t half of the play. It isn’t until after he has Banquo murdered that he begins to harden his image and the attitude with which he governs himself. In the beginning, when he is still listening to his wife, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are a team. He tells her in a letter that he was greeted, “‘Hail, King that shalt be!’” He continues, “This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness, that thou mightest not lose the dues of rejoicing by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee” (Macbeth I.v.9-11). Together they were going to accomplish the witches’ prophecy, but by the time of Banquo’s murder Macbeth has distanced himself from his wife, who without, Macbeth wouldn’t have even taken the murderous step toward social advance. He is now independent, and when she asks him, “What’s to be done?” (Macbeth III.ii.49), he responds, “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, till thou applaud the deed” (Macbeth III.ii.50-51). Earlier in the play he would have depended on his wife completely for guidance and would have soulfully confided his plans in her, but he has grasped hold of his manhood. He has reached the point where his quest for the crown and the accomplishments of achieving the next level in his social climb are to be his own. His mistakes, his murders, his breaking of his social obligation, and his pinnacle of pride, all culminate when he is abandoned in his castle to face the English army alone and finally killed in battle. Macbeth is heralded and blessed when he is awarded the title Thane of Cawdor, which is placed in a very positive light. Shakespeare does not say that it is wrong for one to advance in the social classes, but he succeeds in showing quite clearly that it is not one’s place to desire to achieve a greater class standing, especially through illegal means or treason.In Henry V, Henry is...
