fight, even though it could mean death “They have tied me to a stake. I cannot fly, but bear like, I must fight the course” (5.7.1-2). In this way Macbeth is choosing his own destiny, because the Witches have never mentioned anything about how his life would end, except for stating to not fear “ any man being born of a woman”. The witches don't tell Macbeth that he will have to fight,or die. It is left up to Macbeth to decide his morality and manhood. Macbeth is the ultimate decider of his own fate. The audience perceives Macbeth as a somewhat weak and bloodthirsty man who becomes too corrupt to handle. Macbeth’s wife pressures him into killing Duncan, but then Macbeth ends up turning on everyone. At first the audience sympathizes with his “weak” personality, but it soon becomes clear that Macbeth's decisions are driven by his lust for

power. In the final scenes when Macbeth decides to stay and fight for his throne the audience has already become unsympathetic and cold toward Macbeth. This is because of the countless times Macbeth has rejected just how far actions had gone, and the consequences that come with them. The audience doesn't root for Macbeth to save his kingdom, but rather cheer on Macduff and Malcolm instead. In Macbeth, Shakespeare also uses Lady Macbeth to explain how life’s path is decided by conscience. Shakespeare introduces Lady Macbeth as an strong and self thinking woman. The audience has no choice but to see her as the decider of her own actions; she says what she's going to do and then does it wholeheartedly. Lady Macbeth decides to ask the three witches to remove her all of her womanly feelings, so that she may kill Duncan “Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe-topful of direst cruelty” (1.5.30-33). Even though Lady Macbeth is asking the 3 witches, known as fate to help her she is still making a choice to kill Duncan all on her own. She doesn't need to ask them, because the witches have never even talked about her in their prophecies. They have only predicted what Macbeth’s life could be, not hers. Shakespeare is implying that the Witches predictions are merely things that could happen. In the end it is up to the both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to decide their own actions.Shakespeare also heavily suggests that Lady Macbeth was governed by conscience and not fate, because she begins to feel guilty for killing Duncan and his servants. For a moment she panics from her actions and what the consequences she might face are. Lady Macbeth says “Alack, I am afraid they have awakened, and it's not done. Th’attempt and not the deed confounds us. Hark! I laid their daggers ready; He could not miss ‘em” (2.2.9-12). This line clarifies that Lady Macbeth thinks Duncan might still be alive, she asks how Duncan could still be living, since she laid their daggers out for Macbeth to see. She also is contemplating her fear if he were not dead and how surprised she would be. Both characters are fully aware of all their actions that they've chose, which cause them to run away from the consequences of their sinful deeds. In conclusion, Shakespeare's literature, or rather Macbeth, exemplifies that life is governed by conscience, because of Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth's hard choices, the 3 Witches prophecies, and guilt.