Of course, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth do share the blame for killing their king. However, if we have to choose just one, I would say that Lady Macbeth provided the impetus for Macbeth to act.
Yes, Macbeth was already thinking about becoming king after the witches' prophecies began coming true. We know this when he reacts to the King's announcement of Malcolm becoming the Prince of Cumberland, his official heir, by saying "The Prince of...
Of course, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth do share the blame for killing their king. However, if we have to choose just one, I would say that Lady Macbeth provided the impetus for Macbeth to act.
Yes, Macbeth was already thinking about becoming king after the witches' prophecies began coming true. We know this when he reacts to the King's announcement of Malcolm becoming the Prince of Cumberland, his official heir, by saying "The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step/On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,/ For in my way it lies" (I, iv).
However, the reader might doubt that Macbeth would ever act on these thoughts without the repeated urging from his wife. She asks him "What beast was't them/That made you break this enterprise to me?" (I, vii) when nowhere do we see that he actually promised her to kill Duncan. She asks if he is a coward and if he even loves her. It is she who plans the entire murder, including the framing of the guards.
Eventually Macbeth agrees to the murder, despite his own doubts, because he was weighed down by the arguments and promises of his wife.
No comments:
Post a Comment