Shakespeare Reveals of Macbeth's State of Mind in Act One Scene Three

396 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Macbeths desire for power

Shakespeare Reveals of Macbeth's State of Mind in Act One Scene Three

Macbeth's state of mind is revealed through Macbeth's soliloquies. As

Macbeth speaks "aside" he reveals to the audience his plans to murder

to Duncan. Macbeth says that the "horrid image", referring to that of

him murdering Duncanfills him with utter fear. Macbeth's desire to

become king is "swelling", meaning growing in size. The word

"soliciting" meaning temptation, shows how he cannot stop thinking

about the "imperial theme" which means the topic of becoming king.

These terrible, "fantastical", meaning imaginary, thoughts shake

Macbeth as his "fixed heart" knocks at his ribs and "shakes so" his

"single state of man" meaning his unitary condition, that he cannot

think about anything else and has become completely possessed. Macbeth

suggests that his actions and thoughts are "against the use of

nature", which means that they are not normal and contrary to his

normal condition. While Macbeth is speaking to the audience, Banquo

notices him in this state. He describes Macbeth as being "rapt",

meaning entranced. This shows that Macbeth is so wound up in his own

murderous thoughts that he thinks of nothing else.

Macbeth shows himself to be two-faced in this scene. During the time

in which he is talking to himself, he is full of treachery and

surprise. However when he turns and speaks again to Banquo, he is very

acts innocently and claims that in the meantime he and Banquo should

speak their "free hearts" to each other, which means that they will be

in full honesty with each other.

When this scene starts, Macbeth does not know who the witches are.

During the course of the scene, the witches are responsible for

sparking Macbeth's murderous ambition to become king. The witches seem

to have control over Macbeth. This is shown when, at the end of the

first scene in the play, the witches penultimate line is "Fair is foul

and foul is fair", then when we first see Macbeth in the play, his

first line is, "so foul and fair a day".

Show More
Related

  • Deceit and Betrayal in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the first scene of the first act, three witches plan their next meeting in which they will encounter Macbeth. It is in this scene that the motif is first presented, as the tree witches chant, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air" (1.1.11-12). The witches meet again in scene three of act one. One of the witches discusses a curse she has placed on a woman's husband, because she refused to share her food. This display of evil powers and spitefulness, suggests that the witches may have some influence in the development of the motif. Macbeth enters during this scene along with Banquo, arriving from a victorious battle. He uses the motif to describe the day as "So foul and fair a day I have not seen" (1.3.38). When Macbeth encounters the witches, they give him two predictions. One is that he will become the thane of Cawdor, and then the king of Scotland.

    Read More

  • Idealism and Truth in an Individual’s Life.

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    Our main character Macbeth is very driven by his need for what he believes to be the truth. The play starts out with the quote “Fair is foul, and foul is fair,” (1.1.6) meaning nothing is, as it seems. This quote was from all three witches, who decided they were going to seek out Macbeth who at the time was Thane of Glamis and a prized solider on the battlefield. Macbeth at this time was looking for more in his life. The witches then gave him and his friend Banquo three prophecies. They were that he would become Tha...

    Read More

  • Mental Deterioration In Macbeth Essay

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    After a long and hard battle, the Sergeant says to King Duncan, “For brave Macbeth,-well he deserves that name,- disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, which smok’d with bloody execution , like valour’s minion carv’d out his passage till he fac’d the slave;” (1.2.16) . This quote shows that Macbeth is viewed as a valiant soldier and a capable leader. However, it does not take long for the real Macbeth to be revealed- a blindly ambitious man, easily manipulated by the prospect of a higher status. His quest for power is what drives his insanity, and after having been deemed the Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth’s ambition can immediately be seen. In a soliloquy, Macbeth says, “Present fears are less than horrible imaginings; my thought, whose murder yet is but fantastica, shakes so my single state of man that function is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is but what is not” (1.3.140). Macbeth has just gained more power, and his immediate thought is of how to gain an even higher status as king. He imagines how to kill Duncan, and then is troubled by his thoughts, telling himself it is wrong. This inner struggle between Macbeth’s ambition and his hesitation to kill Duncan is the first sure sign of his mental deterioration. Although Macbeth does kill Duncan, he questions whether or not he should to do so, which is far different from how Macbeth feels about murder later in the play. Macbeth becomes king, and this power leads

    Read More

  • Macbeth Banquo Quotes

    784 Words  | 2 Pages

    “How far is't call'd to Forres? What are these So wither'd and so wild in their attire, That look not like the inhabitants o' the earth, And yet are on't? Live you? or are you aught That man may question? You seem to understand me, By each at once her chappy finger laying Upon her skinny lips: you should be women, And yet your beards forbid me to interpret That you are so.” A shown from this quote Banquo asks many questions regarding on what they want and examines them carefully as stated before “…chappy finger laying Upon her skinny lips: you should be women, And yet your beards forbid me to interpret That you are so.” And unlike Macbeth he doesn’t just simply ask what are you. As you continue to read on you notice how Banquo shows little not fear regarding the three mysterious witches. As there is no evidence of him feeling any fear. Macbeth, however, starts, or flinches, recoils, according to the statement Banquo says. “Good sir, why do you start and seem to fear Things that do sound so fair?” the reason why he flinches shows how he reacts to him being called the Thane of Cawdor and that the prediction that he will be

    Read More

  • The Emotions of Ambition, Remorse, and Fear in 'Macbeth' by William Shakespeare

    387 Words  | 1 Pages

    Macbeth is captured by his wild ambition at the opening of the play when he and Banqou meet the three witches. The witches tell Macbeth that he is the Thane of Cawdor, and later will be king. They tell Banquo that his sons will be kings. Instantly Macbeth started to fantasize how he is going to be king. He understood that in order for him to become king he has to kill Duncan. “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical”(Act 1 Sc. 3, p.23). He was pondering about the assassination until the moment that he could no longer control his emotions. “To prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which overleaps itself and falls on the other-“(Act 1 Sc. 7, p.41). Because of his “vaulting ambition” he killed Duncan.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Macbeth - Appearance versus Reality - Quote Analysis

    575 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Witches introduce the theme with the infamous phrase “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (scene 1, line 11) in the first scene. It’s functional for the Witches to say this in the beginning of the book, as they are the start of all the perplexity. They become the core of confusion when they awaken Macbeth’s ambition and transform his perspective of good and evil, making bad things look good and good things look bad. Ironically in connection with this, Banquo warns Macbeth, “Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s In deepest consequence” (1/3/125-126). The Witches continue to speak in contradicting language, such as “lesser than Macbeth, and greater” (1/3/65) and “Not so happy, yet much happier” (1/3/66) that adds to the sense of moral confusion, by implying that nothing is quite what it seems. Banquo’s warning is fulfilled at the end of the play when the Witches had won Macbeth’s trust with prophecies that became true –‘honest trifles’- and then betray him in the things that really mattered, his life and his country -‘deepest consequence’- to win his spirit for hell.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Macbeth And Oedipus The King

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    These lines show Macbeth’s paranoia to the subject of Banquo’s death. When he says these lines, he is in a room full of people and seems rather crazy because they think he is talking himself or he is seeing things, which in fact he is. This example shows that Macbeth is so paranoid that he is imagining things in his head. This shows that he is terrified of what would happen if the truth came

    Read More

  • Shakespeare Soliloquies In Hamlet

    1548 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the soliloquy in act II scene I with the dagger, Macbeth’s lines are foreshadowing the ending of the play as well as revealing Macbeth’s innermost thoughts. This soliloquy in particular is the most revealing because his other soliloquies are thoughts that Lady Macbeth already suspects he has. During the dream, Macbeth questions these visions saying, “Mine eyes are made the fools o' the other senses, Or else worth all the rest; I see thee still, And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, Which was not so before. There's no such thing” (2.1.44-7). This line shows that Macbeth is consumed by these thoughts of killing King Duncan to the point of not being able to see clearly. His inner self shows that he is consumed by the power of the crown, but he is hesitant to commit such a risky crime. Macbeth is hesitant toward killing, and he cannot even reveal this to Lady Macbeth because she is so insistent that he kills Duncan regardless of his fears. Macbeth’s situation differs from Hamlet and Jacques because Macbeth was able to turn to Lady Macbeth whereas Hamlet and Jacques were completely alone. This is significant because even though Macbeth could talk to someone, he still had his inner thoughts that not even his wife could

    Read More

  • Adversity In Macbeth

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    Macbeth’s provocative or violent actions on the challenges placed before him cause him to build an effect of downfall and dismay throughout the play. Originally, Macbeth handles his challenges in different ways and manners and is constantly changing his procedure. From handling situations carefully to not caring, Macbeth and his violence resulted in guilt and selfishness which he had to overcome. By the end of the play, Macbeth had become a selfish, greedy king and the challenges as well as experiences he encountered shaped him into who he is. He was shaped by the guilt of killing Banquo and Duncan, just to become powerful and a king. For example, in Act 3 Scene 4, Macbeth faces adversity when his mind creates a ghost of Banquo, who he just found out was killed. In Macbeth, the uprising of adversity was often handled in various manners. By dealing with his own challenges, Macbeth transforms his handling of adversity from being cautious to thoughtless, which reflected his character and the transformation he portrayed throughout the

    Read More

  • The Isolation of Macbeth

    1318 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...le Macbeth tells them that ‘every man be master of his time’ so that he can ‘keep alone’. By choosing to isolate himself and not inform Lady Macbeth of his plans to murder Banquo we see how Macbeth feels as if he can’t even trust his closest companions. After turning his back on Lady Macbeth, Macbeth becomes fixated not only on the prophecies of the witches but when he hints to Lady Macbeth that ‘a deed of dreadful note’ will fall upon Banquo and his son he talks like the witches. This shows how Macbeth has turned his back on seeking council from his lords and advisors and begins to act as a king who instead of rationally thinking things out, he chooses to justify his reasons on prophetic predictions from a world of sorcery.

    Read More

  • Number Three In Macbeth's Apparition

    685 Words  | 2 Pages

    “William Shakespeare, often called the English national poet, is widely considered the greatest dramatist of all time” (Bio.) The recurrence of the number three is an important concept in the play Macbeth. The real Macbeth took control over Scotland in 1040 when he killed his cousin King Duncan. William Shakespeare knew this important part of history and wanted to rewrite it into a play that would bring a lot of entertainment. Shakespeare stated, “Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall” (Moncur). In Macbeth and in past history someone had to be killed in order for Macbeth to gain control. “Shakespeare's characters present vivid impressions of human temperament that are timeless and universal” (Bio.) Shakespeare uses the number three in

    Read More

  • The Themes of Macbeth

    996 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most important themes in Macbeth involves the witches' statement in Act 1, Scene1 that "fair is foul and foul is fair." (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 10) This phrase aptly describes the macabre status quo within the character Macbeth and without.  When Macbeth and Banquo first see the weird sisters, Banquo is horrified by their hideous appearances.  Conversely, Macbeth immediately began to converse with these universally known evil creatures.  After hearing their prophecies, one can say that Macbeth considered the witches to be "fair" when in reality their intentions were quite "foul." Macbeth's possession of the titles of Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland came by foul means.  Macbeth became the Thane of Glamis by his father Sinel's death; he became Thane of Cawdor when the former namesake was executed for treason; and he was ordained King of Scotland after murdering the venerable Duncan.  Thus, Macbeth has a rather ghastly way of advancing in life.

    Read More

  • Free Essays - Blind Ambition in Macbeth

    1277 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth, whom initially was a very reasonable and moral man, could not hold off the lure of ambition.  This idea is stated in the following passage: "One of the most significant reasons for the enduring critical interest in Macbeth's character is that he represents humankind's universal propensity to temptation and sin.  Macbeth's excessive ambition motivates him to murder Duncan, and once the evil act is accomplished, he sets into motion a series of sinister events that ultimately lead to his downfall."  (Scott; 236).  Macbeth is told by three witches, in a seemingly random and isolated area, that he will become Thank of Cawdor and eventually king.  Only before his ambition overpowers his reasoning does he question their motives.  One place this questioning takes place is in the following passage:

    Read More

  • Equivocation and Double Meanings in Macbeth

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    The quoted phrase, “fair is foul and foul is fair” is used frequently, the phrase itself is an oxymoron. Early in the play the reader sees Macbeth as the hero because he has saved all of Scotland from the Norwegians. Duncan, honoring Macbeth, says, “More is thy due than more than all can pay.” (Act 1, Scene ) Towards the middle of the play the reader suddenly begins to pity Macbeth, slowly realizing his encroaching insanity for what it is, a downward spiral of death and increased mistakes. Finally, at the end of the play, the reader's opinion of Macbeth moves more towards hate and a feeling that Macbeth is unmistakably evil. As the second witch said:

    Read More

  • Theme Of Ambition In Macbeth

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Macbeth, Shakespeare confronts audiences with universal and powerful themes of ambition and evil along with its consequences. Shakespeare explores the powerful theme of the human mind’s decent into madness, audiences find this theme most confronting because of its universal relevance. His use of dramatic devices includes soliloquies, animal imagery, clear characterisation and dramatic language. Themes of ambition and mental instability are evident in Lady Macbeth’s reaction to Macbeth’s letter detailing the prophecies, Macbeth’s hallucinations of Banquo’s ghost and finally in the scene where Lady Macbeth is found sleep walking, tortured by her involvement.

    Read More

More about Shakespeare Reveals of Macbeth's State of Mind in Act One Scene Three

Open Document