Looking carefully at particular passages in Act V, analyze Macbeth’s state of mind in the final act.
Act V takes place at Dunsinane. Macbeth is left alone in his castle with a few men under his command, serving out of fear rather than loyalty. Ten thousand British troops with a Scottish joint force lead by Malcolm and Macduff are approaching. His state of mind is unstable and his attitude towards his situation shifts from initially being confident to realizing that he is condemned.
Before the battle, Macbeth appears to be self-assured. He speaks to the servants with confidence after learning that several of the Scottish nobles have defected over to Malcolm’s side: “Bring me no more reports; let them fly all” (V, iii, 1). He uses imperative commands to show that he is still in charge. Macbeth exhorts the nobles that have changed allegiance to “mingle with the English epicures” (V,iii, 7-8), greatly hinting that the British are effeminate and inferior. He is convinced that the reports will have no influential consequences on the outcome of the war because of the witches’ prophesies. The first prophesy, stating that he will not be defeated “Till Birnam Wood remove to Dunsinane” (V, iii, 2), seems greatly improbable. And the second, stating that he could only be defeated by a man not born of a woman, also appears to be impossible. Therefore, these two impossibilities make Macbeth feel blind and invulnerable, that he will never be defeated: “the heart I bear/ Shall never sag with doubt nor shake with fear” (V,iii, 9-10).
As the lonely king learns that there are ten thousand soldiers approaching the castle, his attitude slowly shifts from overly confident, to pessimistic. He starts to realize that the end is near, and that death is coming. He commands Seyton, a servant, to help him put on armor for battle, but Macbeth’s tone sounds defeated. Macbeth compares his life to a dry yellow leaf. Sadly, he says that he will never grow into old age having friends, honor, love and obedience from others. He understands that he is the cause of his own downfall and misfortunes. However, some eagerness for bravery in him can still be spotted. He says, “I’ll fight till from my bones my flesh be hacked” (V, iii, 34). He then orders for the banners to be put on the outer walls. As his men are truly intimidated by the enemy coming, Macbeth still believes that the witches’ prophesy will win the war and cause mishap to happen among the enemy, such as a famine.
Macbeth’s confident attitude definitely spirals down soon after he is informed of Lady Macbeth’s death. Throughout the play, Macbeth was known for loving his wife dearly. HHHer death shakes him, up to the point of saying that “She should have died hereafter” (V, v, 17), meaning that she was meant to die at a later time. Because he realizes that he is truly alone now. The reader is able to interpret how Macbeth’s state of mind is due to him becoming so pessimistic after realizing that he has armies marching upon him and that his Lady Macbeth is dead. He feels and is truly alone. Macbeth gives such a pessimistic speech that explains how everyone’s existence has no meaning and purpose. Life “is a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing” (V,v 27-28). That also means that all his evil deeds have no more weight on his conscience.
Up to this point, Macbeth’s morale may be low due to the unfavorable odds. But the idea about being defeated has not arisen yet. The witches’ prophesies seem so true in his favor that he still feels invincible. But as soon as the messenger delivered the bizarre message of Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane, Macbeth begins to lose courage and to doubt what the witches had told him: “I pull in resolution, and begin/ to doubt th’ equivocation of the fiend/ that lies the truth” (V, vi, 41-43). He resolves to rallying the few remaining men and facing the enemy in a frontal attack, which meant death. Macbeth still had a fight in him, partially still believing in the second part of the prophecy and partially because he simply wanted to die as a normal soldier “with harness on [his] back” (V, vi, 52). He goes off into battle acting mighty and invincible, killing as many enemy soldiers as possible, including Young Siward. Macbeth becomes overly confident in battle as he is slaying men and says, “What’s he/ That was not born of woman? Such a one/ Am I to fear, or none” (V, vii, 2-4). Even though the first prophesy of Birnam Wood turned out against him, he still believed In the superficial meaning of only being defeated by a man born by a woman.
But King Macbeth finally realizes that he is condemned at the very end when he faces Macduff. As he was flaunting his invincibility due to the witches’ apparitions, Macduff says that he was “from his mother’s womb/ Untimely ripped” (V, viii, 14-16). Macbeth immediately becomes terrified as Macduff is not woman born. Macduff eventually puts an end to Macbeth’s story and fulfills the witches’ revelation.
To conclude, Macbeth is overly confident at the beginning of Act V. Then the odds slowly start to turn against him. And his morale becomes very low. But he is blinded and willing to fight until the very last prophesy is fulfilled. He, with very few men, went to an unbalanced fight, still thinking of being invincible. Only at the very end, when Macduff told him about not being woman born, Macbeth finally believes that he contributed to his own downfall, by believing the witches like a fool and dies, with a defeated state of mind.
Help Received:
Cadet Lloyd gave me advice on how to properly start, set up and review some passages for the short paper.