...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
...cannot be changed by mankind. The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare displays ambition, fate, deception and treachery. Fate is a supernatural force that controls the actions and choices of others. In Macbeth fate plays an important role in the lives of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Banquo. Macbeth’s fate is unavoidable and unchangeable. Macbeth’s fate is sealed as soon as he meets the witches’. Macbeth’s fate is tragic. Macbeth and Banquo are together...
Words: 930 - Pages: 4
...Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare and is about the tragic downfall of a Scottish lord who committed multiple murders. Macbeth, the protagonist of the play, killed numerous people to get what he wanted; however some of the murders were unavoidable. Although some of the murders were unavoidable, Macbeth is still guilty for the wrongful murders of Banquo and the Macduff family. He killed his fellow countrymen for power, which is unacceptable in any circumstances, but in Duncan’s case Macbeth was pressured by others to commit the deed. Macbeth is personally responsible for the death of Banquo, but he is not responsible for Duncan’s and the Macduff family’s deaths. To begin with, Macbeth is not responsible for Duncan’s death as Macbeth was pressured to kill him. Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife, pressured him into killing Duncan. Macbeth is innocent in this murder as he was being emasculated and used by his own wife. The guilt should be on Lady Macbeth as it was her that told Macbeth to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth. Was the hope drunk/...
Words: 895 - Pages: 4
...Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Banquo is a Thane which gives him land and makes him a chief or general of a military group. Macbeth Overview • The main character – Macbeth – is prophesied to be king from 3 witches • His wife Lady Macbeth urges the killing of King Duncan – it happens and the heir/s flee and Macbeth becomes king of Scotland. Macbeth is now filled with the want for power as dark thoughts flood his mind. He now wants to kill anyone that could be the next king, so he can stay king. In an attack on Macbeth following the realisation that he killed Duncan Macbeth is killed by Macduff. Who is Banquo? Sceptical, Loyal, friendly and trustworthy. Sympathetic loving and...
Words: 633 - Pages: 3
...Whether the feeling is a tinge or consuming, the effects of it may be deadly, to say the least. In the tragic play Macbeth, written by the infamous William Shakespeare in the 1600s, the sense of fear within Macbeth was one that had been engraved onto his mind; not shying away from demolishing all bits of sanity. The anxiety of losing all power, in which he gains through colourful acts, is what provokes Macbeth to dive into the pit of insanity. The relationships an individual has in their life can often set the path to a battle with their own power, which then shapes the critical events...
Words: 1891 - Pages: 8
...English Macbeth Essay Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a very dark and powerful tragic play. There are many characters in this play that are two faced, loyal one minute, and deceiving the next. One of the individuals who immensely represents these attributes is Macbeth himself. Macbeth is a warrior who is manipulated by his own wife and the three witches which leads him to become a greedy, ambitious and brave king. Ultimately because of his overconfidence, he dies devastatingly. . Macbeth bumped into three witches after his battle. The three witches tell Macbeth he will become thain of cawdor and glamis, and then king. He then becomes the thain which opened up an opportunity for him to become king. He then writes a letter to his wife in which he wrote to her about everything that was going on and she decides they need to kill the king in order for him to seize the throne. Macbeth kills the king but his wife has to return the daggers to the guards, to frame them for the crime, because Macbeth did not. After all that the King Duncans' sons run away becuase they fear that they were gonna be put to blame. Macbeth then becomes king. Once he became king, he did not want anyone else to have the same power as him or to do the same thing to him, as he did to King Duncan. Also he remembers one of the prophecies of the witch where they told Banquo the his children will be king. So he then orders the murderers to kill his best friend, Banquo and his son, Fleance . Macbeth is then...
Words: 1532 - Pages: 7
...In this essay, I will be looking at ways in which William Shakespeare shows sympathy and dislike for Macbeth. I will refer to historical context as well as the play on a whole. The play Macbeth which was set in Scotland, was written by William Shakespeare in the early 1600’s. This play was a tragedy and was written for King James I a year after the gunpowder plot. The play was to some extent a tale to caution any potential killers of the king (regicides) as to what would happen to them if they attempted to blow up King James and his parliament as Guy Fawkes did. Macbeth starts out as a very brave warrior. On his way back from fighting the Norwegians he encountered the three witches who told him that he would become king and Thane of Cawdor. Upon his return the first part of the prophecy came true. Macbeth informs his wife of the predictions and she tries to persuade him to kill Duncan. Macbeth yields to temptation and becomes very heartless killing everyone in his path so that he could become king. He became king and eventually died when he was defeated in war against Macduff. We first feel sympathy for Macbeth in Act 1 Scene 7. In this scene, his wife, Lady Macbeth, persuades him to kill King Duncan in order to fulfil the second part of the witches’ prophecy. Macbeth considers reasons why he should not kill King Duncan. Evidence of this is in Macbeth’s soliloquy, and i quote” First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host...
Words: 697 - Pages: 3
...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
...Shakespeare’s Macbeth is regarded as a tragedy. It is considered one not because of Macbeth’s ruthless killings of innocent victims, but because it portrays Macbeth’s transformation from a brave, dutiful soldier, to a backstabbing, greedy villain. It is all thanks to the three witches, who ruin Macbeth with their snippets of lies and truth. The presence of the witches adds a supernatural tone to the tale and is the crucial factor influencing Macbeth’s actions, and therefore, the storyline. The three mysterious beings can be accredited with telling Macbeth their prophecies, making him see Banquo’s ghost, as well as making him see the three apparitions. At the very beginning of the story, Macbeth would never think of wronging his king in any way. He is a loyal general and is perfectly content with his position of Thane of Glamis. Upon meeting the witches for the first time, he hears their three prophecies. The last statement, “All hail Macbeth, thou shalt be king thereafter!”(I, iii,), seems so unrealistic that he almost immediately dismisses it from his memory. However, it is just enough to tip him over the edge. It plants a seed of doubt in his mind, and more and more, Macbeth finds himself thinking about what it means. That little sentence is what ultimately causes Macbeth, along with Lady Macbeth, to corrupt and murder his beloved King Duncan. Macbeth also learns from the witches that Banquo “shall get kings, though [he] be none”(I, iii,). This leads to Macbeth’s...
Words: 733 - Pages: 3
...sleepiness, and urination. He adds that drink also “provokes and unprovokes” lechery—it inclines one to be lustful but takes away the ability to have sex (2.3.27). Macbeth enters, and Macduff asks him if the king is awake, saying that Duncan asked to see him early that morning. In short, clipped sentences, Macbeth says that Duncan is still asleep. He offers to take Macduff to the king. As Macduff enters the king’s chamber, Lennox describes the storms that raged the previous night, asserting that he cannot remember anything like it in all his years. With a cry of “O horror, horror, horror!” Macduff comes running from the room, shouting that the king has been murdered (2.3.59). Macbeth and Lennox rush in to look, while Lady Macbeth appears and expresses her horror that such a deed could be done under her roof. General chaos ensues as the other nobles and their servants come streaming in. As Macbeth and Lennox emerge from the bedroom, Malcolm and Donalbain arrive on the scene. They are told that their father has been killed, most likely by his chamberlains, who were found with bloody daggers. Macbeth declares that in his rage he has killed the chamberlains. Macduff seems suspicious of these new deaths, which Macbeth explains by saying that his fury at Duncan’s death was so powerful that he could not restrain himself. Lady Macbeth suddenly faints, and both...
Words: 1113 - Pages: 5
...In like manner, Shakespeare uses Macbeth to illustrate the disastrous consequences when a man allows success and titles get to his head. As soon as Macbeth received his prophecy of becoming Thane of Cawdor and king of Scotland respectively, he was weary as to believe the witches or not. However, when the first half came true, nothing stopped him from achieving the title of the latter. In act one, scene four, Macbeth says to himself, “The prince of Cumberland! That is a step On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires. The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see,” (Macbeth I. iii. 50-55). Despite his serious...
Words: 1065 - Pages: 5
...Macbeth is a play written for James I after the death of Queen Elizabeth. James was intrigued with witchcraft and the love of Scotland. In order to understand Shakespeare's Macbeth you have to understand the time and historical period which it is set. This is the Elizabethan period which is the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century when there was an authoritarian government. In this era the monarchy ruled the governments, they needed to raise strong and loyal armies to protect and rule their counties. Shakespeare chose legends and events in Scottish history to dramatise Macbeth, which he uses from the "Holinshed's chronicles around 1050 AD", that he alters and manipulates these freely to portray Macbeth's loyalty and then his destruction...
Words: 2141 - Pages: 9
...In the beginning scene of Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, there was a distinct aspect in common between Macbeth and foreshadowing. If you are not familiar with the term foreshadowing, it is an advanced sign or warning of what is most likely to occur in the future. Whereas, at the very beginning of Macbeth, there was a fair warning between the three witches and Macbeth. Another example of foreshadowing in this work was when Banquo had his final breath in Macbeth’s tower in act III, scene 4-6. Yet, for some strange reason, his death later turned to be a mythical ghost. Anyways, some of this foretelling signs of their future is very interesting. In act I, scene III, the three witches meet with Macbeth during of a thunderstorm to predict his future. The evil, murderous, destructive witches stated, "When the battle's lost and won" and "Fair is foul, and foul is fair," are greatly important. This is one of their riddles implying that life frequently introduces a confused picture of events in which a truth from a lie is difficult to come by after war conflicts. Anyways, they greeted Macbeth with the prophecy that Macbeth will later be hailed King of Scotland. How this all happened was because once King Duncan died, the community was all wondering who was to be named King next. Banquo was going to attempt to become king, but he also died which led up to how Macbeth became King of Scotland. The witches’ prophecies...
Words: 429 - Pages: 2
...In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth, Macduff, and Banquo were quite similar and quite different from one another, but all three of them still had important roles throughout the play. However, Macbeth, Macduff, and Banquo played either an evil, villainous role or a gallant, heroic role. Macbeth’s prophecy was that he was to become king of Scotland. Macbeth is friends with Banquo and he has a high status, rank, and respect for others. Macbeth and Banquo met the three witches together and they told them both about their futures. Before Macbeth killed the king he thought “If chance will have me King, why chance may crown me, without my stir.”(p.336) He takes a noble action on his prophecy and doesn’t let fate take its roll. Once Macbeth became king he let his power control himself, and treats everyone unfair but his wife. When Macbeth found out that Banquo thought that the witches had told some things, Macbeth started to have visions of the daggers floating in the air before him with the tip of the dagger aiming toward Duncan. He thought he heard a voice cry “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep” (p.352) Macbeth tried to grasp the imaginary dagger and failed. After Banquo’s ghost came to haunt him it started to make him suspicious and show that he is the one that killed him. Macduff is loyal to the king and the brave soldier. He is a father who cherishes his children and he is happy with his life. He was always a trustworthy person he never had disloyal or greed within himself...
Words: 746 - Pages: 3
...Anas Javaid Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4 Director’s Notes The movie production will be based on the time period that Shakespeare had originally intended, during 11th century Scotland. It will be inside of a type of castle you’d expect during for a time period and setting like this, with rows of tables as long as the hall. The back wall has long red-and-gold tapestry hanging down from the ceiling, complimenting the kingly throne made out of pure gold with a red seat. The expensive-looking tables are laden with decoration and have full course meals laid out on them. Macbeth is donning a heavy purple gown accompanied by a white cloak, with a golden crown sitting atop his head. The Lady Macbeth is sat beside him in a beautiful red dress. All of the lords and ladies are wearing their best outfits for this occasion. The room is lit entirely by candles, and the hall has a warm, but slightly eerie, feeling to it. While the murderers are speaking with Macbeth, everything in the background seems perfectly normal, as people continue to have a good time and feast on the food at their tables. When the murderers inform Macbeth that Fleance escaped, a look of horror and sudden realization comes upon Macbeth’s face as he realized the prophecy of Banquo’s sons becoming king will hold true, and there is nothing he can do. After the murderers take their leave, business continues as usual, besides Macbeth, who is now disturbed at the thought of Fleance overthrowing Macbeth. However, the nature of the scene...
Words: 551 - Pages: 3
