...against man between good and evil. This struggle is seen in day-to-day life but most importantly literature. One literature that has shown this struggle most evidently in would be Macbeth. Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare (Britannica). In the play the character Macbeth is first introduced as a noble man. His nobility slowly began to fall short and turn into evil once he is introduced to three witches. These three witches were able to tell Macbeth his fate. They told him that he would eventually be king. Macbeth, wanting this to come true, would have to go great lengths to make this happen and he did. To meet his fate, Macbeth had to lie, cheat, and steal in a way to get what he wanted. Sound familiar? Like us, Macbeth’s struggle of good and evil became more and more apparent. The relationship between good and evil in the character Macbeth is shown through his morality, ambition, and fears....
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...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...
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...Macbeth Essay William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is about a tragedy that takes place in Scotland. Macbeth murders Banquo, a good friend of his, King Duncan and Macduff’s family because of his greed for wealth and power, and his desire to become king. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses symbols that represent different ideas and concepts. Although there are many, the most vital concept is the feeling of guilt. There are many instances that show the power guilt has played on the main characters, but there are three examples that show it the best. Firstly, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are overwhelmed by the visions of blood after the murder of King Duncan. The blood is seen as the guilt they cannot overcome. Secondly, the Ghost of Banquo indicates the remorse Macbeth feels over killing his good friend. Although Banquo’s ghost may not exist, Macbeth’s guilt is making him see it. Lastly, Lady Macbeth begins sleepwalking, and then later commits suicide, all because of the burden of her guilt. The guilt is the consequence both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth will have to live with until they go to their graves. Once Macbeth and Lady Macbeth accomplish their quest to kill King Duncan, their feelings of guilt become conspicuous. The blood from killing King Duncan indicates their guilt, and they begin to feel that the murder will stain them and that they will be unable to be washed clean. The blood covers their hands, bodies and clothes, and as they try to wash it away, their...
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...To what extent is masculinity associated with evil and violence in Macbeth? Evil is a theme widely explored by Shakespeare in his plays and “Macbeth” is no exception. This play demonstrates violence in relation to evil and evil in turn is a reflection of the desperation and anxieties of the characters in “Macbeth.” The question of whether masculinity is associated with evil and violence is easily answered as the main character in this horrific tragedy is Macbeth himself, who commits a range of heinous crimes from murder to dabbling with witchcraft. However, the extent to which masculinity is related to evil is more obscure. In this essay I am going to show that evil and violence in “Macbeth” is not monopolised by masculine characters. To show this I will be analysing female characters who demonstrate strong evil qualities and personalities such as Lady Macbeth, The Witches and Hecate. I will also discuss Banquo, Macduff and King Duncan because these characters represent chivalry, nobility and honour of human characters, even though they are male. The first character I will be looking at is Macbeth himself. This is because he is the central character and focus of the entire play. From the outset Macbeth is depicted as a fierce war hero: “Till he unseamed him from the nave to the chops, And fixed his head upon our battlements.” (Act 1: Scene 1: Lines 22 – 23) The captain using the...
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...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...
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...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...
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...Macbeth Literature Essay During the play Macbeth was influenced by numerous characters namely; the three witches and Lady Macbeth. He was a victim of manipulation and trickery to a certain extent by them but his ambition and paranoia also played a big role and contributed as well to his downfall. The witches provoked evil images in Macbeth’s head as the prophecies were very tempting to Macbeth but, because his better judgment overcame his evil thoughts he decided not do anything about it and pushed the evil thoughts out of his head. Once the second prophecy came true he immediately started thinking about the third prophecy which excited him and made him fearful of the evil thoughts in his head. “I am thane of Cawdor: If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, against the use of nature? Present fears are less than horrible imaginings: my thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smother'd in surmise, and nothing is but what is not.” Once again his conscience overcame his evil thoughts and he made a wise decision on what he must do. “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir”. Although, he was still very intrigued by the witches now that both predictions came true and him becoming King was straight after the second prediction. As soon as Malcom was announced the Prince of Cumberland he immediately forgets about...
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...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...
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...the Witches In the play “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare, the element of sorcery play many roles such as dealing tragedy, and often stirring up the truth in the physical form of the witches. The three witches that Macbeth stumbles upon were man-like by appearance and offered very difficult discernment for both Macbeth and Banquo to tell whether they were woman or not. Like their appearance, their roles offered the same discernment. Although some critics offer that point that the witches have nothing to do with the play, it can be argued that the weird sisters in fact take control of the outcome of the fates of many. The setting of the play is like the netherworld setting, which is known by the rule of uncertainty. The only thing set in stone was evil, hence the weird sisters. With that being said, the role of the weird sisters was to create an uncertainty, to open up the doors to an unknown realm, and to cause the scattering of ideas. This is seen throughout the play such as when the witches plant a seed into Macbeth’s head to cause him to think, and to act differently, which ultimately causes the exposure of his true character. The first role that the witches play is made obvious when they deliberately acknowledge Macbeth as not only the Thane of Glamis, but also the Thane of Cawdor and all hailing King. This, most likely being the most important event in the poem due to its initiation of the actual purpose of the story, is what really leads Macbeth to believe that he has to...
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...Being Macbeth ENG 125 Instructor: Sahag Gureghian 03/11/2014 Being MacBeth Talk about a difficult read! Macbeth is definitely a difficult read, but it is also a very good read. There is something about the way it is written that has you raising your eyebrow and widening your eyes, as well as, questioning what was just read. Shakespeare used many elements when writing Macbeth. He was able to express each and every idea vividly using the elements. The three elements that I chose to discuss in this essay are foreshadowing, symbolism, and language. The first element that I would like to discuss is foreshadowing. A lot of foreshadowing took place in Macbeth. Clugston defines foreshadowing as “a technique a writer uses to hint or suggest what the outcome of an important conflict or situation in a narrative will be” (2010). Sometimes when foreshadowing is used in Macbeth it is very unclear of what the outcome will be. When you read a certain part and think one thing, Shakespeare uses foreshadowing and the reader is left asking questions and wondering what will happen, and why. In Act 1 Scene 1, the three witches are talking about Macbeth. They are discussing Macbeth’s future during thunder and lightning. I believe that not only does the witches conversation lead the reader to believe that something will happen, but the thunder and lightning also play an important role in what is to come for Macbeth. In scene 3, the witches appear again. This time they are not alone....
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...ENGLISH ESSAY: MACBETH “Macbeth shows us a world blackened by selish desires.” In life, we are often oblivious and undermine the power of evil as we aren’t directly exposed to the dangers and destructive consequences at first. We are presented with this same idea in the tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Macbeth’s progression and transformation throughout the play demonstrates and a world blackened by selfish desires. Macbeth at the beginning of the play is shown to be a friendly, honest and loyal person. But later, manipulation and deception as well as lust and greed mould Macbeth in to an aggressive, ambitious and possessed man. Finally, through his transformations we are able to identify a world blackened by selfish desires. Macbeth at the beginning of the play is shown to be a friendly, honest and loyal character. Shakespeare demonstrates Macbeth's loyalty to his king and to Scotland as the Captain recalls, "brave Macbeth killed [Macdonald]." Macbeth is well respected by his peers and maintains good relationships with them and is willing and committed to acting to protect Scotland. Furthermore, we are introduced to Macbeth by Malcom in act one scene two as a “good and hardy soldier” further highlighting his brave and courageous nature. On a different level, Macbeth shows he is a loving and respectful character in his attitude and approach towards his wife as he calls her his “dearest partner of greatness.” Additionally, we are able to measure the strength of the...
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...Animal Farm Comparative Essay Rebellion, gluttony, and manipulation are all common themes when it comes to the struggle for power. Animal farm by George Orwell, a book which all of these take place is remarkably similar to the Crucible by Arthur Miller and Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Animal farm, The Crucible, and Macbeth are all written similarly and revolve around the same themes, such that many characters in Animal Farm and Macbeth portray similar characteristics. Animal Farm and The Crucible share common themes and conflicts. In all three books the structure of peoples values change drastically for a turn for the worst. These novels and play all follow popular foundations of literature which revolve around inner evil, the addiction to power, and the loss and regaining of self-identity. Animal farm and Macbeth’s antagonists, Napoleon and Macbeth portray similar characteristics. Napoleon and Macbeth both share important roles in their respective books in that they directly influence and change the fate of many. The two power hungry tyrants go to an extreme to achieve their goals but in two very different ways. Napoleon a more cunning character abuses his superior intellect to deceive the other ignorant farm animals in order to gain power. Through Machiavellian methods he slowly begins to take over the farm by convincing the animals to be more reliant on him, ultimately making his self-proclamation of leader a reality “No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon...
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...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...
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...Shakespeare’s play Macbeth and Malouf’s novel Ransom both explore themes about freedom. The themes of freedom are largely characterised by their modes of textual representation – the play and the novel. Malouf’s novel is a heteroglossic text and is able to explore the themes relating to freedom through multiple focalisations and intertextuality with Homer’s Iliad. On the other hand, Shakespeare’s Macbeth explores the theme of freedom with asides, soliloquies and the supernatural. However, despite these differences in their representations of freedom there is a convergence for the reader in the implications for narrative meaning. Regardless of their contexts both texts elevate free will over predestination. Malouf’s novel Ransom reimagines...
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...men and Shake Spare Macbeth. In my essay I shall compare both of the female characters the ways they are presented. “Conduct me to mine host, we love him highly, and shall continue our graces towards him” He says that he will continue to give him good things, to keep Macbeth on his side, as he would be a powerful enemy. Macbeth is a leader of the army and probably commands the loyalty of the army, which would be a powerful tool if he were ever disagreeing with the king. The king is trying to avoid a situation like that by hinting that he is going to do more things for him, so that Macbeth will wait and see what he does before taking matters into his own hands. Duncan also think that Macbeth loves him and would only do something like that as a last resort, showing his naivety again of Macbeth’s character, and specially him underestimation of lady Macbeth. In a soliloquy, Macbeth begins to think about the practicalities, showing his real intent to go through with it. “If it were done, when it’s done, then here well if it were done quickly.” Here Macbeth admits that he does want to kill Duncan, but also realises that he must take his chances while he can to avoid getting caught, or him missing his opportunity and never getting the chance to become king. He says this, so that the audience know what he is going to do it that night, so it builds the suspense. He still uses the word “if” indicating that Lady Macbeth has persuaded him to do it. Lady Macbeth was confident that...
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