...The Tragedy of Macbeth is one of the best known plays by William Shakespeare. Macbeth is a man who has it all, but is driven by his sense of ambition and masculinity. Three witches prophesize that he will become King of Scotland, but be succeeded by his friend Banquo. His mind truly starts to go off when he becomes Thane of Cawdor and Glamis, but is stepped over for his chance at the throne of Scotland by King Duncan’s son. He contemplates what he should do, but one person pushes him over the edge of no return. The biggest influence of Macbeth dive into madness and ultimate demise was his wife, Lady Macbeth, and the cowardice he had toward her. First of all we know Lady Macbeth isn’t exactly a nice lady. She calls on spirits in her “prayer” by saying, “Come, you spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe-full/ Of direst cruelty” (1.5. 30-33). She’s praying for the bad spirits and demons to fill her with absolute cruelty when killing King Duncan. Lady Macbeth also refers to this undertaking as her battlements furthering that this was her idea and she was just undermining Macbeth’s masculinity to get him to do her bidding. They were both ambitious but she was the one who pushed her iffy husband over the edge....
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...when he was portrayed as an honorable leader of many faithful men. He was Thane of Glamis and a courageous leader in the war at the beginning of the play. With his dying breaths, a soldier proclaims “For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)” (Shakespeare 1.2:18), praising him as a hero to the kingdom and the king and to show that all saw and admired his character even without his titles. The first few scenes show that not only his men, but the king had faith beyond doubt in his loyalty. Men followed him into battle because they knew he...
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...responsibility by a number of people. The play called Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a perfect example on how numerous people are responsible for Macbeth’s downfall including himself. Lady Macbeth is ultimately responsible for Macbeth’s downfall because she is manipulative and overly ambitious. First of all, Lady Macbeth plays a significant role in Macbeth’s rise and downfall as a king from being manipulative and conceiving. For example, “Looks like th’ innocent flower/but be the serpent under’t” (1.6.76-77)....
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...In Macbeth, ambition is characterized as a dangerous quality. Ambition is the downfall of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, which triggers the murders that take place in Macbeth. Although, Macbeth’s tragic flaw is ambition, it is the driving force of the play which is influenced by Lady Macbeth and the three witches. Lady Macbeth plays a major role in the downfall of Macbeth. She influenced and convinced Macbeth to commit the murder about Duncan, believing that the power would bring both of them happiness. Lady Macbeth says “Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear and chastise thee with the valour of my tongue. (Shakespeare 353)” It is as though Lady Macbeth is Macbeths bad conscious. She remarks, that she will solve his dilemma by poisoning his mind with her evil plan of murdering Duncan. Unlike her husband she is made of sterner stuff and has no moral scruples because she is evil to the core and decides to convince Macbeth to murder the king. This is the first murder victim of Macbeth. After the death of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth commits suicide which it is another breaking point of his down fall. Macbeth’s quest and desire for the power caused him to become a man of no emotions. Macbeth is an easy person to persuade and convince. Since the three witches gave him his prophecies, Macbeth’s character changed gradually over the course of the play. He became obsessed with making sure the prophecies come true as well as having a strong desire for power as...
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...hero can lead his life into a downfall. A tragic hero must experience both a tragic and heroic life. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the titular of the play is a great example of a tragic hero. Firstly, Macbeth is already of high status from the beginning of the play, and is brave in battle to win the war for Scotland; surely this makes him a hero. Next Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his, that is a desire for power and to be king. These flaws play an important role in the outcome of his life. Finally Macbeth’s obsession with the prophecies, and the murders he commits mainly leads to his downfall or periopetria. Although, a hero usually lives a triumphant life their personality can lead to their downfall and death. Too start off with Macbeth’s bravery and courage won the day for Scotland in defeating Norway and Macdonowald. First, brave and loyal Macbeth storms through the battle with Banquo defeating Sweno, in an insane fight for which his, “brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution.” Macbeth fought so courageously that the battle “ memorized another Golgotha.” In this case Macbeth is definitely a hero. Second, in the beginning of Act 1 scene 2 Duncan is in Awe of how valiant and noble of a soldier Macbeth is. “ O valiant cousin! Worthy gentlemen.” Even though Macbeth is Duncan’s cousin he is till filed with absolute joy about Macbeths accomplishment. Third, the king promotes Macbeth to thane of Cawdor. “ And with this former title greet Macbeth.” As Duncan takes this title away...
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...their downfall? It could be a number of different instances, including internal and external influences. Internal influences would include their own thoughts and thought processes and external influences would include other people’s influence. Internal influences are the major ones here for they cannot be dealt with easily as the person is the only one who can fix it. While with external influences can just be ignored, internal cannot be ignored. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the downfall of Macbeth includes external influences by his wife, the witches, and internal influences from himself....
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...Causes of Macbeth's Downfall Essay Macbeth was a noble and loyal man, who would never harm his King. If it wasn't for the influences of the people surrounding him, he would have lived happily as Thane of Cawdor, an honourable title in itself. The downfall of Macbeth was ignited by the actions by those around him, mainly the witches and his wife Lady Macbeth, and eventually, his ambitions took over. Macbeth never had the intention of killing his king, but was ultimately persuaded that it was the correct thing to do. The three witches planted the seed of ambition within Maceth. They were the driving force behind Banquo and King Duncan's killing. The witches prophesised that his life would completely change, by becoming thane of Cawdor, then king of Scotland. At first, Macbeth dismissed their prophecies, but after he was promoted to Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth wondered if he will be King, too. "If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir." Another prophecy made by the witches was that Banquo's son will be king. Fuelled by paranoia, lack of sleep and visions, Macbeth was thrown into a state of confusion and a belief that the prophecies were inevitable. Lady Macbeth urged her husband to commit murder and it was this action that sparked Macbeth's downfall. When Lady Macbeth heard about the prophecies made by the witches, and how one of them had already come true, she called upon evil spirits to guide her through her task - killing the king. .".. Fill me...
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...The downfall of a central character is common in a Shakespearean tragedy. Examine how Macbeth’s actions led to his own downfall. Macbeth is a play that adheres to a typical Elizabethan tragedy, which follows the journey of a noble protagonist, who is flawed in some way, placed in a demanding situation, ending with a fatal conclusion. On the same note, hamartia and hubris qualities deem Macbeth himself to be the ultimate tragic hero, flawed with erupting ambition. Macbeth is an ever evolving character who loses his nobility to acts of murder. ‘The higher you are the harder you fall’ governs Macbeth his fall is a result of his own actions. Paradoxical themes of Ambition Vs. Power, Appearance Vs. Reality and Fate vs. Free Will, dictate the future and irrational decisions made by the tragic hero. It is evident that through Macbeth’s murderous actions, in Act 2 Scene 1, Act 3 Scene 4 and Act 5 Scene 8 that he finds it hard to restrain himself, causing him to escape his moral compass. Macbeth’s insanity manifests his downfall which is plagued by his love for Lady Macbeth, his belief in the prophecy, fate and ultimately his tragic flaw of ambition. Undoubtedly, Macbeth’s own actions lead to psychological torment and the degradation of his moral sensibilities. In Act 2 Scene 1, Macbeth’s soliloquy reveals his true thoughts and feelings to the audience. Antithesis is used at the commencement and conclusion of this monologue to emphasise the idea of contrast...
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...To what extent is Macbeth responsible for his own downfall? Macbeth is a universal text and is one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, when we talk about Macbeth’s downfall it is both the downfall of the single state of man and the downfall of his wider social relations, these being Lady Macbeth, Duncan, Banquo, Macduff’s family and ultimately Scotland. Aristotle says that ‘tragedy is the imitation of an action’ he is talking about an action or a motive that governs the protagonist’s life. A tragedy is commonly known as a story or play that ends with a negative or unfortunate outcome that was essentially unavoidable, usually caused by a flaw in the central character’s personality. Although it is established that Macbeth is a tragedy, there are differences in audience response to tragedy. The audience of Elizabethan times saw tragedy as the destruction of the Great Chain of Being and the danger to the order and stability of the state. The Great Chain of being is conception of the hierachical order of the universe; Elizabethan audiences believed that a bond linked all things in the universe. They saw Macbeth as a tragedy because the rightful ruler of Scotland was killed which lead to Scotland being lead by an evil King. Contemporary audiences see Macbeth as a tragedy because of the psychological destruction of a man, and the crises caused by this man. Macbeth shows the journey of a tragic hero, Macbeth has the traits of a tragic hero as defined by Aristotle: nobility, hamartia...
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...Many kings and queens meet their downfall because they want more power and are extremely ambitious. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth was more to blame for his downfall than his wife because he was cold-blooded, impulsive, and over-confident. One reason that Macbeth was more to blame for his downfall than his wife was because he was cold-blooded. One example of this was when he went along with his wife's plan to kill Duncan. This is shown when he said, "I have done the deed." (Act II, Sc 2, L 14) Another example of him being cold-blooded was when he had Banquo and his son killed because the Witches' prophesied that Banquo's sons would become kings. This is proven when Macbeth said to the murderers "To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings! Rather than so, come fate into the list." (Act III, Sc 1, L 70-71) Besides being cold-blooded, Macbeth was more to blame for his downfall than his wife because he was impulsive. One example of this was when he said, "From this moment The very firstlings of my heart shall be The firstlings of my hand." (Act IV, Sc 1, L 146-148) Another example of this was when Macbeth said, "Then live, Macduff. What need I...
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...In The Tragedy of Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, there are many different aspects of tragic heroes and downfalls. Overall, the protagonist Lord Macbeth displays the greatest characteristics of a tragic hero because of his large and prominent downfall. Macbeth showed all of the tragic hero characteristics which include: goodness, superiority, tragic flaw, and self realization. These characteristics help define who Macbeth is, and who he progresses into as the play advances. The prophecies of the Witches seemed to control Lord Macbeth in the worst way. They took over his decision making and rational thinking forcing him to make dense choices which would eventually result in his downfall. Goodness; the quality of being good, in particular. Some say Lord Macbeth lost of all his morality by the greed of ambition but I very much disagree. Macbeth may have made rash decisions and chose to do wrong but he did all of which with a stable, sane, and understanding mind. “I’ll go no more. I am afraid to think of what I have done. Look on’t again I dare not.” (II ii 65-68). This shows that Lord Macbeth is aware that what he just...
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...For a story to be considered a tragedy, the protagonist has to experience a big loss, or in other words a downfall. William Shakespeare, who masters in writing tragedies, portrays the tragedy of a hero in the play Macbeth written in 1606. It is set in Scotland during its medieval times, where the main protagonist Macbeth is a person of nobility being known to be: Scotland’s greatest warrior, the Thane of Glamis, as well as the first cousin to King Duncan. His impending tragedy starts from the moment he is given prophecies by the three witches. Lady Macbeth who is Macbeth’s wife gives the push that drives him into killing King Duncan for the throne. Unknowingly lady Macbeth guides Macbeth towards his downfall, as the action of murdering Duncan...
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...The Fall of Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is seen as a calculating factor in Macbeth’s life. She is able to manipulate his action, which in turn affects the events in the drama. However, midway through the play, she loses control of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth played as the leader throughout the play. Lady Macbeth was the catalyst that lead Macbeth to do things he couldn’t of done on his own. Macbeth was highly ambitious, but Lady Macbeth was even more so. Without Lady Macbeth, the tragic downfall of Macbeth wouldn’t of happened. To begin, Lady Macbeth uses Macbeth as the stepping stool to the throne. Lady Macbeth wants the power, and she knows Macbeth would do anything for her because he loves her. Lady Macbeth makes it clear that she is the...
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...Macbeth is a classic example of a tragic hero by Aristotle’s standards, in that all five of the established tragic traits are applicable to Macbeth’s character (a noble birth, Hamartia, Peripeteia, Anagnorisis, and Catharsis). The narrative of Macbeth follows the timeless trajectory of a tragedy; Macbeth comes from a place of serendipity, and over the course of events, finds himself plummeting into defeat as a character. Through critical analysis of Macbeth’s core traits compared to the core traits of a tragedy, it becomes apparent Macbeth is ultimately responsible for his tragedy and his downfall as an individual, because it was his own hubris which drove him to bring about the prophecy he heard. To acknowledge this fully, one must first simply observe both the actions of Macbeth and the core elements crucial to a tragic hero, as according to Aristotle for the sake of consistency in a historical theme of narrative. Aristotle’s traits of a tragic hero are as follows: a noble birth, Hamartia, Peripeteia, Anagnorisis, and Catharsis. To begin with, the first element of a tragedy we are faced with in Macbeth is of being of a noble...
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...though the date differs. Tragic heroes resemble each other in characteristics to lead to downfall of the hero. There are two main similarities between tragic heroes of the plays, Macbeth and Oedipus the King. In these plays, to stage a downfall of the heroes, the heroes are equipped with blindness and flaws. As to other similarities between the heroes of these two plays, Oedipus and Macbeth are both approached by a kind of seer and told of the things to pass. They both committed regicide and they both gained the throne by committing this crime even though the motive differs. Blindness, in other words the hero’s inability to understand his foreknown fate, is one of the main similarities between the two tragic heroes, Oedipus and Macbeth. In the case of Oedipus, blindness first shows itself in the case of regicide. In the plot, after Oedipus is told by a seer that he was going to kill his father, he tries to avoid his fate by running away but when he is confronted by a difficult situation he chooses to kill. This proves that he kills even though he knew he was going to kill his father. He is blinded to his fate although it is revealed to him. On the other hand, Macbeth’s blindness shows itself in the case of Macduff. Macbeth is foretold that he needs to beware of Macduff, he is incapable of being harmed by any man born of woman, and he will be safe until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Castle. Macbeth, even though, knows all these prophecies kills Macduff’s family because of insecurity...
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