Duaa ALjuboory

Macbeth

Soliloquy The word is derived from Late Latin “soliloquium” which

comes from Latin “solus” meaning “alone” and “loqui” – “to speak”.
The word originated in the first decades of the 17th century
presumably round 1613. Shortly speaking, the word “soliloquy”
means speaking to oneself as well as a literary or dramatic piece
performed in this manner. Soliloquy is a type of literary or dramatic
discourse (monologue) representing a number of unspoken thoughts.
The verb is “to soliloquize” and would mean an act of speaking to him
or her without an address to auditory. When soliloquizing the person
immerses in his (or her) feelings and emotions and speaks to oneself
reflecting on it. The cited soliloquy would likely be referring to a
particular character in the play, or an event. The soliloquist would
normally remain alone on the stage – and this may be the key feature
differing it from the monologue.

This dramatic method was frequently used in poetic dramas of the

1500s – 1600s. It was a favored and an extensively used manner of
William Shakespeare. An example to it would be the play,
Macbeth
Where the character delivering the monologue is alone on stage it
may also be described as a 'soliloquy'. Writers such as Shakespeare
used the soliloquy to great effect in order to express some of the
personal thoughts and emotions of characters without specifically
resorting to third-person narration
Macbeth, ambition conspires with unholy forces to commit evil deeds
which, in their turn, generate fear, guilt and still more horrible crimes.
Above all, Macbeth is a character study in which not one, but two
protagonists (the title character and Lady Macbeth) respond
individually and jointly to the psychological burden of their sins. In the
course of the play, Macbeth repeatedly misinterprets the guilt that he
suffers as being simply a matter of fear. His characteristic way of
dealing with his guilt is to face it directly by committing still more
misdeeds
At the began

In scene one, the witches present a world in which the forces

between good and evil are not easily identified. Macbeth is described
as a valiant and noble person however the audience cannot simply
accept this to be true (because fair is foul and foul is fair). Lady
Macbeth is portrayed as a very well mannered and well-groomed
housewife when in reality, she is an evil witch. When King Duncan
comes to the Macbeth residence, she seems as though she is happy
and delighted to see the king saying, “All our service/ in every point
twice done and then done double/” (1.6.14-15). Lady Macbeth
demonstrates hypocritical traits through her behavior, actions and
speech. The audience is introduced to the interesting idea that a
housewife could force her will upon a supposedly strong-minded
husband (In Elizabethan times, women were portrayed to be weaker
than men as the men were the workers who provided for their family).
Act 1 of Macbeth presents and demonstrates a world full of
deception. The uncertainty and inconsistency in the characters keep
interest level up and the audience on the edge of their seats. The
audience is forced to think about the concept of good and evil. This
mental involvement in the play draws a lot of interest to the play and
also forces the audience to think carefully before judging each
character. The main characters in Macbeth are very exciting and
interesting, showing many human traits and emotions (such as
deception and ambition) which the audience can identify with. When
the audience can put themselves in the situation of a character, this
intensifies interest….
Macbeth, the major character of this play is clearly described as a
man with conflicting sides to his personality. Macbeth is also
thoroughly described and has obvious depth in his character.
Macbeth seems to be a loyal and gallant hero as he is described by
the king as the “worthiest cousin” (1.4.17). , “o valiant cousin, worthy
gentleman” act 1 scene2, Macbeth was a thane and the king give him
an additional title of thane “yes as sparrows, eagles.or the hare, the
lion. If I say sooth, I must report they were as cannons over-charged
with double cracks; so they doubly redoubled strokes upon the
foe.”(1.2.35)
However, Macbeth’s loyalty is obviously not true when he, talking to
himself, says, “Prince of Cumberland! That is a step/ on which I must
fall down or else o’erleap, /…Let not light see my black and deep
desires.” (1.4.55-56,58). Macbeth’s deceiving thoughts make his
character interesting and appealing as his ambition to become king
(top of social ladder) is, no doubt, similar to the ambitions of most
people (to become powerful, rich and respected).

Macbeth as a murder

When Macbeth meets these witches by accident, he is hailed as the

“Thane of Glamis,” which he is, but then they continue. “All hail
Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!” and further, “All hail,
Macbeth, which shalt be king hereafter!”

Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the witches all had a role in the downfall
of Macbeth, some greater than others. Macbeth was too ambitious
and chose the path which needed the tools of evil to be completed,
Lady made Macbeth step over his conscience and caused him to
commit murder, and the witches ignited the flame within Macbeth of
the thought of becoming king. Had Macbeth path been different, he
might have lived a long life of happiness alongside his wife as the
Thane of Cawdor and thane of glamis or perhaps something greater.
The idea to kill Duncan is nurtured within Macbeth by the witches.
They did not plant the seed (the idea of killing Duncan); the idea
already existed in Macbeth. He believed in order to become king, he
must kill Duncan, and with the witches’ presence he believes. “This
supernatural soliciting cannot be ill.”

The instant Macbeth returns to his home, Lady Macbeth rushes out to
welcome her beloved husband, and the words she uses to greet him
implies that she assumes Macbeth will kill Duncan. She does this by
calling him the greatest by "the all hail hereafter," and she declares
that "the future is instant," by the death of the king. However, only
moments before she claims that Macbeth will never "catch the
nearest way" by killing Duncan. So why does she seem to assume
that Macbeth will do the murder? An audience will see that Lady
Macbeth is already trying to influence Macbeth by making this
statement, knowing full well that he does not want to commit this
murder, and the audience will see the self-conflict that Macbeth is
going through.
Here we see another instance of distribution of the ten beats when
Lady Macbeth says, "The future is instant." And Macbeth immediately
follows this up with "My dearest love," to complete the ten syllables.
This shows Macbeth trying to cut off Lady Macbeth from her speech
in which she is trying to persuade him. Further evidence of Macbeth
not really wanting to listen to his wife in case she may persuade him
in the same conversation is when Macbeth says "We will speak
further," which means he is trying to say 'we'll talk about it later', and
trying to put the subject off. However, what Lady Macbeth does say in
this conversation is "Leave the rest to me," which does imply that she
will assassinate the king with her own hands. In this same dialogue,
she also says "you shall put…into my dispatch," which furthermore
proves that she is leading Macbeth into believing that he will have no
physical role in the murder of the king. Lady Macbeth thinks this
strategy will work because she describes Macbeth as a man who
"wouldst not play false, and yet would wrongly win;"

When King Duncan does arrive in the castle, Lady Macbeth acts the
perfect host that is to be expected of her. While this is happening,
Macbeth is thinking about the talk he has had with his wife about the
murder, and begins his famous soliloquy "If it were done." In his train
of thoughts, Macbeth is much more biased towards letting Duncan
live. The only real argument for killing the king is pretty weak, and this
is "if the assassination could trammel up the consequence…Might be
the be-all and end-all here," he would kill the king. But Macbeth
knows that there is no way he can avoid punishment. Macbeth
reveals something very interesting that indicates that maybe he is
religious when he declares that, "We'd jump the life to come,"
meaning that he would risk punishment in the afterlife. Even if there is
no life after death, Macbeth also knows that there is some type of
natural justice on this world and "We still have judgment here."
Macbeth believes that "bloody instructions, which, being taught,
return to plague th'inventor," so he feels that this murder is a double
sided sword. It will be plain for the audience to see that he is
thoroughly confused about what he should do.

Macbeth as a king
Lady Macbeth and Macbeth were discussing their feelings about
being king and queen of Scotland after the murder. Said Lady
Macbeth, “Nought’s had, all’s spent. Where our desire is got without
content: ’This safer to be that which we destroy than, by destruction,
dwell in doubtful joy.” In Act III, Scene i Macbeth said of the witches
and the murder, “For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered; put
rancours in the vessel of my peace only for them; and mine eternal
jewel given to the common enemy of man.” In those sentences, we
can see the irony in the witches’ prophecies. The implied meaning of
the witches’ prophecies was that Macbeth would be king. Macbeth
took this to mean that he would be a happy king, and so dreams of
him on the throne appeared. He thought that becoming king would be
easy; he just had to get Duncan out of the way. Everything turned out
as Macbeth had imagined, except that he was not happy as the king.
The guilt from Duncan’s murder, and when he look to Duncan state
he feel joules because he was a good king and now he is in the
haven.
And he started to fry from his friend banque .because of his royalty of
nature “to be thus is nothing, but to be safely thuse.our fears in
banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature” act 3 scene1.
Macbeth needs Banquo killed because Banquo is raising suspicions
that Macbeth killed Duncan (which he did). Macbeth has to get rid of
him before he tells that to many people.

Also look at what the witches prophesy about Banquo in Act One,
Scene Three: "Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none." (In other
words, "You will never be King of Scotland, but your descendants
will.") A few lines later, when Macbeth and Banquo are discussing
what they've heard from the witches, Macbeth says "Your children
shall be kings." So we know he has made a mental note of the
prophecy.
Now look at Macbeth's long speech in Act Three, Scene One, just
before the entrance of the murderers. Macbeth has killed Duncan to
make himself King of Scotland, but he fears that it will all be for
nothing in the long run if Banquo's descendant rather than his own
are destined to wear the crown. So he murders Banquo, and tries to
murder Fleance, in an effort to destroy the family that might someday
take his place on the throne.
Macbeth went to see the witches a second time, because he
wanted more specific information on their predictions. He had killed
King Duncan and the two royal chamberlains. He had hired
murderers to kill Banquet and his son Fleece. But Fleece had
escaped. He wanted to find out what the witches would say about the
permanence of his own rule, and what they'd say about Banquet’s
line taking over the throne now that Banquet was dead. He had gone
past the point of no return, and wanted specific details of the threats
to his power, and of the identity of his successors. He wanted to know
how many more heinous plans he needed to put into effect [Act 3
Scene 4 Lines 134-138].
“By the worst means, the worst. For mine own good, All causes
shall give way: I am in blood Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade
no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er. Strange things I have
in head, that will to hand;”

Macbeth died and nihilism believe

Despot King of Scotland, Macbeth, Dies in Battle with Malcolm.

Macbeth, who ascended to the throne by murdering its rightful

occupants, died in a battle with Malcolm. While avenging the murder
of his father, King Duncan of Scotland, Malcolm killed the despotic
King of Scotland, Macbeth. Macbeth ruled Scotland for a period of
months before his death. Projected to be in his forties, Macbeth rose
to prominence in Duncan's court by virtue of being a great killing
machine. The former Thane of Glamis was known for a "Vaulting
ambition" that best expressed itself on the battlefield, where he was
once known to have "unseam'd" a foe "from the nave to the' chops"
(Shakespeare I.vii.27; I.ii.22).

Perhaps more than his military prowess, Macbeth's ambition most

clearly defined the man. Macbeth is known to have experienced
visions of wild imagination, a condition of which his wife, Lady
Macbeth, who proceeds him in death, once said, "My Lord is often
thus, /and hath been from his youth" (Shakespeare III.iii.223-223).
Macbeth's ambitions were said to be fueled by his visions of future
kingship. His accomplishments as Thane of Glamis spurred King
Duncan to make Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. However, as Duncan lie
sleeping a guest of Lord and Lady Macbeth, the newly minted Thane
of Cawdor allegedly conspired with his wife to murder the sleeping
king.

Nihilism

Nihilism is the belief that all values are baseless and that nothing can
be known or communicated. It is often associated with extreme
pessimism and a radical skepticism that condemns existence. A true
nihilist would believe in nothing, have no loyalties, and no purpose
other than, perhaps, an impulse to destroy.

Nihilism – A Meaningless World

Shakespeare’s Macbeth eloquently summarizes existential nihilism's
perspective, distaining life:

Out, out, brief candle!

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more; it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
(Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5)

Within the castle, Macbeth blusteringly orders that banners be hung

and boasts that his castle will repel the enemy. A woman’s cry is
heard, and Seyton appears to tell Macbeth that the queen is dead.
Shocked, Macbeth speaks numbly about the passage of time and
declares famously that life is “a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound
and fury, / Signifying nothing” (5.5.25–27). A messenger enters with
astonishing news: the trees of Birnam Wood are advancing toward
Dunsinane. Enraged and terrified, Macbeth recalls the prophecy that
said he could not die till Birnam Wood moved to Dunsinane.
Resignedly, he declares that he is tired of the sun and that at least he
will die fighting.

Theme Analysis
One of the most important themes in Macbeth involves the witches'
statement in Act 1, Scene1 that "fair is foul and foul is fair." (Act 1,
Scene 1, Line 10) This phrase aptly describes the macabre status
quo within the character Macbeth and without. When Macbeth and
Banquo first see the weird sisters, Banquo is horrified by their
hideous appearances. Conversely, Macbeth immediately began to
converse with these universally known evil creatures. After hearing
their prophecies, one can say that Macbeth considered the witches to
be "fair" when in reality their intentions were quite "foul." Macbeth's
possession of the titles of Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and
King of Scotland came by foul means. Macbeth became the Thane
of Glamis by his father Sinel's death; he became Thane of Cawdor
when the former namesake was executed for treason; and he was
ordained King of Scotland after murdering the venerable Duncan.
Thus, Macbeth has a rather ghastly way of advancing in life.
This theme is further verified by King Duncan's statement "There's no
art/ to find the mind's construction in the face." (Act 1, Scene 4, Lines
11-12) Although Macbeth has the semblance of the amicable and
dutiful host, ("fair") he is secretly plotting Duncan's death ("foul").
Furthermore, Lady Macbeth's orchestration of the murder exemplifies
the twisted atmosphere in Inverness. Both a woman and a host, she
should be the model of grace and femininity. She is described,
however, as a "fiendlike queen" (Act 5, Scene 6, Line 69) and exhibits
a cold, calculating mentality. In addition, the very porter of Inverness
likens the place to the dwelling of the devil Beelzebub. This implies
that despite its "pleasant seat," (Act 1, Scene 6, Line 1) Inverness is a
sinister and evil place. It is also interesting to note that Macbeth is
unable to say a prayer to bless himself after murdering Duncan. It is
strange and "foul" that he should think of religion after committing
such an unholy act. The very sanction of sleep and repose is also
attacked in Macbeth. What is normally considered a refreshing and
necessary human activity is "murdered" by Macbeth after he commits
his heinous crime. Neither Macbeth nor his wife is able to sleep after
killing Duncan. Macbeth's lack of sleep makes him a brutal killer;
Lady Macbeth begins to sleepwalk and inadvertently reveals the
source of her distress through her nightly babble. In addition,
Macbeth gains an almost inhuman strength and courage after his first
crime. He is more courageous in crime than he has ever been in
virtuous deed, which is indeed bizarre.
A second theme in Macbeths that of the tragic hero. A tragic hero is
a character that the audience sympathizes with despite his/her
actions that would indicate the contrary. Macbeth, in spite of his
horrible murders, is a pitiable man. His saving grace is that he did
not initially want to kill Duncan but later changed his mind after
listening to his wife. In addition, Macbeth internally suffered because
he could not enjoy his royal status. Fear, paranoia, exhaustion and
sleeplessness plagued him despite his sovereignty. Lady Macbeth is
also a tragic hero. Her initial courage and daring did not last long,
and she quickly deteriorated into a delusional, hapless
somnambulist. She broke down mentally and physically because of
the strain of the crime. Macbeth and his wife are pitiable characters
because the reader is able to follow their every thought and action.
Thus, the reader sees not only their gruesome effects on the Scottish
people but also on themselves
Another important theme in Macbeth
Is that of indecision and internal conflict. Macbeth was indecisive up
until the very night of the murder about whether or not he should kill
Duncan. Afterwards, he was unsure of a course of action. He rashly
decided to kill Banquo, visit the witches and remain confident even
when his castle was besieged. Lady Macbeth's initial lack of
indecision is what brought about the pair's downfall. Later, however,
she becomes tentative about the potential benefits of Banquo's
murder. By the end of the play, she has become a delusional recluse
that is almost entirely ignored by her husband.
A fourth important theme in Macbeth is the creation of an
internal/external hell. This creation of a place of damnation begins
when Macbeth freely converses with the sinister witches. Banquo
calls the weird sisters "instruments of darkness," (Act 1, Scene 4,
Line 124) but Macbeth still decides to take their advice. At several
times in the play both Macbeth and his wife invoke the night, a
universal symbol of evil. Furthermore, many of the scenes in the play
take place at night or in murky areas and are accompanied by the
shrieks of ominous animals. Macbeth is unable to bless himself after
the crime and he "murders sleep," (Act 2, Scene 2, Line 35) one of
the only positive associations with night. Thus, hallucinations,
sleepwalking, disembodied voices and ghosts all pervade Inverness.
One can recognize the climax of this creation of an external hell when
the porter himself likens the castle to the residence of the devil.
Furthermore, Macbeth is indirectly compared to Edward the King of
England. Whereas Edward cures people, Macbeth kills them. In
addition, Lady Macbeth commits suicide in the castle, an act
considered worthy at the time of eternal damnation in hell.

This creation of an external hell also corresponds to Macbeth and

Lady Macbeth's internal suffering. Macbeth is never at peace-he is
always delirious, enraged, brutal and paranoid. He cannot enjoy the
material and mortal pleasures of being a king despite all of the
sacrifice that it took on his part. Lady Macbeth's courage and resolve
quickly deteriorates and she is left as an incurable somnambulist who
unconsciously tries to erase her memory of the crime. Macbeth and
his wife's unintentional creation of an external hell for Scotland is
pitiable because they suffered internally as well

(Act 5 scene1-11)

The rapid tempo of the play’s development accelerates into

breakneck frenzy in Act 5, as the relatively long scenes of previous
acts are replaced by a flurry of short takes, each of which furthers the
action toward its violent conclusion on the battlefield outside
Dunsinane Castle. We see the army’s and Malcolm’s preparation for
battle, the fulfillment of the witches’ prophecies, and the demises of
both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. Lady Macbeth, her icy nerves
shattered by the weight of guilt and paranoia, gives way to
sleepwalking and a delusional belief that her hands are stained with
blood. “Out, damned spot,” she cries in one of the play’s most famous
lines, and adds, “[W]ho would have thought the old man to have had
so much blood in him?” (5.1.30, 33–34). Her belief that nothing can
wash away the blood is, of course, an ironic and painful reversal of
her earlier claim to Macbeth that “[a] little water clears us of this deed”
(2.2.65). Macbeth, too, is unable to sleep. His and Lady Macbeth’s
sleeplessness was foreshadowed by Macbeth’s hallucination at the
moment of the murder, when he believed that a voice cried out
“Macbeth does murder sleep” (2.2.34).
Like Duncan’s death and Macbeth’s ascension to the kingship, Lady
Macbeth’s suicide does not take place onstage; it is merely reported.
Macbeth seems numb in response to the news of his wife’s death,
which seems surprising, especially given the great love he appears to
have borne for his wife. Yet, his indifferent response reflects the
despair that has seized him as he realizes that what has come to
seem the game of life is almost up. Indeed, Macbeth’s speech
following his wife’s death is one of the most famous expressions of
despair in all of literature. “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,”
he says grimly,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
and all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle.
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
signifying nothing. (5.5.18–27)

These words reflect Macbeth’s feeling of hopelessness, of course,

but they have a self-justifying streak as well—for if life is “full of sound
and fury, / Signifying nothing,” then Macbeth’s crimes, too, are
meaningless rather than evil.
Additionally, the speech’s insistence that “[l]ife’s . . . a poor player /
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage” can be read as a dark
and somewhat subversive commentary on the relationship between
the audience and the play. After all, Macbeth is just a player on an
English stage, and his statement undercuts the suspension of
disbelief that the audience must maintain in order to enter the action
of the play. If we take Macbeth’s statement as expressing
Shakespeare’s own perspective on the theater, then the entire play
can be seen as being “full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing.”
Admittedly, it seems unlikely that the playwright would have put his
own perspective on the stage in the mouth of a despairing, desperate
murderer. Still, Macbeth’s words remind us of the essential
theatricality of the action—that the lengthy soliloquies, offstage
deaths, and poetic speeches are not meant to capture reality but to
reinterpret it in order to evoke a certain emotional response from the
audience.
Despite the pure nihilism of this speech, Macbeth seems to fluctuate
between despair and ridiculous bravado, making his own dissolution
rougher and more complex than that of his wife. Lured into a false
sense of security by the final prophecies of the witches, he gives way
to boastfulness and a kind of self-destructive arrogance. When the
battle begins, Macbeth clings, against all apparent evidence, to the
notion that he will not be harmed because he is protected by the
prophecy—although whether he really believes it at this stage, or is
merely hanging on to the last thread of hope he has left, is debatable.
Macbeth ceased to be a sympathetic hero once he made the decision
to kill Duncan, but by the end of the play he has become so morally
repulsive that his death comes as a powerful relief. Ambition and
bloodlust must be checked by virtue for order and form to be restored
to the sound and fury of human existence. Only with Malcolm’s
victory and assumption of the crown can Scotland, and the play itself,
be saved from the chaos engendered by Macbeth.

Techniques used in Shakespeares Macbeth

In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the dramatic techniques of

language, stagecraft and symbolism are hugely important in
portraying the themes and characters which the play is centered
around. The play, being centered on Macbeth’s story, uses the above
dramatic techniques to allow the responder to better understand
Macbeth. For example, during the second scene, Macbeth is spoken
of as “…brave Macbeth- well he deserves that name…” This allowing
us as the responder to comprehend the fact that Macbeth is highly
respected for his bravery. However, comparing the above quote with
the one much later in the play “…wayward son, spiteful and wrathful,
who, as others do, loves for his own ends, not for you.” We
understand that Macbeth’s character has undergone such a dramatic
change in only a short while. Previously a brave and noble knight,
Macbeth vaulting ambition

They are the most significant symbol of evil within the play. Perhaps
the most outstanding example of this is the scene in which Macbeth
hallucinates the dagger with which he is to kill Duncan with in front of
him. This gives the scene an eerie feeling. In order to achieve her
great desire to be queen, Lady Macbeth feels that she must be
stripped of her femininity. Through the mentioned examples and
many other incidents in the play, Macbeth uses a wide range of
language, stagecraft and symbolism techniques in order to portray
the themes and characters in the play to the responder. It tells the
reader that (once again) all is not as it seems. And fill me, from the
crown to the toe, top full of direst cruelty"" is imperative to the story
line. It allows the responder to react with the appropriate feelings of
fear, and even confusion and disgust. The fog symbolises the human
emotions (for example, Macbeth"tms greed) which cloud people"tms
perceptions of the truth and reality. Another way language is used in
the text can be perceived when reading the witches"tm couplet: "Fair
is foul and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air. Banquo"tms
ghost symbolises Macbeth"tms guilty conscience and the horror he
feels at himself and his actions. " The first line is communicating the
fact that things are not what they seem (which is, in fact, one of the
themes of the play). Her speech: ""Come you spirits, that tend on
mortal thoughts, unsex me here. The dagger is used to portray the
internal conflict Macbeth is feeling inside due to his plans for the
future.