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How Does Shakespeare Create Sympathy For Macbeth (стр. 1 из 2)

In Act 5 Essay, Research Paper

`Macbeth has, with the aid of

his wife, committed the murder of Duncan and he has claimed the throne of

Scotland for himself.? During his reign

as king Macbeth has created a tyranny in Scotland.? He has continuously been dragged further and further into the

world of evil, visiting the witches during his reign.? He is suspicious of everyone and has spies in the homes of the

thanes of the country; he became so paranoid that he had his best friend,

Banquo, murdered because he knew of the witches? prophecies.? Macbeth and his wife have grown further

apart, he is no longer dependant on her for piece of mind and it is not she

that he turns too.? We have already

learnt that Macbeth is suffering from insomnia and nightmares when he does

sleep, suggesting that despite his outward appearance of strength he is feeling

the repercussions of his actions.?

Macbeth is so detached from people now, and so cold and calculated; that

he had the wife of Macduff and his children brutally murdered for no other

reason than that he could.? It is this

act of pure brutality that sends the audiences estimation of Macbeth to rock

bottom, and it is by the beginning of Act 5 that the audience will feel some

kind of hatred towards Macbeth because he has become so heartless.? Their murders were motiveless and cannot be

justified in any way.? However the play

is a tragedy, and so there needs to be a sense of loss created, that because of

his bad judgements Macbeth has ruined his life. In order to achieve this

Shakespeare creates some kind of sympathy for him, so that there is a sense

that yes Macbeth should have died, it is what he deserved, but that it is

tragic, it should and could have been avoided.Throughout the play it has been

Lady Macbeth who is the stronger of the two partners, she was the initiator of

the murder of Duncan and it is her who helps Macbeth with his instant guilt and

the problems he has initially due to the crime.? In Act 5 Scene 1 we see that she is not as strong as we thought,

he conscience is catching up with her.?

The scene is a visual enactment of her conscience, she is sleepwalking

and in her dreams she re-enacts the murder, she dreams of her and her husband

killing Duncan.? ?Yet here?s a spot?

this shows that she is feeling guilty and repaying the murder over and over

again in her dreams, the spot is blood on her hand.? When Macbeth murdered Duncan he didn?t take the daggers with him,

and she had to go back to put them at the scene of the crime.? In doing so she got blood on her hand, but

dismissed it as being nothing and as being easily washed away.? However we see here that it was more to Lady

Macbeth and it is playing on her mind, it is as if although she has washed the

blood away it is still there.? The

audience should be able to see how distressed Lady Macbeth is at this point,

that despite her appearance of calm and composed she is going mad inside.? The way that this will be acted should

convey this idea; Lady Macbeth is finding it difficult to hold onto her sanity

and keep strong and together.However we can see that Lady

Macbeth had a strong relationship with her husband, as she is feeling guilty

for his actions that didn?t involve any interference from her.? ?The Thane of Fife had a wife: where is

she now?? her she is referring to the murder of Lady Macduff and her

children.? The audience can see that she

feels her husbands? guilt, she had nothing to do with the murder of Lady

Macduff yet she has this playing on her mind. She is also feeling the

consequences of the murder of Banquo ?Banquo?s buried; he cannot come out

on?s grave.?? Although the actions

that Macbeth took after the murder of Duncan had no contribution from her she

feels as if it is her fault.? This is an

indication that Lady Macbeth feels responsible for the way things have turned

out, she was the one who pressurised Macbeth into the murder of Duncan and so

consequently feels as if what has happened to herself, Macbeth and Scotland is

her fault.In seeing how everything is

effecting Lady Macbeth, it helps to create sympathy for her and Macbeth, this

is because we can see her suffering and link it to that of her husband.? This is aided by the fact that Lady Macbeth

uses language similar to what Macbeth used after her had murdered Duncan.? ?All the perfumes of Arabia will not

sweeten this little hand? when they had committed the murder Macbeth said

that all the water in the ocean would wash the blood from his hands.? Lady Macbeth is saying that a lot of perfume

would not take the stench of blood away from her hand.? Due to the fact that Lady Macbeth uses

language that is similar to that of Macbeth allows the audience to link Macbeth

with her suffering.? Lady Macbeth has

crumbled, we see now how weak and vulnerable she is, she has always been the

strong one but she is now acting like Macbeth was.? Lady Macbeth is afraid of everything, the audience can in some

way sympathise with Lady Macbeth because her suffering is clear.? The sleepwalking is a way of Shakespeare

physically showing the effect of her conscience and how everything is effecting

her.? Lady Macbeth is not sleeping and

when she does she has these sleepwalking sessions and nightmares, this

associates with Macbeth, as we already know that he is suffering from sleepless

nights and terrible dreams too.? The

physical enactment of Lady Macbeth?s conscience allows Shakespeare to create

sympathy for Macbeth because the audience knows, despite the fact that he has

not shown recently, that Macbeth is feeling the same as his wife.? The audience has always seen Lady Macbeth as

the strong person in the relationship, she is the one who kept Macbeth going

and tried to decrease his pain and suffering.?

She has never let anything bother her, but now we see how things have

truely effected her.? The implications

of this are that if Lady Macbeth is suffering so greatly Macbeth must be

suffering so much more as he is the one who has always shown the remorse for

the murder of Duncan.? Also he has done

far much more than Lady Macbeth has he committed the murder of Duncan and

ordered the deaths of Banquo, Lady Macduff and Lady Macduff?s children.Shakespeare uses the suffering

of Lady Macbeth to have the knock on effect of making the audience think about

Macbeth and how he is being effected by the situation that he is in.? When the doctor has seen Lady Macbeth he

tells Macbeth of what he thinks is medically wrong with her.? The doctor has already said that he cannot

do anything of Lady Macbeth ?This disease is beyond my practice? what is

wrong with Lady Macbeth is too serious for him to deal with. All he can suggest

is that Lady Macbeth should not be exposed to anything that she may use to kill

herself with.? When the doctor tells

Macbeth if the situation Lady Macbeth is in Macbeth doesn?t seem too

bothered.? He makes some little enquires

about his wife but they are more related to his own suffering then hers.? ?Cure her of that? it appears that

Macbeth is worried about his wife but he is also making enquires about himself.

We know that there used to be love in the relationship between Macbeth and his

wife so it is fair for the audience to presume that there is some concern for

his wife there but it is mainly for himself.?

He wants to be free from the way he is feeling and as his wife is

feeling the same as him and so if she can be cured he too can be.? ?Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow,

Raze out the written troubles of the brain? Macbeth wants the doctor to

make the memories he has disappear.?

From this initial reaction the audience can see that Macbeth is too

suffering, just as we saw his wife do so.?

He wants the cause of suffering to be removed from the mind of himself

and Lady Macbeth, he has had enough and is clutching onto the hope that the

doctor will be able to make him better.?

He is looking for way out.?

However the doctor explains to Macbeth that there is nothing he can do

for Lady Macbeth ad so consequently for him.?

At the news of this Macbeth is angered and lashes out at the doctor ?Throw

physic to the dogs; I?ll have none of it? Macbeth is infuriated by the fact

that the doctor hasn?t got a miracle cure for his guilty conscience.? Macbeth says that the doctor is useless and wants

nothing to do with his advice.? The hope

that Macbeth had, that the doctor would help, has been taken away from him with

the diagnosis of the doctor.? Although he is at first angry,

his temperament changes into sadness.? ?The

water of my land, find her disease? because Macbeth realises that he cannot

be cured he looks at his country and the state she is in.? His tyranny across the land has left a shell

of what the country used to be and it as at this point that Macbeth realises

what he has done to the land that he loved so much and fought for against all

the odds.? He wants the doctor to bring

the country back to health.? This is the

first time that the audience has seen Macbeth think about what he has done to

the country and how his actions have effected her.? We see the loyalty for his country that Macbeth had at the

beginning of the play.? He comes to the

conclusion that he has not got what he wanted.?

He has been reduced to going through his daily life, all the tedious

tasks he thought would make him happy, and he also has to put up with his guilt

and regret also with a country in turmoil. ?He wants to get the country back on track and being the solider

that he is Macbeth feels that the best way for him to do this is to get rid of

the English, which are threatening him.?

?Would scour these English hence? Hear?st thou of them?? Macbeth

is ready to take his country into war because of the threat of the English, who

are helping the Thanes of Scotland who are grouping together against Macbeth

and the way he is running the country.?

This helps to create sympathy for Macbeth because this is the first time

that we have seen him take a look at his actions and how they have effected his

country.? By seeing this different side

to Macbeth the audience can some way remember the Macbeth at the beginning of

the play who was loyal to his country and fought to the best of his ability for

it and for his king.? This helps to

crate a felling of waste, because the Macbeth at the start of the play has

gone, he has changed into the horrible ruler that Scotland has now.Lady Macbeth is so consumed

with guilt that in Scene 5 she commits suicide.? Macbeth reacts to the news of the death of his wife in a cold and

unfeeling manner.? ?I have almost

forgotten the taste of fears? when he hears the screams of a woman, not

knowing who it is, he shows no reaction.?

We can see that Macbeth has become so used to horror and death that he

can no longer be shocked.? It is as if

it is a common occurrence for him.? His

senses have become chilled; he has lost all emotion.? This illustrates that Macbeth has actually suffered because of

what he has done and he has become detached form everything and nothing will

stir him, not even the screams of a Lady.?

This makes us think that Macbeth is now just a shell, he feels nothing

and so really has no life.? He goes

about doing the things that he has to but he is not there emotionally.? When Macbeth learns that the screams where

those of his wife he is not upset at all ?She should have died here after?.? He simply says that Lady Macbeth would have

died anyway and it is best that she is out of life, it is the easiest and best

option for her.? It almost seems that

Macbeth cannot feel sad because he is envious of her death.? She no longer has to live with the guilt and

suffering but he does, it is not that easy for him to get out of it he has to

live with his conscience everyday and he cannot feel sad at her death because

she has been set free.? There is

monotony in his speech, ?To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow?.? Macbeth is summing up his life, it is a

repetition and he doesn?t get a break.?

His life is the same all the time, he has no escape from what he has

done.? Macbeth has given up on life to

him it is meaningless.? ?The way to

dusty death.? Out, out, brief candle!?

Macbeth sees life as just being something to fill the gaps in and that

everything leads to death.? Life is

short and at this moment in time he can see no meaning to it ?Signifying

nothing? he is empty of his soul and wonders what the point in life

is.? He sees those who expect something

out of life as being fools.? Macbeth is

showing here that he greatly regrets his actions and has to live with what he

has done everyday of his life and there is no escape from himself, it is

getting him down greatly.? The audience

can clearly see that Macbeth is severely depressed.? This aids the creation of sympathy because the audience is now in

touch with how he is feeling and just how badly his actions have effected

him.? It doesn?t take away the fact that

what he has done is unforgivable but it does help the audience to see Macbeth

in a different light.? We can see how

much he is suffering and it has made him anxious, alone, depressed and

afraid.? It is not until now that it

becomes apparent that Macbeth has reached the point of desperation and life has

lost all meaning for him.? He is in such

desperation that he has come to envy the dead.?

His guilt is tearing him up inside leaving only a fraction of the man

that used to be.? Macbeth deeply regrets

what he has done and we can see that the way he has acted, the things he has

done have turned Macbeth into a manic-depressive.Shakespeare makes the audience

feel closer to Macbeth through his soliloquies.? It is the only way in which the audience can get inside his head

and so understand what he is going through.?

When Macbeth is alone he lets his defences down and so allows himself to

become vulnerable and open to the audience.?

?I have liv?d long enough: my way of life is fall?n into the sere?

Macbeth feels that he has lived long enough and his life is now a wreck.? This is the first time that the audience

sees how much Macbeth is suffering.? He

just wants out, he cannot cope any more.?

Shakespeare uses imagery to convey the feelings and attitudes of

Macbeth.? ?Yellow leaf? Macbeth

has, in himself, come to the autumn of his life and it will soon be over. ?He is accepting that he is near the end of

his life and sees life now as more of a tedious task rather than something to

be enjoyed and embraced.? ?As honour,

love, obedience, troops of friends, I must not look to have?.? Macbeth knows that people hate him, he has

noting left any more, no honour, no love, no obedience and no friends.? His only left with hatred and guilt, he has

nothing any more.? He feels as if he has

betrayed his own life, he has nothing left any more.? This is a heartrending show of emotion from Macbeth; he has given

up on life.? Macbeth has accepted

eternal damnation.? He is showing an

almost regret for what he has done.?

Macbeth would end it all but he has to carry on ?which the poor heart

would fain deny, and dare not? although suicide seems like the perfect way

out for Macbeth.? However he cannot take

this option because it is not in his nature to just give up on things, although

this is what he has done privately to the rest of the people he doesn?t want to

be seen that way.? He has become

desperate and his mental state of mind is unstable, he is showing just how

things are getting to him.? From the way

Macbeth talks we can see that he is becoming more and more fed up with life,

his guilt is so overwhelming that he just cannot see himself living any

more.? This helps to create some kind of

sympathy because we see that Macbeth is so consumed by what he has done and the

repercussions of his actions that he cannot see anyway out, he contemplates

suicide, as this is the only way out he can see.However in public Macbeth is a

completely different person.? He is

almost split in two, the private and public ?faces? of him.? Around people Macbeth keeps up this pretence

of being confident and he puts on a brave face.? He wants to get on with everything, ?Till famine and the ague

eat them up; were they not forc?d with that should be ours? Macbeth wants

to get rid of the English from Scotland and so allow the country to go back to

what it was like before.? He feels that

if he can get rid of the English then he will be able to put things right.? In front of people Macbeth is full of