Impression of Macbeth in First Two Acts

Impression of Macbeth in First Two Acts

The first two acts of the play Macbeth are probably the most crucial;

they set the scene, introduce the characters and, with the bloody

murder of Duncan, give us a taste of the horror to come. For the

person Macbeth, the first two acts are equally as important and

significant. We, as the audience, gain many insights into his thoughts

and feelings through his powerful soliloquies; we see his fear,

excitement and temptation when the witches inform him of their

prophecy, we see this initial reaction buckle under the strains of his

anxiety. We see him bullied and eventually dominated by his

manipulating wife, and then we witness him succumb to his

all-consuming greed and ambition that will eventually lead to his ruin

and death. Within the first two acts we see many different dimensions

to Macbeth's character, and then we see these dimensions begin to

alter and change. We gain three main impressions of Macbeth from the

first two acts. The first is that he is portrayed as the ultimate

fighting machine: noble, valiant, brave and worthy. He is almost a

god- like hero, and it is impressed upon us the love, respect and

admiration he consequently gains from his fellow soldiers, noblemen,

and even the King. The second impression of him that we gain is of his

greed, ambition and pride. These character traits are awakened when

the witches herald their prophecy. At first he is prepared to do

anything to get the crown, and he has dark thoughts about killing

Duncan. But his resolve soon gives way to his inner fears, and this

brings in the third impression we get of Macbeth. He is weak, which is

ironic becau...

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...ttention away from Macbeth, who is threatening to give it away. The

whole of Macbeth's behaviour since he murdered Duncan seemed to be

contrived to make people suspicious and Lady Macbeth furious. Macbeth

is feeble and stupid, almost to the extent that his inappropriate

ramblings are made comical.

The impressions we get of Macbeth from the first two acts of the play

are clear. As a soldier he is bold, brave, noble and heroic, and much

loved and esteemed as a consequence. As a man who has been promised

the crown, he is ambitious, greedy, insincere and insatiable, and as a

husband and murderer, he is weak, feeble, and easily manipulated and

influenced. You cannot fail to get these impressions of Macbeth, but

through the succeeding three acts we see how this portrayal develops

and eventually leads to his downfall.