^^ In the first 2 minutes of this video, they try to convey the violence of Macbeth and Banquo on the battlefield, as described in Act 1 Scene 2 by The Captain.
AMBITION/UNCERTAINITY
- "Commencing in truth? I an Thane of Cawdor if good, why do i yield to that suggestion whos horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, against the use of nature."
- First thoughts are of murder --> it unnerves him --> not completely sure.
- DEEP THINKER --> he doesn't disregard the prophecy that he will become king.
- Indecisive about murder --> his soliloquy shows this.
- "Remarking upon the difficulties of knowing what people are really thinking. Starts hide your fires, let no light see my black and deep desires."
- Macbeth doesn't want people to know what he is thinking.
- Thoughts of murder --> ashamed? --> scared of his thoughts.
Soldier
Macbeth is confident and brave on the battlefield. It is mentioned in Act 1 Scene 2 that he holds the position of captain so this leads to the thought that he is good in a position of authority. He is loyal in the way that he brutally fights and risks his life for his king and country; “For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel which smoked with bloody execution”.
It also seems to us that Macbeth is a merciless violent person in the way he ‘carved out his passage’ through the army of men until he faces MacDonwald and “he unseamed him from the nave to th’chaps”. He does this almost immediately, it appears that he did not think about it or maybe didn’t need to think about it. He is so sure of himself on the battlefield and the violent acts he performs; we could even maybe say that it comes natural to him.
Macbeth and Banquo are so lost in the moment and eager for violence that they are not in the slightest bit dismayed by the prospect of more battle and more fighting. In fact, they seem enthusiastic about the idea and are “as cannons overcharged with double cracks”. They get so deep into their enjoyment of this violence that maybe their view of what is too much has been altered as the Captain describes their violence and how it seemed they wanted it; “except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds, and memorize another Golgotha”.
And yet this part of his personality is in complete contrast to his indecisiveness of the murder of Duncan. He is so sure of himself and so confident with his actions on the battlefield and does not think before performing his violent actions and yet, when it comes to Duncan’s murder, he almost thinks too much about the murder. He does not seem enthusiastic about performing the action; it is almost as if he is trying to persuade himself against doing it (his soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 7).
All this connects to the theme of Paradox present in the play; Macbeth himself is a paradox. He is decisive and doesn’t need to think before performing murderous actions on the battlefield, which is in contrast to his indecisiveness and fear about murdering Duncan.
PICTURES
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