...those who are subject to it.” (Aung San Suu Kyi) In the tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare, a man named Macbeth is approached by three witches who tell him his future. Macbeth tells his wife Lady Macbeth and they plan and follow-though with killing the king for power. Macbeth gets in over his head with the desire for absolute power and fears that his friend’s son will kill him for power as the witches predicted so he sends hit men to kill his friend and his son. William Shakespeare uses personification, diction, and characterization in Macbeth to reveal the theme of power corrupting innocent people. Shakespeare...
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...establishes a presumptuous tone in Macbeth’s dialogue through diction in order to portray how Macbeth had put on airs due to his skewed perspectives. His arrogance is rooted deep early on in his talk of “duties” (I.iv.24) when addressing a king, who ranks higher in status, yet he finds it in him to remind the “highness” of his “part” without fear of going out of line (I.iv.23). A king is of God’s choosing, yet the word choice of “duties” is used when talking about the king and is used again when talking about himself within the same line, who is below him as a thane (I.iv.24). It suggests that Macbeth does not take into account of the king’s ties to heaven, and sees him only as a man that has obligations as well as the next man,...
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...William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth highlights the life of a general as he attempts to become the King of Scotland. In order to achieve this he is forced to murder several characters, including the prior king, Duncan. Although on the surface it appears that Macbeth is a member of the human race, when clawing deeper it is obvious that this is not true. Through Macbeth’s diction and comments from other characters in the play, it is quite obvious that Macbeth is a dog. Beginning in the first act of the play, Lady Macbeth makes it clear that she is aware of her husband’s true identity. While discussing Macbeth’s doubts on whether to murder Duncan, Lady Macbeth asks him, “What beast was’t, / then,” essentially asking him what kind of animal...
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...Languages Program Literature and Theory Professor Gomez Julian Andres Ospina Correa The Tragedy of Macbeth: the thirsty for power In history, a vast majority of tragedies have been written causing excitement and other effects on the reader. Indeed, William Shakespeare and his work The Tragedy Macbeth is not the exception, on the contrary, great value and critics unfolded from this work. Macbeth opened up several ways for tragedy within the literature world, forasmuch as the high quality of its elements, such as its plot, thought, character, diction, and so. Hereafter, I will proceed to go beyond the lines and leave my analysis of the most relevant elements of the magnificent tragedy of Macbeth by the master William Shakespeare. Thrilling from beginning to end is how I perceive The Tragedy of Macbeth as in its plot, which I am going to analyze right after, some important moments take place which makes this tragedy brilliant upon the reader’s eyes. The story is developed during the eleventh century in Scotland lands of which Macbeth looked after as the thane, although some parts of the story take place in England. Some of the most important characters within this tragedy are Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, the three witches, Duncan, Banquo, Fleance, Malcolm, MacDuff, the three murderers, among others of minor relevance. The rising action initiates when both Macbeth and Banquo encountered with the three witches who predict their future telling them about their fortune...
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...William Shakespeare, often called the English national poet, is widely considered the greatest dramatist of all time. They believe he was born April 23, 1564 around the day he was baptized, which was April 26, 1564. From roughly 1594 onward he was an important member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men company of theatrical players. Written records give little indication of the way in which shakespeare’s professional life molded his artistry. Al that can be deduced is that over the course of 20 years, Shakespeare wrote plays that capture the complete range of human emotion and conflict. Smith, Peter. The Library of Literary Criticism of English and American Authors. Vol. I. Ed. Charles Wells Moulton. Gloucester: The Moulton Publishing Company, 1959. 447. Talks about how Shakespeare as a child apprenticed his father as a butcher in the family trade. It describes how later on Shakespeare broke away from the family and relocated to London with his wife, Ann Hathaway, to write and perform plays. I am skeptical as to the level that Shakespeare actually disliked his family’s trade, as described here. He always gave prolix orations before slaughtering a calf, which makes me think he was not entirely opposed to being a butcher. Bradley, A. C. . "Shakespeare the Man." Oxford Lectures on Poetry (1909): 330-334. Bradley argues an interesting parallel between Shakespeare’s intense feeling expressed in his works and the “high-flown language of the time” (333). It is suggested...
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...In Act 2, scene 1 of Macbeth, Macbeth demonstrates a frame of mind of obsession and ambitiousness through the words used in the soliloquy. Throughout the soliloquy, Macbeth portrays obsession over murdering King Duncan for power and obsession to soften his crime. Shakespeare indicates his obsession using diction. Obsession means a state in which someone thinks about something constantly especially in a way not normal and usually comes along with symptoms such as anxiety. Obsession can be seen when Macbeth states that he is getting a “fatal vision” (36) and a “false creation” (38). Due to Macbeth’s obsession, Macbeth sees false hallucinations. His hallucination is fatal because he will use the dagger to kill Duncan. He has created a false creation in his mind to try to convince himself that what he is doing is not going to be his fault; instead the crime was the knife’s fault because the knife was calling out to him. When Macbeth calls the knife an “instrument” (43), he is calling the dagger as a tool to gain power than a weapon to harm. He wants to justify and alleviate his crime as just an obstacle he must pass to reach his dream. When Macbeth calls the murder “business” (48), he is trying to make the crime not personal and indicate that he shouldn’t feel any guilt. Macbeth is using these words to soften his guilt to get rid of his anxiety about the murder. Macbeth exhibits ambitiousness when he used the word “marshall’st” (42). Marshall’st means that he was pushed into the...
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...Overpowering Men – Macbeth Analysis Essay In “Macbeth”, William Shakespeare uses diction, metaphor and simile to describe how to much power can make an individual have conflict within them and sacrifice anything for it. Shakespeare also used the Feminist Theory to show how Lady Macbeth and Macbeth went against each other. In the story “Macbeth”, three witches approach Macbeth and tell him one day he would become king. Macbeth begins to have self-fulfilling prophecy and he went after the throne. Macbeth let his wife, Lady Macbeth; conceive him into murdering people to get the throne. Lady Macbeth felt that Macbeth was weak so she started to go against her husband in order to keep the authority and power in her hands. Lady Macbeth has more strength and power then Macbeth. By letting Lady Macbeth take control over the situation, it made her gain more power and the upper right hand over Macbeth. Macbeth had thoughts about murdering King Duncan, but Lady Macbeth convinced him to make King Duncan his first victim. “Were you drunk when you seemed so hopeful before? Have you gone to sleep and woken up green and pale in fear of this idea? From now on this is what I’ll think of your love. Are you afraid to act the way you desire? Will you take the crown you want so badly, or will you live as coward, always saying “I can’t” after you say “I want to”? You’re like the poor cat in the old story” (Act 1, Scene 7, lines 35-42). Lady Macbeth is trying to persuade Macbeth to take the crown from...
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...3 scene 2 of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth addresses the threats to his kingship then further explains his plan for action to Lady Macbeth. Although, in this excerpt, Macbeth expresses his fears to suggest that the threats to the kingship are “[the] frames [that] disjoint [and that] both of the world[s] [that are] suffering” (Line 2). Utilizing connotative diction, figurative language, and death imagery, Shakespeare reveals Macbeth’s deep desires, but also suggests a fear that he has to remain in power as king. In the beginning of the excerpt, Macbeth reveals that there might be a threat to his kingship because the “prophecy” that the witches made up is coming true. Therefore, Macbeth declares his plan to...
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...Deceit and Betrayal in Shakespeare's Macbeth Shakespeare's play "Macbeth" is considered one of his great tragedies. The play fully uses plot, character, setting, atmosphere, diction and imagery to create a compelling drama. The general setting of Macbeth is tenth and eleventh century Scotland. The play is about a once loyal and trusted noble of Scotland who, after a meeting with three witches, becomes ambitious and plans the murder of the king. After doing so and claiming the throne, he faces the other nobles of Scotland who try to stop him. In the play, Macbeth faces an internal conflict with his opposing decisions. On one hand, he has to decide of he is to assassinate the king in order to claim his throne. This would result in his death for treason if he is caught, and he would also have to kill his friend. On the other hand, if he is to not kill him, he may never realize his ambitious dreams of ruling Scotland. Another of his internal struggles is his decision of killing his friend Banquo. After hiring murderers to kill him, Macbeth begins to see Banquo's ghost which drives him crazy, possibly a result of his guilty conscience. Macbeth's external conflict is with Macduff and his forces trying to avenge the king and end Macbeth's reign over Scotland. One specific motif is considered the major theme, which represents the overall atmosphere throughout the play. This motif is "fair is foul and foul is fair." In the first scene of the first act, three witches plan their...
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...Deceit and Betrayal in Shakespeare's Macbeth Shakespeare's play "Macbeth" is considered one of his great tragedies. The play fully uses plot, character, setting, atmosphere, diction and imagery to create a compelling drama. The general setting of Macbeth is tenth and eleventh century Scotland. The play is about a once loyal and trusted noble of Scotland who, after a meeting with three witches, becomes ambitious and plans the murder of the king. After doing so and claiming the throne, he faces the other nobles of Scotland who try to stop him. In the play, Macbeth faces an internal conflict with his opposing decisions. On one hand, he has to decide of he is to assassinate the king in order to claim his throne. This would result in his death for treason if he is caught, and he would also have to kill his friend. On the other hand, if he is to not kill him, he may never realize his ambitious dreams of ruling Scotland. Another of his internal struggles is his decision of killing his friend Banquo. After hiring murderers to kill him, Macbeth begins to see Banquo's ghost which drives him crazy, possibly a result of his guilty conscience. Macbeth's external conflict is with Macduff and his forces trying to avenge the king and end Macbeth's reign over Scotland. One specific motif is considered the major theme, which represents the overall atmosphere throughout the play. This motif is "fair is foul and foul is fair." In the first scene of the first act, three witches plan their next...
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...Death, Be Not Proud”: Macduff’s Contemptuous Condemnation of Macbeth In life, the most disarming fear experienced by mankind is of the absence of life. Death is the most frightening fate of mankind and the inevitable fate of all living things. The fact that death cannot be evaded, and that it is impossible for the living to have an accurate concept of death is the root cause of fear derived from it; all life will inevitably be consumed by the mysterious and destructive power of death. William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is punctuated by moments of murder and death caused by the hands of the power-delirious title character. John Donne’s Holy Sonnet X “Death, Be Not Proud” exhibits arguments that challenge the integrity of death’s power. The...
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...Lady Macbeth is a character in Shakespeare's Macbeth (c.1603–1607). She is the wife to the play's protagonist, Macbeth, a Scottish nobleman. After goading him into committing regicide, she becomes Queen of Scotland, but later suffers pangs of guilt for her part in the crime. She dies off-stage in the last act, an apparent suicide. According to some genealogists, Lady Macbeth and Duncan's wife were sisters or cousins, where Lady Macbeth had a stronger claim to the throne then Duncan's wife. It was this that incited her jealousy and hatred of Duncan. The character's origins lie of the accounts of Kings Duff and Duncan in Holinshed's Chronicles (1587), a history of Britain familiar to Shakespeare. Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth appears to be a composite of two separate and distinct personages in Holinshed's work: Donwald's nagging, murderous wife in the account of King Duff, and Macbeth's ambitious wife Gruoch of Scotland in the account of King Duncan. Lady Macbeth is a powerful presence in the play, most notably in the first two acts. Following the murder of King Duncan, however, her role in the plot diminishes. She becomes an uninvolved spectator to Macbeth's plotting, and a nervous hostess at a banquet dominated by her husband's hallucinations. Her fifth act sleepwalking scene is a turning point in the play, and her line, "Out, damned spot!," has become a phrase familiar to many speakers of the English language. The report of her death late in the fifth act provides the inspiration...
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...History of English Literature Overview Anglo-Saxon Literature (500-1100) The Angles and Saxon conquered what is now called England in the 5th and 6th centuries. Christian missionaries taught the English to write. Northumbria soon produced Caedmon and Bede. Heroic poetry of a Christian kind is the chief legacy of Old English literature, notably Beowulf and the Elegies. A considerable prose literature grew up after King Alfred. Middle English Literature (1100-1500) Literature in England in this period was not just in English and Latin but in French as well and developed in directions set largely in France. Epic and Elegy gave way to romance and Lyric. English writing revived fully in English after 1360 and flowered in the reign of Richard II (1372-99). It gained a literary standard in London English after 1425 and developed modern forms of verse, prose and of Drama. The conquest of England in 1066 by William of Normandy displaced English as medium of literature. The language of new rulers was French. Saxons dealing with the King had to learn French and French was the language of court and the law for three centuries. Four genres of Middle English are: i. 1. Fabliau 2. Lyric 3. Dream Allegory 4. Ballad Geoffrey Chaucer Chaucer is the best story teller and the narrative poet. Chaucer tells his stories in a most effective way. He has the knack of transforming an old tale into a new one in such a manner that its appeal increases manifold and its human...
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...which are still considered to be the finest literature ever penned down by somebody. Your literary zealotry and fanaticism with the English language has forever changed and influenced it. But, Elizabethan English has been phased out and replaced by “modern” English, which is the lingua franca of the global world in the 21st century. You may have already gotten a sniff of that while reading my letter and my diction must have baffled you. Before this letter finds you turning in your grave, I’ll try to cover as much ground as I can about the changes in English and your influence on it. Languages are dynamic and evolving. The English language has been in constant transition throughout its history, but the most significant transformation can be accredited to Queen Elizabeth’s voracious appetite for colonizing nations, which sowed the seeds of English in the farthest reaches of the world, including America, India, Asia, Africa and Australia. This pushed English to the top of the ladder, emerging as the lingua franca of the global world. But, The English language and its diction, spellings and grammar have drastically changed since the 17th century. Words have changed meanings over time and these language evolutions have made English the way that it is today....
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...Throughout this year, I have learned how to effectively analyze the text of a poem, novel or other passage, and format that information into a written response. We have studied the texts of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and Paul Rusesabagina’s An Ordinary Man. While reading these texts, we were constantly analyzing and looking into the diction and literary devices that each author spread throughout their work, going through each chapter and finding hidden meaning or depths behind certain phrases and words. Throughout this year, I've learned of skills that I can improve upon and things that I would consider one to be a strength. One of my strengths, and also weaknesses, is my tendency to write in great detail. Usually...
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