Analysis Of Act 2 Scene 1 Macbeth
In Act 2 scene 1 Macbeth is presented as a man who is certain about his evil actions. He has no hesitation, and will not stop in his efforts to commit regicide. This is evident in the command ‘come, let me clutch thee’ as he speaks to the knife. The knife represents his evil desires and ambition, it also acts as a reminder for the deed he must commit. It tells us he is embracing his corrupt and malicious thoughts and the verb ‘clutch’ enforces this, highlighting his certainty about his actions. This would cause contemporary readers to react with shock and anger as he is going against the king, a grave injustice as during the 17th century the king was seen as an embodiment of God. His blasphemous behaviour would present Macbeth as anti-god, godless and sacrilegious.
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Before, Macbeth feared judgement when he will eventually die, yet in this scene he is essentially playing God as he is bringing the unjust death of the king, showing a kind of sadistic irony. His megalomaniac attribute is really highlighted during his soliloquy, and when he tells Duncan a knell will ‘summon thee to heaven or hell’ it’s almost as if Macbeth is deciding where Duncan is going to go, a job not meant for mortal men. The verb ‘summon’ points out how he is inviting evil and the supernatural. This would cause an Elizabethan audience to respond with hatred as he is acting in a disrespectful and sinful manner. The readers would have seen the supernatural to be directly related to immorality and suffering, and as he is encouraging it, they would think it can only lead to disaster and tragedy. This links to how Macbeth has changed, he no longer has a moral compass and holds too much certainty in his vile
Before, Macbeth feared judgement when he will eventually die, yet in this scene he is essentially playing God as he is bringing the unjust death of the king, showing a kind of sadistic irony. His megalomaniac attribute is really highlighted during his soliloquy, and when he tells Duncan a knell will ‘summon thee to heaven or hell’ it’s almost as if Macbeth is deciding where Duncan is going to go, a job not meant for mortal men. The verb ‘summon’ points out how he is inviting evil and the supernatural. This would cause an Elizabethan audience to respond with hatred as he is acting in a disrespectful and sinful manner. The readers would have seen the supernatural to be directly related to immorality and suffering, and as he is encouraging it, they would think it can only lead to disaster and tragedy. This links to how Macbeth has changed, he no longer has a moral compass and holds too much certainty in his vile