In the tragedy of MacBeth the
villain is widely considered to be Lady MacBeth. It is clear that she encourages
the idea of her husband killing the king and has no regrets about it
what-so-ever. But is it really her or was her husband the real mastermind
behind it all?
Whereas there is plenty of evidence
against Lady MacBeth, there is also substantial evidence against her husband.
For one, the only murder she encouraged him to commit was of the king. MacBeth
decided on the murder of Macduff, Macduff’s family, and Banquo on his own. Even
then, MacBeth was the first to think of murdering the King. (Act 1 Scene III
Macbeth’s words to himself starting at line 130) He was unsure of himself sure,
but he did consider it before his wife’s suggestion.
It is also argued that because of
Lady MacBeth’s great love for her husband she encouraged him to commit the
murder. She loved him so much that she only wanted him to be happy, and if that
meant going along with murder then she was okay with that. This thought is furthered
by the guilt that Lady MacBeth shows in Act V Scene 1. She has so much guilt
that in her sleep she walks about trying, and failing, to wash the blood off of
her hands. She even felt so guilty that she killed herself. Is this the
reaction of someone who is a heartless murderer? Or is it the reaction of a
guilty wife who encouraged her husband to be happy thus putting the blood of
dozens on their hands?
There is one last possibility that
perhaps we haven’t considered. Maybe they both just want to be happy so much so
that they jumped in head first then couldn't find which way was up and which
was down resulting in their imminent deaths. Or maybe it is how it is written
and we, like so often do, are looking for deeper meaning when there is none. I
personally have a hard time believing that writers think such deep things through
when writing a story.
Ultimately, after a story is
written it is for the reader to comprehend. That is part of the fun of reading;
it can come out differently depending on your personality and what jumps out to
you. So let’s just carry on comprehending what we comprehend about the story and/or
the deeper meanings. It doesn't matter
too much in the long run, although it is fun to compare comprehensions every
now and again. I guess that’s why they have book clubs.
(NOTE: This has been an essay about MacBeth. Please forgive any incorrect fact/observations because I read the story in old english and if you have ever read Shakespeare then you will understand that it is very difficult to understand. Thank you & have a lovely day.)
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