Joseph Melanson
Shakespeare
Prof. Tryon
21 June 2012
Character Analysis in
Hamlet and Macbeth.
For this essay, I chose a major
character in Hamlet, the character of
Hamlet himself to analyze, and in the story of Macbeth, I chose a
minor character in the form of the servant(s), to analyze.
I). Hamlet. -
Act 1, Scene 1. (Summary). Horatio,
Barnardo, and Marcellus confront the ghost of king Hamlet who has lately been appearing during the
night watch. After making attempts to get the Ghost to speak, Horatio thinks that
perhaps the Ghost of his father will only speak to his son Hamlet. In this act, the characters of
Horatio, Barnardo, and Marcellus introduce the character of Hamlet by talking about
his father the slain king,
who was named Hamlet as well. The Ghost of King Hamlet has
been recently seen haunting the night watch of the castle at Elsinore,
and ghosts during this era were considered bad omens. They relate the social and political
climate of war that they find themselves in. The three agree that Hamlet must be told
about the appearance of his father in ghost form and how they intuit that Hamlet will be
the only one the ghost will
reveal his message to.
(Analysis) Hamlet
is not in this scene but the scene is necessary to set up the rest of the play, the murder of King Hamlet which is the hub of
the plot.
Act 1, Scene 2, (Summary). Hamlet is
motivated only by his despair, distraught not only by his father’s death but by his own mother’s quick
marriage to a man that Hamlet has a low regard for. Claudius and the queen
Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother and new bride to the king, who is also Hamlet’s uncle, notice
Hamlet’s grief and try to get him to get past the death of his father. Hamlet appears to
acquiesce to their attempts to persuade
him to get past his grief, disguised at being concerned for
his bereavement, but actually its an attempt to relive themselves of their feelings of
guilt and complicity in murder. Hamlet is unable to move on past his feelings of the indecency
and audacity of the royal couple’s hasty marriage so soon after King Hamlet’s death. When
Horatio greets him and relates the news of the appearance of Hamlet’s father in
ghost form, Hamlet is taken out of his despair but is now concerned that the appearance of
his father is a bad omen. He swears the other witnesses to secrecy until Hamlet has a
chance to meet the ghost of his father himself.
(Analysis) This scene presents
Hamlet through the filter of the royal couple and introduces the most important characters in the play as they
interact. Hamlet’s despondency is recognized by the king and queen and they
hope to encourage him to get over his grief. They are probably both concerned for
Hamlet’s mental well-being and their own concern for possible problems that Hamlet’s mental
state may cause them in
the future. Hamlet seems to acquiesce to his mother’s
request that he get over his grief, but when alone he expresses his true feelings of continued
grief, and the reasons behind it. Horatio comes upon Hamlet and relates the news about his
ghost father being seen during the night watch by some of the men. Hamlet swears the
men to secrecy, and they agree to do so giving Hamlet a sense of credibility and
trust among the men.
Act 1, Scene 3. (Summary) Laertes
then Polonius warn Ophelia about letting herself become seduced by Hamlet who has been pursuing her. She
promises to both her brother and then their father that she would not accept the
advances of Hamlet. Hamlet is spoken about by the characters, perhaps to add
characterization in the form of a libidinous image of Hamlet. The other characters perhaps
reveal their own natures as well
in their remarks that they have about Hamlet. Another level
of characterization of Hamlet is added by the scene, by the characters remarks about him. Ophelia
is introduced as a love interest of Hamlet, and her relationship between her
brother Laertes, as well as her relationship to her father Polonius is revealed.
(Analysis) Laertes warns Ophelia
about Hamlet’s pursuit of her, trying to make her see Hamlet in a negative light. She sees through this
and asks Laertes to look at himself, that he needs to be reminded that one must practice
what one preaches. Her father, Polonius, reasserts what Laertes said, that Hamlet
may only want to use her. This scene provides another glimpse of Hamlet through the eyes of
others, and the duplicity with which Hamlet is faced by the people surrounding him.
Hamlet is not featured in this scene, and it is used mostly to show the relationships of
Ophelia, Laertes, and Polonius, major characters who have featured prominently in Hamlet’s
life.
Act 1, Scene 4. (Summary) Horatio
and Marcellus bring Hamlet with them to the battlements and the Ghost appears to them, urging Hamlet to
follow them. During this time the new king is partying with his court. This is an
affront to Hamlet’s sense of proper royal behavior and a blemish on the reputation of the
Danes and the country of Denmark
itself.
(Analysis) Hamlet
is motivated to communicate with the rumor of this ghost of his deceased father. After the ghost is proven real and
appears to the men, it beckons Hamlet forward.
The ghost speaks his tale to
Hamlet, and Hamlet is able to put aside his fear of the ghost. Hamlet, after speaking alone with his ghost father, is
now oath and blood bound to avenge the murder of his father. The characters of Horatio
and Marcellus add a dimension of fear by their attempts to warn and restrain
Hamlet, perhaps also giving Hamlet the appearance of madness in following the ghost to
what could be seen as his
doom. Hamlet is given the characterization of fearlessness and
insanity in his boldness to follow the ghost, and now Hamlet has the curse of this
vengeance that he has to somehow carry out.
Act 1, Scene 5. (Summary). The
ghost reveals to Hamlet that he is his slain father, and that Claudius the new king, as well as Hamlet’s mother
Gertrude were responsible for the murder. This only gives credence to suspicions that
Hamlet was already having. Hamlet makes a vow to the ghost that he will seek revenge
for his father’s death and gets Horatio and Marcellus to swear not to say anything about the
ghost, or reveal any
motivation for any new strange behavior from Hamlet. The
ghost also makes Hamlet vow to leave the mother alone, to let God punish her in the
afterlife.
(Analysis) When
the ghost departs, Hamlet is now left alone with the full realization of his determined destiny. He is doomed by the
by the act of regicide by Claudius that now Hamlet must assume the identity and
requirements of a murderer to enact his revenge. Hamlet gets the men to swear an oath of
secrecy again, and they again agree giving Hamlet more characterization as a man who
commands trust and respect, at
least in some men. Despite this obvious truth of the
afterlife now revealed to them, the men choose instead to keep this supernatural knowledge to
themselves, conferring again upon Hamlet a place of respect in the minds of the men.
Act 2,
Scene 1. (Summary). While Polonius is giving instructions to Reynaldo on his trip to Paris
to give Laertes money and letters, Ophelia arrives to tell Polonius about a meeting she just had with Hamlet. She says he seems mad and
Polonius after hearing her account thinks this madness of Hamlet’s is due to Ophelia
denying him her affections. Polonius fears Hamlet may turn violent and so he goes to
warn the king.
(Analysis)
This scene opens with Polonius having his son spied on, showing that the father doesn’t trust his own son, and perhaps we should
not trust either one of them as well. Ophelia enters and informs her father of the sudden
onset of strange behavior by Hamlet, which provokes them to consider him mentally
unstable, and fear what he may do in this unstable state. They go to warn the king about
Hamlet’s derangement, fearing that he may try to overtake Ophelia in a fit of passion. We
are given the view of Hamlet
as mentally deranged as seen through the filter of these
other characters. Hamlet’s mental state is called into question, and the potential conflict of
the plot is brought about in this scene.
Act 2, Scene 2. (Summary). Claudius
and Gertrude assign Hamlet’s longtime friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to watch him closely to
discover why he is acting so differently as of late. Polonius tells the king the
reason Hamlet is becoming unhinged is because of his unrequited love for Ophelia. Polonius read
to the royal couple a letter Hamlet wrote for Polonius’ daughter as proof of reason for
Hamlet’s sudden madness,
but Claudius is not completely convinced that this is the
reason.
(Analysis) Claudius and Gertrude
hope to use Hamlet’s friends to extract the reason for Hamlet’s recent sudden change in behavior. This
shows Hamlet again surrounded by people with whom Hamlet cannot trust, and
pursue hidden agendas against him. Hamlet intuits this on some level as he is able to
later discern their conspiracy. This scene sets up later incidents which show Hamlet’s method to
his madness. The scene also
shows some characters are not completely convinced Hamlet is
insane. Hamlet at the end of the scene, voices his true feelings of doubt and
hopelessness with which he must go through in his plan of revenge.
Act 3, Scene 1 (Summary).
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have to tell Claudius that they were unable to discern the cause of Hamlet’s
madness. Polonius decides to use Ophelia to find out Hamlet’s true behavior with her by
hiding and observing their interaction. Hamlet disproves Polonius’ theory of madness by
love when Hamlet tells Ophelia that he no longer has feelings for her. Claudius
determines that Hamlet is
deranged for some other reason than an obsession with
Ophelia, and believes its best to send Hamlet away as a means to somehow have him get over his
disturbance. Polonius gets Claudius to wait until Gertrude has had one last chance
to talk to Hamlet after the performance in order to observe this meeting to gather more
useful information about how best to handle Hamlet.
(Analysis) Claudius and Gertrude
unsuccessfully try to ascertain Hamlet’s state of mind from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. They get Ophelia
into position to secretly observe her conversation with Hamlet, hoping that it is her
that is the reason behind his strange behavior, in order that they may put to rest fears
about Hamlet’s derangement when they can determine it is just his feelings for Ophelia
not being reciprocated. Hamlet not only disproves this theory, but also raises the level of
fear of Hamlet by the king and queen when the reason for Hamlet’s insanity is still unknown
and potentially dangerous. This scene adds further conflict between the characters and
again paints the picture of Hamlet as an unstable, unpredictable character showing us
how other characters can see him as potentially dangerous to their continued positions in
the story.
Act 3, Scene 2. (Summary) Hamlet
informs the actors on how they are to perform the play, then asks Horatio to help him decipher Claudius
reaction to the performance. Hamlet speaks harshly and dismissively to Ophelia. The court
watches the performers act out the play as designed by Hamlet. Claudius is disturbed by
the play and takes off, encouraging Hamlet that it is because of a guilty conscience
that Claudius has removed himself. Hamlet is informed that Claudius is enraged, and
Gertrude wants to speak with Hamlet immediately. Hamlet vows that though he may not harm
her he will speak the violence that he does wish to commit upon his mother.
(Analysis) In this scene Hamlet is
concerned about having the actors perform according to his instructions in order to decipher Claudius’
reaction to determine Claudius complicity in the murder of Hamlet’s father which
is the secret plot of the play. Hamlet asks Horatio to help watch the king, and his faithful
friend again agrees, a friend who has been constantly loyal to him, showing indirectly
that Hamlet is a person worth being loyal to. Horatio is again portrayed as a credible and
stable friend, one of the very few people that Hamlet can trust in the castle. This also
gives Hamlet the characterization of being able to properly read people’s characters, as he
does in Horatio.
Hamlet behaves as if mad, babbling
to Claudius who seems confused by his words, and asks Hamlet what he means. Hamlet changes the
subject and asks Polonius about his university days when he had performed as an actor,
or one who can assume other roles as the need arises. Hamlet then speaks rudely
and ungentlemanly to Ophelia before the play, perhaps distancing himself from her in
order to protect her should there be blood. Hamlet makes fun of the king and queen through his
criticism of the play, perhaps giving Hamlet the appearance of madness to other
characters, while showing his wit and intellect to the reader. Everyone but Hamlet and
Horatio leave after Claudius is made upset by the play, and they take the moment to
analyzed Claudius reaction to the performance, adding characterization to the two men in
revealing how they see things.
Act 3. Scene 3. (Summary). Claudius
assigns Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to accompany Hamlet to England. Polonius leaves after
informing Claudius about his plan to spy on Hamlet and Gertrude’s conversation while hidden in
her bedroom. Claudius, now alone, expresses remorse for King Hamlet’s murder and
attempts to pray. Hamlet comes upon him undetected and considers killing Claudius but
then realizes it is better to kill the man in sin rather than in prayer, otherwise Hamlet
believes Claudius will go to
heaven. Hamlet departs without notice, and Claudius gives up
his attempt at prayer.
(Analysis) Hamlet’s madness is a
threat to Claudius and he decides to send Hamlet to England,
escorted by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who agree that Hamlet is unstable and could potentially bring calamity upon the
court. Polonius assures the king that Gertrude will probably have a soothing effect on Hamlet
as his mother, while helping them to have Hamlet see the properness in going back to England.
Polonius informs the
king that he will report back to Claudius before the king
retires to bed for the evening. Claudius, now alone, reflects on the murder of his brother
and reveals the remorse he has about doing it, but now that it is done he must do his best to
insure his continued place and safety as the king. Hamlet comes upon Claudius unaware,
and meditates upon killing the king. He gives up this opportunity believing that
Claudius may actually see some kind of spiritual benefit if Claudius is killed while at prayer.
Hamlet decides instead to kill the king while he is in some act of sinning, revealing Hamlet’s
sense of right and wrong, his character, and nature.
Act 3, Scene 4. (Summary). As
Polonius is hiding behind a tapestry in Gertrude’s bedroom, Hamlet mistakenly thinks it is Claudius, and stabs
him. Hamlet berates his mother for her deceitful wedding. During this time the ghost
appears, unbeknownst to Gertrude, and making Hamlet appear to have gone insane,
repeating to Hamlet that his true goal is to kill Claudius, and not Gertrude. Hamlet
tries to persuade Gertrude from remaining with the king. He tells her he senses that his
journey to England
will end up in his death, and he vows to defend himself by any means
necessary. Hamlet leaves her bedroom taking along with him the body of Polonius.
(Analysis) Polonius goes to
Gertrude in her chamber and instructs her to inform Hamlet that his behavior has not gone unnoticed and that
only her intervention has stopped Hamlet from getting into serious trouble. Hamlet
interrupts them and Polonius hides behind the tapestry. When Gertrude begins to inform
Hamlet of his misbehavior, he counters with his
true feelings of betrayal and the surety with which he knows his mother
and Claudius were complicit in the murder of King Hamlet. He
berates her severely, and when he is worked himself into a frenzy, the ghost of his
father appears only to him, to dissuade Hamlet from harming his mother. Hamlet kills
Polonius behind the tapestry, believing it is Claudius instead. When Hamlet realizes it is
Polonius instead, he is not really concerned about this wrongful murder that he had
committed, instead Hamlet
insults Polonius as he drags away his body. Hamlet has
revealed the true reason behind his apparent madness, and after killing Polonius it
is only the queen who knows his information. Hamlet’s shrewdness and cunning is
revealed in his killing of Polonius as he shows no remorse in Polonius’ wrongful death as Hamlet
knew Polonius was probably working as an agent against him.
Act 4, Scene 1. (Summary). Claudius
is told about Polonius’ death by Gertrude. They employ Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find where
Hamlet had taken Polonius’ body.
(Analysis) Claudius gets disturbed
when Gertrude tells him about Hamlet’s killing of Polonius, and the story behind it. The royal couple now
realize Hamlet is a threat to them, and they realize they now have no other choice but to
do something, yet they are not sure exactly what that is. They do realize that they are
in a precarious predicament and must handle this matter with skill.
Act 4, Scene 2. (Summary). Hamlet
will not tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern where Polonius’ body has been put.
(Analysis) Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern go to Hamlet to retrieve Polonius’ body but Hamlet refuses to give it to them, and relates to them
his mistrust of them. Hamlet only gives them a riddle, and the meaning is that Polonius
wrongly died in place of Claudius, and that this will eventually come about. Hamlet
antagonizes Rosencrantz and Guildenstern when he tells them to take him to the king for
whatever consequence is to come about from Polonius’ death. Hamlet is fearless, and
others may see this as another
symptom of his madness while the reader can see that Hamlet
is only obfuscating himself as he waits for his opportunity to strike Claudius. Hamlet’s
mental superiority is shown in contrast to the other characters in this scene.
Act 4, Scene 3. (Summary). Claudius
has Hamlet brought to him and he tells Hamlet that he is being sent to England. Claudius in his private
thoughts at the end of the scene relates that Hamlet is to be killed on his way to his
destination.
(Analysis) Claudius is speaking
about Hamlet to others and remarks to them that he must do something concerning Hamlet even though some
people may take offense no matter the punishment. Hamlet, instead of telling where the
body is, indirectly threatens Claudius by being dismissive in his culpability in Polonius’
death (as Claudius had been in King Hamlet’s), the death of Claudius’ confidant and
advisor, as he had probably been to King Hamlet. Claudius informs Hamlet that he is to be
sent to England,
and Hamlet
sees through this as a plot to have him killed somewhere on
the journey. Hamlet even makes an obscure remark to this effect in the use of the word
“cherub”. After Claudius directs the men to escort Hamlet to England, and his death, Claudius
now by himself speaks aloud concerning the letters which are to effect the
plan of Hamlet’s death.
Act 4, Scene 4. (Summary). Hamlet
and Fortinbras meet when Fortinbras is crossing through Denmark
with his army bound for Poland.
Hamlet is impressed by Fortinbras and uses him as a model to represent himself in
his plan to kill Claudius, to which now Hamlet is now completely intent to go through
with.
(Analysis) Hamlet meets the captain
of Fortinbras army, who relates to Hamlet that they march to probably meet their deaths over what is
seen as an insignificant piece of land. Hamlet now alone reflects on how men go to their
deaths willingly for no reason, while he battles within himself to go through with getting
revenge for a reason that he has justification for, a reason loyalty to family and justice
demands of him. This scene shows Hamlet is not a ruthless killer, but one who struggles with
himself to do what could be seen as right and necessary.
Act 4, Scene 5. (Summary). Gertrude
receives word that Ophelia has gone insane and Ophelia soon enters singing in her madness. When Ophelia
is removed, Claudius considers what to do about her madness, and her angry
brother Laertes. Laertes charges the royal couple with complicity in Polonius’ death, but
Claudius denies it. Laertes is also now troubled by Ophelia’s display of insanity.
(Analysis) Gertrude is informed
that Ophelia is acting strangely, and reluctantly the queen agrees to see the girl. Ophelia’s strange behavior
perhaps reflects her grief at both her father Polonius’s death, and the appearance of the
death of Hamlet’s affection toward her. Perhaps she had true feelings for Hamlet and now
she is distraught by the twin deaths of her father and Hamlet’s love for her.
Claudius and Gertrude are disturbed by this second appearance of madness in their midst, the
first being Hamlet’s. They are now affected by two deaths; the one of King Hamlet’s which
they caused, and the second in Polonius’ death, which was indirectly caused by the
first. Now they also have to deal with the return of Laertes who demands justice for his
father’s death. Claudius and Gertrude relate that to him that they are not involved in
Polonius’ death when Ophelia enters behaving strangely. This pushes Laertes even further
into emotional disturbance
and the king and queen assure him they will help him bring
about the justice that Laertes is burning for. We have in this scene Laertes justification
and motivation in wanting to punish Hamlet for these offenses against his family that
Laertes holds against Hamlet. Again we also see other important and powerful characters
who scheme against Hamlet, to which Hamlet can only assume or intuit that are a threat
to his continued existence, and to which Hamlet will have to somehow anticipate and
outmaneuver whatever moves these other characters make against him.
Act 4, Scene 6. (Summary). Horatio
receives news of Hamlet’s return to Denmark after his adventure with some pirates.
(Analysis) In this short scene
Horatio gets a letter from Hamlet who relates that he has escaped from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and the means
by which he did so. This small scene shows Hamlet’s courageousness, cunning, and ingenuity
in being able to turn the attack of the pirate ship to his advantage. This scene
gives us another opportunity to see the courageousness and ingenuity of Hamlet, as a man who
was truly insane would probably not have outmaneuvered and survived so many
dangerous events.
Act 4, Scene 7. (Summary). Claudius
receives a letter from Hamlet telling of his return and Claudius gets Laertes to go along with him in
another plot to kill Hamlet. They agree upon killing Hamlet during a fencing match. Just in
case the poison sword doesn’t work, Claudius also plans to put poison in a drink to be
given to Hamlet. Gertrude arrives to inform them that Ophelia is dead.
(Analysis) The king reassures
Laertes that Polonius’ death will be avenged and sets out his plot to bring it about with Laertes assistance.
Laertes had thus been calmed and focused to take his revenge when Gertrude comes in and
informs the two men about Ophelia’s suicide. Claudius now has to fear that Laertes may
come unhinged and incapable of cold calculation. Hamlet is now clearly in
danger.
Act 5, Scene 1. (Summary). Hamlet
coming back from his journey happens upon a graveyard where a fresh grave is being prepared. When the
funeral procession arrives Hamlet sees the funeral is for Ophelia. Laertes and Hamlet
fight over the death of Ophelia, Laertes blaming Hamlet while Hamlet protests that
he truly loved Ophelia.
(Analysis) Hamlet
speaks about his views concerning death to his companion Horatio. Hamlet speaks with the gravedigger, pretending not
to be himself, listening to rumors about himself that have made their way to the
gravedigger, a common man. Hamlet wonders on the worth of this life, remarking on how
great men like Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar are now essentially dust, as it
seems everyone and everything is to eventually become. Hamlet and Horatio witness Ophelia’s
funeral procession and when Hamlet realizes who the funeral is for, he goes to her
body. Laertes upon seeing Hamlet flies into a rage, blaming Hamlet for his sister’s
death and they briefly fight before they are broken apart. This scene shows Hamlet’s and
Laertes passionate characters, and gives the king the opportunity to have the
two settle their quarrel later on, showing Claudius’ cold, calculating nature. This scene gives
us more characterization of the characters of Hamlet and Laertes, and the motivation of
the two men in their conflict against one another.
Act 5, Scene 2. (Summary). At the
castle Hamlet reveals to Horatio the king’s plot to have Hamlet killed and how he was able to turn the
plot around on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet is requested to fence against
Laertes and Hamlet reluctantly agrees. While the two fight, Gertrude drinks from the
poisoned cup meant for Hamlet. Laertes wounds Hamlet with the sword laced with poison
before Hamlet is able to use the same sword on Laertes. With Gertrude and Laertes dying the
plot against Hamlet by the king is revealed by Laertes. Hamlet kills Claudius and then
gets Horatio to tell the full story behind these deaths and gives Fortinbras title to the
Danish throne. Fortinbras later arrives, takes the throne, and has a military funeral for the
honorable Hamlet.
(Analysis) Hamlet
in this scene is shown interacting with Horatio, one of his few and trusted confidants, and relates the mechanizations with
which he foiled the plot against him by Claudius. Hamlet remotivates himself to
Horatio to his mission of revenge despite his misgivings and some hesitancy. He remarks to his
friend how he was very little choice but to do what he must, despite not being
aware of how he was going to go about it. Hamlet reveals his lack of concern for Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern, despite their longtime acquaintance because the two of them
conspired with Claudius behind his back to kill him. Hamlet also reveals the craft behind his
apparent madness, and that he is not truly insane as others may have believed, in his remarks
to Horatio. Hamlet also displays courage in accepting the challenge to fence despite
it being an obvious opportunity for a possible “accident” to occur, but he knows
if he doesn’t accept his manhood would be questioned, and some other form of
confrontation will come his way. Laertes wants the tournament to seem like a matter of honor,
to deal in a gentleman’s way, the matter of his sister’s death. The king offers
Hamlet a cup with poison in it during the tournament, perhaps in the hopes of weakening
Hamlet so that Laertes can kill him more easily without Laertes being seriously injured or
killed. Gertrude mistakenly drinks the cup while the king and Laertes decide when and
how best to defeat Hamlet. When the queen stumbles towards death, she warns Hamlet
about the poisoned drink and warns him, to which Hamlet has the room locked to capture
the villain(s). Laertes confesses the conspiracy between him and king, now that
Laertes is mortally wounded by the poison blade, and dying. Hamlet aware that he is soon to
die, seizes the opportunity to avenge his father and kills Claudius. Hamlet instructs
Horatio before his death, to tell the whole story of the conspiracy against his father in order
that Hamlet’s truth could be understood. Hamlet’s noble spirit is celebrated after his
death by a funeral that is befit a monarch.
(Summary of the Character of
Hamlet) – Hamlet utilizes his display of madness to confuse observers and obfuscate his mission of
assassination. In some incidences his display of madness has negative results, as in the case of
Ophelia. Other incidents like the case of mistaken identity and killing of Polonius could be
attributed to his supposed madness which without it, probably would have had Hamlet facing
harsher and more immediate punishment for his action. Hamlet is able to maintain
stable, long term relationships with people of upstanding character like
Horatio who continue to assist him and keep Hamlet’s confidence despite Hamlet’s growing reputation
for being mentally unhinged. Hamlet’s display of madness is actually a tool that
he uses to hide his cunning intellect and adjusts himself according to changing circumstances.
In Macbeth, I chose to analyze the character of the servant(s) where
it appears. The servant(s) is not clearly described as being male or
female, but it is assumed that the servant(s) when they appear are male, especially in Act 5,
Scene 3 where Macbeth addresses the servant as a “boy”. It is presumed that
several servants stand nearby to wait on the king and queen, even when they are not mentioned, or
at least are within hearing distance of the royal couple’s call at any given time.
II). Macbeth. –
Act 3, Scene 1. (Summary) Macbeth
is concerned with dealing with Banquo and his family, and how to best have them killed.
(Analysis) When Macbeth addresses
the servant in this scene it is with a derogatory term, “Sirrah” which refers to someone of lower
social standing. This interaction with the servant shows Macbeth’s contemporary
society and the institutionalized class system of social superiors and
social inferiors. It could be seen how Macbeth through his interaction with the servant can see
some people as mere objects depending upon he views them according to their social
status, or the social status he chooses to confer upon them.
Act 3, Scene 2. (Summary) The
Macbeths are distressed about recent events, and while Macbeth is contemplating murder he does not yet inform
Lady Macbeth about his plans.
(Analysis) The servant appears to
follow the royalty around when the king or queen desire and require it. The servant in this scene again
shows the Macbeth’s power and status by showing the servant always standing by and
ready to carry out the royal commands.
Act 5, Scene 3. (Summary) Macbeth
is receiving reports of the mass of soldiers accumulating against his castle and is beginning to have
doubts concerning the prophecies of the witches that proclaimed him invincible
against naturally born men.
(Analysis) Macbeth’s interaction
with the servant reflects more on Macbeth than on the servant himself. By Shakespeare showing us how he
interacts with the servant in this scene shows Macbeth’s instability and his lack of
integrity. Macbeth is supposed to be a leader and show a certain image as the king of his
people. Instead, in his interaction with the servant we see that Macbeth has no integrity in
situations that require Macbeth to show courage.
(Summary of
the character of the Servant(s) in Macbeth)
– The servant(s) in Macbeth are only
shown as the main characters status symbols who only serve to more flesh out the characters of the Macbeths. The servant who
appears in Act 3, Scene 1, is shown as something of a slave, and this character is
expected to serve even though the character is addressed with the term “Sirrah”, a term used derogatorily
for a social inferior, showing that some people can acceptably seen more
as tools than human beings in this environment. The servant who appears in Act 5, Scene
3, serves only to reflect Macbeth’s terror and doubt in the witches’ prophecy which
had, up until now, had been encouraging to him, emboldening him onward. The character of
the servant(s) in Macbeth are flat character(s) which only serve to add a
layer of characterization to other characters that the story follows.
Works Cited:
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet.
Eds. Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. New York:
Simon & Simon; Schuster Paperbacks.
1992. Print.
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth.
Eds. Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. New York:
Simon & Simon;
Schuster Paperbacks. 1992. Print.
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