Macbeth Essay

Eren Cameron

Period 3

AP Literature

In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, perception is more important than substance. Shakespeare uses different characters proclivities and perceptions to create the conflict and plot of Macbeth.

The three witches create the idea that all of Macbeth revolves around: that Macbeth will become king. This one idea, in its different perceptions, is the essence of the play, but one perception in particular drives the play: the perception of Lady Macbeth. When Macbeth learns of the prophecy that he will become king, he takes it as something to come, now or later. But, when Lady Macbeth hears of this prophecy, she takes it as something which fate has ordained Macbeth to go out and take. Soon after this we learn of Lady Macbeth’s controlling and manipulative habits, and the attitude she holds toward her husband through her soliloquies, in which she formulates a plot to kill the current King and have Macbeth take the crown. Shakespeare mainly uses Lady Macbeth’s thoughts, and her interactions with Macbeth to convey Lady Macbeth’s proclivities; she believes that her husband does not have enough ambition, and that he will not take advantage of his perceived fate. In one soliloquy, she claims that she will deny her womanhood, in order to have a more masculine sensibility to complete the murder of Duncan. Macbeth weakly succumbs to his wife’s manipulations, murders Duncan, and becomes King as was earlier foretold. This is where Macbeth’s perceptions take firm hold of the plot and conflicts. As Macbeth receives his position of highest power, his guilt and fear cause him to manipulate the situation, just as his wife did. Banquo, Macbeth’s best friend and fellow warrior, heard the prophecy from the witches at the same time as Macbeth, and because of this, Macbeth is scared that Banquo will be suspicious of Macbeth’s foul play, so he arranges to have him killed. Shakespeare reverses Lady Macbeth’s role to that of a more traditional feminine mentality, as she succumbs to intense guilt and tries in vain to control her emotions, ultimately losing her mind. Shakespeare uses these characterizations of Macbeth and his Lady to show us not only their perceptions, but also the perceptions of other characters of the couple. Inexorably, perception causes all the major events in the play. Actions in Macbeth are justifiable only by the end result of those actions. They are predicated upon insubstantial ideas, ideas that, if perceived differently by the characters, would drastically alter the course of the entire play.