Macbeth's Moral Deterioration

Macbeth's Moral Deterioration

From the start of the play it seems already as if Macbeth is under the

witches' influence. His first line of the play he recalls the witches'

words: "Foul and fair". It is as if he, just as the witches, sees no

difference between good and evil.

When the witches first tell him that he is Thane of Cawdor and 'shalt

be king hereafter', Macbeth first dismisses the idea: " And to be king

stands not within the prospect of belief - no more than to be Cawdor."

When he says 'not within the prospect of belief' it means in the real

world it could not happen, but maybe he has dreamed of it before. Then

when the witches vanish he says, "Would they have stayed!" He wanted

to know more about this prophecy that he has hoped of and the witches

have said would come true.

Ross and Angus then tell him that he been announced as the Thane of

Cawdor. He now begins to trust the witches after their first prophecy

comes true. He pulls Banquo aside and talks excitedly about the

witches' prophecies "Do you not hope your children shall be kings,

when those that gave the Thane of Cawdor to me, promised no less to

them?" He is asking Banquo if he believes the witches as well, to see

if Banquo is on his side. This maybe indicates that the thought of

murdering Duncan has already crossed his mind and he wants to know

whether Banquo would help him. Banquo, as a good friend, offers some

words of warning: "The instruments of darkness tell us truths; Win us

with honest trifles, to betray's In deepest consequence" He is saying

to Macbeth that he may have been told the truth just so he begins to

trust the witches, which of course is e...

... middle of paper ...

...urst do

it, then you were a man; and to be more than what you were, you would

be so much more the man". After that she shows how truly evil she is:

"I have given suck, and know how tender 'tis to love the babe that

milks me; I would while it was smiling it my face have plucked my

nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so

sworn as you have done to this." This implies that she believes in

keeping to promises. Macbeth never actually said to her that he would

kill the king. But by this time Macbeth is too brainwashed by his wife

to realise this and Lady Macbeth is clever enough to understand that.

Macbeth shows his moral weakness at the end of the scene when after

all Lady Macbeth's berating he says "I am settled". He has given in to

her demands and cannot think for himself. He will kill the king.