Literary Essay
This essay, about Shakespeare’s Macbeth, discusses the inevitable transformation of the noble Macbeth into a merciless, blood-thirsty murder via the supernatural.
People cursed with ambition will, in times of self anguish, look upon others, or for signs, to determine answers to where they should go now, or what they should do. Ambition can be a virus for people who are not strong enough to behold it, because one with ambition will only want to travel further and further until they think they are doing what they’re supposed to, and once done with that they will surely continue onwards at the hope of becoming something more important. In this literary essay I discuss how Macbeth was not strong enough for the ambition he with-held, as well as how the supernatural took clean advantage of it.
The supernatural in this story affected Macbeth in a negative was to the point where there was no going back. The three witches planted ideas into Macbeth head that, once planted, began to grow into vulgar thoughts as well as vicious murders. Visions also played a substantial part in the turning of Macbeth to the darker side, they showed Macbeth fragments of what he had done, reminding him of his evil and therefore inspiring him that he could only go further down the tunnel of darkness. The appearance of Banquo’s ghost critically affected Macbeth as well, although in a different way than the visions did, the ghost affected him mentally, so much so I believe it may have sparked his journey of destruction.
The three witches came into the story at the near beginning in the hospital where they led off with their famous quote “fair is fowl, and foul is fair” (1.1.11). The quote itself foreshadows darkness in the near future, and shows that the witches are dark people, with dark intentions. Macbeths First encounter with the three witches was in scene three at a heath. During this scene one of the first things the witches say to Macbeth was “All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter” (1.3.49). Those few words mixed with Macbeth’s curiosity may have been the downfall of Macbeth itself. Even after the witches had left Macbeth was still dazed upon the fact that they had told him he shall be king. Macbeth’s ambition grew substantially, to the point where he began discussing with himself the possibilities of how this could become a truth. Duncan soon calls a meeting and announced that Malcom will be heir to the throne as Prince of Cumberland, shocking Macbeth and forcing him to think of a drastic measure to achieve the position Malcom has been given “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’er-leap…” (1.4.48-49) After Macbeth soon kills Duncan, while staying at his housing, Macbeth is named King and he begins to realize that if the witches had not planted the idea of becoming King in his mind, he would not be drowning in the sorrow, and madness he is now. Macbeth meets with the witches yet again for the last time in a cavern. They leave Macbeth with three notes of advice; “Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff; beware the thane of Fife.” (4.1.71) “for none of a woman born, shall harm Macbeth” (4.1.80), “Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam Wood too high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.” (1.4.92-93). Those pieces of dark advice inject a false belief of invincibility into Macbeth because the advice seems so outrages it could never come true. Ambition, the thought of invincibility, and the sense of power were all given to Macbeth through the three witches and all played a substantial part in the fall of Macbeth.
The visions endured by Macbeth throughout the story had a substantial effect on Macbeth mentally as well as physically. Macbeth’s first vision took place a short-while before the murder of Duncan took place, he envisioned a dagger, which’s handle was set before his hand, towards Duncan “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee” (2.1.33-34). In the midst of this vision Macbeth begins to question weather the dagger is a spectacle of his imagination of it a sign of his soul being summoned to hell “That summons thee to heaven or to hell” (2.1.64). This vision scared Macbeth to the point where he was unsure of weather to kill Duncan or not, but Lady Macbeth took charge and made him do so. “Knock, knock, knock” were the noises that haunted Macbeth soon after his murder of Duncan. Macbeth did not know what was the source of the knock but he believed it was hell knocking to bring him in for his bad deed. From this you can already tell Macbeth is starting to change mentally. His guilt is soon going to get the best of him. “O! full of scorpions in my mind, dear wife” (3.2.36). The last time Macbeth visit’s the witches in the story he was given three pieces of advice from three apparitions that were summoned supernaturally. Most important of the advice was the one saying that “Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him“ (4.1.92-93). This apparition was important because it gave Macbeth the false idea that he would not be dying anytime soon, and the loss of the fear of death is something to be weary of because it is what keeps you in safe boundaries “Who can impress the forest, bid the tree, unfix his Earth-bound root? Sweet bodements! Good!” (4.1.95-96). The visions Macbeth was going through was not only affecting himself mentally, but it was feeding others the thought that Macbeth is too unstable to represent them as a king. The visions, most likely a hallucination of his guilt, drove him mad to the point where he thought the things he was doing to continue his reign in power, were justifiable.
Banquo’s ghost affected Macbeth almost as much as the three witches, if not the same. During a dinner to celebrate the crowning of Macbeth, he see’s the ghost of Banquo sitting in his spot and he begins to converse with the ghost, thinking it is real, making himself look mad to the others, “were the grac’d person o our Banquo present” (3.4.41). Macbeth reacts in horror when he realizes it is a ghost he his viewing, and that act of horror leads the guests to think Macbeth is not in his right mind. Viewing the ghost allows Macbeth realizes that no matter what he does he will never be able to mentally get over the things he has done, and the people he has killed. “My strange and self-abuse” (3.4.142) This quote itself shows the impact the ghost has had one Macbeth, he has just come to find out the impact he’s done by killing and knows mentally he is abusing himself. Banquo was not only a sign of the bad Macbeth has done, but he was also a warning of the bad to come.
The most dangerous substance in the world is not, alcohol, nor violence, it is ambition. Ambition is somewhat like a drug that some are born with, and once it is triggered it can either lead you into a good righteous path, or a path of self-destruction and loathing. Macbeth was one of the few unlucky ones who got placed on a path of self-destruction by the supernatural events. The witches planted the seed in his head, the ghost of Banquo relinquished all hope Macbeth had of returning to the way things used to be, and the visions retired the part of Macbeth’s mind that had any thought of goodness left. Macbeth surrendered himself to the supernatural, and from surrender there is no return.