Macbeth Group

Question:

whtiney113
whtiney113
Student
High School - 12th Grade

How many people does Macbeth kill in his play?

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Posted by whtiney113 on Sunday February 25, 2007 at 7:48 PM and tagged with killings, macbeth.

Answers:

  1. diamoney
    diamoney Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    Macbeth has Banquo killed and attempts to have his son killed at the same time but Fleance escapes. He sends messengers to kill MacDuff; but because MacDuff has gone to England to assist Malcolm, the messengers murder MacDuff's son and wife instead.

    Sources:
    http://library.thinkquest.org/19539/macbeth.htm

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    Posted by diamoney on Tuesday March 20, 2007 at 9:05 AM


  2. brendawm Teacher
    High School - 9th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    MacBeth kills the first Thane of Cawdor, for trying to lead a revolution against England.  Duncan,the King of England, was murdered by MacBeth.  MacBeth's former best friend, Banquo was also killed by MacBeth.  Lady MacBeth is MacBeth's wife, and although Macbeth doesn’t actually murder her himself, he does, inadvertently push her to the point of making her so insane that she does commit suicide.  Therefore, the total number of lives that were taken, either purposely or inadvertently, was four.

     

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/macbeth/

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    Posted by brendawm on Monday December 24, 2007 at 4:52 PM

  3. desire1258
    desire1258 Student
    High School - 12th Grade

    brendawm you forgot about the two guards therefore he killed 6

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    Posted by desire1258 on Wednesday November 12, 2008 at 6:32 PM

  4. love525
    love525 Student
    High School - 10th Grade

    it 7!!!! the murderers killed lady macduffs son!!!
    so the total deaths is 7

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    Posted by love525 on Sunday December 21, 2008 at 11:24 PM

  5. asher4heart
    asher4heart Student
    High School - 12th Grade

    he doesn't kill the thane of cawdor. he kills the thane of galmis.  That's how he knew he had that title and the witches had to prophicize the thane of Cawdor.  When I saw the play they murdered the baby that lady macduff was holding. I don't think that is in the reading tho. At least not in my brit-lit book.

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    Posted by asher4heart on Monday December 22, 2008 at 3:10 AM


  6. cybil Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Macbeth IS the Thane of Glamis--that's his original title. During the battle in Act 1, he kills Macdonwald, one the leaders of the rebel forces: he "unseams him from the nave to the chaps" (rips him open from his navel to his jaw). Macdonwald is the first man Macbeth kills although we only hear about this action; it is, however, an honorable feat done to defend Scotland. All other killings (Duncan, the king's two guards, Banquo, Lady Macduff, her family, and household, and Young Siward) that he performs or orders to be done are the result of his "o'erweening ambition" and desire to remain king.

    Lady Macbeth's suicide, I believe, is the result of her own guilt about involvement in Duncan's death.  Although she does speak of other deaths in her sleepwalking scene, none of these would have occurred if Macbeth had not succumbed to her belittling his manhood when she said in effect he wasn't man enough to kill the king. She wasn't by nature wicked, remember; she had to call on evil spirits "unsex" herself so that she could be tough.

    The total number of deaths Macbeth is responsible for is difficult to determine because we don't know how many people died in Macduff's castle. 

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    Posted by cybil on Monday December 22, 2008 at 7:20 AM


  7. r0sered17 Student
    High School - 12th Grade

    besides the ones already mentioned i wud say as a soldier he killed countless people the way how he kills mercylessly  Macdonwald(even though he is a traitor mabeth goes overboard and kills him harshly)thats means he is already used to killing and dont mind whether if any1 is innocent or not

    Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,
    Which smoked with bloody execution,
    Like valour's minion carved out his passage
    Till he faced the slave;
    Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
    Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps,
    And fix'd his head upon our battlements.

     does this make sense i wondrer? (o_O)

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    Posted by r0sered17 on Wednesday December 24, 2008 at 8:30 AM