Macbeth’s Self-Imposed Purgatory
Death surrounds us all, it will never be sated or bargained with, but it can unfortunately be hastened. In Macbeth, the main character of the same name is surrounded by death, partly by his own doing and partly due to the cruel fate that many of the characters have set before them. Macbeth, up until the beginning of the play, was an ordinary man of minor royalty, and he and his family seemed content in their lives. However, what lay past all of his simple wishes and emotions were the keys to his misfortune. Macbeth’s true nature, that of temptation, fear, and suffering, was the cause of death’s swiftness and life’s cruelty throughout the play. It could be said that, instead of Macbeth falling to the desires of those surrounding him, he was instead creating his own personal purgatory by allowing the true man inside himself to act.
Temptation is the first part of his inner self that Macbeth acts upon. When both he and Banquo are walking, they encounter the Weird Sisters, who represent a cursed…show more content… This is shown throughout the play by how Shakespeare wrote the atmosphere that surrounds Macbeth, which is portrayed by focusing on the darkness both within and without. Many of the scenes take place at night, alluding to the fact that Macbeth cannot escape what his temptation has forced him to do, and he is constantly tormented by it. Immediately following the murder of King Duncan, several strange noises are heard, as though animals are shrieking in torment, and the castle groans and creaks within the earth. It is as if Macbeth’s surroundings are grieving for the unforgivable murder, and they are expressing the pain and fear he feels towards what he has done. After the night of the murder, he is unable to bless himself, giving him the impression that God has forsaken him due to his inner misgivings and covetous