Despite the fact that he has been told he can't be killed
by any man born of woman, he has known from the moment he killed Duncan that he will die
a violent death. "Blood will have blood, they say."
In Act
V, scene 3, he laments the fact that he will not grow old gracefully and enjoy the
benefits of old age, ..."As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends,/I must not look
to have..." He is well aware that the actions he has taken to get the crown and to keep
it condemn him to a bloody and violent death.
Perhaps the
bleakest speech in the play is found in scene 5, the "Tomorrow" speech. This speech
about life and time is brilliantly constructed. The last word of each line sums up the
entire speech---word, tomorrow, today, time, fools, candle (a measurement of time),
player, stage, tale, fury, nothing. He realizes that all he has done has led to
nothing.
Macbeth is not an evil man but a man tempted by
evil. Despite the fact that he knows where his actions will lead, he yields to this
temptation. Once he murders Duncan, there is no turning back for him and he must keep
on killing to retain what he has gained.
When he is
confronted by Macduff, he tells him that he has avoided him because, "....My soul is too
much charged/With blood of thine." He does regret killing Macduff's
family.
Evidence of his regret can be found throughout the
play since Macbeth is a good man gone bad. He constantly debates with himself about the
course he has chosen.
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