THE KING’S MAN 275
Macbeth’s strange behavior at the
banquet is played out in front of
the puzzled guests. When the ghost
appears before him for a second
time, he cannot contain his horror:
“It will have blood, they say. Blood
will have blood. / Stones have been
known to move, and trees to speak,
/ Augurs and understood relations
have / By maggot-pies and choughs
and rooks brought forth / The
secret’st man of blood” (3.4.121–125).
End of the bloodbath
By the play’s close Macbeth’s world
has come crashing down, and he
finds little left in life to delight him:
Shakespeare dramatically combines a warrior’s courage as he
wields the sword, “vaulting ambition” in seeking the crown, the
bond of hearts with Lady Macbeth, an evil intent in the form of a
dagger, and the power of prophecy to bring Macbeth to commit
murder, several times over.
“I have lived long enough”
(5.3.24). The witches’ improbable
prophecies all come to fruition, and
Macbeth leaves the stage fighting
despite the odds being against him:
“Though Birnam Wood be come to
Dunsinane, / And thou opposed
being of no woman born, / Yet I
will try the last” (5.10.30–32).
It is only through the deaths of
this “dread butcher and his fiend-
like queen” (5.11.35) that the blood-
letting can be brought to a close.
“The time is free” (5.11.21), says
Macduff, and he hails the new king
Malcolm, who can build a future for
Scotland, free from tyranny. ■The witches
In Shakespeare’s time,
witchcraft was a serious
matter. King James himself
was a judge in the North
Berwick witch trials of
1590–92, at which 70 people
were tried and many burned
at the stake; witch trials
would be held in England and
Scotland until the 18th century.
Shakespeare’s audience
would have known of such
events. The presence of
the witches in Macbeth is
intended to be unsettling, and
their appearance, as described
by Banquo, emphasizes their
otherworldliness: “What are
these, / So withered, and so
wild in their attire, / That
look not like th’inhabitants
o’th’earth / And yet are on’t?”
(1.3.37–40).
Shakespeare’s description
encourages spectators to
use their imaginations to
see more than is before their
eyes—to see supernatural
and hideous figures. He
also creates an image that
troubles both the audience’s
and Macbeth’s minds.
Modern-day audiences tend
to see Macbeth’s psychological
state as more important than
the witches’ curses as a
driver of the action.Dagger – Macbeth’s
murderous intent.Heart – the intense
relationship between
Macbeth and his wife.Crown – Macbeth’s
determined ambition.Sword – Macbeth’s
prowess as a warrior.