Loss Of Identity In Macbeth

Another intriguing yet blatant aspect of loss of identity in Shakespeare's play is drawn from Macbeth's drastic change in personality which drives from his thirst for power that starts to control him; ultimately changing who he ends up to be.

At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a highly respected individual - saluted for his service to the King. However when he meets the witches and is spoken to about the prophecy, this begins to change. Macbeth is immediately inclined to believe what the witches have to say through their persuasive and manipulative speech. One of the witches exclaims 'All hail, Macbeth - that shalt be King hereafter!'. Here, Macbeth has no reason to believe the witches, but his easily swayed character as spoken of by

Jonson's son becomes lost to him physically which for the most part causes Jonson to lose his identity as a Father. However, with this being said, Jonson proves that he is still very much a Father as he expresses his regret and remorse over his son's death exclaiming 'O could i lose all father now!'. Jonson's tone here reflecf hope and displays his strong desire to lose his identity and with it all associations and memories he had of being a Father - clearly as his love for him means he misses him dearly. In addition to this, Jonson's love is shown as he speaks of his son as his 'Loved boy' and more importantly 'His best piece of poetry'. His speech here holds a great amount of significance as his referral to himself in the third person by using the word 'he' suggests that this is how he himself expects others to view his son. As well as this, Jonson calls his son 'Poetry' and being a poet himself this reinforces the idea that he holds a strong love for his son. The metaphor used here also creates imagery of delicate work such as art and helps to invision how Jonson sees his son as a beautiful creation. His indignation and this love forces him to begin blaming himself for the loss of his son as he calls it his 'sin for having too much hope of thee'. It could be argued that Jonson is communicate that despite the circumstances, a person's identity is never truly lost. A strong comparison between

'Your spirits shine through you. Within this hour at most I will advise you where to plant yourselves, Acquaint you with the perfect spy o' th' time... I'll come to you anon.' This time, Macbeth's speech shows a considerate loss of human characteristics through his imperative tone. His desperation and as a result his willingness to complete the murder is clearly shown as he orders for the assassination to be settle 'within this hour at the most'. By saying 'at the most' Macbeth seems to be applying a threat to the murderers to ensure they get it done immediately. He speaks more like an assassin at this stage as opposed to the chivalrous and respected servant that he was to the King at the beginning of the play. With Lady Macbeth posessed by evil forces at this point, Macbeth no longer has the companion and wife that he had at the beginning of the story. From this, it bevomes apparent that Macbeth loses his identity not only because of power but alsi because of the love which he lacks from Lady Macbeth that is supposed to keep him