Soliloquies Essay - Importance of the First Soliloquy in Macbeth

Importance of the First Soliloquy in Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Following king Duncan's arrival at Inverness, Macbeth delivers his first major soliloquy. This speech summarizes his reasons for not wanting to commit murder. It is also an image of the plot of Macbeth, as it foreshadows the chain of events that is to follow the murder of Duncan. Although Macbeth knows that he cannot "trammel up the consequence" of Duncan's murder and that his actions will have repercussions, he commits the murder and continues to kill; thus is Macbeth shown to be a weak character who can be easily convinced to perform terrible deeds. Although this is not apparent before the predictions, the moments following them and his homecoming demonstrate Macbeth's own vulnerability. The important speech that he delivers summarizes the results of Duncan's murder, and the multitude of murders following this all follow suit. Macbeth's eventual deterioration is inevitable.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Near the beginning of the play, Macbeth is portrayed as a brave soldier and a noble officer in the king's army. He successfully leads the attack upon the invading forces of Macdonwald, the Thane of Cawdor, and Sweno, king of Norway. He is killing upon the order of another, in this case, the king: "[Macbeth] Like valour's minion carv'd out his passage/Till he fac'd the slave" (I.ii.19-20). Macbeth here appears as a powerful warlord who, although at times seems bloodthirsty, is effective in destroying the foe. Before his meeting with the witches, we have a rather clean view of him; he is a "good" man.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When Macbeth and Banquo stumble onto the barren plateau where the w... ...e manipulated. While he can figure and rationalize alone, outside influences such as Lady Macbeth and the witches change his actions and skew his thoughts. This weakness of character was particularly unacceptable in Macbeth's time, when men were meant to be full of both mental and physical fortitude. Macbeth was a great man, but his tragic fault was his undoing, for a man of his power could not survive in those times without much more moral strength than he had.    Bibliography    Primary Source:    Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Coles Total Study Edition. Toronto: Coles, 1992.    Secondary Sources:      Ã‚   1. Coles Editorial Board. "Marginal Notes to Macbeth," Macbeth. Total Study Edition. Toronto: Coles, 1992.      Ã‚   2. Coles Editorial Board. Macbeth Notes. Toronto: Coles, 1992.