Macbeth A Dead Butcher And His Fiend-like Queen
Macbeth - “A Dead Butcher And His Fiend-like Queen"
How accurate an analysis is this of the two main characters?
Look at their development throughout the play.
“A dead butcher and his fiend-like queen” is spoken by Malcolm on line 98 in Act 5 Scene 7 as Malcolm announces the beginning of a new reign, just after he has defeated Macbeth at his castle. Malcolm uses it to describe and sum up Macbeth and his wife’s reign over Scotland.
My first impression of this question after reading the book is that this is a fair representation of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, mainly because of the atrocious murders that took place. Both characters come across as evil people and I think that this quote reflects that.
By the end of the play, Macbeth has been given this label of “butcher”. He has been transformed from a mighty and ambitious warrior to a cruel and unjust ruler. Macbeth could well have fitted the description of “butcher” very well as he did kill many people, even people who were very close to him. He kills Duncan, the king, Banquo, his best friend, and also Lady Macduff and her son. The Collins Modern English Dictionary describes a “butcher” as an indiscriminate and brutal murderer; this is certainly what he was becoming. To be a “butcher”, Macbeth first had to be changed from a loyal leader of Duncan’s army, to a cruel killer. This all came down to the work of the witches, Macbeth’s greed and Lady Macbeth’s ambitions.
The first contribution to Macbeth’s later attitude could well have been his newly found title of Thane of Cawdor, given to him after the end of the battle, by Duncan himself. This could well spark Macbeth in to thinking of ambitions that were greater, such as king.
In Act 1 Scene 3 Macbeth and Banquo are confronted by the witches and it is prophesised that Macbeth is to be King. At first he does not think that he should do anything to make this prophesy become true:
"If Chance will have me king, why, chance
May crown me,
Without my stir."
However, when soon after Duncan decides to name Malcolm as the successor it puts a big obstacle in the way of Macbeth, and he soon realises that he will have to kill Duncan if he wishes to become king:
"The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o'er-leap,
For...