Shakespeares Macbeth - Creating Sympathy for Macbeth...

Creating Sympathy for Macbeth The dark aura surrounding Shakespeares Macbeth is well deserved, as is the darkness shrouding its title character. Although Macbeth is certainly a villainous, evil man based solely on his actions, a fuller examination of his characters portrayal leads to a more sympathetic view of him. The play does not portray Macbeth simply as a cold-blooded murderer, but rather as a tortured soul attempting to deal with the atrocities surrounding him. Before any of the murderous activity occurs, Macbeth does not experience small, ambiguous premonitions, he is directly told by mysterious, dark figures things that are ordained to happen. Although these mysterious prophecies seem doubtful at first,†¦show more content†¦Although it certainly does not excuse his actions, the fact that she planned the murders, encouraged him to lie and deceive the other nobles at the banquets, basically convinced him to carry the initial murder out, and repeatedly attempted to make him forget the act and move on, would seem to partially incriminate her. If Macbeth had a wife who was a stark contrast to him, one who abhorred murder and attempted to talk him out of it, then his crime would have seemed all the more horrendous since even his closes confidant advised him against it. As it is, Lady Macbeths twisted cruelty and conniving serve to further a small sense of sympathy for the guilty Macbeth. An important aspect of Macbeths portrayal is that he shows extreme remorse after the killing of Duncan, and attempts to avoid killing Macduff due to the guilt he feels for all the other murders he has committed. While his wife feels just a little water will cleanse them from the deed, Macbeths own answer to his question Will all great Neptunes ocean wash this / blood clean from my hand? is a resounding no. Macbeth realizes the severity of his act and guilt, and this is central in evoking a sense of sympathy from the audience. Macbeth knows that he has done wrong; most can attempt to feel some sympathy or forgiveness for someone who knows they have done wrong and suffers constantly forShow MoreRelatedThe Supernatural Evil Within Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Macbeth1561 Words   |  6 Pagesspecific genders. With this in mind, Shakespeare’s Macbeth heightens the supernatural evil possessing Lady Macbeth as she condones murder for her own selfish ambition, while in Shake speare’s time women were regarded as peaceful and full of feminine sympathies. 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