The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-10-19
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| the state. becomes a hero greater and
| more powerful than the king. and who
then wheels at the very point of his
greatness and turns faithless to the state
and king that he has saved, traitor to
| his own heroic actions.
The conflict Of Macbeth with himself
begins at once with his success in battles.
There has been greatrevoltin the state
in which some Of the kings subjects.
aided by foreigners, have participated:
this revolt has been put down by Mac
beth, assisted by Banquo. Here begins
the internal struggles for Macbeth-the
revolt suppressed in the state is trans
ferred to the soul of Macbeth. What has
he been doing? Putting down traitor to
the king, but this act tempts him to be-
come the traitor to the same king. to
do that for which he has just punished
others and which shows him the conse-
quence Of treason. Just here before he
has scarcely realized his victory the
weird sisters appear before him. he says
in his letter to his wife, They meet me
in the day Of success"
In the case of Macbeth 1t is plain that
the weird sisters mirrors his inner
thought. back to him that of kingship.
With the words of the witch still ringing
in his ears, Hal. Macbeth, Tnane of
Cowder,' comes an embassy from the
king, who salutes his as Thane of Cow
der. Here is the sudden confirmation of
Macbeth and he remembers what the
third witch had said, THE greatest is
behind" These thoughts were certainly
in his mind and were only confirmed by
the words Of the embassy from the king.
Here Lady Macbeth is brought into the
play. She knows we'll the character of
her husband and fears that he will be
irresolute, since the conflict between the
good and the bad is SO evenly poised in
his mind. She is the one of the pair who
As the spirits self-control; almost her
first words to her husband is to reprove
his lack of self-suppression.
Macbeth does not project the murder
of Duncan, because of his encounter with
tht weird sisters; the weird sisters en-
counter him because he has projected the
murder. because they know him and the
evil that is in him.
Macbeth was tossed by passion and de-
sire, and being without anchorage to the
firm bottom of we'll settled principles, /!
yet he feared to cut loose from all moral |
moorings. and showed how difficult it is |
to be both corrupt and scrupulous.
I do not think the first idea Of murder
ing Duncan was suggested by Lady Mac
beth to her husband. 1t springs within !
his mind and Is revealed to US before the |
first interview with his wife, before she |
is introduced in the play or alluded to. |
There had certainly been some CONVEX |
sation between them before the play
opens; each had discovered the others |
ambition. That Macbeth was selfish
and cruel there can be no doubt. He had
thought of the murder and wanted to do
1t. but was diplomat and wanted the
suggestion to come from her Time and
again in the play, Macbeth led her to
encourage him to do this. In his con-
versation with her on his return from
battle, where she tells him the king must
be provided for. and he answers her. I'VE
will speak further he wishes her to
encourage him: she knows his disposition
we'll and knows what he expects of her
He has the desire but not the courage
she has the desire and courage.
It is true that Macbeth has no true
moral ground work of character; he