Macbeth Act 4
Shakespeare might just be enjoyable. A few of the lines that I read today are so clever and insightful, it was actually rather exciting. The Biblical analogy relating Macbeth to Lucifer had me realizing that Shakespeare can spit fire.
Malcolm, while speaking to Macduff (who is unaware that his entire family has been murdered) states that "angels are bright still, though the brightest fell." (IV.3.27) This sentence in a clear, concise, and witty way relates Macbeth to Lucifer, or the Biblical Satan who was thrown to hell after his rebellion against God. Malcolm means to say that as Macbeth was originally showered with honors and recognized as a good citizen, he was the "brightest" of the king's servants, as Lucifer was the brightest of God's angels prior to becoming the devil. Macbeth provides a perfect illustration of an individual who represents the greatest good becoming the worst evil. One major theme of Macbeth is the negative effects of unchecked ambition; Macbeth was the model citizen, putting forth great effort to serve the king in battle; nevertheless, when given the opportunity Macbeth murders his king and cascades into moral depravity, proving himself to be one of the most evil individuals seen in the Shakespeare plays, and stories in general. Macbeth possesses unchecked pride and greed which results in unchecked ambition; these vices allow Macbeth to continue in his wicked ways despite the resulting battles engendered within his own conscience by the atrocities he commits. It is probable that Macbeth will lose all because of his ambition. By trying his hardest to wrongfully take and grasp one thing with all the tenacity and cruelty he can muster, Macbeth will, like Lucifer, lose everything.
Malcolm continues to speak to Macduff saying "though all things would wear the brows of grace, yet grace must still look so."(IV.3.28-30) Shakespeare's means to say that even though people can be hypocrites and pretend to be good (i.e. Macbeth), good people are and always have been acting good, and thus everyone cannot be mistrusted. The writing here epitomizes the succinct, concise and powerful sentences that all writers should attempt to utilize in writing. While the bizarre phrasing characteristic of Shakespeare is present here, the statement can still be understood and appreciated for the amount of information packed into such a short line, and for it's direct indirectness. It's witty, and straightforward if the reader can catch the wit; it's cleverness can be counteracted when viewed by the modern day reader who may often find it difficult to visualize the wordplay that Shakespeare uses. Nevertheless, the concept of fitting more information into less words, and the value of clarity and conciseness can be applied to any aspiring writer.
Macbeth murders Banquo, a close friend, after considering him to be a threat to his continued dominance of the throne, and later on he murders Macduff's entire family. These deeds demonstrate a shocking level of moral indifference, and Macbeth appears to act without hesitation. He appears to have achieved the state that Lady Macbeth wished to reach by "unsex[ing]" herself. Although the tendency to state that women have been granted more power in this story than is historically accurate, this is up for debate. Even though the witches and Lady Macbeth appear to have vast amounts of power, it is unknown whether or not the witches actually possess any real power of their own, and Lady Macbeth frequently refers to her own weakness as a woman, acting only within the parameters of Macbeth's true desires. It is quite probable that the witches are completely reliant on Hecate for whatever abilities they possess, and thus can do nothing outside of Hecate's will. The witches have beards, a clearly masculine trait, and Lady Macbeth desires to be "unsex[ed]," indicating that her feminine traits are responsible for her weakness. Although the women in this story appear quite powerful, it is arguable that their power is a result of their underlying lack of femininity. While Lady Macbeth seems to be controlling Macbeth at first and causing him to act in ways he wouldn't have otherwise, it's important to note that Macbeth did tell his wife that he wanted to be king, and it was rather clear that he had already planned to kill the king. Lady Macbeth only aided Macbeth in doing what he already desired to do. She wasn't powerful in the sense that she manipulated Macbeth, she only backed him and gave support to the wicked deed he had intended to commit anyways. Also, while Lady Macbeth plans the murder, Macbeth does the deed, and continues to murder people throughout the kingdom. Macbeth moves on to plan murders himself, with no regard to age or gender. He essentially takes Lady Macbeth's job. Who is more powerful, the one who plans a murder, or the one who arranges murders and has the power to carry them out?
Malcolm, while speaking to Macduff (who is unaware that his entire family has been murdered) states that "angels are bright still, though the brightest fell." (IV.3.27) This sentence in a clear, concise, and witty way relates Macbeth to Lucifer, or the Biblical Satan who was thrown to hell after his rebellion against God. Malcolm means to say that as Macbeth was originally showered with honors and recognized as a good citizen, he was the "brightest" of the king's servants, as Lucifer was the brightest of God's angels prior to becoming the devil. Macbeth provides a perfect illustration of an individual who represents the greatest good becoming the worst evil. One major theme of Macbeth is the negative effects of unchecked ambition; Macbeth was the model citizen, putting forth great effort to serve the king in battle; nevertheless, when given the opportunity Macbeth murders his king and cascades into moral depravity, proving himself to be one of the most evil individuals seen in the Shakespeare plays, and stories in general. Macbeth possesses unchecked pride and greed which results in unchecked ambition; these vices allow Macbeth to continue in his wicked ways despite the resulting battles engendered within his own conscience by the atrocities he commits. It is probable that Macbeth will lose all because of his ambition. By trying his hardest to wrongfully take and grasp one thing with all the tenacity and cruelty he can muster, Macbeth will, like Lucifer, lose everything.
Malcolm continues to speak to Macduff saying "though all things would wear the brows of grace, yet grace must still look so."(IV.3.28-30) Shakespeare's means to say that even though people can be hypocrites and pretend to be good (i.e. Macbeth), good people are and always have been acting good, and thus everyone cannot be mistrusted. The writing here epitomizes the succinct, concise and powerful sentences that all writers should attempt to utilize in writing. While the bizarre phrasing characteristic of Shakespeare is present here, the statement can still be understood and appreciated for the amount of information packed into such a short line, and for it's direct indirectness. It's witty, and straightforward if the reader can catch the wit; it's cleverness can be counteracted when viewed by the modern day reader who may often find it difficult to visualize the wordplay that Shakespeare uses. Nevertheless, the concept of fitting more information into less words, and the value of clarity and conciseness can be applied to any aspiring writer.
Macbeth murders Banquo, a close friend, after considering him to be a threat to his continued dominance of the throne, and later on he murders Macduff's entire family. These deeds demonstrate a shocking level of moral indifference, and Macbeth appears to act without hesitation. He appears to have achieved the state that Lady Macbeth wished to reach by "unsex[ing]" herself. Although the tendency to state that women have been granted more power in this story than is historically accurate, this is up for debate. Even though the witches and Lady Macbeth appear to have vast amounts of power, it is unknown whether or not the witches actually possess any real power of their own, and Lady Macbeth frequently refers to her own weakness as a woman, acting only within the parameters of Macbeth's true desires. It is quite probable that the witches are completely reliant on Hecate for whatever abilities they possess, and thus can do nothing outside of Hecate's will. The witches have beards, a clearly masculine trait, and Lady Macbeth desires to be "unsex[ed]," indicating that her feminine traits are responsible for her weakness. Although the women in this story appear quite powerful, it is arguable that their power is a result of their underlying lack of femininity. While Lady Macbeth seems to be controlling Macbeth at first and causing him to act in ways he wouldn't have otherwise, it's important to note that Macbeth did tell his wife that he wanted to be king, and it was rather clear that he had already planned to kill the king. Lady Macbeth only aided Macbeth in doing what he already desired to do. She wasn't powerful in the sense that she manipulated Macbeth, she only backed him and gave support to the wicked deed he had intended to commit anyways. Also, while Lady Macbeth plans the murder, Macbeth does the deed, and continues to murder people throughout the kingdom. Macbeth moves on to plan murders himself, with no regard to age or gender. He essentially takes Lady Macbeth's job. Who is more powerful, the one who plans a murder, or the one who arranges murders and has the power to carry them out?
I really like your analyses of different quotes and the complex theme of femininity throughout the play. However, I disagree with your idea that Lady Macbeth is less at fault than Macbeth. While Macbeth's future murders have nothing to do with Lady Macbeth, her initial persuasion is what convinced Macbeth to get rid of his sense of morality and commit the initial murder of the King (for her own selfish reasons also). Since this action pretty much caused the rest of the murders, I still think that Lady Macbeth is just as much at fault for all of the murders as Macbeth is.
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