...Excessive ambition can lead an individual to depression.Shakespeare wrote The play Macbeth to show support for the new king James I. The king was not popular because of his choice to make protestantism the official religion of Great Britain. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth to reveal that betraying the king will ultimately lead to their demise.In Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses Macbeth to show how excessive ambition when geared the wrong way can lead to darkness and depression. Macbeth is told by the second Witch in the beginning of the play that he is the new thane of Cawdor.When he and Banquo approached them she said “Hail to thee thane of Cawdor”(1.3.51-53).The second witch starts the play on Macbeth’s ambition by telling him he is the Thane of Cawdor before he actually is....
Words: 695 - Pages: 3
...Macbeth Opinion Piece Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play that challenges the characters willingness to give into evil and the risks they take to acquire power. Lady Macbeth demonstrates witch like qualities throughout the play as she provokes and challenges Macbeth - an honorary soldier, to assassinate the King as a way of crowning himself. Lady Macbeth should be considered nothing less than a fourth witch due to her manipulation of her husband, her intent to commit evil, and her deceitful persona. The characteristics of a witch are most commonly defined as, manipulative, deceitful, evil, and corrupt, but most importantly manipulative. Witches have a power to persuade the mind, presenting their victims with untruthful promises of some of their deepest desires. Lady Macbeth is very successful in persuading her husband Macbeth, who in the beginning of the play was a noble and loyal soldier, to murder the King. When Lady Macbeth first receives the letter explaining Macbeth’s promotion, and what the witches had told him about becoming King she doubted his courage and willingness to fight for the position, “ Yet I do fear thy nature, it is too full ‘o th’ milk of human kindness (1.5.16.17). Her disbelief in the will of Macbeth conflicts with her hunger for power and decides she will have to convince Macbeth herself. When Macbeth returns from his victory, announcing that King Duncan will be spending the night at their castle, Lady Macbeth see’s a promising opportunity to kill...
Words: 871 - Pages: 4
...planning to go see Macbeth - The captain (injured and part of the fight) explains to the king (Duncan) how the fight went down Macbeth and Banquo fought and beat Macdowald He then had to fight against the Norwegian since the Thane of Cawdor (Nobility) betrayed them Macbeth = Tough&Brave - King Duncan demands that the current Thane of Cawdor be killed and that Macbeth becomes the new one - Witches are bonding then meet up with Macbeth (In thunder) and tell him he’ll be thane of Cawdor, and then King. - They also tell Banquo he won’t be king but his kids will - Description of the witches (Page 12 or 2) - Ross and Angus step in once the witches leave and tell Macbeth he’s the new thane of Cawdor like the witches predicted - Macbeth and Banquo side talk about believing the witches theory. Banquo warns Macbeth that the witches are bad news and to fulfill their theory he’s going to be led through evil - Macbeth is considering killing Duncan (the evil Banquo is talking about.) - Macbeth thinks he might actually hot have to do anything to fulfill his destiny (He’s experiencing doubt. He so far knows better) - Duncan wants to know if The thane of Cawdor is dead yet - Malcom says his bodies not arrived but that he died with deep regret. Duncan doesn’t care (27) - Duncan thanks Macbeth and tells him that his son is prince of Cumberland - Macbeth thinks the son is going to be in the way of him becoming king, making him reconsider committing murder - Macbeth writes a letter...
Words: 3214 - Pages: 13
...the play Macbeth are power leads to guilt leads to downfall, betrayal, and Marriage is a test of loyalty. Although, the most prevalent on throughout the play is power corrupts. A modern story that reflects this theme is Mean Girls. As seen in both, the main characters rise to power leading to corruption, followed by their downfall. In both stories, the characters each have distinctive personalities. At the beginning of each story, both Regina George and Duncan are the current leaders of their respective societies. Although at some point, they both face their downfall of power caused by the main characters, Cady and Macbeth. At...
Words: 677 - Pages: 3
...in his play Macbeth to show the cycle of violence that repeats throughout the play. Shakespeare first introduces the character of Macbeth as a brave hero. In the first act messengers tell Duncan about Macbeth’s bravery in war. The bloody images used in this act show Macbeth as the hero of war who should be rewarded for his bravery. Thoughts of heroism and bravery fade quickly as plans to murder Duncan for Macbeth’s benefit and power gain arise. Blood quickly changes to a motif of guilt and fear because of the murder that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have committed. Surprisingly Macbeth keeps killing to calm his fear but sheds more blood in the process. The killings result in meeting the unnatural and bloody Macduff, who wants revenge and ends the cycle of violence....
Words: 1387 - Pages: 6
...not be king, his sons will be and that in turn poses a threat to Macbeth and soon, his kingship. Because the witches’ prophecy about Macbeth becoming king came true, he questions whether they were going to be right about Banquo and his legacy. Although, Macbeth in this scene is too worried, he does not realize that he was the one who fundamentally caused the series of events to occur after killing King Duncan. Banquo might decide to keep the information he learned from the witches to himself because if he spoke up people might think that he was a part of Kind Duncan’s murder, because they may believe that he did this just to become king. Also, he probably does not want to sabotage his chances of his sons becoming kings if someone else finds out. 2. Macbeth might be curious about where Banquo is going because he wants to keep an eye on Banquo for two reasons. One reason being that he wants to kill him so that his sons are not the reason that he loses his thrown. He uses this as a safety mechanism and later on in the act we find out that Macbeth hires three murders to kill Banquo in order to carry out his plan of staying king. He also wants to keep an eye on Banquo so that way he does not find out that he was the one who killed King Duncan for the thrown. Banquo may have already been suspicious of the murder because he was with Macbeth and heard the witches’ prophecies. 3. The “bloody cousins” as referred to Macbeth in line 29 are Duncan’s sons. They are the ones that the blame...
Words: 2793 - Pages: 12
...Shakespeare’s Macbeth explores the thought, behavior, values, and power in the relationships between men and women. Each of these themes are portrayed in Macbeth through the role of gender. Gender can be seen through certain characters such as Lady Macbeth specifically in Shakespeare’s soliloquies. These soliloquies reveal the true characteristics of Lady Macbeth, and they also exemplify the reasoning behind the character's’ behavior toward others. The role of gender is portrayed through the actions of Lady Macbeth because of her desire to act superior and take control of all situations. When Shakespeare first introduces Lady Macbeth, it is clear that she often manipulates people for her own benefit. One of Lady Macbeth’s most...
Words: 645 - Pages: 3
...In the play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, different characters articulate two views of masculinity; some portray it as cruel and heartless, while others caring and emotional. Many of the characters in Macbeth are very firm in their beliefs of how a man should act. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth both equate masculinity with violence and unfeeling. Lady Macbeth cries "Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty!" (1.5.40-43) when she wishes to murder King Duncan. In her mind, if she petitions to the spirits to "unsex" her, she will become the pitiless killer she wishes to become. Her mindset equates her gender with caring and love, if she becomes more manly she can achieve her desire to murder King...
Words: 537 - Pages: 3
...may very well be the driving force behind any successful man. However, a woman can also use her strong influence in a negative way. This can be seen in Macbeth, where Lady Macbeth is the evil force behind Macbeth's cruelty and evil doings. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the main reason that Macbeth is transformed from a noble, respected Thane into a ruthless, murderous character. Lady Macbeth fuels his inner desire for power and brings forth his greed and ambition, which both eventually lead to his downfall. The tactics that Lady Macbeth use to drive her husband to this downfall are manipulation, dominance, and her evil nature. Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth into believing that he is a coward and a bad husband, which persuades him to agree to the murder of King Duncan. She dwells on the fact that he is a coward, when she says "My hands are of your colour, but I shame/ to wear a heart so white" (2.2.64-65). This instills feelings of embarrassment into his mind, and manipulates him into believing that if he does not murder King Duncan, he will be a weak, cowardly man. Not only is she challenging his manhood, by appearing to be the stronger and braver of the two, but also, by calling his heart "white", she is criticizing his cowardice. The fact that his wife is undermining his masculinity causes Macbeth to want to be stronger, and not to appear weak and timid. When Lady Macbeth yells "Infirm of purpose! Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead/ are but as pictures...
Words: 1135 - Pages: 5
...Shakespeare’s dramatic tragedy, Macbeth, was written in seventeenth century England but set in eleventh century Scotland. The play follows a young war general, Macbeth, who discovers from a trio of old witch sisters that he will one day become King of Scotland after being named Thane of Cawdor. Soon after hearing his prophecy, Macbeth is awarded thanedom from King Duncan himself. With his new given power, Macbeth plots how he will become King of Scotland, divulging to his wife, Lady Macbeth, the witches’ prophecy. Shortly after her husband leaves to overlook his castle, Lady Macbeth makes a prayer to the spirits asking them to switch her breastmilk to stomach bile, be filled with cruelty, and unsex her femininity because she is too weak as a woman to rule a country. In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is malevolent, coldhearted, and questions her husband’s masculinity for not willing to execute the assassination of King Duncan himself....
Words: 1000 - Pages: 4
...Macbeth Essay – Is Lady Macbeth more responsible than Macbeth for the murder of King Duncan? Is Lady Macbeth a more evil character than her husband? Why? Macbeth is a play that was written by William Shakespeare in 1606. The story is basically revolves around a prophecies that was told to Macbeth, which in hearing the prophecies sparks Macbeth’s ambitions, which lead him on a path that would inevitably lead to his downfall. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth himself share responsibility for the murder of King Duncan. Even though Macbeth was the one to actually end his life Lady Macbeth is as much to blame as he is. Her responsibility is shown through her manipulating and influencing him. Lady Macbeth’s character is shown throughout the play with her ambition, slyness and control over Macbeth, it shows over the course of the play that though Macbeth’s ambitions are great hers are much greater. Her ambition is so extreme that she would even go as far as to cast her femininity away: “Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood; Stop up the access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visitings of nature Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts, And take my milk for gall” Lady Macbeth believes that ‘remorse’ is a factor in her femininity of which she must rid herself of if she wished to continue. She also must...
Words: 747 - Pages: 3
...Evil in Macbeth In Macbeth, the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth undergo drastic changes as the play unfolds. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth regress from logical and human like people, into evil characters that would be found in a horror film. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth seem like two usual human beings, but after hearing about possibly becoming king and queen these characters turn to the dark side and resort to murdering the current king to take the thrown. Once the characters resort to murder, regret and guilt begin to consume their lives, resulting in death for both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Throughout the play Macbeth, the elements...
Words: 1621 - Pages: 7
...Ambition – A Tragic Flaw Macbeth by William Shakespeare highlights the blinding powers of ambition demonstrated within its characters. Ambition has the potential to prompt a character to build determination and fulfill many achievements. On the other hand, ambition can also become a character’s leading tragic flaw. The main plot of the play displays the various acts Macbeth carries out in order to dismiss the threats between him and the throne. Although he implements the murder of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth is the intelligence behind his violent actions. Since she is the most influential individual in Macbeth’s life, Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband using belittlement and emotional blackmail in order to achieve her own ambition, to gain...
Words: 2329 - Pages: 10
...Manhood in Macbeth In today's society the traditional stereotype of manhood is that men are to be strong and powerful. Normally males demonstrate a being strong and have a powerful exterior, while females usually show that they are full of inertial emotions. Common Manhood motifs shown in in Macbeth are tied together with strength, power, physical courage, and force. The characters in the Macbeth use the idea of manhood to instigate one another into fighting, just to serve their own benefits the characters have manipulated their ideas of manliness. Masculinity becomes a trait that is manipulated by Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth by making him questioning his manhood and convincing him to murder the King of Scotland, Duncan. The same way Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband. Another example would be how Macbeth convinces the three murderers he hired to kill Banquo and Fleance by questioning them, and making them question their own power and masculinity. One point of view of masculinity could be its dominance over femininity. The first women that appear in the play are the witches. When they meet Macbeth for the first time, he “start and seem to fear” (1.3.54) their prophecies. While it is not shown in the play, there is also a wish that...
Words: 561 - Pages: 3
...November, 2013 Who is responsible for murder? Who is the sole person responsible for the murder of Duncan? Is it Macbeth or Lady Macbeth? The sole person responsible is Lady Macbeth from the moment she enters the story she is already plotting to kill Duncan all because she wants to be queen. To fulfill her lifelong dream to Queen. “Fill me from the crown to the toe top full." As soon as Macbeth returns to the castle Lady Macbeth is a planning how the killing of Duncan will go down. Macbeth is a coward and very spineless and does not stand up to his wife, the wife that is no lady at all “you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts unsex me here”. She has drugged the guards’ drinks so that when the time comes for the killing they guards will be passed out. She want Duncan dead but she can’t bring herself to kill him she makes Macbeth do it because Duncan looks like her father sleeping “had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done't.” Lady Macbeth has used her womanly charms to manipulated Macbeth into the Killing of Duncan there is no way that Macbeth would have ever came up with killing anyone especially the king just so he can take his place and even when Macbeth just wants to talk about the whole situation she says “we will talk when the time is due.” The only reason that Macbeth goes through with the murder is because he is tired of hearing Lady Macbeth nag in his ear about wanting be queen and killing Duncan, but the only way it to kill Duncan and if she would have...
Words: 751 - Pages: 4
