Macbeth: Macbeth and Murder Duncan Essay

Submitted By JRJ21
Words: 429
Pages: 2

There are many factors and people that are responsible for the bloodshed in the play Macbeth. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are held most accountable for this though. Throughout the play, Macbeth is manipulated by Lady Macbeth to perform villainous acts that he is not comfortable with. For example when Macbeth says he does not want to kill King Duncan, Lady Macbeth says, “And live a coward in thine own esteem, letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would,’ like the poor cat i’ the adage” (1.7. 46-48). Lady Macbeth compares Macbeth to a cat that would eat fish but would not wet her feet. She implies that Macbeth is a coward who does not fight for what he wants and just expects his desires to come true without him taking risks. Soon after, Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s masculinity and tries to manipulate him using this: “What beast was’t then, that made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man; and to be more than what you were would be so much more the man” (1.7.52-56). Lady Macbeth compliments Macbeth’s earlier proposal of murdering King Duncan, saying that he was a brave man and that he would be even more brave and masculine if her were to execute his plan. This makes Macbeth feel as though he would not be masculine if he did not do this act. Lady Macbeth knows that questioning Macbeth’s masculinity is the greatest insult to him and best way to manipulate him into doing what she wants. Lastly, I believe that Macbeth is also held responsible for the bloodshed in the play. Not only does he murder Duncan on Lady