Macbeth LRJ #1

Jessica Dudman
Ms. Peifer
10 IB per.5
2-23-09
Within the first act of Macbeth the audience is already given a strong impression of three characters. Macbeth himself, Lady Macbeth, and Banquo. All three show themselves to be complex characters with a sense of good and evil in conflict with one another. Macbeth is the most complex and the character most built upon. "noble Macbeth" (1.2.70). The very first thing the audience learns of Macbeth is that he is good, brave, and honorable. Even the king calls him noble. But after hearing the witches prophecy that he will be king Macbeth is first afraid and then the conflict of right and wrong starts within him. Lady Macbeth on the other hand faces no such conflict. She instead starts working to find a way to get her husband upon the throne as soon as possible. On one hand this makes her seem cruel and evil, but she does it for her husband because she loves him and wants the best for him. Banquo's character is much less clear then the other two despite the fact he is in all most as many scenes as Macbeth himself. In fact although he was in the same battle as Macbeth he wasn't even mentioned to the king and he is shunted of to the side more then one would expect. he is very obviously a secondary character and yet appears to be vital to the story which is very interesting.
The most obvious theme is that of good versus evil or right against wrong. "Cannot be ill, cannot be good" (1.3.132). Here Macbeth is trying to figure out what to do about the witches prophecy but he can't. Lady Macbeth later convinces him to murder the king which allows evil to win. The fact that ambition could motivate them to murder someone they knew tells a lot about their character. Another theme is confusion in the dark and the weather setting the mood. When ever Macbeth is pondering what should be done it is always dark or foul weather.
The image i remember clearest is when Lady Macbeth is convincing Macbeth to kill the king and she says, "I would, while it was smiling in my face,/ Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums/ And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you/ Have done to this" (1.7.57-60). This image is the strongest in the act for me. This is because it's so graphic and bloody against an innocent and unprotected child. I like children and I dislike violence, combining the two made it easy to remember the image.