...Lady MacBeth and MacBeth both possess some sociopathic, power hungry traits that are very sinful and can manipulate their lives for the worse. Lady MacBeth acts as the lever that MacBeth can pull. She’s the one that convinces him to kill Duncan and begin his bloody journey to the top. After he slays the King, Lady MacBeth tries to calm him and stop his bloodlust. She lies and fools everyone that her husband did not commit the murder and it works. She wants her man to have power more than he does. She is willing to kill anyone to get her rightful king to the throne. She is a ruthless, sociopathic woman with a strive for murder. MacBeth is merely her puppet and she is the puppeteer. He gives in to his manipulative wife and commits the traitorous...
Words: 291 - Pages: 2
...Macbeth: Illuminating a Path of Darkness Macbeth is a dark play. Unlike many of Shakespeare’s other works there is no comedic break from the relentless bloodshed. This could cause some readers to turn away from the story. But the play’s portrayal of darkness and evil is consistent with the Bible. In fact, watching or reading the story unfold, with the theme of darkness laced throughout, reminds audiences of the truth of John 3:19 “the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Macbeth's first mention of darkness comes when King Duncan names his son Malcolm as his heir - thus blocking Macbeth’s ascension to the throne. As Macbeth himself notes: “that is a step On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, For in my way it lies.” With murderous thoughts on the rise, he asks darkness to cover his evil. “Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires:” Lady Macbeth wishes a similar wish when she pleads: “Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,...
Words: 614 - Pages: 3
...result in one’s downfall. In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth ambition is the key component that controls the hearts and minds of men. Shakespeare uses the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to portray the cruel effects of ambition. During the play Macbeth receives a prophecy from three witches saying that he will be the King of Scotland. This prophecy arouses Macbeth’s ambition for power,...
Words: 560 - Pages: 3
...students of Sydney university. I will be lecturing the play Macbeth to you by way of a play as a psychological thriller. Shakespeare’s Macbeth can be depicted as a psychological thriller, through his monotonous use of the themes of death, unbridled ambition and supernatural power. The late Alfred Hitchcock who was an English film director and producer, commonly referred to as “The Master of Suspense”, enjoyed pursuing the themes of murder and psychology. We can all relate to Alfred through the studied play Macbeth and the themes articulated. Right? The motif of death is significant in the play Macbeth and is evident through the excessive portrayal of Lady Macbeth and the significance of her ‘washing her hands’ in a sea of blood symbolizing the themes, fate and unbridled ambition. An example of Macbeth’s ambition is his desire to accomplish anything to anyone and anywhere to proceed as the great king of Scotland. An example of Lady Macbeth with increasing proof of unbridled ambition is, “I have given suck and know how tender tis to love the babe that milks me.” It is noticeable that there is quite a bit of violent imagery here and it gives us an image of this innocent baby with its brains out, which is the complete opposite of a baby being milked by its mother, which is often seen in reality....
Words: 706 - Pages: 3
...William Shakespeare is one of the greatest playwrights of all time. Macbeth and Othello are two of Shakespeare’s most popular dramas still to this day. Like all Shakespearean heroes, Othello and Macbeth possess a tragic flaw that eventually leads to their downfall. Othello kills out of jealousy, while Macbeth kills out of ambition. In both of these dramas, Othello and Macbeth possess human characteristics that drive them to commit evil acts. Although their tragic flaws are entirely different, they share in remorse for their actions, which allows the audience to sympathize with them. In the story of Othello, Shakespeare portrays a tale of how a man’s trust is betrayed, ultimately leading to a tragic ending. Othello, the main character, is a...
Words: 808 - Pages: 4
...William Shakespeare’s dramatic tragedy, “Macbeth”. In Shakespeare’s play, “Macbeth”, the theme vaulting ambition is portrayed because it leads to Macbeth’s eventual downfall and destruction, and...
Words: 944 - Pages: 4
...Tragic Hero Macbeth may seem like a tragic hero but in definition of to be, you must completely be that thing. Macbeth follows some of the guidelines for a tragic hero but not all of them. Macbeth is a man that was making unintelligent mistakes that he thought would bring him to his foretold future. Even after he was told who the only people who could kill him, he still failed from a small misstatement. A tragic hero is someone who is doomed to fail, but it’s entirely dependent on fate and they cannot do anything otherwise. Macbeth is not a tragic hero because he had evil intentions, had free will, and he could have been destined for greatness. Macbeth was an evil man in reality. When receiving the information from the witches that he would...
Words: 619 - Pages: 3
...Late last night, King Duncan was brutally murdered at Macbeth’s castle. Macbeth found the body along with Duncan’s guards who were covered in blood and had the murder weapons on them. Macbeth, being heroic and because of grief, killed the guards. But they may not be the only suspects. Malcolm and Donalbain are also accused of the murder, but they are nowhere to be found. The whole country is deeply saddened about yesterday night’s occurrences. Duncan was a guest at Macbeth’s castle to congratulate him on being Thane of Cawdor and fighting well, then later that night, at an expected 11:00pm, Duncan was killed by an unknown murderer. There were slashes all over Duncan’s body and the murder weapons were found on the bodies of the guards that supposedly were responsible for killing Duncan. “Lady Macbeth and I cannot believe what happened. Duncan will be missed, and his killers will be found” Macbeth said in a questioning when Lady Macbeth fainted soon-after she heard the news about Duncan’s murder....
Words: 451 - Pages: 2
...Macbeth, A Tragic Hero (Final) Each one of Macbeth’s decisions in life applies to one or all of Aristotle’s characteristics of the theory of a tragic hero in The Tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare’s play. Each one of his characteristics identifies him as a true tragic hero. Macbeth is a tragic hero because not only does he do wrong throughout his life, but he does it for his own benefits. Hubris, one of the characteristics, is Macbeth’s excessive pride, giving others the sense of him being too cocky. With overconfidence Macbeth states, “And mingle with the English epicures./The mind I sway by and the heart I bear/Shall never sag with doubt nor shake with fear" (5.3.9-11). He undergoes hubris when they open up his future, leading him...
Words: 786 - Pages: 4
...Macbeth and Beowulf were the main characters of two famous stories. They had similarities and differences. Although written in different time periods, they compare and contrast nicely. When Similarities come into play, they have many clichés. The Differences mostly focus on the point of view of the two characters. Most of the similarities are the way they both acted at the beginning of the stories. The differences start coming into play near the middle of the stories when you start to see the character developments on Macbeth. There is no doubt that there are many similarities when you put Beowulf and Macbeth together. To begin with, they were both placed on the eastern side of the world. While Beowulf was in Denmark, Macbeth was set in Scotland. Another similarity the two shared is, they are both warriors and leaders. There are kings on both sides of the stories, and although not both of them got to be kings for long, they both died in the hands of someone who had dignity and seeking protection for the things they loved. Some might take the other approach, and talk about why the main characters are more...
Words: 492 - Pages: 2
...Have you ever held back your opinions because of someone? Based on research, some people believe that women are mind controlling over men. Therefore I strongly believe that Macbeth is a tragic hero because he listens to the prophecies of the witches, but also let’s Lady Macbeth’s plan influence him and his blind ambition. A way Macbeth is a tragic hero is that he listens to the prophecies of the witches. The witches have an extreme effect towards Macbeth. They credit his accomplishments which then stimulates his ambitions. Before Macbeth commits these actions the witches they stated a forged statement that left Macbeth convinced. As a result, the witches were the ones who brainwashed him on killing King Duncan to become king. Not only did...
Words: 338 - Pages: 2
...the downfall of Macbeth, which was brought on by unchecked ambition, his hamartia. In William Shakespeare’s great tragedy Macbeth, a man upsets the natural order by committing regicide, simultaneously putting him at war with himself. Macbeth is driven by his lust for power and loss of morals. His unchecked ambition leads to his own self-destruction, and the natural order is restored. Over the course of the play, Shakespeare imparts that ambition will never fulfil a lust for power, and while it can be positive, it has the ability to fundamentally alter one’s...
Words: 1070 - Pages: 5
...greatest works of dramatic irony is in the play Macbeth. Throughout Macbeth, the audience is given the advantage of knowing more than the characters due to Shakespeare’s technique of dramatic irony. Shakespeare has given the reader some key examples of dramatic irony throughout the first act. The most notable one is where the second witch says, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!”(Macbeth, 1.3.50). This is ironic because Macbeth does not know that Duncan has named him Thane of Cawdor. The witches have given Macbeth his prophecy and he does not know whether he should listen to them, or to ignore them. Later in this act, he hears the news of becoming Thane of Cawdor and he slowly begins to trust the witches. This will lead Macbeth into doing villainous acts to make his prophecy come true. Most importantly, Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony helps show the beginning of Macbeth’s downfall as he does whatever it takes to become king....
Words: 531 - Pages: 3
...hundreds of famous literary works. From his sonnets to his plays, each has its own unique characteristics. Often featured in his literature are tragic heroes, or virtuous characters who are destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. The audience is often able to relate to these tragic heroes and the many trials they face. Hamlet and Macbeth are just two of Shakespeare’s plays featuring these types of heroes. Although Macbeth's flaw is often explained as vaulting ambition and Hamlet's is often explained as inaction and intelligence, both characters show similar values in which place them in the same category. Through their nobility, flaws, dignity, and despair Macbeth and Hamlet prove to be worthy of this classification....
Words: 647 - Pages: 3
...A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO THE SIGNET CLASSIC EDITION OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S MACBETH LINDA NEAL UNDERWOOD S E R I E S E D I T O R S : W. GEIGER ELLIS, ED.D., ARTHEA J. S. REED, PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, EMERITUS and UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, RETIRED A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth 2 INTRODUCTION William Shakespeare developed many stories into excellent dramatizations for the Elizabethan stage. Shakespeare knew how to entertain and involve an audience with fast-paced plots, creative imagery, and multi-faceted characters. Macbeth is an action-packed, psychological thriller that has not lost its impact in nearly four hundred years. The politically ambitious character of Macbeth is as timely today as he was to Shakespeare's audience. Mary McCarthy says in her essay about Macbeth, "It is a troubling thought that Macbeth, of all Shakespeare's characters, should seem the most 'modern,' the only one you could transpose into contemporary battle dress or a sport shirt and slacks." (Signet Classic Macbeth) Audiences today quickly become interested in the plot of a blindly ambitious general with a strong-willed wife who must try to cope with the guilt engendered by their murder of an innocent king in order to further their power. The elements of superstition, ghosts, and witchcraft, though more readily a part of everyday life for the Renaissance audience, remain intriguing to modern teenagers. The action-packed...
Words: 8499 - Pages: 34
