NGUYEN Anna Macbeth Reading Assessment March 2013

How does Shakespeare use language to show the change in Macbeths character
across the play?

Macbeth is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. The play started off by
Macbeth being an innocent man. Macbeth knew what fear was back then. As the play
went on, Macbeth started to lose the feeling of fear. Macbeth wasnt afraid to do
anything. Most of the time, Macbeth would feel brave and extremely confident. In this
essay, Ill be writing how Macbeths character across the play has been changed by the
use of language by Shakespeare. In paragraph 1, it would be about how guilty Macbeth
felt. Moving on to paragraph 2, Macbeth was petrified. The last paragraph will show
how Macbeth changed from an innocent man to a fearless, over-confident man.

In Act 2 Scene 2, Macbeth felt really guilty because of his previous action. This action
was shown when Macbeth said: But wherefore could not I pronounce Amen? / I had
most need of blessing and Amen / Stuck in my throat. Shakespeare has used
interrogative sentences, repetition and diction to show Macbeths character at the
moment. Macbeth is feeling guilty because he has just killed the King Duncan. The fact
that Macbeth was questioning himself implies that hes worried and anxious. Hes
anxious because he just literally killed the king of Scotland so he can became King.
Murdering itself is a sin. The use of repetition of the word Amen shows how desperate
Macbeth was to saying the word. The word Amen is a nice blessing to finish off a
prayer. Now, Macbeth has realized what he has done. It just doesnt feel right to
Macbeth to say this word out loud. Furthermore, the word stuck implies even though
he tried his best, it wouldnt work. Stuck suggests something that has been fixed. The
word is stuck in his throat and it wouldnt come out. Macbeth couldnt speak the word
Amen because Macbeth thought of his action and he knows that God doesnt care
about him anymore. This highlights how guilty and nervous Macbeth felt after killing
King Duncan.

Moving towards Act 3 Scene 4 Macbeth was scared for his life and petrified. This is
showed when Macbeth stated: Thou canst not say I did it; never shake / Thy gory locks
at me! The choice of diction really emphasizes on how Macbeth was feeling at this
moment. The word gory links to violence and bloodshed. Macbeth was absolutely
nervous because he doesnt want anyone to know that he has killed king Duncan. Gory
created an atmosphere of creepiness and it also suggests that the scene is very tense
right now. Moreover, the pronunciation of the word can also affect peoples thoughts
on Macbeths character. When people say the word gory out loud, barely anyone
would say it in a very soft and gentle way. The word gory has a very strong and
powerful sound to it. This accentuates that Macbeth wasnt just saying the words
normally but he had to scream. Macbeth was in such a big panic. All he could do was to
scream his head off so Banquos ghost would put down its finger that was pointing
directly at Macbeth was screaming dont point that bloody, nasty finger at me. The fact
that Macbeth has included 2 powerful adjectives implies that he was trying his best to
get rid of the finger that was pointing at him. In this banquet scene, it has clearly
NGUYEN Anna Macbeth Reading Assessment March 2013

showed that Macbeth was frightened and terrorized and would do anything to get rid of
the finger that was pointing at his face.

Macbeths use of violent imagery highlights how determined, brave and confident he is
in Act 5 Scene 3. This is shown in the following phrase: Ill fight till from my bones my
flesh be hacked/ Give me my armour The word flesh creates a brutal and raw image.
As well as, this word represents an organisms life being taken away. The word hacked
emphasizes the raw meat being torn apart. This builds a sense of urgency as the
character needs to quickly defeat the enemy or else his flesh will be hacked
Furthermore, Macbeth has used personal pronounce Ill in this speech. By using
personal pronounce Ill shows that Macbeth is obsessed with himself and he considers
himself as being brave and strong. Macbeth desperately wants to keep his throne and
maintain being the King of Scotland. The fact that Macbeth mentioned Give me my
armour accentuates that Macbeth is absolutely have no fear in him. Macbeth is willing
to fight for his throne. Macbeth is extremely confident that he will definitely bring pride
home. Macbeth saying give him his armour also highlights that Macbeth is willing to put
his own foot onto the battlefield, he doesnt even need to think about this action. This
shows how much braver and more confident Macbeth has got throughout the play.

To sum everything up, Macbeth has changed a lot as a character throughout the play.
Macbeth was definitely very shy and nervous at the beginning. He would always feel
guilty and isolated after doing something horrible. From the beginning to the beginning
of Act 5 Scene 3, Macbeth still know what fear was, he still had the taste of it in his
mind. As the play went on, Macbeth totally forgot the taste of fear. To him, fear doesnt
exist anymore. Macbeth is so much more confident and determined about his decisions
and his actions. Macbeth, himself didnt cause that much of the change in the play. I
believe that Lady Macbeth has influenced him to change as a character. If Lady Macbeth
didnt exist, Macbeth would have not killed King Duncan that fast and easily. Lady
Macbeth has persuaded Macbeth to just kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth believed that
the earlier Macbeth kills King Duncan, the longer that throne will belong to him. Lady
Macbeth is a big part, which caused Macbeth to change his character throughout the
play. Another part of this is Macbeths determination. If Macbeth didnt have these
determinations, he wouldnt be willing to do anything. He would just sit there and wait
until his turn. In my perspective, I think the two main things that caused Macbeth to
change is Lady Macbeth and Macbeths ambition.