Changes I would make to the play would be

If I had to make a change in the play, I’d like Macbeth to kill Malcolm and Donalbain, so Macduff can become the king instead of Malcom. I think this would make the play more ironic if Macduff were to claim the throne after killing Macbeth. Although Macduff is a very important character in the play, his personality is rather simplistic compared to the other characters. This change can add a little more complexity to his personality. Moreover, King Macbeth isn’t doing a very good job governing the kingdom, so the change is justified as Macduff takes over and saves Scotland. This change makes Macduff a more heroic character.

One setting in the play that made me uneasy...

I really enjoy most of the play, but the slaughter of the Macduff’s family makes me feel uneasy. I understand how Macbeth hates Macduff for betraying him to support Malcolm and how much Macbeth wishes to stop Macduff; nevertheless Macbeth shouldn’t murder Macduff’s whole family. Macduff’s family is innocent and harmless; killing them is pointless. When I acted this play in my drama class, I was the murderer who kills Macduff’s family. I didn’t like my part at all because the murderer’s action is against my morality and belief in justice.

Lady Macbeth versus Macbeth

These two are very interesting characters. Lady Macbeth is a greedy and vicious woman while Macbeth, once a loyal and brave general before getting his prophecy, is blinded by his ambition to kill Duncan and other innocent people. In the beginning, it seems like Lady Macbeth is the one who is determined to kill King Duncan and Macbeth is always hesitating. She encouraged “But screw your courage to the sticking-place,And we'll not fail.” After they’ve killed the king, Macbeth grows stronger as Lady Macbeth becomes weaker and kills herself because she scares herself with her guilt. Macbeth starts weak and becomes stronger while Lady Macbeth starts strong and goes weak. Though they both suffer from their crimes and guilt, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have demonstrated several role reversals throughout the play to present the complex relationship between masculinity and femininity.

Destiny: How it played a role in this play!

This story’s theme is mainly about destiny as two main characters, Macbeth and Banquo, show how they dealt with destiny. From the start, Macbeth and Banquo’s fates are predicted by the witches. The witches predicted that “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none: so all hail Macbeth and Banquo!”. Macbeth’s belief in the prophecies influences his actions to fulfill the prophecies. On the other hand, Banquo, though affected by the prophecies to certain extent “May they not be my oracles as well, And set me up in hope? But hush! no more.”, doesn’t act upon the prophecies as he strongly believes that prophecies can be misleading and that only his own actions can decide his fate. Banquo can be seen as a foil to Macbeth as both hear their prophecies but take different actions and have different endings. Their endings prove that one’s decisions are more important than his/her fate.

I would describe my overall experience in reading Macbeth as...

    First of all, this is my absolute favorite Shakespeare play. I love the plot and how the characters are portrayed in the play. I would describe my overall experience reading the play as walking in a misty, dark forest. The witches give off a mysterious, eerie feeling. Then Lady Macbeth feels like thorns in the bushes. Macbeth is like a beast lurking in the dark. Macduff is like the hunter while King Duncan and Banquo feel like preys. Plays are so different from novels because they can easily bring the audience into the mood and rhythm of the plays. I’ve personally participated in this play in drama class before and I can really sense how the atmosphere of the play is emphasized. The whole play has a dark tone to set up for the treacherous events throughout the play, which helps the audience to get in the mood.