2003: (i) We feel very little pity for the central characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in Shakespeares

play. To what extent would you agree with the above view? Support your answer by reference to the play. I dont agree with this statement. The play Macbeth is one of Shakespeares many tragedies, and if you take one of the meanings of the word tragedy, it can be described as: a drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow. Shakespeare intended for us to feel pity for his two central characters. This is evident in the way he made them so accessible to the audience, through the use of soliloquies. Also the play wouldnt be considered such a tragedy if the audience didnt feel any sort of connection with the two characters. I believe that Shakespeare chose the witches to act out the prologue in (Act 1 Scene 1) as a means of showing the audience the difference between pure evil (the witches) and someone under the influence of evil (Macbeth and Lady Macbeth). We see Macbeth and his wife through the eyes of many characters throughout the play, but the one that strikes us most is when Duncan praises Macbeth (Act1 Scene 2) by saying, For brave Macbeth,-well he deserves that name. This is the first insight we receive about Macbeth and although it describes him cutting open an enemy from his navel to his jaw, its looked upon by the King as a glorious action and it appears that up until this moment Macbeths life seemed to be going quite favourably. It is when the witches first appear to Macbeth that his life begins to take a turn for the worse (Act 1 Scene 3). Macbeth is intrigued by what the witches have to say about the future, and this is when we first feel pity for Macbeth. We are already aware from the witches conversations, that they are pure evil and have no meaning to all their actions. Where hast thou been, sister? To which the sister replies, Killing swine. We feel pity for Macbeth because the course of action he takes after this visit from the witches, have only been prophesized by the witches because of their interference with his life. Had they not visited him in the first place his life wouldnt have become so tragic. Macbeths dark side is provoked when Duncan not only makes Macbeth the Thane of Cawdor, but also, when the King makes his son Malcolm the Prince of Cumberland, Macbeths ambition is awakened. (I think Macbeths ambition was awakened much earlier. It is clear from later scenes that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth had discussed taking the throne before the events of the play begin: hence, Macbeths guilty start when addressed by the witched.)This is a step On which I must fall down, or else oer-leap, For in my way it lies. Lady Macbeth gives us a further insight into Macbeth when she reads out a letter from him (Act 1 Scene 5). In it he calls his wife My dearest partner of greatness; an insight into Macbeths caring and loving side(partner of greatnes also indicates that he is planning on becoming king). It is Lady Macbeth who we initially dont feel pity for, as it is she who calls on evil to Unsex me here, And fill me, from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty. During Macbeths soliloquy the moment before he murders Duncan (Act 1 Scene 7), he expresses his fears and considers the consequences of committing such a crime. He

realizes that his only motivation is his ambition, something which oer leaps itself, And falls on the other. Then Lady Macbeth enters and we realized that it is she who wants the title of Queen more so than he does King.Where do we see this exactly? Macbeth expresses his concern, We will proceed no further in this business, to his vicious wife, however the newly called upon evil that consumes his once dearest partner of greatness bullies and manipulates him into going ahead with the plan. Macbeth at this point isnt evil, just under the influence of evil. When Lady Macbeth has to finish off Duncans murder herself it is clear that she and Macbeth dont enjoy being on the same team, but now with such a sinister action committed, theyve cemented their relationship until the very end. Unlike his wife, Macbeth has difficulty coping with the after effects of the crime he has committed. This is evident when we notice his conscious is beginning to haunt him. His trust is beginning to disintegrate and he starts becoming extremely self-aware of peoples actions in relation to his life, most noticeably when Macduff doesnt attend his Banquet (Act 3 Scene 4). Its uneasycomfortable to watch the character Macbeth like this and therefore we feel sympathy towards him. Macbeths mind just torments him more as time goes on. He feels the need to keep Banquo close to him and promises him It shall make honour for you. However Banquo, seemingly realizing the truth in the witches prophesies, approaches Macbeth to inform him he is aware that Macbeth isnt as innocent as he makes out and also to remind him that eventually his own children will be king (Act 3 Scene 1). Macbeths need to kill the only loyal friend he has just distresses him even more. He believes if he doesnt kill Banquo, everything hes been through to become King would turn out to be a waste of time. He decides to act upon this thought and hires two murderers to kill both Banquo and Fleance, but his complete lack of trust gets to him again and he must hire a third murderer to ensure the other two murderers do their job. Macbeths mind is further unsettled, when the murderers return to inform him that Fleance had escaped the attack. His minds frustration causes us to support the off chance that hopefully things will get better for him, but it wouldnt be a tragedy if things did. Lady Macbeth is left to pick up the pieces as her husbands mind continues to torment him with a haunting image of Banquos ghost at their banquet. Everyone is now fully aware of the tormented nature of their Kings mind. This scene marks Macbeths rapid spiritual ruin. Macbeths self destructing nature only grows when it is he who seeks out the witches. We feel pity for him as we are aware from a previous scene that when Hectate meets Macbeth, she plans to draw him on to his confusion. And this is exactly what she does. The frightening scene (Act 4 Scene 1) in which the witches show Macbeth three apparitions seems to ease his pain, as he has been tricked into believing that The power of man for none of woman born Shall harm him. The witches here also remind us that they are the true evil of the play and that Macbeth has just become a puppet for their foul deeds. However this makes him feel indestructible and upon hearing that Macduff has in fact betrayed him, he demands that everyone in Macduffs castle is to be murdered. This is the one point where we do not feel pity for Macbeth, but more for Lady Macbeth. The scene where Lady Macduff and her children are brutally murdered leaves an effect

on us but also sends Lady Macbeth into a deep mental trance, where she can not believe all that has happened. Lady Macbeth speaks of all her guilt and regret, really making us feel pity for her. She and Macbeth are no longer a team but two single identities defending themselves. Lady Macbeths inability to communicate with anyone about the horrifying deeds she and her husband have committed along with the absence of her self absorbed husband have left her to die alone in mental agony. Macbeths apparitions are finally taking place and his uneasiness and fear is being to show. He dies in battle, as a tyrant and as man completely different from the description we were first given of him. For brave Macbeth, - well he deserves that name. This is what re-awakens are sense of pity for Macbeth. So I do think its fair to say that we feel pity for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Their lives take a complete turn for the worse, leaving them to both perish in guilt and unhappiness. We are reminded by Shakespeare throughout the play of the real evil that exists in the cultural context, and they are Hectate and her sisters. Macbeth is a tragic hero, not a villain and his wife is just as unlucky as he is.
Good. Reasonably well written. A slightly unusual approach to take. Most people would argue that Macbeth and his wife deserve no pity at all. They assassinate a man who is their king and their guest. Macbeth kills his guards to prevent them from talking. From this on, he descends into a spiral of psychopathic killing so that by the end of the play he is known as a tyrant. Perhaps you could argue that Lady M evokes some pity in the last act when she loses her mind and commits suicide but, equally, you could argue that she sacrificed her womanhood and her humanity for the sake of her husbands ambition and deserves anything she gets.