I was kind of lost and stopped close reading for awhile. I read through what I have posted previously and felt impressed and proud of myself. Did I really come out with those lines?! I had so much passion in there and I am going to continue. I work very fast. If I want to conquer the text, I know I am capable of doing it. It's the matter of wanting to do it or not.
And so again, I wanted to 'jump' to Act 5. I'm always 'jumping' here and there. Suddenly, I thought of Lady Macbeth again! I remember the story except the setting :p I remember the part where she started to show symptoms that she is weak in Act 3. On the other hand, Macbeth is getting cruel and planning to murder Banquo. It appears that Macbeth finally in Act 3 takes charge of his own power, of course, in a wrong way. Lady Macbeth is finally not controlling and manipulating her husband for power. I can imagine the graphs of both characters and their level of evilness.
Quotations time! I quote and I don't remember, seriously...
Scene 1
"They hail'd him father to a line of kings./Upon my head they plac'd a fruitless crown/And put a barren sceptre in my gripe.../No son of mine succeeding." - Line 58-62
Father to a line of kings refers to Banquo who is the person Macbeth fears of. If the prophecy comes true, Macbeth has no descendants to carry the line of kings. He has a 'fruitless crown' indeed! Fruit represents Macbeth as a king. Therefore, fruitless means Macbeth has no sons! Hmm..not too hard to interpret and this phrase caught my eyes.
"If't be so,/For Banquo's issue have I fil'd my mind;/For them the gracious Duncan have I murder'd;/Put rancours in the vessel of my peace/Only for them, and mine eternal jewel/Given to the common enemy of man/To make them kings-the seeds of Banquo kings! - Line 62-68
Murdering Duncan is giving the 'seeds' of Banquo a helping hand by making them kings! Seeds refer to the descendants or sons of Banquo. They are the future kings. Macbeth killed Duncan to be king himself not for the sons of Banquo. He went through mental torture to kill Duncan and now finds himself a king who has no secured position. Oh ya..a sign of getting evil..getting rid of the controlling of his wife. He actually thinks for himself.
He decides to challenge fate for the name of greed. He decides to murder Banquo. And for that, he finishes his transition into a 'true man' which is what Lady Macbeth wants.
Is Lady Macbeth proud of her husband being a man?
Scene 2
"Naught’s had, all’s spent,/Where our desire is got without content./'Tis safer to be that which we destroy/Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy." - Line 4-7
Lady Macbeth has such a strong guilt that she would rather to be in the position of Duncan who's being murdered than to be the murderer and suffered with her own action. She has done everything to get what she wants and ends up not happy with what she gets. This is the very first sign of Lady Macbeth's guilt which reveals that she is not as strong as she thinks she is.
"What's done is done." - Line 12
This line reveals that Lady Macbeth has no intention to further their power by committing more murders.
"You must leave this." - Line 35
When Macbeth asks her to put on fake mask to conceal their feelings towards Banquo and treats him good, the feelings owned only by Macbeth. He is the one who owns the intention to murder him. Lady Macbeth asked him to stop thinking in this way which is another sign that she's in a transition into another personality, a weaker Lady Macbeth.
"But in them nature’s copy’s not eterne" - Line 38
Macbeth talks about Banquo and Fleance who are still alive and Lady Macbeth gives the above reply. The way she replies telling Macbeth that they are mortals and they can die suggests that she really doesn't want him to carry out the murder. Eventually they will die, why murder them right?
My novel which is Collin Classics has another interpretation of the word 'copy'. 'Copy' refers to Fleance who is young and sounds like a hint to Macbeth that he can kill him easily and the 'copy' of his father who is Banquo too.
"Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill." "When one has done something evil to begin with, strength and security are gained by further evil." - Line 55
Earlier, I mentioned that Macbeth finishes his transition into a man. And I believe in this very end of Act 3, Scene 2; Macbeth has fully transformed into a good evil. Why good evil? How can an evil be good? Previously he was having doubts in committing evil acts and that made him neither angel or evil, no identity. Now, he gets his conscience under control and he is ready to be a fully developed evil. "A good evil is a true evil.
BUT is that so?
Scene 4
Banquo ghost appears in this scene. Is it also an illusion of Macbeth like those he had in his first murder? Does this suggest that he is still incapable of being a true evil? While he is terrified by Banqou ghost, Lady Macbeth acts well being a host serving those who attend the dinner. She also claims that her husband lacks of sleep. Is Lady Macbeth's help necessary? Is she still a strong woman?
"My strange and self-abuse/ Is the initiate fear that wants hard use./We are yet but young in deed." Macbeth claims that the illusions formed are due to his inexperience in committing crime. 'We' refers to Macbeth himself and we will find out Lady Macbeth will be entirely being left out from his actions.
In Act 4, Macbeth will act alone by meeting the witches again and ask for more prophecies. Lady Macbeth's assistance is no longer needed. He is capable of his own feelings now.
We will only see Lady Macbeth again in Act 5 where she finishes her transition into another 'identity' - a weak Lady Macbeth.
Written by Sammy
My most favourite line:
Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill
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