Macbeth - GUILTY

This was an oral presentation, in which I prosecuted Macbeth. I received a grade of A-, however was told that it was my actual presentation rather than my essay that stopped me getting a higher grade :)

Ladies and Gentlemen, I will be brief. You have heard the testimonies and seen the evidence; it is now time for the fate of Macbeth to be decided. Today you have met scores of witnesses testify, under oath, the defendant’s entirely good and honest character, and have pondered as to how the King of Scotland could commit such atrocities. However, unmistakable evidence opposes such testimonies and proves beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant Macbeth killed his King, Duncan the II of Scotland, his life-long friend Banquo and Lady Macduff and her children.

Over the last six months we have seen Macbeth degrade from a fearless and heroic warrior to a murderer, a conscious villain who felt extreme guilt after killing his King out of pure greed and ambition. His servant, as testified, overheard Macbeth express his guilt to his wife on the night of the murder:

“I am afraid to think what I have done;

Look on ‘t again I dare not.”

Following his crowning at Scone, King Macbeth hired three assassins to murder his long-time friend Banquo, in order to protect his crown. It was after the murder of Banquo that Macbeth then turned into an unmerciful, non-repentant tyrant. This man, once heralded a hero, became the bane of Scotland and his people.

The defense has tried to manipulate facts to persuade you that Macbeth is not to blame for these murders and has placed responsibility for these deaths on everyone from Lady Macbeth to the witches, who occasionally conversed with the accused. You have heard testimonies of the three witches, who told us of their encounters with Macbeth. What sort of man would associate with such evil beings, and most of all, believe the nonsense they foresee? The witches did not directly influence Macbeth to assassinate his King, they only speculated as to what the future may hold and these predictions ignited his overwhelming ambition to become King. These associations with the witches bring serious doubts to the goodness of the defendant’s character.

Speculations that Lady Macbeth is responsible for Duncan’s murder have been made by the defense. But blood found on this cloak hidden in Macbeth’s quarters proves without doubt that it was Macbeth who actually committed the murder.