Importance of Fear in Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Importance of Fear in Macbeth Fear motivates many to act upon matters, be they right or wrong. In the play Macbeth it was fear that was the main motivating factor that influenced the outcome of the play. Macbeth was fearful of being caught and having to pay for the wrongs he had done – this led to the murders that followed after the murder of King Duncan. Macbeth's actions were also driven by fear of the witches' prophecies - he was afraid they would come true and tried to stop them from happening. Lady Macbeth, was also plagued by fear as evidenced by the constant washing of her hands, sleepwalking and other similar behavior. This entire play was inspired by fear and what it and do to a person. To begin, we'll address Macbeth's subsequent murders, following Duncan's. For Macbeth, he's just killed the King of Scotland and blamed it on his son. It worked and he became King, however he remembered the witches' prophecies. They claimed that Macbeth would be King, but it would be Banquo's children that would follow after him. This made Macbeth very angry, he risked everything to become King and after him none of his family will follow. As well Lady Macbeth is being comsumed by fear and guilt, she is slowing losing her sanity. This is a result of her not being able to handle what she has done to Duncan. As shown in this quote "Fie, my lord, fie! a soldier and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account? [Act V, S I, L 32-35] Here Lady Macbeth is trying to wash out what she sees as being blood on her hands. As well she mentions hell an obvious fear of going there for what she has done. At the start Lady Macbeth was the one pushing on Macbeth to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth takes her life right before the battle against the english is about to begin. This taking of her own life demonstrates her fear and in the end what that fear can do to a person. Now we come to the witches prophecies, these are a main source of fear for Macbeth, after all where has he learned everything from. With each new vision,Macbeth falls deeper and deeper into an evil spiral.