Macbeth's Reaction to Lady Macbeth's Death

She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,To the last syllable of recorded time;And all our yesterdays have lighted foolsThe way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!Life's but a walking shadow, a poor playerThat struts and frets his hour upon the stageAnd then is heard no more. It is a taleTold by an idiot, full of sound and furySignifying nothing."  (5.5.17-27)


Macbeth's reaction or words that he shares with news being brought fourth of Lady Macbeth's death are despondent but also heartless. "There should have been a time for such word," indicates that Macbeth is too busy with his own matters to even mourn or take on the full actuality of his wife being dead. He has descended so far into evil that he barely feels any emotions at all, especially in this hectic time of battle approaching, Macbeth is more concerned about himself. Macbeth, early in the play, derived tremendous inspiration from and was heavily influenced by his wife, Lady Macbeth. I feel that a part of him is saddened when he says, "creeps in his petty pace from day to day," meaning although he has lost everything, he is also not bothered.

Act IV, Scene 3

            In Act IV, scene 3, Malcolm and Macduff meet in England, where Malcolm tests the loyalty of his new recruit, Macduff. By negatively speaking of himself and declaring himself a greater tyrant than Macbeth, he hopes to bring out Macduff's true colors. His attempt at reverse psychology takes its effect, Macduff is thrown into a fit of anger against the "untitled tyrant" Macbeth, and Malcolm enlists his help in the struggle. Reverse psychology is getting somebody to do something you want by suggesting that they do the opposite. This works better when the other person is worked up and making emotional decisions rather than thinking things through (Straker, 3). A common form of reverse psychology is to forbid an action. When you say 'do not X' you are also implanting the suggestion to do X. If they say they will do something, you can express doubt that they will do this. They then have to assert they will do it (and then actually do it) to prove you wrong. If the other person is likely to believe you will use reverse psychology, you can go for a reverse-reverse effect by suggesting what you want them to do, but perhaps in an oblique and non-obvious way. In this scene of Macbeth, reverse psychology works in favor for Malcolm. 

Straker, Richard. "Reverse Psychology." Reverse Psychology. 4 June 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.

The Three Witches and Greek Mythology's Fates

The Three Witches (also known as the weird sisters) are supernatural characters in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. They inform Macbeth that he is destined to be king which urges him to carry out the bloody, ambitious act of murder. They also show him visions of his fate, though their guidance ultimately leads to his destruction. Shakespeare’s witches, fascinating and frightening, appeal to our interest in the supernatural, acknowledging the presence of evil in our world and also the knowledge of one's fate. The Three Witches in Macbeth are closely related to and carry a similar purpose to the Fates in Greek mythology. The Moirai, or Fates were three sister gods, incarnations of destiny and life. Their names were Clotho, the one who spins the thread of life; Lachesis, she who draws the lots and determines how long one lives, by measuring the thread of life; and Atropos, the inevitable, she who chose how someone dies by cutting the thread of life with her shears. The Three Weird Sisters and the Fates share the similarities of being both good and evil, sharing the path of life, prophesying, coming in three, and also all being described as very ugly creatures. The Three Witches in Macbeth, although differing in action of an individual's life compared to The Fates- both share the role of prophesying a main character's future. With that being said, the character then takes this foretelling in whatever way they perceive destined for themselves. In Macbeth's situation, he may have wanted to change his motives if he knew his ending destiny.

Mabillard, Amanda. "The Relationship Between Macbeth and the Witches." Shakespeare 

                   Online. Amanda Mabillard, 20 Aug. 2000. Web. 3 Nov. 2015.

Romanova, Anastasia. "The Fates." Citelighter Collections. 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.

The Theatre's Immoral Reputation

According to the article I read, the thetres and actors developed a low reputation during the era of when Shakespeare was first written and then acted out on stage, mostly due to the actors working in close proximity with the groundings. Groundings were poor patrons, people who frequented the Globe Theatre in the early 17th century who were too poor to pay to be able to sit on one of the three levels of the theatre. By paying one penny, they could stand in "the pit", also called "the yard", just below the stage to watch the play. Shakespeare’s theatre was full of life; with large, rowdy crowds attracting, pick pockets and other rough elements were experienced. People did not sit all the time and it was not quiet during the performance. The audience could walk around, eat and drink during the play. They cheered, booed and sometimes even threw objects at the actors. This was considered an unsafe area with crime and prostitution establishing quickly, the location of these theatres being near taverns and other unsavory establishments gave an immoral reputation.