Wednesday, February 2, 2011

What is Macbeth's internal conflict? (only act 1 and 2)i know that i should talk about the murder of duncan and his guilt.. but what more can i say...

In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth's internal conflicts do deal with more than just his guilt, or specifically, his guilt is caused by specifics.


First, he, showing personality traits that present role reversal concerning genders, worries that Duncan has been a humble and fair ruler.  He wants the throne badly, but hates to assassinate someone who has treated him so well. 


He also hates to give up the reputation he has developed.  He's received honors from others in the recent past, and hates to jeopardize that by assassinating a king.


Finally, he worries about his eternal salvation.  He knows doing what he wants to do--assassinating Duncan--will cost him his salvation. 


Macbeth's internal conflicts are complex.  He is terribly ambitious, but he is also aware that what he wants to do and later does, is hideous.  It's even possible he's had the assassination of Duncan on his mind before the play opens, which would explain why he flinches when he first hears the prediction that he will be king from the witches:  it's possible he flinches because he knows what his being king will take. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

In Act III, scene 2, why may the establishment of Claudius's guilt be considered the crisis of the revenge plot?

The crisis of a drama usually proceeds and leads to the climax.  In Shakespeare's Hamlet , the proof that Claudius is guilty...