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 MacBeth - Attitude Changes
      In the tragic drama Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare in 

1606 during the English Renaissance, the hero, Macbeth, constantly 

declines in his level of morality until his death at the end of the 

play. Because of his change of character from good to evil, Macbeth's 

attitude towards other characters, specifically Duncan, Banquo, Lady 

Macbeth, and the witches, is significantly affected.



      The first of the four characters is Duncan. Since Macbeth 

interacts with Duncan only a minimal amount before Duncan's death,

Macbeth's attitude towards him changes very rapidly. Before Macbeth 

hears the witches' first prophecy, he is very close to Duncan, and 

would never even think of doing something against him. When the 

thought of murdering Duncan crosses his mind immediately after he 

finds that he has just been named Thane of Cawdor, he cannot believe 

he "yield[s] to that suggestion / Whose horrid image doth unfix my 

hair / And make my seated heart knock at my ribs" (I, iii, 133-35). In 

scene 5 of act 1, however, his "vaulting ambition" is starting to take 

over, but partly because of his wife's persuasion. He agrees that they 

must "catch the nearest way" (17), and kill Duncan that night. On the 

other hand, as the time for murder comes nearer, he begins

giving himself reasons not to murder Duncan:



          First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,

          Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,

          Who should against his murderer shut the door,

          Not bear the knife myself.

          (I, vii, 13-16)



      When Lady Macbeth enters, though, she uses her cunning rhetoric 

and pursuasion techniques to convince Macbeth that this is, beyond the 

shadow of a doubt, the right thing to do. He then tells her that "I am 

settled." (79). He is firmly seated in his beliefs that killing Duncan 

is the right thing to do-until he performs the murder. He is so 

horrified by this act that for a moment he forgets where he is or whom 

he is with. We learn from this murder that Macbeth truly had faith in 

the king and was very loyal, but under the forces of his wife's 

persuasion and his own vaulting ambition, he is put in the evil frame 

of mind for just long enough to kill Duncan. This murder does 

permanently alter him from his moral state of mind, however, and he 

soon does not feel much remorse for murdering Duncan.



      The Second of the four characters towards whom Macbeth's 

attitude changes is Banquo. Before he murders Duncan, Macbeth is a 

very close friend to Banquo, and they are almost always together. 

After the murder, however, Macbeth senses suspicion on Banquo's part. 

He realizes that Banquo's "wisdom that doth guide his valour / To act 

in safety" (52-53) will cause Banquo to want to turn Macbeth in for 

his crime. Macbeth knows he must also get rid of Banquo since, 

according to the prophecy, the throne will pass to Banquo's sons 

otherwise. Macbeth starts showing his extreme hatred towards Banquo 

while he is convincing the two murderers that killing him is right:



Macb: Both of you

Know Banquo was your enemy.



Murderers: True, my lord.



Macb: So is he mine; and in such bloody distance

That every minute of his being thrusts

Against my near'st of life;

(III, i, 114b-118)



Finally, Macbeth actually shows signs of relief when the murderer 

calls him to the door during his banquet and tells him of

Banquo's death:



Macb: There's blood upon thy face.



Murderer: 'Tis Banquo's then.



Macb: 'Tis better thee without than he within.

(III, iv, 12-14)



      Macbeth's last statement, "Tis . . . within", means that 

Banquo's blood is better on the murderer than in Banquo, showing that

Macbeth is, in truth, happy that Banquo has been killed. the killing 

of Banquo by Macbeth shows extreme selfishness; he cannot bear to see 

even his best friend's sons succeed him on the throne. However, a more 

important reason that Macbeth kills Banquo is because of Banquo's 

suspicion of him, and what Banquo will do to him once he finds out for 

sure that Macbeth has commited the murder of Duncan. One can see that 

Macbeth becomes extremely harsh if he wants his way. He will go to 

horrid extremes just so that he does not have to live his kingship in 

fear, but instead "to be safely thus." (III, i, 49)



      Lady Macbeth, the third character, interacts with Macbeth a 

considerable amount, and influences him greatly. He and his wife as a 

pair are dangerous because his ambition combined with her bloodiness 

can cause fatal situations. In Macbeth's letter to his wife, he calls 

her "my dearest partner of greatness" (I, v, 8), and later, when he is 

talking to her in person, he calls her "My dearest love" (I, v, 54b). 

Shakespeare shows their close relationship until they have started 

falling into a state of near-despair after the murder of Banquo and 

Macduff's wife and son. At this point, they have started to seperate a 

great deal. In act five, scene five, Macbeth hears the "cry of women" 

and not even noticing that it is a woman's cry, let alone that of his 

own wife, asks "What is that noise?" (7b). He feels so little towards 

her that when he is informed that she has just died, he remarks that 

"She should have died hereafter" (17), meaning that she would have 

died anyway. His loss of feeling towards his wife most likely is

caused by his distraction and present state of mind. Had his mind been 

calm and relaxed, not distracted by anything, he probably would have 

reacted to this news with more feeling. However, his whole personality 

has changed, and perhaps death does not faze him any more because he 

has committed five murders since the beginning of the play.



      The way Macbeth acts toward the three witches changes 

significantly as the play progresses. In act one, scene five, Macbeth

tells his wife in his letter to her that the witches "have more in 

them than mortal knowledge." (2), and he puts great faith in their

prophecies; after all, of the witches' three so-called "prophecies", 

"Two truths are told" (I, iii, 126b). He depends on the witches for a 

long time, even after he murders Banquo. In act 3, scene 4, when he 

remarks that "I am in blood / Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no 

more," (136-37), he knows that he must consult the witches again 

because "More shall they speak;" (134), and he is "bent to know" (134) 

what he should do and what his future holds. He then sees the three 

apparitions that the witchs have conjured up especially to torture 

him. This causes him to become enraged at the witches and damn himself 

in the ironic phrase in which he damns "all those that trust them", 

(IV, i, 139, "them" meaning the witches. Macbeth's change in attitude 

towards the witches shows that his nature is to befriend those who 

bring him good news, but he separates from them once he finds that 

even though he trusted them, what they said was not in his favor. He 

supposedly befriended the witches simply because he thought they could 

tell him his future. It was a false relationship.



      Macbeth starts out a heroic man of good doings, but his whole 

attitude completely changes because of the murders he commits. His 

relationships with many characters are broken or become weak. He 

starts trusting no one and hating - or killing - everyone. His wife 

may have started him on his killing streak, but he was the one to 

finish himself off. Macbeth got what he deserved.

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