Soliloquy Analysis of Macbeth
He is concerned that the concequences he will face for his actions would be vast and uncontrolable, and wants them too ‘trammel up’ although he knows that what he is asking for would not be possible. The line “If it were done.
” shows the audience that murderous thoughts are alien to Macbeth, this shows he is normally a very moral and conscientious man because he knows that regicide is a sin. Macbeth also shows a spiritual side of himself too the audience, . e claims that heaven will cry out “trumpet-tongued” against the deep damnation of his “taking off. ” This indicates that Macbeth believes that such a horrifying deed would result in him “jumping the life to come,” that he would face punishment in his after life in hell. Macbeth also talks about a’poisoned chalice’, and during the shakespearian era churches would have used a chalice during the Holy Communion service, this could possibly show us macbeth thinks that his faith in his religion is poisoned due too the fact he is considering comitting a sin.
Macbeth shows that he still has a conscience through the way he delivers this soliloquy.
His use of euphemisms shows his anguish at the thought of murder. Macbeth then shows the audience that his only motivation towards regicide is his ambitionate characterisic. Macbeth compares that ambition to a horse, as despite a horse being very strong and powerful it can still “overleap itself” or be over ambitious leading to its downfall “falls on the other”. In the second soliloquy, Macbeth is now more easily recongnisable as a more evil man than we were first introduced too.
While imagining the dagger infront of him, he says ‘come let me cluch thee.
‘ showing he wants the murder too be carried out, whereas before he was vasilating between pursing and not. Macbeth is no longer arguing with his sinful thoughts and has reduced himself to the level of an animal or a ‘wolf’, which in the shakespearian age, was a symbol of witchcraft and evil, a contemporary audience would’ve picked up on that and realised that Macbeth is now predominantly evil, this would’ve made them terrified of Macbeth and left them now thinking he is, or will become the villan.
Macbeth also uses an image of darkness, “Over the one half-world nature seems dead”. The forces of evil, which is represented by the word darkness, are causing the forces of good, represented by the word nature, to seem dead. This shows Macbeth is fully aware he is part of this darkness or evil and his conscience is no longer pre-eminent and he no longer has reason is his thoughts other than his own ambition.
