Macbeth13

In MacBeth, Shakespeare creates characters who parallel other characters either through their words and actions, or through similarities in characters lives. Each character in the story has a double, through either their similarities, or through their differences. Each character also has something about them that makes them unique.

MacBeth and Lady MacBeth are the epitome of an interesting parallelization. At the beginning of the story, the two characters are complete opposites. MacBeth takes the feminine role, while Lady MacBeth is masculine:

That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,

And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full Of direst cruelty! Mak

. . .
Each new morn

New widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows

Strike heaven on the face, that it resounds

As if it felt with Scotland and yelled out

Like syllable of dolor. On the other hand when MacBeth hears of Lady MacBeths seriousness in her actions he comes back with:

MacBeth

“We will proceed no further in this business:

He hath honored me as of late, and I have bought

Golden opinions from all sorts of people,

Which would be worn now in their newest gloss,

Not cast aside so soon. These prophecies are very tempting but are ultimately destructive. Then, he met the three witches, which pumped prophecies or, “seeds of evil” into his head.

Finally not a pair, but, triplets. MacDuff knew what MacBeth was plotting and he went to Malcolm to help him stop MacBeth:

Malcolm

Let us seek out some desolate shade, and

There

Weep our bosoms empty. Each characters calls upon some type of supernatural force, or godly influence to help them, or hide them. In the last pair, Malcolm was testing MacDuff for loyalty, so this same mistake that Duncan made with MacBeth would not happen again. Fie, my

lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear

who knows it, when none can call our pow’r to

accompt? Yet who would have though the old man

to have had so much blood in him?”

(V,I, 36-41)

MacBeth is now fully masculine and trying to keep the kingdom together. The witches refer to a “Graymalkin,” which seems to be their god. He protects the king and is awarded a second territory called Cawdor.

This next pair, is directly related to the last one. MacBeth from the beginning of the story is the loyal thane of Glamis. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury

Signifying nothing.

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Approximate Word count = 1005
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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