who should rightfully inherit the throne.
5. More crimes are referred to but not specified. Macbeth rules by
terror, since he does not deserve--or have--anybody's loyalty.
Describing Scotland under Macbeth's rule, Macduff says, "Each new
morn / New widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows / Strike heaven
on the face..." (Act IV, Scene iii, lines 4-6).
So Macbeth does horrible things, but that is not the whole story.
Macbeth is different from some of Shakespeare's other villains like
Iago (in Othello) and Richard III. The latter enjoy doing evil; they
have renounced what we think of as normal ethics and morality.
Macbeth's feelings are more complicated. In the beginning of the
play, at least, he appears to have a conscience that tells him what
he's doing is wrong. Or is he just afraid of the consequences of his
actions?
He is never able to enjoy the crown he has taken. He experiences
nothing but anguish. Is that simply because he is afraid of losing
the crown, or is his conscience bothering him?
None of these questions is answered directly in the play. Each
reader has to form his or her own opinion, based on the text.
Let's look at how Macbeth feels about each of the crimes we listed before:
1. Killing Duncan horrifies Macbeth. Before the murder, he tries to
tell Lady Macbeth that he will not go through with it. She has to
goad him into killing the King. After committing the murder, Macbeth
seems almost delirious. He says that "...all great Neptune's ocean
[will not] wash this blood / Clean from my hand" (Act II, Scene ii,
lines 60-61).
2. When he murders Banquo, Macbeth is still in torment, but the
cause of his anguish seems to have changed. He is afraid of Banquo,
because Banquo knows about the witches and because the witches
predicted that his descendents would be kings. Banquo's death, he
says, will put his mind at rest.
3. We are never told how Macbeth feels about the murder of Macduff's
wife and children. Their killing gains him nothing. He has good
reason to fear Macduff, but slaughtering his enemy's family is
pointless.
Macbeth seems to order their murder for spite, out of a feeling of
desperation. Despite the witches' new prophesies, which appear to be
reassuring, he is afraid of losing the crown. Since he cannot get at
Macduff directly, he lets loose this senseless violence.
4. The spies Macbeth plants show how desperate and paranoid he is.
