Is It Possible To Feel Sympathy For Macbeth?

We can take a quote from this scene where all the witches chant: “Fair is foul and foul is fair”, this quote IS hinting towards Macbeth future, with he quotes meaning being that things don’t look the same as they actually are on the inside. In the second scene, king Duncan learns the rebels, led by traitor Thane of Castor Macdonald, has been crushed by Macbeth, Macbeth is praised for his bravery shown in this quote: for brave Macbeth well he deserves that name, disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel’ this shows his bravery and loyalty, at this point he is a soldier with good intentions and no aspiration for harm.

After Duncan hears this news he orders for McDonald’s execution and announces Macbeth to be the new hand of Castor. Dunce’s condemns Macdonald by saying “no more that Thane of Castor shall deceive our bosom’s interest”, meaning that he won’t receive matters close to his heart.

In scene three the witches appear and discuss putting a horrific spell on a sailor just for being rude to one of the witches, this is hinting towards the way they treat Macbeth and what Macbeth is going to be dragged into.

The witches then come to Macbeth and Banana to give a prophecy in which they hail Macbeth as “Thane of Glacis, Thane of Castor and King hereafter”, the three witches then disappear. After, Angus and Ross tell Macbeth he is the new Thane Castor, this tells Macbeth the prophecy is true.

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Macbeth is very interested and tempted in the crown now we know this from this quote: Why do yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, and make me my seated heart knock at my ribs. Macbeth has just thought about killing Duncan but the thought makes him feel an odd sick feeling, his humanity provokes us to feel sympathy for Macbeth. In scene 4, King Duncan thanks Macbeth and Banana personally. You can tell that Macbeth wants the crown as he flatters Duncan as he says ‘The service and loyalty owe in doing it, pays itself, Your highness” part is to receive our duties. However Malcolm, Dunce’s son, is announced as the next king, you can feel sympathy for Macbeth here because what he has been promised by the witches has been taken away from him.

However this quotes tells us that Macbeth wants to kill Duncan: “that is a Step on which I must fall down, or else Orleans, for in my way it lies”, he is saying he must either forget about his ambitions or plan to do something about the obstacles in the way of his true, his decision is made: “stars hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires”. He is asking God to not let anyone discover his ambitions; we lose sympathy for Macbeth at this point. In scene 5, Lady Macbeth reads a letter from Macbeth of what the witches have predicted, Lady Macbeth becomes desperate for the crown and will now stop at nothing to get it.

However she doubts Machete’s drive for this throne: ‘yet I do fear thy nature. It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness’ so she decides to persuade by ‘pouring her spirits into thing ear. When Macbeth arrives home she persuades and manipulates him into killing Duncan when he comes to spend the night at their castle. We can feel sympathy for Macbeth at this point because he has thinking about killing Duncan and he is vulnerable but Lady Macbeth causes him to change his mind.

Scene 6 is a very short one in which Duncan and others arrives at Inverness and is greeted by Lady Macbeth, and flatters him by saying: “all our service, in every point done twice and then double, were poor and single business to contend against those honors deep and broad wherewith Your Majesty odds our house'”. In scene 7 Macbeth debates with himself whether he should kill Duncan. But his wife goads him, manipulating him, she questions his manhood Was hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself. ‘ She even questions his love for her ‘From this time, should I account thy love. Macbeth still questions himself, but she begs him to tighten his courage to the limit. Lady Macbeth his pushing and pulling at a weak and vulnerable mind, so we must feel sympathy for him.

Macbeth goes ahead with the plan to murder Duncan. In conclusion, I do feel sympathy for Macbeth at some points of Act 1 u to his wife being so ruthless and his loyalty and humanity at the beginning of the Act, but I feel as though this means hardly anything because his does think about killing Duncan and Macbeth knows what he plans to do is wrong, and fully acknowledges the future consequences. That is a Step on which must fall down, or else overlap, for in my way it lies, he is saying he must either forget about manhood ‘Was hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself.  She even Duncan. In conclusion, do feel sympathy for Macbeth at some points of Act 1 beginning of the Act, but feel as though this means hardly.