Macbeth Essay

Question -

Choose a play whose main theme is made clear early in the action. Show how the dramatist introduces the theme and discuss how successfully he or she goes on to develop it. In your answer you must refer closely to the text and to at least two of: theme, key scene(s), characterisation, climax, dialogue, or any other appropriate feature.


A play whose main theme is made clear early in the action is 'Macbeth' by William Shakespeare, as it highlights the conflict between good and evil, as Macbeth, a tragic hero, descends from being a brave, loyal solider to a tyrannical king. This main theme is conveyed through the use of key scenes, characterisation and language.

Shakespeare introduces the idea of good and evil by using the means of the supernatural. Three witches appear in the first scene, conveying the main theme immediately by using the words:

Fair is foul, and foul is fair

'Fair' is used for the idea of good while 'foul' is used to express evil and things which are immoral and against natural order. Also these words suggest how good and evil exist side by side, making it difficult to tell them apart. The idea of deception and disguise is used here to portray the struggle between good and evil.

Shakespeare develops the struggle between good and evil as Macbeth is praised by the captain for his role in the battle between Scotland and the invading armies:

For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name –

Macbeth is introduced to us as the brave man who led King Duncan’s forces to victory against the traitorous Thane of Cawdor, Macdonwald and the King of Norway, in a battle that could have gone either way were it not for Macbeth’s leadership. This clearly shows that Macbeth is not fighting for himself but to save Scotland. At this point, it is proved that Macbeth is seen to be good. However, his first speech turns out to be connected with evil:

So foul and fair a day I have not seen

This makes the audience become suspicious of Macbeth as Macbeth may be considered of having the possibility of being evil. His speech mirrors the words of the witches, suggesting once again that he is questioning his own morals.

Shakespeare continues to show Macbeth’s moral ambiguity when he hears of the prophecies from the witches and a messenger comes to tell Macbeth that he has been granted Thane of Cawdor, he says:

Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor
The greatest is behind…
This supernatural soliciting
Cannot be ill, cannot be good.
If ill, why hath it given me earnest of success
Commencing in a truth

In this soliloquy, Macbeth knows that the witches have revealed some truth and starts to believe them. However, Macbeth wonders why something which is good or brings good luck can be evil or bad. This again hints out the idea of deception and how good and bad impulses might exist side by side in on person.

Shakespeare continues to develop the combat between good and evil by showing how using evil can take over the life of a good person. Once Macbeth hears that Malcolm, Duncan’s eldest son, is the successor to the throne, he thinks of murdering Duncan, who praised Macbeth “o valiant cousin, worthy gentleman”:

The Prince of Cumberland – that is a step,
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars hide your fires,
Let not light see my black and deep desires.
The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be,
Which the eye fears when it is done to see.

Macbeth knows that “chance” will not make him become king and that Malcolm is an obstacle to the throne which he must overcome. An extended image of the stars, not seeing what Macbeth is planning to do, is used in this soliloquy which is connected to the theme of night & evil. Also "eye wink at the hand" creates the idea of deception.

The battle between good and evil progresses as Lady Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth. In this key scene, Lady Macbeth knows that Macbeth has ambition but is worried:

do I fear thy nature,
It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great,
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend it

Lady Macbeth knows Macbeth so well that she is sure that Macbeth’s inner goodness will prevent the kingship to be fulfilled. However, Lady Macbeth attempts to overcome this problem by calling the evil spirits, so that she is able to carry out the murder of Duncan:

Come you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crow to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood,
Stop up th’access and passage to remorse

There is no confusion in this soliloquy, as Lady Macbeth is clearly willing to do whatever is necessary to seize the throne. Her strength of purpose is contrasted with her husband’s tendency to waver. This speech shows the audience that Lady Macbeth is the real steel behind Macbeth and that her ambition will be strong enough to drive her husband forward.

Moreover, Macbeth considers whether he should kill Duncan, listing his good qualities.

First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,…
…Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office

In this soliloquy, when Macbeth lists Duncan's noble qualities and the loyalty that he feels towards his king, we are reminded of how grave an outrage it is for the couple to slaughter their ruler while he is a guest in their house. At the same time, Macbeth fears that:

we still have judgement here, that we but teach
Bloody instructions which, being taught, return
To plague th' inventor

This foreshadows the way that his deed will eventually come back to haunt him. The imagery in this speech is dark and suggests that Macbeth is aware of how the murder would open the door to a dark and sinful world. At the same time, he admits that his only reason for committing murder is his "ambition" which suddenly seems an insufficient justification for the act. At the end, Macbeth resolves not to kill Duncan, but his resolve only lasts until his wife comes and rallies Macbeth on his behaviour.

Shakespeare continues to convey the theme of the struggle between good and evil as Macbeth becomes worried about his kingship and lists Banquo's good qualities:

Our fears in Banquo
Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature
Reigns that which would be feared…
…And to that dauntless temper of his mind,
He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour

This clearly shows that Macbeth knows that Banquo has a good character, making people respect him, as well as not fearing anything. Macbeth knows that Banquo has a stronger spirit than Macbeth, since his has been weighed down by guilt. Despite these qualities, Macbeth insists on killing Banquo as he fears that Banquo's descendants may take the throne instead, due to the witches' prophecy:

Both of you
Know Banquo was your enemy…
…So is he mine; and in such bloody distance
That every minute of his being thrusts
Against my near'st of life;

Macbeth is clearly worried if the witches' prophecy may come true and is determined to prevent the prediction to happen. Macbeth knows that Banquo is so close that every minute Macbeth lives, Banquo is threatening his life. A fighting imagery has been used to describe the space between swordsmen, showing how close Banquo is, in threatening Macbeth. As a result of Banquo's murder, Shakespeare uses the means of the supernatural to haunt Macbeth on what he has done. In this key scene, a ghost of Banquo appears and Macbeth becomes terrified:

The time has been,
That when the brains were out, the man would die
And there an end. But now they rise again.
With twenty mortal murders on their crowns,
And push us from our stools. This is more strange
Than such a murder is

Macbeth believed that when a person would die then there would be an end to his life. However, in this situation, Macbeth knows that Banquo's descendants will still be kings. Macbeth is haunted by this conclusion. In spite of all this, Macbeth does not change his character, but instead plans to become more evil as he knows that there is no turning back:

I am in blood
Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o'er.
Strange things I have in head, that will to hand;
Which must be acted ere there may be scanned.

Characterisation is used as Macbeth says that he is so used to evil deeds that it will be easier to continue the bloody course of action than to go back. The recurring imagery of blood is mentioned here to show how evil Macbeth has now become.

Most of all, at the end of the play, Macbeth now understands how something which is good, namely the kingship, can be evil or bad:

I have lived long enough. My way of life
Is fallen into the sear, the yellow leaf;
And that which should accompany old age,
As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends,
I must not look to have; but in their stead
Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath
Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not.

Macbeth now realises that his life has dried up. He now regrets that he has no true friends, loyalty or honour due to his tyrannical behaviour. When Lady Macbeth dies, Macbeth reflects on the significance of his life:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death.

Given the great love between them, his response is oddly muted, but it moves quickly without interruption into a speech of such pessimism and despair that the audience realises how completely his wife’s passing and the ruin of his power have undone Macbeth. His speech insists that there is no meaning or purpose in life. Rather, life is:

a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

In conclusion, Shakespeare conveys the theme of the struggle between good and evil effectively, through the tragic flaw of Macbeth. By his clever use of characterisation, key scenes and language, he manages to portray a clear message to the audience, making the play fascinating to watch.

My Comment

This is an in-depth discussion of the main themes of Macbeth and the relationships in the play. It's too long and has too many quotes for a 45-minute exam essay - normally I advise people sitting the Higher or Intermediate English exam to go in with three to five detailed quotes and aim for about six paragraphs, not including the introduction and conclusion.