FREE ESSAY ON MACBETH-- GUILTY

MACBETH-- GUILTY

This was an oral presentation, in which I prosecuted Macbeth. I received a grade of A-,
however was told that it was my actual presentation rather than my essay that stopped me
getting a higher grade :)
Ladies and Gentlemen, I will be brief. You have heard the testimonies and seen the
evidence; it is now time for the fate of Macbeth to be decided. Today you have met scores
of witnesses testify, under oath, the defendant's entirely good and honest character, and
have pondered as to how the King of Scotland could commit such atrocities. However,
unmistakable evidence opposes such testimonies and proves beyond reasonable doubt that
the defendant Macbeth killed his King, Duncan the II of Scotland, his life-long friend
Banquo and Lady Macduff and her children.
Over the last six months we have seen Macbeth degrade from a fearless and heroic warrior
to a murderer, a conscious villain who felt extreme guilt after killing his King out of
pure greed and ambition. His servant, as testified, overheard Macbeth express his guilt
to his wife on the night of the murder:
"I am afraid to think what I have done;
Look on 't again I dare not."
Following his crowning at Scone, King Macbeth hired three assassins to murder his
long-time friend Banquo, in order to protect his crown. It was after the murder of Banquo
that Macbeth then turned into an unmerciful, non-repentant tyrant. This man, once
heralded a hero, became the bane of Scotland and his people.
The defense has tried to manipulate facts to persuade you that Macbeth is not to blame
for these murders and has placed responsibility for these deaths on everyone from Lady
Macbeth to the witches, who occasionally conversed with the accused. You have heard
testimonies of the three witches, who told us of their encounters with Macbeth. What sort
of man would associate with such evil beings, and most of all, believe the nonsense they
foresee? The witches did not directly influence Macbeth to assassinate his King, they
only speculated as to what the future may hold and these predictions ignited his
overwhelming ambition to become King. These associations with the witches bring serious
doubts to the goodness of the defendant's character.
Speculations that Lady Macbeth is responsible for Duncan's murder have been made by the
defense. But blood found on this cloak hidden in Macbeth's quarters proves without doubt
that it was Macbeth who actually committed the murder. He is ultimately to blame. The
accusations made by Macbeth's lawyers that Lady Macbeth pressured her husband to
assassinate Duncan are irrelevant. It is unthinkable that such a brave and valiant
soldier could be so weak as to be influenced by his wife to commit murder, unless he had
already considered doing it, or had something to gain from the death of Duncan, such as
the throne of Scotland. 
The defense has tried to convince you that Macbeth was insane at the time of King
Duncan's murder. If he were not sane, would he have been seen as such a well-loved and
courageous soldier? Would he have been so respected by his King to be honoured with the
title of Thane of Cawdor, had he been ill at mind? These notions themselves are insane!
Macbeth was sane and rational at the time of the murder! ...Yes, Macbeth did show signs
of derangement a week after the murder at the banquet, as testified by Ross, who attended
the feast and described to you the accused's strange behaviour. Could an innocent man be
driven mad over a period of a week? It was his conscience, my friends, which drove him
insane!
After the pre-meditated murders of Duncan and Banquo, the pressures of being King, and
the mounting guilt of the murders he had committed, were increasing. Overheard by his
servant, Macbeth said to his wife
"I am in blood, Stepp'd in so far..."
The outlet for his rage was Lady Macduff and her family. This pointless, and motiveless,
massacre shows the cruelty and immorality that has become a part of Macbeth. He did not
stand to gain anything from the deaths of these innocent people. No longer was he the
honoured soldier, or the compassionate King, but the brutal tyrant. 
We must stop making excuses for this cold-hearted man. He was not influenced by his wife
or witchcraft. He was sane when he brutally murdered his King. He was influenced only by
his ambition and greed to become King; he was influenced by his selfishness and hunger
for power. From hero to heartless tyrant, this is the tragedy of Macbeth. Ladies and
Gentlemen, his time has come. Macbeth's fate lies in your hands. I trust that you will
make the right judgment.