Macbeth is not an assassin. He is a professional soldier, warrior, athlete, who kills. It’s his job. This is not of that sort. And he is as conscience-stricken as any of us would be if we were killing somebody, not because they deserve to be killed but because we wanted them out of the way. What’s remarkable about this great man (and it is, as I said, a problem of the play) is that you don’t see him on the battlefield doing these things. You see him going in and causing the easiest death he’s ever accomplished in his life. The guy’s asleep. Put a hand over his mouth, he can’t speak, you kill
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