How does Macbeth change after Duncan's murder?

After Duncan’s murder, Macbeth becomes a hardened man. He seems to become inured to death and to killing. This is not to say that Macbeth was unaccustomed to death and even to killing before Duncan’s murder, but he only killed on the battlefield. In fact, before we even see Macbeth make his initial appearance on the stage, we learn that he is a valiant soldier. An unnamed sergeant says of him to Duncan,

For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—
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

In fact, it is the sergeant’s speech that is one of the factors that prompts Dunce to promote Macbeth to Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth begins to contemplate greater things than being a thane. Spurred by his wife, he agrees to murder Duncan, although he initially is hesitant. Specifically, he tells Lady Macbeth:

We will proceed no further in this business:
He hath honour'd me of late;

However, Lady Macbeth convinces him to murder the king, and Macbeth changes. In his quest to attain and retain power, he has Banquo, one of his close friends, murdered. Afterwards, he has become so hardened to life and the sanctity of life that he hypocritically toasts Banquo:

And to our dear friend Banquo, whom we miss;
Would he were here! to all, and him, we thirst

His becoming a colder man is perhaps best exemplified in his comment upon hearing of the death of Lady Macbeth. He says, “She should have died hereafter.” By contrast, when we first see Macbeth and Lady Macbeth tougher on the stage, he greets his wife by calling her “My dearest love.” The progression from thinking of his wife as his “dearest love” and coldly commenting that it was inconvenient of her to die when she did shows how much Macbeth has become a harder, uncaring man consumed only with his own ambition.

How does Macbeth change after Duncan's murder?

After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth struggles terribly with his guilt.  He worries that he could not pronounce the holy word, "Amen," when one of Duncan's chamberlains said, "God bless us" (2.2.39, 2.2.40).  Macbeth fears that this means that he is damned.  Further, he hears a voice cry out that he will never be able to sleep peacefully again because he murdered Duncan while he was asleep and powerless.  In fact, Macbeth is so guilt-ridden that he mistakenly brings the murder weapons with him from the room, and when Lady Macbeth orders him to return them, he cannot.  He says, "I'll go no more. / I am afraid to think what I have done" (2.2.65-66).  Macbeth feels that there is so much blood on his hands that, if he plunged them into the ocean, the blood would turn the whole sea red.  Obviously, this cannot be true, but the exaggeration works in the service of another truth: Macbeth's guilt is overwhelming him.

However, Macbeth's guilt fades away quickly.  Though he'd felt a great deal of ambivalence regarding the murder of Duncan, he seems to experience no hesitation whatsoever when ordering his next murders: his former best friend, Banquo, and Banquo's son, Fleance.  Then, after Banquo's murder, instead of guilt, Macbeth feels only anger that Fleance is still alive.  No more worrying about the state of his soul; now he worries only about the security of his throne.

He grows more vicious, certainly, and more ruthless.  And in his desperation to maintain his power, Macbeth does become paranoid.  After the dinner party at which he sees Banquo's ghost, he tells Lady Macbeth of the lords, "There's not a one of them but in his house / I keep a servant fee'd" (3.4.163-164).  In other words, despite their apparent loyalty to him, Macbeth pays a spy in each of the noble's homes to report back to him.

In Macbeth's most brutal act yet, he orders the deaths of Macduff's innocent wife, children, and even servants to punish Macduff for his disloyalty.  Macbeth's growing brutality is actually conveyed by the way the murder scenes are portrayed.  Duncan's murder takes place off stage; we only see Macbeth's reaction to it.  Macbeth becomes more ruthless, and Banquo's murder takes place on stage, but at least his child gets away.  Finally, at his most tyrannical and evil, the audience witnesses the murder of a woman and her children on the stage, preventing us from maintaining any form of sympathy with him; at this point, Macbeth is a monster.

How does Macbeth change after Duncan's murder?

Macbeth certainly does feel paranoia and guilt after Duncan's murder.  However, as the play progresses, he doesn't hesitate to murder again to achieve his goal of beoming king.  After he orders Banquo and Fleance's murder (he perceives them as threats to his goal), Banquo is killed but Fleance gets away.  He sees Banquo's ghost at a dinner in his home, proving not only his paranoia but his progressive loss of sanity.  However, he is angry with the murderers for allowing Fleance to get away and expresses how this loose end throws a monkey wrench in his plans.  Finally, his relationship with Lady Macbeth, formally very strong and based on mutual support, changes dramatically because of his tragic flaw of thirsting for power.  He refuses to share the additional murders he has planned, causing a major breakdown in their relationship. 

How does Macbeth change after Duncan's murder?

When Macbeth returns after the murder of Duncan he is distraught and regrets the murder he has committed. Macbeth feels so guilty for the act that his mind projects voices that condemn him. He will no longer have the piece of mind that he had before the murder.

How does Macbeth change after Duncan's murder?

Before the murder of Duncan, Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as ambitious, and certainly capable of violence (as the accounts of his performance in battle show.) But he is certainly torn about the morality of murdering Duncan, and after he does so, he continues to feel remorse. Even after Banquo's murder, Macbeth still is haunted by his deeds, as the fact that he "sees" his dead friend at his banquet table suggests. From this point on, however, and especially after he consults with the witches for the second time, Macbeth becomes more and more violent, acting (significantly) without encouragement from his wife, who becomes the one afflicted with guilt. The murder of Macduff's wife and child marks a low point for Macbeth, who seems to have become a vicious tyrant. A man once torn by guilt over the murder of his king and kinsman is by the end of the play consumed by ambition and caught in a cycle of violence that he (and, one might add, his wife) unleashed. 

How does Macbeth change after Duncan's murder?

Since Duncan’s murder, Macbeth has become ruthless and more set on murder than before. His greed for power influences his decisions to murder. He still deeply relies on the prophecies of the three witches and, therefore, decides to rid himself of the next obstacle, Banquo. Macbeth feels his crown is not enough. He wants the lineage that was prophesied to Banquo:

Upon my head [the witches] placed a fruitless crown and put a barren scepter in my gripe, / Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand, / No son of mine succeeding

Macbeth’s guilt seems to consume his thoughts as he sees Banquo’s ghost at the party. He soon becomes irrational and almost gives away his ghastly secrets when he sees the ghost sitting in Macbeth’s place:

Which of you have done this?... / Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake / Thy gory locks at me

In Act IV Macbeth visits the witches and is informed that he needs to be watchful of Macduff.  Again Macbeth's murderous thoughts are evident as he plots to kill Macduff's family. Now, his lack of guilt shows the ruthless savage he has become. He needlessly kills Macduff’s wife and son.

How does Macbeth change after Duncan's murder?

Well, Macbeth changes more or less as soon as he has done the deed. He comes back in to tell his wife that he has killed Duncan, but seems unsettled, maddened, unsure of where he is:

Whence is that knocking?
How is't with me, when every noise appals me?
What hands are here? Ha, they pluck out mine eyes!

Macbeth seems similarly unsettled by the murder in the next scene, in which he reveals he has - impulsively, without checking with his wife - murdered Duncan's grooms, so terrified he is of being discovered.

And then we learn in Act 2, Scene 4 that he has been crowned. And here is where, I think, there is a real change in Macbeth. His language becomes more muscular, and, though he is still hugely neurotic, he now is also hugely powerful. He orders Banquo's murder, and, though he is maddened again at the banqu-et (thinking that he sees Banqu-o's ghost) he regains his resolve after the apparition scene enough to order the murder of Macduff's children (though we don't see him do this).

Perhaps the best answer though, would be to look at the Macbeth at the end of the play. He is drained, weary, cynical and completely sure that his life is worthless. He knows, too, what he has missed out on:

...My way of life
Is fall'n into the sear, the yellow leaf,
And that which should accompany old age,
As honor, love, obedience, troops of friends,
I must not look to have.

The murder of Duncan is a mistake that costs Macbeth his life - and his quality of life.

How does Macbeth change after Duncan's murder?

One way that Macbeth has changed since Duncan's murder is that he has become much more paranoid.  He fears people uncovering his murderous acts and begins to think that everyone around him must suspect him as a murder. 

His behavior becomes more and more erratic, especially in Act Three, scene four, in which Macbeth startles to see Banquo's ghost sitting at the banquet table.  When he sees the ghost, Macbeth is convinced that one of the lords must have placed it there to convict him of his murderous deeds.  He questions the party-goers:  "Which of you have done this?" and when the Lords have no idea what he is talking about, Macbeth adds:

"Thou canst not say I did it: never shake

Thy gory locks at me" (III.iv.60-64).

His over-whelming sense of guilt at Duncan's and then Banquo's murders have caused him to be completely paranoid and even hallucinatory.  Macbeth's character changes for the worse after Duncan's murder; his guilt consumes him.

How does Macbeth change after Duncan's murder?

The main way in which Macbeth's character changes after the murder of Duncan is that, where once he was so hesitant to commit murder that his wife scorned him for being a weakling, he now appears to lose all scruples. He arranges for the murder of Banquo and Fleance without hesitation, and goes even further in planning to eliminate Macduff and his family. He attempts to get rid of anyone whom he fears might stand in his way. Of course he does not succeed; Fleance and Macduff escape, and Macduff finally conquers and kills him. But this shows that, once he begins killing, he will stop at nothing.

Therefore Macbeth might end up appearing as a pure villain but we also have a continuous insight into his mind and we see that he becomes practically unhinged over the killing of Duncan, beset by hallucinations before and after. Thereafter he just gets more and more worked up, attempting to shore up his ill-gotten kingship by any means. His actions become ever more murderous, it's true, but his motive appears to be desperation rather than bloodlust.

How does Macbeth change after Duncan's murder?

When Macbeth tells his wife 'We will proceed no further in this business,' she criticizes firstly, the fact that he has now suddenly reneged on a promise which she metaphorically compares to a hope expressed by a drunk. She furthermore appeals to his honor and brings into question his bravery. She intimates that Macbeth is a coward, having moved from 'I would' to 'I dare not' - allowing his previous expression of intent to be influenced by his fear. She compares him to a cat that wishes to eat fish, but is afraid to get wet.

Macbeth obviously feels insulted and states that he has the courage to do everything required to prove his manhood, there is no man who would do more. Lady Macbeth's response is to ask him what kind of a savage had then made him break his promise to her. She makes it personal. She tells her husband that when he dared to murder Duncan, he was more of a man and he should now strive to be better than that man he had been before. She tells him when he was all determined to proceed, nor time nor place had been a consideration. She says that the time and place is now ideal for him to commit his deed, but that these are exactly the factors which prevent him from acting.

To indicate her determination and to encourage her husband, lady Macbeth employs a horrific metaphor by saying that she had breastfed and knows the tenderness that one feels for the baby which one is feeding, but that she would pluck such a baby from her nipple and dash out its brains if that is what she had promised to do, in much the same way as Macbeth had promised. Her husband, though, is still not convinced and considers the possibility of failure.

Lady Macbeth expresses shock that her husband should even consider failure. She asks that he regain his courage and then lays out a plan as to how they would assassinate the king. She mentions that she would provide Duncan's guards with so much wine and spiced ale that they will soon become drowsy and then fall fast asleep. Duncan will, because of his long journey, be in a deep sleep. With the guards and their charge being so indisposed, it would be easy to kill Duncan. The blame for Duncan's death would then fall squarely on the shoulders of his drunk guards.

Macbeth is finally convinced and suggests that they further implicate the guards by soiling their daggers with Duncan's blood. This will make all believe that they are the murderers. Lady Macbeth adds that she and her husband will put up such cries of anguish that their supposed sorrow will be proof enough of their own innocence.

How does Macbeth change after Duncan's murder?

Macbeth goes into the courtyard where Lady Macbeth is waiting after killing King Duncan.  Lady Macbeth is surprised because he is flustered from the deed and he is still holding the daggers. 

Lady Macbeth is in the courtyard waiting for her husband to kill King Duncan according to their plan, so that he can become king instead.  She is fretting a bit.  She comments about the fact that she made the plan and laid everything out so that he couldn’t possibly mess up.  She couldn’t do it herself, though.  Duncan looked too much like her father. 

LADY MACBETH

Alack, I am afraid they have awaked,
And 'tis not done. The attempt and not the deed
Confounds us. Hark! I laid their daggers ready;
He could not miss 'em. Had he not resembled
My father as he slept, I had done't.

Enter MACBETH

My husband!

MACBETH

I have done the deed. Didst thou not hear a noise? (Act 2, Scene 2) 

Macbeth is all upset because he thought he heard one of the sleeping grooms talking about murder and using his name.  He did manage to kill Duncan and the grooms, but he is flustered and confused.  

She notices that Macbeth took the daggers from Duncan’s chambers instead of leaving them there to frame the grooms.  Upset when she sees Macbeth come back with the daggers, Lady Macbeth chides her husband for not following the plan. 

Why did you bring these daggers from the place?
They must lie there: go carry them; and smear
The sleepy grooms with blood.(Act 2, Scene 2)

Lady Macbeth is annoyed that her husband didn't follow their plan to frame the grooms. She takes the daggers and tells him to wash his hands.  Later, Lady Macbeth will be just as haunted by this deed and the blood on her hands.

How does Macbeth change after Duncan's murder?

In the long run, I'd note that the murder of King Duncan exerts a profound impact on Lady Macbeth (indeed, her descent into insanity is one of the most famous subplots of the play in question). In the short term, she does seem the more composed compared to her husband, who comes undone after the murder.

However, this does not mean that she herself was not affected. Indeed, note how act 2, scene 2, opens: with Lady Macbeth in a state of agitation, awaiting news of the murder. Also consider her words to Macbeth: "These deeds must not be thought / After these ways; so, it will make us mad" (act 2, scene 2).

It is in the long term, however, that we see the full effects of her guilt and the turmoil it brings her. By the beginning of act 5, Lady Macbeth can be found wandering the castle at night, trying to wash the blood from her hands. Essentially, guilt causes her to lose her mind and eventually leads her to kill herself.

How does Macbeth change after Duncan's murder?

After Macbeth has performed the murder of Duncan, Shakespeare shows Lady Macbeth as the calmer, more rational of the two.  When Macbeth superstitiously panics because he could not utter the word Amen, she says, "These deeds must not be thought / After these ways. So, it will make us mad" (2.2.33-34).  In other words, she tells him not to dwell on what they have done or it will drive them insane.  Further, she realizes that Macbeth has brought the murder weapons out of the room with him, and she chastises him for being so thoughtless.  However, he is too emotional and refuses to return to the room with Duncan's body.  Disappointed in his cowardice, she says, "Infirm of purpose! / Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead / Are but as pictures" (2.2.52-54).  She returns the daggers to the room, smearing the chamberlains with blood, and when she returns, she calmly washes her hands, saying, "A little water clears us of this deed. / How easy is it, then!" (2.2.67-68).  Lady Macbeth seems very emotional and quite rational, even detached.  She is calm and clear-headed while Macbeth is frantic and prone to mistakes.  She has strength of purpose while he has none.

How does Macbeth change after Duncan's murder?

I would say that the main change I see is from a man who, at the beginning of the play, has interest and passion for life and for his wife, to a man who has lost all connection to the aliveness of life.  He becomes a killing machine and loses a great part of his humanity, his ability to feel.

In the early scenes, there is a lot of "lustiness" in the way Macbeth argues with his wife, debates his own decisions before the audience and even plots the murder of Banquo to seal his future.  But as those who pursue a path of pure evil or "selling of one's soul to the devil," are often warned, the killing and distancing of himself from everyone around him, including Lady Macbeth, separates him from his humanity.  So that, in Act V, scene v, he cannot even offer more in response to his queen's death than, "She should have died hereafter."

This speech that goes on with "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomoorw," one of the most famous in all of Shakespeare, denotes the deadness (though he is physically alive) that exists inside Macbeth by the end of the play.  He says, in essence, that life is a sham and it contains lots of "sound and fury," but  all the pomp and noise of life ultimately signifies "nothing."

Macbeth is a broken man by the end of the play.  Some might even argue that he is no longer a man at all, having lost the human ability to feel and value life itself.

How does Macbeth change after Duncan's murder?

In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth does change during the play.  I'll outline some of the changes for you.

• Early in the play, Macbeth takes justice and honor, as well as consequences, under consideration before he is convinced by his wife and his own ambition to assassinate Duncan.
• After killing Duncan, he considers nothing before killing the two innocent grooms.  This is also the sign that he is no longer willing to let his wife bully him, as he did before the assassination.  Later, he orders the deaths of Macduff's family without a second thought.
• He not only doesn't consider that he is killing a friend and fellow thane when he orders Banquo's death, but he orders the death of Banquo's son, as well--all for the sake of maintaining power and securing his legacy.
• He also suffers from great guilt just before and just after killing Duncan, but he shows little sign of feeling guilty once he kills the grooms.  He finds no peace and cannot sleep after he kills Duncan, but that's mostly because he does not feel secure in his power.  He fears insurrection.
• In Act 5, Macbeth vacillates, or goes back and forth, between believing he is indestructible (due to the witches' predictions) and knowing the predictions are too good to be true and he is doomed.  He suffers despair and slides into nihilism when he receives the news that his wife is dead.
• Still, in the end, he dies a noble death, meeting Macduff face-to-face in battle. 

How does Macbeth change after Duncan's murder?

This question has already been asked and answered several times.  The following link has a couple different responses, but the first response is the best.

What changes occur after Macbeth announces Duncan's murder?

Macbeth returns to his "unsure" self when he bantered with his wife about killing the King to get to his goal and bring the witches' prophecy into fruition.  He is unsure because he could not pray or say "Amen" to the prayer that he heard coming from the sons' room.  He also heard a voice say, "Macbeth has murdered sleep" which makes him unsettled.  In addition, the knocking of the door and the reports of the weird animal behavior and weather patterns add to the unrest.

This does not last long, though.  Macbeth suddenly pours out all the "milk of human kindness" that his wife feared in him, and he plots the murders of his best friend (Banquo) and Banquo's son (Fleance), as well as the entire MacDuff family.  Lady Macbeth, in turn, becomes withdrawn, won't be without a candle or some other light, begins sleepwalking, and eventually commits suicide to illustrate her guilt to the masses.