Macbeth Act 1 Scene 7 by William Shakespeare

Act 1 Scene 7

Background

·         Duncan and Banquo are now within the house and are eating dinner. Macbeth excuses himself to consider the possibly the possibility of truly killing King Duncan.

Macbeth’s soliloquy

·         At this moment in time, Macbeth is considering the consequences of killing King Duncan. The following are his arguments:

o   Macbeth was hoping that killing King Duncan will be the end of it, and that this murder would be the only one that he ever does. However we know that in reality this does not happen, and he drives himself insane with paranoia.

§  “If the assassination could trammel up the consequence, and catch with surcease success; that but this blow might the be-all and end-all here.”

§  This reflects on Macbeth’s character. He does not feel much guilt for killing King Duncan. Rather he feels afraid if he were to get caught. Therefore if he knows for sure that the murder does not become a streak where there is a higher chance of getting caught, he will do it.

o    Note the use of imagery when he mentions time

§  “But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, we’d jump the life to come.”

§  In the image, he is in the sea, and a small island comes up. The time which he has to jump on the island is limited, and thus he should take the chance as soon as possible.

·         This gives us an idea of how he sees the crown, as an opportunity that is very hard to pass up without even the acknowledgement that the deed is morally wrong. Being the ambitious man that he is, the idea that he may miss a chance at a crown is a big one.

o   Killing Duncan would not be a problem, but he fears punishment

§  “But in these cases we still have judgment here, that we teach bloody instructions, which, being taught, return to plague th’ inventor: this even-handed justice commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice.”

·         Note how he fears capital punishment rather than how the guilt will be for him, for killing a man so kind as King Duncan.

·         He, having made the murder happen and having him become king, may inspire others to come and kill him for the crown in turn. Basically, whatever goes around comes around.

·         With the emphasis on this issue, Shakespeare may be trying to teach the audience a moral lesson, possibly trying to discourage any possible treasons which may occur by making an example of what happened to Macbeth.

o   “His virtues will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against the deep damnation of his taking-off”

§  This is a reference to divinity. Once again, Macbeth will fear punishment rather than committing the deed itself. This time, rather than punishment in the mortal world, he fears punishment in the afterlife.

·         The trumpet (bugle) is a symbol for war. Macbeth fears that by killing Duncan he will start a war with the Gods, especially since these kings are subject to the Divine Right of Kings. Alternatively, the bugle can signify sadness, that killing King Duncan will cause a sadness in the heavens, promising his stay on the throne to be short-lived or very uncomfortable.

o   Note the mention of a baby

§  “And pity, like a naked newborn babe, striding the blast, or heaven’s cherubim, horsed upon the sightless couriers of the air”

·         This is another reference to a baby that he may have had in the past and lost due to a miscarriage.

o   In this case, he is saying that the baby, resting in the afterlife, would be saddened by the acts of his own father and in retaliation try plant the thoughts of a conspiracy into the heads of anyone who knows Macbeth. In a sense, this is an act of betrayal on the baby’s part, but it makes Macbeth feel worse knowing that he has betrayed the trust of his only son.

·         Note the description of the metaphor of the baby.

o   This gives an indication of how mighty he views his son, despite not knowing his son for very long. This gives an indication of how noble it is that he loves his son so much. This gives us an insight on the type of man that Macbeth is; the flawed protagonist, where his only flaw is greed.

o   “Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye, that tears shall drown the wind.”

§  The cherub, that may be a reference to his son, will make the true intentions of Macbeth very clear. Ironically, it is this paranoia that makes his intentions clearly known; there was nothing supernatural involved whatsoever from the eyes of the audience.

§  The wind is used to represent the good impression that Macbeth has in the eyes of the people who know him. Considering that he was the thane of two areas so quickly, this reputation of his ascended like a streak, and the tears that these people see from seeing the horrid things that he is about to do will slowly drown out his sudden rise in reputation, making it all come to nothing.

o   It is here that Macbeth points out the flaw within himself, that he has such a strong ambition that he is willing to do anything to achieve his dream. Assuming that he has no sense of morality, as we can evidently see, it will easily imply that he is willing to do anything, even a crime (treason) to get what he wants. Therefore he knows that his ambition will lead to his downfall. In a way, he has foreshadowed his own demise.

§  “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itselfs and falls on th’ other”

Lady Macbeth and Macbeth

·         “Hath he asked for me?... Know you not he has?”

o   This gives an indication of his nervousness, that he actually considers killing King Duncan to the point that it scares him. He then goes to do the abnormal, which is subtle compared to the huge crime that he is about to commit. We then see that despite the huge soliloquy on why he should not carry out he deed, he is still considering the idea, which is why he went into the room in the first place.

·         “We will proceed….”

o   Note that he reverts back to his confident self and he is shown as in the public. He remains stern despite the fact that he was considering the problem so long ago. This is a form of dramatic irony. We know that on the inside he is a weak minded man blinded by ambition when he acts very confident in the eyes of the public.

o   Note the excuses he uses in front of Lady Macbeth.

§  Contrary to his excuses before, he does not say that he fears punishments but rather he does not wish to belittle the views of the people in his eyes. It is in this way that he puts himself in a more noble light than he was portrayed as before during the soliloquy. Once again, dramatic irony.

Lady Macbeth’s persuasion

·          “Was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since? And wakes it now, to look so green and pale at what it did so freely?”

o   Note the metaphor for hope in the form of dressing

§  The use of the word “dressed” is a metaphor for how quickly he changes his decision, like how he changes his clothes. This shows that he lacks conviction, something admired from many at the time.

o   Note the personification of the idea of “hope”.

§  Where was the hope and ambition that I saw in you a moment ago? Has it gone to sleep?

·         This kind of accusatory tone is something that would have shocked Macbeth. Considering that Lady Macbeth just heard the message a moment ago, it would be quite surprising to find her so passionate about the issue. This sudden shock would cause Macbeth to go into the defensive, thus rendering him unable to list any more reasons not to do such a thing. With time, the arguments brought up by Lady Macbeth, which are indeed quite irrational, would be the only things that Macbeth puts off and would soon become the additional motives for King Duncan’s murder.

o   Lady Macbeth insults his much respected character.

§  What kind of face are you pulling now? What kind of disgusting image of your hope and ambition are you showing me now? This is a reference to how the hope looks like a troll

§  This insults Macbeth immediately, remember that, inferring from what we have seen above, that image is very important to him and the fact that his wife, the love of his life, is insulting him in such a manner is very berating for his pride. At a certain point, Lady Macbeth is certain that he will do anything to prove her wrong. This is a very persuasive technique done by Lady Macbeth and it would not have worked had it been any other person. Additionally nobody would know that Macbeth had this fault except his wife.

·         Lady Macbeth tests Macbeth’s love towards her

o   “From this time such I account thy love”

§  Lady Macbeth says that “I will take this reflection of your attitude as a reflection of the extent to why you love me”.

·         Considering that Macbeth tries to remind his wife that he loves her, getting this reaction would hurt Macbeth deeply. Perhaps, due to his long period of time away from home, he will feel deeply hurt that his wife is unable to receive his love from any form of letter to keep her satisfied. This puts Macbeth in a very insecure position.

·         Lady Macbeth insults his manhood and pride

o   “Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem. Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would.” Like the poor cat I’ th’ adage”

§  Note the choice of words and Lady Macbeth’s mention of the crown as the “ornament of life”. It is in this way that Lady Macbeth puts the thought into Macbeth’s head that the crown is the only thing in life worth getting and that everything else is secondary. In a sense, Lady Macbeth gives Macbeth tunnel vision, and that nothing else should stand in the way of the crown.

§  Lady Macbeth calls Macbeth a coward.

·         Considering that Macbeth has fought bravely in the battle of the first scene, it should come at a surprise that Lady Macbeth should say such a thing. However, considering that Macbeth is already put at a very insecure position and that Lady Macbeth knows fully about Macbeth and would thus be able to make inferences that others would not have done, the fact that Lady Macbeth calls him a coward hurts him deeply and he may take it to be true.  Once again, had it not been Lady Macbeth saying these words, Macbeth would have already left the room.

·         Lady Macbeth appeals to

o   “Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would’, like the poor cat I’ th’ adage?”

§  Ironically, if Macbeth were to kill King Duncan, he would be unable to say it. Yet at this moment Lady Macbeth puts this as a valid point. At this point in time she knows that Macbeth would be irrational at the moment and that any attack on his pride or ability to do something would be enough to put him over the edge.

§  The poor cat in the adage story about a cat that loves fish, but does not like to wet her paws. In this sense, Lady Macbeth is calling him lazy in the sense that he is not willing to work for what he wants. However noble the idea of that may be, Lady Macbeth twists the story to encourage him to do something morally wrong even though the story encourages you to work for what you want, which is a noble thing to do.

·         Macbeth regains his composure after some time. Note that he only counters one of Lady Macbeth’s argument with a statement, which is hardly an argument at all. His lack of words and powerful argument make it obvious to the audience who the dominatrix is. 

·         Lady Macbeth offers him a chance of redemption

o   This is a rather twisted use of the word considering that this “redemption” is one of pride and vanity, and it can only be done by doing committing a mortal sin.

o   “When you durst do it, then you were a man;” It is in this case that she is saying that the only way you could redeem yourself is if you say again that you will commit the deed. Considering that he did that in the past, saying that he would do the deed may not fully redeem himself. It is in this way that Lady Macbeth is pushing Macbeth to do something more drastic than simply “daring to do it”. Perhaps he has to do it… and more.

o   As said before, my prediction seems right: “And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man.”

·         Lady Macbeth offers a limited time for redemption

o   “Nor time nor place did then adhere, and yet you would make both. They have made themselves, and that their fitness now does unmake you.”

o   Macbeth was already aware of this, but when someone else tells you (especially a loved one) that time is limited you will be no doubt put on edge. This further pushes Macbeth into an irrational state of mind. With him being emotionally unstable with a limited time to set things right, who wouldn’t feel irrational or panicky at the moment?

·         Lady Macbeth mentions the baby

o   With this mention of the baby, it is no doubt that they had a miscarriage before. “I have given suck, and know how tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me”. This appeals to another side of Macbeth’s emotion: his love for his miscarriage babe.

o   “I would, while it was smiling in 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”. We see a huge sinister change in Lady Macbeth at this moment. Not only does he push Macbeth over the edge with the mention of the baby, but she somehow twits the image of the baby into something sinister that she would have done in his name. This sudden twist in her dialogue is as dramatic as her change in Act 1 Scene 5 when she speaks to spirits. The shock at her seriousness of these words and to what extent she would do to keep a promise to Macbeth would surely push anyone over the edge to do something irrational. Although we do not see much facial expression in this case, we can imagine Lady Macbeth feigning hurt or anger.

·         Lady Macbeth gives Macbeth words of confidence

o   “We fail? Screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not fail”

§  Note the use of the rhetorical question to sound incredulous. This implies the sense of shock that Lady Macbeth feigns when Macbeth mentions failure.

§  Note the use of the imperative. “Stick to your guts and we will not fail”

·         Lady Macbeth is a liar on this statement. Macbeth carries out the deed and ironically it is Lady Macbeth that goes full on crazy first.

o   Lady Macbeth’s plan to kill King Duncan is, at first look, fool-proof and flawless.

§  “Soundly invite him… of our great quell?”

·         Lady Macbeth’s plan fails to account Banquo. Within the letter in Act 1 Scene 5, Macbeth fails to mention that Banquo was with him when the witches made the prediction. Perhaps if they murdered both of them on that very night there would have been no issue whatsoever. However, I still suspect that Lady Macbeth would have gone crazy with guilt and Macbeth with paranoia, albeit it would take Macbeth slightly longer.

·         Note Lady Macbeth’s use of imagery

o   “That memory, the warder of the brain, shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason a limbeck only:”

§  Lady Macbeth addresses memory as a guard to the brain.

·         She could have been implying that on the morn of their discovery, their memory would have determined their innocence and thus would make the difference between life and death.

·         Lady Macbeth makes the implication that whatever makes your brain yours is the memories that you have. This is a very philosophical standpoint that Lady Macbeth has.

·         Ironically, the memories that Macbeth causes him to go insane from the inside out due to his inability not to tell anybody, lest he confess to his own crime.

§  The mention of the limbeck

·         A limbeck is a distillation tool, used as a reference to the wine. This could be a reference to the toxic chalice mentioned before. This may foreshadow already the idea that the plan will prove to be unsuccessful in the long run.

·         Similar to the plan itself, the use of the limbeck is simple to someone experienced, but the person who pioneered the limbeck is the mastermind behind the production of wine. In this case, Macbeth is the person “using the limbeck” as he is experienced with killing, while Lady Macbeth is the “limbeck”: the mastermind of the plot.

o    “When in swinish sleep”

§  Note the mention of the guards as swines

·         This makes it easier for Macbeth to accuse them, as swines are typically bred for culling.

·         There is also a biblical reference, where God casts demons into the bodies of swines and sends them off the cliff. In a sense, the swines were used in sacrifice and it is this implication that she is trying to push onto Macbeth: that they take the blame for everything.

·         Macbeth’s final words show him empowered

o   “Bring forth men-children only, for thy undaunted mettle should compose nothing but males”

§  Macbeth is moved by the words of Lady Macbeth and reiterates that her fearless spirit should not create anything that is not masculine.             

·         This also marks Lady Macbeth’s transformation: her transformation is complete. She has successfully tempted Macbeth. From this moment on, Lady Macbeth’s transformation into an evil temptress from a loving housewife is irreversible for now Macbeth sees her in a different late.

o   Macbeth reiterates her plan

§  The way he says it in the form of a rhetorical question “When we have marked with blood those sleepy two of his own chamber an used their very daggers, that they have done ‘t?” showcases how convinced he is that the plan itself will work.

o   Support from Lady Macbeth

§  Who dares receive it other, as well shall make our griefs and clamor roar upon his death?

·         This is the first time in the play that they have finally agreed to kill King Duncan. By having them speak consecutively on how flawless the plan is, Shakespeare creates a sinister image around the couple who, based on their prowess and reputation, appear to be able to pull this off. It is at this point that the play takes a sinister turn.

o   “False face must hide what the false heart doth know”

§  Ironically, Macbeth is asking Lady Macbeth to do something that she already has done throughout the whole time. Any ordinary person would be very nervous and scared at this point in time, but Lady Macbeth is holding those feelings in for the sake of Macbeth.

§  This has a biblical reference as well. In any of the times that the devil has appeared or taken a certain shape or form, he acts as a cunning tempter to tempt others to do evil, such as to tempt Adam to eat the apple of knowledge. It is in this case that Lady Macbeth plays the role of the devil himself… or herself.