...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...
Words: 634 - Pages: 3
...Charlotte Higgs LVs Macbeth Essay Plan For my introduction I’m going to say how I’m going to show the character of Macbeth and explain why many people have mixed feelings about him. I am then going to discuss how I’m going to lay out the essay by exploring the different aspects to him, such as being brave, ambitious and loving. I will then say that I will conclude the essay by explaining the mixed feelings about him. Brave * For the first paragraph I will mostly be discussing the conversation between the captain and Duncan in Act 1 Scene 2. * I will point out important phrases to show that he is brave and why. * I will also mention about how other characters think of him at the beginning of the play and that overall it is very positive which makes the audience think positively towards him. * I will also discuss at this point his attitudes towards the witches and mention that most people would be scared of them and not intrigued by them. (Act 1 scene 3) * I will also point out clear lines that show his attitude towards them. * I then plan to link this to Macbeth being ambitious. Ambitious * I will then continue the witch scene and point out key lines that show Macbeth’s ambitious side. * I believe at this point it is important to show the contrast of character between Macbeth and Banquo, about how Banquo is very sceptical but Macbeth is entranced by a good offer and is completely spell bound by what the witches have said to him and of his...
Words: 955 - Pages: 4
...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...
Words: 627 - 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
...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
...The story Macbeth is like no other in plot and poetry. It sets itself apart from the rest by having a protagonist becoming evil. What makes Macbeth such a complicated character is the way his outlook keeps on changing throughout the play. This essay will prove that Macbeth is an evil man and was not overpowered by ambition to get what he wanted. This essay will also determine that certain characters like the witches did not force him to do evil; they simply triggered it. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is shown as a hero in the Scottish army that is ironic because Macbeth has defeated a traitor and he will become one. We feel that a person of his loyalty could never commit evil unless he had a good reason or if he would be provoked. After Macbeth's first meeting with the witches, we learn from his aside that he has thought about killing Duncan " My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical" 1(Macbeth 1.3.152). Macbeth also says " If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir." 2(Macbeth 1.4.157-159) which means that maybe he does not have to murder the king to gain that title. Luck has been very generous to him and might continue and make him king. Macbeth's true evil thoughts about being king are first shown when he finds out that king Duncan has named his son Malcolm as Prince of Cumberland. He now shows his evil and his true feelings. " Stars, hide your fires; Let not night see my black and deep desires. The...
Words: 955 - Pages: 4
...Lady Macbeth Essay Shakespeare’s play Macbeth was written in the early 17th century and chronicles the lives of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as Thane of Crawdor and lady of Crawdor, and later on as King and Queen of Scotland respectively. Lady Macbeth is known as one of Shakespeare’s most famous female characters due to her ambition, strength and ruthlessness. Lady Macbeth can be seen as the dominant half in the relationship between Macbeth and his lady, often convincing, persuading and willing Macbeth to do her bidding. Lady Macbeth can even be seen as a tragic heroine, a term made famous by Shakespeare’s numerous tragedies. However, just like all tragic heroes, Lady Macbeth’s hamartia or tragic flaw would lead to her demise. In exploring the character that is Lady Macbeth, we can see many flaws in her character such as greed, ambition, dishonestly and manipulative to name a few. A tragic flaw, as defined by Merriem-Webster dictionary, is a flaw in character that brings about the downfall of a hero in a tragedy. Lady Macbeth’s greed for power coupled with her moral righteousness led to her demise. This is evident after first, persuading Macbeth to kill the king in order for her to become Queen, second, planning Kind Duncan’s death to the minute detail, and third, being flooded with guilt and blame afterwards leading to her suicide. After Macbeth’s confrontation with the three witches who said that Macbeth will be named Thane of Crawdor and eventually become King of Scotland,...
Words: 519 - Pages: 3
...Before I began this essay I decided to research the word touchstones. The definition was as follows, "A standard or criterion by which something is judged or recognized". This helped me form an opinion on Henry David Thoreau's quote. I do believe that dreams (ambitions) are the touchstones of our character. I read a quote somewhere that said, "Ambition is to life as the engine is to the car", I believe that without ambitions we would never get anywhere in life. In the case of Macbeth, his tragic flaw was his ambition. His dreams to be king reflected in his character. How far was Macbeth willing to go to achieve his dream? Without ambitions, I know that Macbeth would not have done the many things he did which made him a tragic hero. Without...
Words: 994 - Pages: 4
...Macbeth Essay Every person has flaws, and every person has the potential for evil in their hearts. It’s human nature! Most of us are tamed by society and our own morals, but for some, it spirals out of control and William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, is no exception. We’ve all heard the name, we all know what happened our tragic hero, but what caused his downfall from the King’s greatest warrior and favourite, to a cold-hearted murderer? He had a great personality, but a major flaw in his character. Many have debated what exactly his flaw was but one thing’s for sure; his vaulting ambition obstructed him from what was reality. Furthermore, when the witches revealed the prophecies to him, his power-crazed mind took over; this ultimately led to his blind charge at death. Most people do not believe in witches, fairies or any of the sorts, but almost everyone acknowledges the presence of evil in our world. From the beginning of the play, there have been a lot of a lot of thunder, lightning, and drama surrounding these figures of evil that represent all the dark and chaotic forces in the universe. I think that Shakespeare began the play with the witches because they are the ones who catalyze all that happens in the play (and we all know that a good story always begins with something evil and exciting!). Their words plant the idea to kill Duncan in his mind. When he heard that he was going to become King, he mentally begins to plan his actions in order to fulfill what he thinks is...
Words: 1033 - Pages: 5
...Celton Brito-Lobato Analyse and compare how Lady Macbeth and Curley's wife are presented Shakespeare’s ' Macbeth' and Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ In the Shakespearean play of ‘Macbeth’ we are introduced to the character of Lady Macbeth. Similarly in John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice of Men we also presented with an equally diverse character of Curley's wife. ‘Macbeth’ was written during the early 17th century, and was a play 'fit for a king'. It outlines a couple's ambition to become rulers of Scotland and sees them fulfil this ambition and in doing so, killing the king in the process. Despite being written during patriarchal Jacobean society, Lady Macbeth is a female protagonist. Throughout the play, through Lady Macbeth's actions we are forced to believe that she is evil. In contrast, in the novel John Steinbeck tells a story of dreams, hopes and loneliness. We are introduced to a majorly significant and complex character, named Curley’s wife. Steinbeck shows us that Curley’s wife is flirtatious, mischievous (despite the patriarchal society of the 1930’s) but most of all she is an isolated character. Her hasty marriage to Curley proves to be failed attempt to escape her own spiral of disappointment of not fulfilling her ambition of becoming an actress. This ironically is a main theme in both texts. This essay will analyse and compare the presentation of Lady Macbeth and Curley's wife through structure, themes, what is said about them, their actions and what they themselves...
Words: 324 - Pages: 2
...Macbeth Essay Ambition and greed can change people in an unfathomable way. Power can change a person to greedy in a heartbeat, just to make sure they stay in power and get things going in their way only. In the play Macbeth, Macbeth portrays ambition and greed very well. He has allowed greed and ambition to take over him and change himself completely. Macbeth’s hunger for power and his fine line between greed and ambition has contributed his transformation into power by the number of people he murdered, his confidence in believing he is invincible and his craving and need to be in charge. In Macbeth, Macbeth gets himself corrupted in greed, which leads him to crave power. Macbeth’s need for power created when Duncan declared Malcolm as the prince. Macbeth’s jealousy over Malcolm drove him to become ambitious and greedy. Macbeth takes radical measures to...
Words: 852 - Pages: 4
...Power and Passion – Macbeth In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, two concepts, power and passion are conveyed through the downfall of the tragic play. The characters, mainly Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, show the relationship between these two concepts. Throughout the playwright, Macbeth has an ambition to gain more power, and especially when hearing the prophecy from the three witches after the victory of his battle, he becomes passionate about possessing the throne of Scotland. This essay will also discuss a particular soliloquy acted out by Macbeth where he imagines a dagger in front of him. Macbeth’s passion to be king originates from where the three witches address Macbeth as the ‘Thane of Cawdor’, ‘Thane of Glamis’, and ‘King hereafter’ when the witches chant “All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” (Act 1 Scene 3, line 48). Macbeth believes in these prophecies as they are supernatural entities, and this drives Macbeth’s ambition to achieve higher status and reputation. When Lady Macbeth hears this from the messenger, she gains high ambitions for him and becomes seduced by the idea of becoming the queen. She speaks to herself “I may pour my spirits in thine ear” (Act 1 Scene 5, line 25), which means she will inspire Macbeth with her passion about an evil deed she thought of. However, she also knew Macbeth could not perform such evil deeds as she says that he is “too full o’th’ milk of human kindness” (Act 1 Scene 5, line 16), therefore she uses his weakness throughout...
Words: 866 - Pages: 4
...that these women lose? In this quote, it states that in most parts of the world girls lose something because of society. After that, they are no longer able to feel confident or feel that part that they lost. This quote was incredibly powerful and proves that society has always made men more powerful even from the beginning. Also this metaphor has to do with flying. These boys get to fly while these girls must stay stuck on the ground. This means that women are limited and can only do few things while men have the ability to “fly” and become a doctor or a businessman and these women become nurses and receptionists which is always lower. This quote belongs in this essay about men because these men that have the wings must live up to their word and have to learn how to fly and be excellent at flying. The men in Macbeth had to live up to their word and avenge their families, , avenge father. These men have to also, be a good king ad Also some women explain this in this story to just state what a man must act and be like. Some women believe that they should stay with their family and be loyal, while others believe that they must keep their word and stay loyal....
Words: 1281 - Pages: 6
...MacBeth Essay The blame for Duncan’s death can be shared upon a variety of characters, although there may be a sole recipient for the majority of fault to fall upon. The three main character’s responsible for the demise of the former king include; MacBeth, Lady MacBeth and the Three Witches. Despite the fact that the Three Witches provoked this implement of the plan in MacBeth’s head, all three characters listed previously are all held responsible for the cause of Duncan’s death. The Three Witches are responsible for the original idea of taking the throne, although it is MacBeth’s ambition that overwhelms him and eventually, Lady MacBeth. When MacBeth initially meets the Three Witches’ after the battle in the scenes following the Witches’ first appearance. The sisters’ initially hail him as Thane of Glamis, and then proceed to hail him for being the Thane of Cawdor and for being King of Scotland. These prophecies implement and open his mind as to being King even though that the audience receives no indication as to what he is thinking. Initially, MacBeth is quite skeptical but then doubt turns to belief after being announced Thane of Cawdor. The Three Witches may have initiated the thought of becoming King, but it is ultimately Macbeth’s own ambition that takes it to the next level. Lady MacBeth is portrayed as a catalyst in the act of regicide for which MacBeth commits. Lady MacBeth is instantaneously overwhelmed by the idea of becoming queen, and thus shows her as ambitious...
Words: 605 - Pages: 3
...Macbeth Literary Essay Submitted By: Zachary McGregor May 1st, 2012 I believe that Macbeth is fully responsible for his own destiny because whether or not it was fated, he still chose to do everything he did. We obviously know that Macbeth made some pretty bad decisions over the course of the play. He should be held responsible and forced to pay the consequences of his actions for the following reasons. We know that Macbeth still had the choice of whether or not to murder Duncan, although he was encouraged by the witches’ prophesies and Lady Macbeth he didn’t really have to go through with the murder. We also know that the crimes Macbeth commits are becoming increasingly sinister and evil, as he continues to do these terrible deeds it becomes easier and easier for him to commit them. Finally, Macbeth acknowledges his guilt for the crimes he commits and is therefore fully responsible for his actions. It seems that the witches’ predictions insinuate Macbeth’s desire to become king, however, no one actually forces him to kill Duncan. Even though Macbeth’s decision was most certainly influenced by the witches’ prophesies and Lady Macbeth, he still made the final choice regarding the murder of Duncan which is wrong. Macbeth’s ambition causes him to question his loyalty to the king after hearing the witches’ prophesies. “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my shingle state of man that...
Words: 1575 - Pages: 7
