...within the novel. Macbeth finds himself in difficult situations during the story, guilt comes across MacBeth in the moments leading up to Duncan’s murder, “Let not light see my black and deep desires: The eye wink at the hand” (1.4.58-59). Macbeth wants to kill Duncan, however he does not want his eyes to see the terrible crime he is committing. Here, he uses the dark sky as a shield which does not allow him to see the heinous crime he is committing. Although killing Duncan is something that will advance MacBeth in life, he becomes unsure of the decision to kill Duncan.MacBeth he wants his secret yearning for the throne to remain covered in darkness, especially that he would be willing to do anything, including murdering Duncan, the rightful king, to achieve his ambition. Recently, MacBeth has thought of Duncan as loyal friend, so he feels ashamed by the thought killing him. MacBeth follows through with the killing of Duncan despite his continuous telling him not to because Duncan stands in the way of having his legacy and children continue on as kings....
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...Macbeth: Act 3 Scene 4 ‘They say, blood will have blood’ ‘Lesser than Macbeth but greater,’ theses are the words which make Macbeth start to think about whether his bestfriend, Banqou, can be trusted. In one of the first scenes of the play the three witches tell him this after he killed King Duncan. The words start to drive him insane as he starts to believe that Banquo or his son, Fleance, may take the throne away from him. His sanity leads him to killing Banquo, making him so guilty that he breaks down at the State Banquet. Act 3 Scene 4, the Banquet scene, is one of the most significant scenes as it shows Macbeth has finally cracked as he goes insane in front of all his guests. I will be discussing how violence, the supernatural, masculinity, ambition, guilt and prophecies effect Macbeth throught the scene. The supernatural is one of the most biggest themes in the play. It starts off in Act 1 Scene 1, with the 3 witches and carries on with the prophecies given by them, which i believe make macbeth insane, believing that he can be all powerful. The supernatural links into this scene because, when Macbeth looks over the banquet he says ‘the table is full’ and sees the ghost of Banquo sitting in his chair. Macbeth speaks to the ghost, ‘Thy gory locks at me,’ the ghosts ‘locks’ of hair as described as gory because as the guest enter the first murderer tells him that Banquo diesd with twenty gashes on his head. Interestingly, if this does link into the theme of supernatural...
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...Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain? I see thee yet, in form as palpable As this which now I draw. Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going, And such an instrument I was to use. Mine eyes are made the fools o' th' other senses, Or else worth all the rest. I see thee still, And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, Which was not so before. There’s no such thing. It is the bloody business which informs thus to mine eyes. As he looked their seemed to be a dagger Hanging there. He closed his eyes and opened them again. It was still there the handle ready for him to grab. So he tried to grab it. His hand went right through it: it was there and yet he couldn't touch it. Was it his imagination, a phantom created in his sick mind? As he took out his own, dagger: the phantom dagger pointed to Duncan's room. He knew he was seeing things but it seemed real. When he looked again there was blood on it, which wasn’t there before. This was crazy. It couldn’t be real. He knew it was the violence from his mind that was manifesting in the form of the bloody dagger. As he stood there his mind was filled with murder and other horrible images and it scared him. Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my...
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...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....
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...Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, is not a play of fate; but instead, it is a tragedy that is a result from the freewill and unruly greed of Macbeth. The witches only make suggestions about Macbeth becoming king in the future; they do not cast spells or have control over Macbeth, which will secure that their predictions come true. However, it is Macbeth’s thoughts that occur after his encounter with the witches that lead him to kill King Duncan and secure his title, which leads to a number of consequences. It is free will, not fate that leads to Macbeth’s madness and destruction. Therefore, through observations of the text, Macbeth is clearly illustrated as a villain who exercises his free will which leads to his own downfall, the witches are not at fault at all. Macbeth’s freewill is portrayed through his actions before and after the murder of King Duncan. There is no proof to show that the weird sisters are valid sources or that they are women that can see the future. The witches simply tell Macbeth and Banquo news that has already been revealed to the public, which any individual with access to the news of Scottish politics or who are associated with the royals. This news convinces Macbeth that the witches might have the ability to predict his future. Although he is a little hesitant to put his complete trust in the minds of the witches, the scene where he meets with them is enough to give Macbeth the feeling that he must do whatever it takes in order to make him King. 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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...Name] [Course Number] [Date] A comparison between Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Voltaire’s Candide. Introduction. Macbeth and Candide are some of the greatest literary works in history with strong themes that have echoed throughout history and are reviewed to date. They challenged the moral, political and religious affiliations of the times in which they were written. The proficiency with which the works were delivered while different, proved effective at addressing the issues conceptualized by the authors. While Shakespeare chose to deliver his work in the form of plays, Voltaire chose to deliver his as a novel. Candide and Macbeth depict several themes, some of which are common to them and others which differ. Though Shakespeare is famous for his various plays, Candide is widely regarded as Voltaire’s magnum opus. Thesis statement. While Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Voltaire’s Candide both depict a protagonist who is faced with challenges throughout their journey, Candide exhibits personal growth and willingness to change while Macbeth exhibits no real personal growth. Similarities between themes. Power corrupts. This is a major theme that transcends both literary works. In Macbeth, this theme is very evident when Macbeth is approached by the three witches while with Banquo. Their revelation of the future in which he would be named Thane of Cawdor and consequently the king of Scotland, sparks the ambitious ember in Macbeth. This spark is enflamed by the confirmation by king Duncan of...
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...Macbeth is great play written by William Shakespeare, mostly known for its violence. The story starts with a hero of scotland, named Macbeth, whom changes gradually throughout the play. The thought of being able to have so much power caused him to make some menacing decisions that caused only chaos and regret. Towards the end his whole ambition for becoming king all fall short and instead he becomes an oppressor or tyrant. In William Shakespeare`s play, ambition has brought the death of many from Macbeth. “our ambition should be to rule ourselves, the true kingdom for each one of us; and true progress is to know more, be more, and do more”.In the play, Shakespeare uses the concept of ambition to show how it affects Macbeth and his wife who thrive to reach the throne and will go through any means necessary to achieve that goal. Ambition starts when Macbeth meets three witches, who tell him his destiny as king. He then becomes obsessed with the idea of having all that power and fame. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth turn away from being honorable people to turning into murderous tyrants. He is so preoccupied with becoming king he favors power over anything, such as honor, respect, and other things knights favor, so in effect there have been countless murders and the merciless killing of innocent bystanders and witnesses. His ambition, in my opinion, is to blame for duncan's murder. Macbeth even accuses duncans kids of killing their father. The desire for power fogs macbeth's mind...
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...The theme of destructive love within the relationships in the story’s Shakespeare's Macbeth and Bronte’s Wuthering Heights are presented through sexism, jealousy, and betrayal. Destructive love can make a possible prosperous relationship. Destructive love can ruin the trust that is needed to have a well structured relationship. Love can make people do very horrific and evil things as the story Macbeth reveals in a very dark and fearsome way. Macbeth’s actions out of love for Lady Macbeth caused him to lose his sanity. Evil has the power to corrupt everything it touches, and Macbeth has become evils servant. Women are manipulative to men, women always strive to get what they want by being evil and malicious. In ( Macbeth 7.1) lady macbeth wants to have King Duncan murdered but she claims she cannot come to kill Duncan herself because in sleep he looks to much like her father. Lady Macbeth asks Macbeth to commit the murder of King Duncan because she can not bring herself to do it. Lady Macbeth then calls Macbeth a “Coward”, Macbeth then replies “ I dare do all that to become a man”. (Macbeth 1.7.2). Macbeth loves her husband although now that she has control over him she has started to become very wicked. Lady Macbeth is very strategic when it comes to the murder of King Duncan....
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...with the means, motive and opportunity that all contribute to Macbeth’s murderous actions towards Duncan and Banquo? As a criminal mind did Macbeth possess the means to carry out murder? The witches’ prophesy provides the trigger to Macbeth’s criminal mind. They unleash the means that gives Macbeth thought to killing Duncan to become king. He states “I am settled, and bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat. Away, and mock the time with fairest show. False face must hide what the false heart doth know” (1.7.79-83). In his heart Macbeth knows that he is capable of killing Duncan to satisfy his ambitions. Empowered by his murder of Duncan Macbeth soon realizes that he can eliminate Banquo and Fleance too. His character is devolving with each act of violence. He has killed three why not two more? The motivation of a criminal often responds negatively to stressors in their environment. Where the witches were Macbeth’s trigger he experienced stress from Lady Macbeth and his guilty conscience. When Lady Macbeth learns of the witches’ prophesies she pushes Macbeth into murdering Duncan. She insults his manhood by saying “but screw your courage to the sticking-place and we’ll not fail” (1.7.60-61). So Macbeth kills Duncan. He then kills Duncan’s guards to throw suspicion away from him. However, Macbeth’s guilty conscience starts to weigh upon him. He states after Duncan’s murder “methought I heard a voice cry “sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep”...
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...will do whatever it takes to remain in control. Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, utilizes psychoanalysis to portray how the Macbeths’ lust for power ultimately leads to their downfall. To begin, Macbeth’s thirst for power commences upon hearing the Witches’ prophecy. The Third Witch proclaims, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.51). Macbeth and his companion, Banquo, find this prophecy of being king absurd to the point of being funny. Yet Macbeth secretly...
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...homeowner to those who view the house. It is his original castle, Inverness. Inverness, the word, means ‘a sleeveless cloak with a removable cape.’ For Macbeth, a cloak that masks his true intentions. Also, a castle is traditionally a symbol of grandeur and nobility. One placed on the top of a mountain or hill (the castle used is placed on a hill) characterizes strength. These impressive traits are meant to showcase the original reputation of Macbeth as a noble and successful General of the King’s Army. Castles are also symbols of power, which Macbeth has and his greed for is evident throughout the play (same for Lady Macbeth). However, the picture...
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...In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the frequent chronicle of the use of blood happens to be the most significant motif and prevails against any other motif in regards to having a unique ability to reveal truth about a character in every realm. In this tragedy, blood is used to show change in the character Macbeth from a great war hero, an outstanding leader, and a man worthy of respect and honor, to him becoming nothing more than a tyrannical, evil, hollow shell of a human being. This morbid transformation occurs swiftly from beginning to end, and shines a holy, vivid light on the dark and stormy heart of Macbeth each step of the way. Initially, blood is used to represent Macbeth’s deceit and literal back stabbing of the guards of King Duncan, as well...
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...In the play of Macbeth, it displays multiple forms of symbolism, one most used symbol is blood. In Macbeth, blood symbolizes mainly murder and guilt but it is used in different ways and interpret different meanings. The blood characterizes Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. During the play, Macbeth murdered a number of people. Macdonwald was the Thane of Cawdor and Macbeth decided to kill him because he wanted to be awarded the title of being the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth had a hunger for being superior to everyone, it was something he strived for. King Duncan made his son Malcolm successor which boiled up Macbeth’s anger and resulted to him killing Duncan. The three witches told him that he would most likely become king for doing so but he believed...
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...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. 'Tis the eye of childhood/ that fears a painted...
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