Macbeth

Term Paper Title	Macbeth
# of Words	938
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	3.75

Macbeth

Matt Ralston
period 1
3/25/99

     In the beginning Macbeth is portrayed as having a darker side that could
surface if provoked.  When Macbeth says "The thane of Cawdor lives a prosperous
gentleman. And to be king Stands not within the prospect of belief." It would seem
that such horrible acts of murder that he would soon commit could never cross his
mind at this point in time.
     Macbeth's dark side begins to show as he starts to plan his rise to power.
When Macbeth says "The prince of Cumberland! that is a step on which I must fall
down or else o'erleap, for in my way it lies" one might begin to notice the lengths to
which he might go to reach his goal.  When he speaks of his "black desires" he gives
an idea of just how far he intends to go to get to the top. He begins to justify his
actions as part of the prophecy.  He hides his feelings in the fact that the prophecy
will happen anyway so he has to do it. The witches help Macbeth justify the means
to reach the end by explaining the wrongs the thane of Cawdor has committed. The
dark side of Macbeth is also shown in the speed at which he comes to the conclusion
that he will stop at nothing to fulfill the prophecy.
     Even though he came to such a quick decision he hates what he has to do. He
hopes this murder of Duncan will be swift. When he says "With his surcease success
that but this blow might be the be-all and the end-all here." he believes this is as far
as he has to go to achieve his goal. As the story moves on he learns that it was just
the beginning. He justifies and justifies until his morals seem to fade away. His guilt
seems to lessen the deeper he gets.
     After the killing Macbeth's guilt is very obvious.  He seemed to feel no guilt
during the planning of the deed. Actually committing the deed releases the
suppressed feelings of Macbeth's He shows his guilt in a number of his
conversations with lady Macbeth who seems to have an inhuman calmness.  He
exposes his guilt when he says "Sleep no more Macbeth does murder sleep".
     Later in the story Macbeth is trying to tie up lose ends he never expected.
Banquo seems to Macbeth to be the last threat. He is a more calm and collected
Macbeth.  He justifies his actions even faster and has moved on from doing the deed
himself to ordering the deeds done.  He isn't necessarily more hardened for the last
murder.  He is just more able to deal with his crimes when he doesn't have to commit
them directly. In Justification Macbeth says "There is none but he Whose being I do
fear" referring to Banquo as the last of the people he must kill to reach the end.  He
goes on to complain that he did much of this also for Banquo and his family li...

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