Lady Macbeth is the real driving force behind the murder of Duncan
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"Lady Macbeth is the real driving force behind the murder of Duncan"
In this essay, I would like to unravel the reason why I believe Lady Macbeth is the real driving force behind the murder of Duncan.
In doing this I will explore the characters who share the responsibility for the murder and find a reasonable explanation why Macbeth was not the only person accountable.
In the beginning, the captain reveals to the king how "brave Macbeth" (Act 1, scene 2) is valiant in battle, and who in spite of things looking "doubtful", fearlessly confronts the opposition "as sparrows eagles; or hare the lion" (Act 1, scene 2). In this passage, Macbeth is described as a man who is unafraid of even the most desperate situations.
This portrayal is in contrast to the man we find agonising over the witches predictions in his first soliloquy, and during which yields a truer picture of his real character. His "vaulting ambition" (Act1, scene 7) forces him to consider what possibilities are ahead of him and he becomes anxious, battling with his conscience about the passing thoughts of murder.
"..Present fears
Are less than horrible imaginings:
My thought, whose murther is yet but fantastical,
Shakes so my single state of man"
Act 1, Scene 3.
It is possible that this could be the influence of the witches. We can assume from the spell that is cast at the beginning of Act 1 scene 3 that the witches are indeed powerful but unable to have any direct affect on their target..