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How Does Shakespeare Present The Internal Conflict In Macbeth

1178 Words5 Pages

By Adam lawrie
“Macbeth” is a play written by Shakespeare about a young, brave soldier called Macbeth. He has relentless ambition and desire for power but what makes him an interesting character is the way it turns against him. Macbeth starts off as a beloved, brave warrior who is seen as a role model amongst his soldiers. After a battle a triumphant Macbeth and Banquo are met by witches, the witches manipulate Macbeth by prophesising about him becoming king. This starts his desire for power, and once he kills King Duncan it destroys his mental health, making him paranoid. He starts an inner conflict within himself, which is later won over by his ambition and the manipulation of Lady Macbeth. He gains confidence over his rule after visiting …show more content…

“stars” and “fires” creates the idea of light, which can be a reference to God. This religious imagery references how Macbeth is going against Gods word of not killing and as in those times it was believed kings were chosen by God, so Macbeth was going against Gods choice. It also brings the idea of light and dark in Macbeth, showing the inner conflict which develops throughout the play. At this stage it is apparent his consciousness is there as he knows killing Duncan is wrong. The blackness and dark idea shows the evilness of Macbeth’s ambition as he tries to hide it from those …show more content…

Macbeth has killed Duncan under the heavy influence and manipulation of Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth has used her husband’s ambition against him. As a consequence, his mental health rapidly deteriorates and he starts to hear a voice.
“Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more.”
Macbeth realises that killing the king will haunt his conscience as he killed Duncan in his sleep, Macbeth feels like he cannot sleep again. “sleep” could also reference a calming peace of mind and shows how he will not be at peace of mind which is shown later in the play. The state of Macbeths mental health can be seen as he refers to himself in third person. This is a key scene which shows the first consequence of Macbeths ambition and makes him and interesting character, as it shows how the original ambition completely disappears and as he looses all mental

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