What Are The Consequences Of The Choices That Macbeth Makes?

Underline the key words in the title and the following essay: consequences, choices.

Shakespeare wrote 'Macbeth' in the early 1600s, when James 1st was on the throne. During this period there was political unrest as deep divisions between the Catholics and the Protestants led to attempts being made on the King's life, the Gunpowder plot. Shakespeare wanted to reassure his audience and his patron, the King, that treason would be severely punished and to interfere with the natural order of royalty, the divine right of kings, would bring anarchy to a country. Furthermore, Shakespeare explored the influence of witchcraft on his superstitious audience, since witch hunts were common and the idea of witchcraft would have inferred chaos and trouble for the characters and events in the play.

The genre of 'Macbeth' is a tragedy, a traditional Greek theatrical form which shapes the ideas, themes and setting of this play. The protagonist, Macbeth, is the tragic hero who experiences a peak at the start of the play, as he is victorious in battle and awarded the title of Thane of Cawdor by his appreciative King, yet through various influences such as his own fatal flaw of ambition kindled by the witches fateful predictions, he is led to his downfall: insanity and eventual death. A fateful and ominous tone is set from the opening, Act 1 scene 1, as the witches are introduced with portentous pathetic fallacy, 'Thunder and lightning'. Their dialogue hints that the course of the play will be tumultuous, 'when the hurley burley's done', maybe referring both to the war being fought between the Scottish and the Norwegians and the chaotic events of the play. A theme of confused morality is introduced as the 'weird sisters' chant 'fair is foul and foul is fair' and their control over the fortunes of the currently oblivious Macbeth is highlighted as the plan, 'there to meet with Macbeth' is clarified.

The first significant choice that Macbeth makes is to kill his king, yet he is led to this decision through not only his own drives but also others. Firstly, he is 'rapt' by the witches' predictions in Act 1 scene 3, as they prophesise that he will become Thane of Cawdor and then King of Scotland, inferring that he takes their prophecies seriously. In Act 1 scene 7 a sense of Macbeth's confusion is developed in his soliloquy, as he discloses that he is afraid that the 'horrid deed' shall 'return to plaque th'inventor', suggesting that his greatest fear is the consequences of killing his king yet he admits that he has 'vaulting ambition'. Secondly, his wife's powerful persuasion is clear as he changes from clearly stating with a simple sentence, 'We will proceed no further in this business' to 'I am settled and bend up ... to this terrible feat'. The euphemism for murder still suggests that he is not comfortable with the reality of this crime. She uses persuasive techniques such as questioning his masculinity, 'when you durst do it then you were a man' and emphasising her own violent nature with gruesome imagery as she describes how she would 'dashed the brains out' of her child if she could be royalty. The consequences are felt immediately after he has murdered the king. In Act 2 scene 2, Macbeth reveals regret as he admits to his wife, 'I could not say 'Amen' implying that he cannot ask for forgiveness for his terrible act, he also is aware that he will suffer from his conscience, 'Macbeth shall sleep no more', sleep symbolises innocence and sanity, these Macbeth will not experience again.

His next choice is to assassinate his close friend Banquo and his son Fleance; his reasons are clarified in a soliloquy in Act 3 scene 1. He admits that he has a 'fruitless crown... barren sceptre' because 'no son of mine succeeding' since the witches prophesised that Banquo would be 'father to a line of kings'. It seems here that ambition is still driving him to 'mine eternal jewel' yet witches control is still evident through their predictions. The consequences of this murder are shown in Act 3 scene 4 when Banquo's ghost appears before Macbeth. The ghost symbolises his guilt and tortures his conscience as he exclaims, 'Let the earth hide thee!' The exclamation mark suggests a desperate tone as he wishes he could not suffer the consequences of his terrible actions. However, this fear does not last and he finishes the scene with the statement, 'We are yet but young in deed' revealing that he is determined to continue on the fateful course on which he has only just started.

Finally he chooses to visit the witches after his unsettling dreams and visions. They show him three apparitions: first to ''beware Macduff', second that 'none of woman born shall harm Macbeth', and thirdly, 'Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him'. The consequences of these final predictions are that Macbeth feels fearless, 'high-placed Macbeth shall live the lease of nature' yet he takes no risks and vows to 'give th'edge o'th'sword' to Macduff and his family. The final murder is the killing of innocents, women and children, which shows Macbeth's moral compass to be greatly distorted. Moreover, the rapid events of the final act lead up to Macbeth's death which is precluded by his wife's suicide. At this point near the end Macbeth seems to have a moment of insight into the futility of life as he comments with the metaphor, 'life's but a walking shadow'. Also, his acknowledgement of the fragility of life and the, 'sound and fury' which infect it suggests that he could be aware of how his fortunes have been controlled by the chaotic influence of the witches. As Macbeth faces his death by the sword of Macduff, who was from his mothers womb' untimely ripped', our tragic hero seems to gain a sense of control as he decides that he 'will not yield to kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet' and will fight until 'that first cries, 'Hold, enough!'. The consequence of this final choice is death, yet towards the end Macbeth seems to gain a greater sense of control and awareness of the terrible course of actions on which he has been set by the witches.

Highlight with three different colours: A01: embedded quotations and interpretations of their meanings. A02: words/phrases that refer to language, structure or form. Look out for linguistic terminology, words used to define dramatic techniques, and an exploration of genre. A03: n/a A04: evidence that explain how the play has been influenced by its social, cultural and historical context.

How to write this essay: Layout: The layout of this essay is based around the five paragraph structure which will result in a concise essay. Quotations are embedded and always put into context. Do not write, 'Macbeth quoted', the characters don't quote, we do! You must briefly explain who said the quotation and in what context. Always have a clear topic sentence to begin your paragraphs. These sentences should focus back on the key words. Language: Keep your tone formal, objective and analytical. Avoid emotive responses or informal phrases, 'Macbeth was well angry at Banquo'. Use a variety of analytical phrases such as suggests, implies, infers, insinuates, indicates etc. Build up a bank and learn them. Use linguistic terminology to discuss language and structure e.g. metaphor, imagery, emotive verbs, simple sentences, exclamation mark, the question form etc.

Key words which are commonly spelt incorrectly: Conscience Assassinate Consequences Tragedy/tragic Soliloquy Apparitions Reign Control Chaos