Macbeth Act 1

The theme appearance vs. reality is present in many plays and books including Macbeth. Many characters in this play look at Macbeth in different ways. Lady Macbeth thinks that he appears to be a a noble and strong man but in reality lacks the wicked ambition that is needed to gain and maintain power as king. A quote from Shakespeare's play explains Lady Macbeth's view on Macbeth, "Thou wouldst be great,/ Art not without ambition, but without/ The illness should attend it." (1.5 17-18) In this excerpt illness means wickedness. The line is said when Lady Macbeth is alone explaining her husbands weakness. This quote connects back to Machiavelli because in The Prince quotes like, "the ends justify the means" and "hatred is gained as much by good works as it is by evil" are found. The Prince quotes are telling us to be a ruler or a king in Macbeth's case you must have wicked ambition to get what you want. If Lady Macbeth ever read the Prince I am sure she would agree with much that is said in it. 

A woman's role in society has changed drastically over the years. Today women can vote and provide for a family just as much as men can. In Shakespeare's time a women was supposed to be weak, obedient, and loyal to her husband. Women were expected to stay home and care for the children and when a woman didn't follow what society expected of her it was as if she committed a crime. Lady Macbeth was expected to fill that female role. Many see Lady Macbeth as two faced because when around Macbeth and others she acted how society wanted her too but really inside she was fighting against these general expectations of the female gender. A quote from Shakespeare's play Macbeth explains how Lady Macbeth feels about being a women, " Come you spirits/ that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,/ and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full/ of direst cruelty."(1.5 39-41) This quote lets us into Lady Macbeth's head it shows the audience how being a women could sometimes be a disadvantage back then. The theme of gender roles is highlighted throughout the play and Lady Macbeth is one of the stronger examples.

 When Macbeth's future was told by the weird sisters he was startled that he would someday be king. As the surprise soon became reality he started to really wonder how this would come to be. The first inkling of the thought of killing King Duncan is expressed in this quote, "If good, why do I yield to that suggestion/ Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair/ And make my seated heart knock at my ribs/ Against the use of nature? Present fear/ Are less than horrible imaginings./ My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,/ Shakes so single state of man that function/ Is smothered in surmise, and nothing is/ But what is not." (1.3 133-141) This quote is Macbeth first realizing that a way to become king would be to kill King Duncan this thought is quickly shooed away because he believes that it is terribly disloyal to kill the honorable king. At this point in the play Macbeth is very loyal because in this time period being loyal to your king is top priority. Although this loyalty disappears when Lady Macbeth manipulates him using his insecurities to kill Duncan it is important to know that Macbeth once was loyal and did honor the King. Human nature makes us think about ourselves before others so loyalty only goes so far Macbeth is a perfect example of this aspect of human nature. A quote from The Prince connects to loyalty and honor as well, "A son can bear with equanimity the loss of his father, but the loss of his inheritance may drive him to despair." This quote can be interpreted in different ways but I see it as the sons loyalty and honor for his father only reaches a certain level until human nature gets in the way and the greed of wanting the inheritance overpowers the loyalty.